Links That You Might Enjoy

Depending upon the coaching situation, I do a lot of research in order to stay on top of the issues. When I cannot wait on the next addition of a magazine (Business Week is my favorite), I will check into various web sites for the latest. Certain web sites offer an abundance of information and resources. Most are absolutely free but some require you to register. My favorite links are:

http://www.fortune.com This site is filled with business, government, and company news.

http://www.businessweek.com The best business magazine. Leadership, business, investing, practical information, leadership profiles.

http://www.forbes.com Business news, stocks, market updates. Personalize your interests.

http://www.online.wsj.com/public/us Wall Street Journal. Main newsworthy topics.

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu Harvard Business School topics.

http://www.humanmetrics.com Myers Briggs and other assessment tools.

http://www.engadget.com See the latest electronic gadgets on a daily basis.

http://www.bensbargains.com Shop here before you buy. Better than Frys, Circuit City, or Best Buy. Check the coupons for code numbers that you can use for purchases anywhere.

http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/ Covers all of Southeast Asia news out of its base in Singapore.

http://www.business-times.asia1.com.sg/ Covers business news throughout asia.

http://www.scmp.com/ Based in Hong Kong but covers mainland China as well.

http://www.atimes.com/ Asian business coverage.

http://www3.nytimes.com/ Leading liberal opinions on matters around the world.

What Exactly Is An Executive Coach Anyway?

You have heard it all. Head doctor. Groom merchant. Charm school. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. Don't think of a psychiatrist or even a psychologist although both could be coaches---probably just not very good ones. Ouch! I take it back. Kinda. Some psychologists have firm foundations in business and make excellent coaches. But, being a psychologist does not make you a good coach. How about a former executive? Not necessarily. Being a former executive is not enough. How about a former baseball or basketball coach? Probably not unless they went on to greatness in business and had an appropriate educational foundation.

Think of an executive coach as a senior mentor with a great deal of practical business and people experience. They will ask tough questions about you and your business. They will make a great effort to understand the business context. They will force you to carefully examine your strengths and weaknesses. They will gather input from respected colleagues in your organization. Good coaches will also goad you into developing a coherent, concise development plan with metrics to measure progress and success.

The best coaches are good listeners who have "been there and done that." They must not only be good mentors and teachers but in my opinion, they must have had first hand business experience. Beware of a coach who puts everything into psychological terminology. They must be able to earn the respect of those they coach by speaking the same business language. I like to say, no psycho mumbo jumbo. Coaches also need great people skills so they can interact with other senior leaders as well as staff members at all levels of the organization.

Finally, coaches need to be firmly grounded in a logical, structured coaching process. That should include certification or thorough knowledge of various assessment tools such as the Myers Briggs, Birkman, Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down, and others. Ideally, coaches will be well educated and they will have completed an internship or education through a reputable coaching organization.

Do you use coaches? The right coach can save you tons of money. In fact, I think that if you invest in your leaders, your bottom line will soar! Let me know if you are considering that possibility or if you would like some assistance in determining what/who is right for you. We can help!

Click on the link at the bottom of this email to view other blogs or to see this blog in living color. You can also reply to this email by clicking on your email's reply button.

Thanks for reading this. Watch for future blogs soon. P.S., I will not send more than one blog per day and I intend to slow down soon. Right now, I have a lot of possible topics and thanks to you, the list is growing.

Steve (Nick)

Neat Things You Can Do With A Blog

No doubt some of you are new at blogging so I thought I would share some of the neat things that you can do with blogs.

1. Trash it.

2. Reflect on it.

3. Comment on it by expressing your own viewpoints.

4. Agree or disagree with my viewpoints.

5. Pass it on to friends.

6. Copy it and roll it into a small ball and toss it to your dog.


To express yourself freely, don't respond to my emails. Instead, click on the small envelope at the bottom of this message and send your comments that way.

One other point, be sure and save the http:// address on my message so you can easily to get to the global coaching forum blog. Save it as a favorite or put it on your desk top and you will have a ready reference tool. If you forget, email or call me and I will guide you.

I should also say that if you do not wish to be "blogged" you can ask to be taken off my mailing list. I realize that some of you are already overwhelmed by emails and this adds to your load. So, your wish is my command.

The Best Day To Discharge An Employee

Let me make it very clear, I do not enjoy firing employees. The whole process is very distasteful. As we all know however, it is necessary at times to let people go for rule violations such as theft, history of bad performance, or chronic absenteeism. Should you strategize the best day to release someone? The answer depends upon the situation. At times, it is necessary to take swift action and release an employee (after investigation) almost immediately. What about other situations where you have some time to plan how and when to release an employee?

When time is not a critical factor, I very much am in favor of Friday releases. Why? If you take action early in the week, those employees remaining will talk about what happened all week long. Rumors will fly. Others will think that they are next. A general feeling of uneasiness will permeate the workforce. If you take action on late Friday afternoon, many employees will be gone for the weekend and you have built an automatic cushion (Saturday and Sunday) against rumor formation and unproductive discussion.

One word of caution. Mix it up at times. If you have a lot of releases, don't make Friday the dreaded (and predictable) chopping block day. If you are like most organizations, you have very few discharges and they are spread out over the year. Friday will be your best day! You will still find it distasteful but it is your best option.

If you need some advice on almost any HR matter from experienced HR professionals, call us. We can help!

Send Your Best People Overseas

Every organization struggles when it comes time to send expatriates overseas. Lets assume that you have an opening in a foreign country that only an American (or any other nationality) can hold. You may have determined that because you need someone with connections to home office, or perhaps you need someone who is up to date with the latest technology, or you need someone who has a good business sense and speaks English (or some other language) fluently. You therefore conclude that an American expatriate is the best person to send. The question is, who should you send?

Small organizations seldom can afford the luxury of sending anyone overseas. Yet, you have determined that the open job can only be filled with an American. Should you hire someone to send overseas? That does not make any sense because you have not developed a comfort level with them yet. Should you send someone who you determine is currently expendable? Should you send someone who is not very busy at the moment? Should you send someone that will be easy to backfill? All of these reasons would be the wrong reasons!

You should make it a practice to send only your best people overseas. Send your stars. Make it a requirement for those rising to the top. Just like advanced education or any other critical factor deemed desirable for your company, international experience should be a critical step in your top performers' career path. Sure, I know it is not easy but if you want future key individuals to serve abroad, they must see that the company values the experience above all else.

Why you ask? Partly because of cost. Today, it costs about three times as much (more in some countries) to send an expatriate abroad than it does to hire a local. Next, because so much of your companies' future is at stake. Doing business off shore is essentially a requirement today in order for you to be competitive. If you can afford to do business abroad, you can afford to send your very best. What method does your organization practice today? Do you send your very best or do you look around to find someone whose departure will hurt your organization the least? Do you do a thorough assessment of the entire family before you make the final selection? If you do not, you should. If a child or spouse cannot cope and has to come home early, you can expect an early assignment termination for the whole family. In foreign assignments, selecting the right family members is just as important as selecting the right employee. It definitely is a family affair and should be part of your selection process.

We have been selecting successful expatriate candidates for many years. Don't be a part of making the same mistakes or creating irrevocable problems for your company by sending the wrong people. Too much is at stake. Taking the easy way out sets you up for serious problems down the road.

Ask us how to go about designing a selection process for your company. We can help!

Grooming A Star Performer

What steps can be taken to groom an executive with high potential so he/she can rise to the next level? Having said that, lets assume that the individual has an excellent track record, is well thought of by management, and wants to rise as high as possible.

The first thing I would want to know is what is the track record? What jobs have been held? What direction does the individual and the management team see this person going? In other words, CFO, CEO, COO, President, etc. Next, we would discuss several possible steps to get there including focusing on the preferred option. That will enable us to take some short-term action on the needed next assignment. This would be built into the succession plan and when conditions are right, we would take the necessary action. Also, key decisions like mentoring, university executive development programs, international assignment, specific skill development such as communications, negotiation style, etc. would be decided upon.

Concurrently, we would spend time on more of the soft side issues. What are the person's strengths and weaknesses? We would do a self assessment as well as some formal assessments including the Thumbs Up-Thumbs Down, Myers-Briggs, and the Birkman. Additionally, this would be the appropriate time to focus on leadership style and personality assessment.

Along with formal assessments, we would advocate a multi-rater (360) feedback tool specifically designed around the individual's strengths and weaknesses. After determining an appropriate mix of participants, we would interview each trusted colleague and gather feedback for our executive. Then, we would summarize the information and report it back to the executive. In spite of how positive most of the data will be, most executive's will be told that they have room for improvement. After much discussion and debate, an action plan will be written to develop the weaknesses while at the same time not losing site of the strengths. The action plan should contain specific objectives, time frame, and metrics to measure progress. The mentor or coaches' role is to make sure that the executive stays on point and actually accomplishes the plan.

How do YOU groom a star performer? Do you just automatically assume that they will succeed and therefore do not require coaching? Why should you spend money on your top performers? I will tell you why. They represent your future. They are the ones that will make your company succeed or fail. As good as they are, they can get even better. Also, keeping them highly motivated will prevent them from looking around at other opportunities. You cannot afford to lose your stars---at any cost. Invest in your leaders and watch your bottom line soar!

We can help!

Executives Who Just Do Not Get It

Have you ever seen executives who resist directives handed down from top management? The most common one is centered around change. For example, even though it is necessary to cut costs in some organizations and reduce people expenditures, some executives expect reductions in each area of the company except their own. Have you ever heard the comment " you do not understand. We are different?" What can you do? How do you coach such an executive? How do you get his/her attention?

We can help.