Spotting Successful In-House Leadership Interventions

In my work, I am privileged to be with many leadership teams in action. Recently, I worked with two business units from a large government agency. The two groups had run into difficulties. The corporate services group was driving many changes and the business unit experienced these initiatives as disjointed, overwhelming, and interrupting business-as-usual activities. The business unit managers were increasingly pulling up the gangplank and closing off to interactions with the corporate services managers. They were all experienced managers,...

Relevant, Satisfying And Compelling Leadership Meetings – Fit For A Purpose

Are you are frustrated at times in your leadership team meetings? “How are we doing?” is a worthwhile question for leaders to ask their team every few months. Reviewing progress helps to keep your team purpose, and ways of doing things, relevant in the face of change. Consider group membership, direction, emphasis, and the relevance of your agenda. Here are six areas to assess your team to ensure your meetings are fit for purpose: What is the purpose of our...

Establishing Success Measures For Coaching

For leaders wanting to develop new behaviours and increase their effectiveness, one key is to identify specific success measures. This is not as easy as it sounds. Alongside desired outcomes of any coaching project, clients and I work together to identify 2 – 3 specific success measures which they, and others, will see and experience as a result of the behavioural changes they are considering. How do we do this? We identify specific relationships, in a specific setting, and describe...

8 Features Of Coaching Clients’ Success

In my many years of coaching leaders, I have noticed clients who benefit most from coaching have a few distinctive approaches to learning. The clients that have to most success have these traits: Are willing to accept tough feedback from bosses and peers Work to understand the impact they have on others Are open to learning new approaches Are able to identify the clear outcomes they are seeking Identify specific success measures both they and others will see and experience...

Are You Thriving Or Barely Surviving?

There are at least three criteria for working successfully in organisations: Technical abilities Experience The qualities you have when working with others – relationships Decades ago, staff was expected to do as managers said. Then, expertise and some experience were sufficient to be appointed to leadership roles. Increasingly a third factor is necessary – people having positive experiences through working alongside you as they produce results. Some leaders find that creating a culture where people want to work together can be...

Two Keys To Concluding Effective Meetings

End your meetings on a high note and effectively wrap it all up with these two tips: Summarise what has been agreed and what’s next, or ask someone in the group to make a summary, and others can add. Thank everyone for participating. If you want to improve your leadership and influence in groups, including leading effective meetings, enroll in The Executive Presence programme. © Diana Jones

Six Keys To Leading Effective Meetings

Many of us lead meetings, and yet I often hear leaders say meetings are a waste of time, they are boring, or it is unclear what is being achieved by getting together. To be honest, I have run boring meetings too and I have been in meetings which are a waste of time. I have also been in purposeful meetings, even when there was no agenda, and where I experienced both my and others’ participation was worthwhile. One of the...