This month’s leadership quote:
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
–Steve Jobs
This month’s leadership quote:
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
–Steve Jobs
As leaders we are problem solvers. In fact, problem solving is a key strength required in a leader. And yet, sometimes, the best solution is to simply listen.
When I first began working as a leadership coach, I believed that my role was always to motivate my client toward action. While I still believe action is required to achieve results, I have also learned that, sometimes, it’s best to just listen.
Sometimes all a person wants is the opportunity to think out loud. And for us, as the listener, to do just that. To simply listen, not offer advice, perhaps ask a question or two and then allow them to sit with their own questions, their own reflections, and come to their own answers. And sometimes, at first, being heard is enough. Perhaps at a later date, it’s time for action.
For CEOs, the answer to this question is usually easy, the personal and professional gains a CEO expects from coaching usually have a direct correlation with results in their business.
For a senior executive, the question is more complex, because in addition to the relationship between the coach and the executive, there is the relationship between the executive and his/her manager.
As with most things, getting clear upfront about your intentions and expectations will yield better results. Here are some questions to consider if you are a senior executive with the desire to work with a coach:
The Q1 Vistage CEO Confidence Index – The confidence of CEOs from small and midsize businesses (SMBs) has slipped in the past quarter but remains high, according to new data from Vistage.
The Vistage CEO Confidence Index measured 105.8 in Q1 2018. By comparison, the index was 110.3 last quarter (Q4 2017) and 106.8 one year ago (Q1 2017). The Q1 2018 survey had 1,712 respondents.
To calculate the index, researchers account for factors including CEO opinions on current economic conditions, expected economic conditions, expected changes in employment, planned fixed investments, expected revenue growth and expected profit growth. The index has a strong track record of predicting GDP growth.
In his analysis of the results, Dr. Richard Curtin of the University of Michigan expressed a positive outlook. “Although the Vistage CEO Confidence Index retreated from the decade high recorded at year-end 2017, it still remains quite favorable,” he said. “The decline in confidence was mainly due to a moderation in the pace of growth expected for the national economy during the year ahead.”
Q1 2018 Vistage CEO Confidence Index highlights include:
When was the last time you wasted time? When you were “wasting time,” did you feel joyful and creative, or — if you’re like me, did you feel even a tiny bit guilty for “being unproductive?” How much better might it have been, how much more would you have enjoyed your time — how much more would you have gotten out of it — if you didn’t feel guilty about it or feel the need to explain it?
Here’s a fact: wasting time is a key part of our lives.
However, wasting time poorly is a sin (or whichever word you prefer), because not only are you forgoing the productivity, generosity and art that comes from work, but you’re also giving up the downtime, experimentation and joy that comes from wasting time.
If you’re going to waste time (and I hope you will), please do it well; and find inspiration by nurturing your butterflies within.