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Posted in: CEO Success – Lynn | Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Obtaining effective leadership feedback can be a challenge for leaders and those reporting to them, but is critical to the success of the executive and their organisation.
Posted in: Overcoming Challenge – Lynn | Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
For a new leader or executive, starting a new role can be both exciting and daunting. It has been said that the first three months in a senior position can make or break the role. This is because transition is a time of great opportunity and challenge.
Posted in: Getting the Best from Others – Lynn | Monday, August 2nd, 2010
Good communication skills are a key ingredient to effective management and leadership. A leader who has listened well will have much better information to make more effective decisions.
Posted in: CEO Success – Lynn | Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Accurate self awareness is a key factor in your leadership success. Yet the more senior your leadership role, the more challenging it can be to obtain accurate and honest feedback from the people that really matter.
Posted in: Success through People – Lynn | Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
As a leader your communication and listening skills are critical to your personal and organisational success. As you think back to people who have influenced you most during your career you will notice that they are people with superior communication skills.
Posted in: CEO Success – Lynn | Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
In today’s fast paced world, time management is no longer a viable solution. Managing energy, not time, is a key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness and life balance.
Posted in: Getting the Best from Others – Kevin | Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Examines the leadership approach that will most positively impact staff performance and business results in a challenging market.
Posted in: Getting the Best from Others – Lynn | Monday, July 19th, 2010
Good listening skills are a key ingredient of effective management and leadership. Where staff feel they have been listened to and that they have contributed to a solution their commitment to act is stronger. A leader who has listened well will have much better information to make a more effective decision.
Posted in: Getting the Best from Others – Lynn | Friday, July 16th, 2010
Most of us believe the best way of motivating ourselves and others is by external rewards like money – the carrot and stick approach. However, Daniel Pink’s recent book ‘Drive’ reveals that the secret to high performance and motivation is based on other factors.
Posted in: Team Effectiveness – Lynn | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Advice on effective leadership team development, how to get your team working together more effectively to deliver real and significant results.
Posted in: Team Effectiveness – Lynn | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Expert advice on improving leadership team meeting effectiveness and how properly organised, focused meetings can save significant time.
Posted in: Team Focus – Lynn | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Advice on how to improve leadership team behaviour by identifying and implementing common guiding principles.
Posted in: Driving Change or Turnaround – Kevin | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Explores the essential elements of leadership that are most critical when driving change management or business turnaround.
Posted in: Team Development – Carmel | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Advice on how leadership team development can drive business success through the development of organisational goals and objectives.
Posted in: Team Effectiveness – Lynn | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Tips on how to manage conflict in leadership team meetings without discouraging expression of differing opinions.
Posted in: Team Focus – Carmel | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Examines how effective senior team performance relies on establishing clear organisational vision and goals to deliver long term success.
Posted in: Team Effectiveness – Lynn | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Examines the role of leadership team coaching in developing effective teams for business success.
Posted in: Team Effectiveness – Carmel | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Explores the key building blocks for effective leadership teams, essential for the success of your organisation.
Posted in: Underperforming Organisations – Kevin | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Examines how to address organisational performance issues and the leadership challenges created by team underperformance.
Posted in: Driving Change or Turnaround – Lynn | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Advice on managing organisational change and what factors are crucial to successfully drive change at the leadership team level.
Posted in: Team Focus – Lynn | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Advice on successful leadership team development, and how focusing on the wrong outcomes can lead to inefficiency.
Posted in: Success through People – Kevin | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Expert advice on improving staff performance and organisational results by engaging staff and bridging the discretionary effort gap.
Posted in: Team Development – Carmel | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Advice on how self-awareness is crucial for building effective team dynamics and maintaining a healthy group relationship.
Posted in: Team Effectiveness – Lynn | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Explores why team emotional intelligence is important for developing an effective team and outlines the essential conditions required.
Posted in: Overcoming Challenge – Lynn | Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Professional advice on effective stress management for leaders, from Lynn Humphrey, leadership coaching expert at Stepshift.
Posted in: CEO Success – Kevin | Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Advice on how EQ or emotional intelligence benefits leaders, from Kevin McMahon, leadership coaching expert at Stepshift.
Posted in: Getting the Best from Others – Carmel | Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Examines the importance of emotional intelligence for managers and those in leadership positions. Advice from Carmel Byrne, leadership coaching expert at Stepshift.
Posted in: Team Challenges – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
The costs incurred by businesses, both financial and emotional, when senior people are not working effectively as an leadership team, are significant. When organisations wish to achieve new levels of performance and growth, the dynamics of the leadership team are critical. Their collective energy is required to get an organisation moving in a new direction, [...]
Posted in: Team Challenges – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
“Executive Teams rather than individual executives deliver significant results in business” The costs incurred by businesses, both financial and emotional, when senior people are not working effectively as an executive team, are significant. When organisations wish to achieve new levels of performance and growth, the dynamics of the executive team are critical. Their collective energy [...]
Posted in: Team Challenges – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
In our work with leadership teams, we uncover the areas that will enable the team to work at an even higher level. In our experience, when trust issues are uncovered and improved, there is a corresponding and very significant improvement in the team’s ability to operate and deliver results. The head of the leadership team [...]
Posted in: Team Challenges – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
One of the most important roles of leadership is the development of a high level of trust with and between team members. The existence of a good level of trust between leadership team members underpins a team’s ability to make decisions quickly and objectively. When the level of trust is low, politics and personal agendas [...]
Posted in: Team Challenges – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Leaders can grow themselves and their leadership teams by engaging in open and honest communication. So what causes a leader or their leadership team to communicate poorly? Generally there is a agreement about the desirability of good communication. As a leader you know within yourself when something needs to be communicated. What can put us [...]
Posted in: Team Challenges – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Leaders can grow themselves and their leadership teams by engaging in open and honest communication. When managers and leaders withhold the truth from one another, when they are unwilling to engage in challenging communication with staff, peers or seniors, they are compromising the foundation of openness and trust that underpins leadership and team performance. Developing [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
At Stepshift we are committed to providing leadership coaching in a manner which delivers outstanding organisational and personal success. Our philosophies in developing leadership coaching and mentoring programmes are as follows:
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
When leaders and executives are ready to achieve a Stepshift in their leadership or performance, effective executive coaching and mentoring can provide the catalyst. There are some fundamental steps that are essential in any effective leadership mentoring programme. The Stepshift leadership coaching and mentoring programme involves:
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
When leaders and executives are ready to achieve a Stepshift in their leadership or performance, effective executive coaching and mentoring can provide the catalyst. This may be with one individual or across a whole management or leadership group. Executive mentoring is used increasingly as a tool to achieve both personal growth and improved business outcomes. [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Some of you will have had significant experience with leadership coaching while for some of you it is a relatively new concept. And yet, as leaders within your organisations, you will no doubt be interested in three things:
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
A paper in the 2001 Manchester Review (Vol 6 Number1) by McGovern and others reported the results of research into Maximising the Impact of Executive Coaching and arrived at some interesting conclusions (we do not have space to cover the methodology of the research but if you are interested please call a stepshift Partner and [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Lynn | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
A paper in the 2001 Manchester Review (Vol 6 Number1) by McGovern and others reported the results of research into Maximising the Impact of Executive Coaching and arrived at some interesting conclusions (we do not have space to cover the methodology of the research but if you are interested please call a stepshift Partner and [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
When business leaders are looking to take a significant step up in their leadership or with their business, mentoring with the right mentor can provide significant benefits during that period of transition. The skills and experience you require from the mentor and in the mentoring relationship, will vary depending on you and your situation, but [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Perhaps more than anything else what differentiates great leaders from good leaders is your ability to get the best from yourself and from others. This is particularly critical in times of change, turnaround or growth when leaders are under pressure. Leadership coaching is a proven on-the-job intervention that can assist you to significantly develop your [...]
Posted in: Overcoming Challenge – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
When you are running a business or business unit, perhaps the biggest challenge you face is the challenge of isolation. This is OK when it’s business as usual, but when you are seeking to significantly change, turnaround or grow your business, having someone to challenge you, support you and act as a sounding board, can [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Perhaps the greatest asset that most organisations have is their people. This people asset often holds the key to their competitive advantage because as people potential is realised, their improved performance drives business success. So how do you realise people potential – one proven way is to develop your leaders as coaches.
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Key reasons why coaching can deliver more impact for managers and leaders than other interventions, are that it is totally focused on the coachee and it works in the context of their leadership role rather than outside it.
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
When it is time to select yourself a coach there are a few questions to consider that will ensure you make the best selection. There are obviously coaches in different fields – this blog focuses on choosing a leadership executive or business coach. Ask yourself these questions:
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Executive Coaches are not for everyone. Business leaders and managers have times when they want to take a significant step in their leadership or career. This may involve for example achieving more success or traction in your role or with your business, getting more from your people or preparing for or stepping into a more [...]
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Employee retention can be a challenge for business leaders. Positively impacting your retention rates can significantly improve productivity and bottom line results.
Posted in: Overcoming Challenge – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
If motivation of self or others will assist you in your role, read on. When you as a leader are clear on your work values, you can find ways to deliver against those values then you will find you are a lot happier and have more motivation in your work. Are you clear on what drives you, on [...]
Posted in: Team Development – Carmel | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Executive team performance is critical to the ability of an organisation to drive results and execute the company strategy in a sustainable way. Therefore coaching and developing your executive team is vital. It is critical that, at this level, the executive team members are each committed to achieving the organisational results and not just those [...]
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
What would prove more expensive for your company – investing in management coaching or finding a new manager? One of our Stepshift clients, a senior leader in a large insurance business, was interested in measuring the return on investment of the management coaching programme we ran with him and a number of his senior managers and management [...]
Posted in: CEO Success – Kevin | Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
How CEOs can achieve the leadership fulfillment and success. You aspired to be top dog in the organisation, you have achieved that success and yet somehow you do not feel…. well, successful. Irrespective of whether you have a great quarter or a mediocre one, there’s something missing…. your mojo is not there like it was [...]
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Improving your ability to provide inspirational leadership can lead to more success for senior business executives and their organisations. You could argue that the most important attribute of a leader is their ability to inspire others. Successful leaders are able to mobilise and motivate people inside and outside their organisation, to deliver the organisation’s key [...]
Posted in: Developing Leaders – Kevin | Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Improving your leadership often involves more than developing new skills or behaviours. Improving leadership performance often focuses on improving capabilities and behaviours. This may range from impacting areas of interpersonal capability right through to technical areas such as the leader’s ability to read a balance sheet.
Posted in: Various – Lynn | Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Why did you become a Leadership Coach? In my previous roles I was exposed to successful business leaders (both as clients and colleagues) and I had been fascinated by the factors that separate successful business leaders and teams from those that are less than successful. I was interested in the matters which either enabled or [...]
Posted in: Getting the Best from Others – Lynn | Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Appreciative Inquiry is now a commonly accepted practice in the evaluation of organizational development strategy and implementation of organizational effectiveness tactics. It is also used extensively as a basis for Leadership and Executive Coaching and for Leadership Team Development in major companies, SMEs and government.
Posted in: Various – Lynn | Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
On the eve of his departure from New Zealand, leading rugby coach Robbie Deans was interviewed on his success as a sporting coach. Many of the key messages are also relevant to effective business and leadership coaching. Here are some of them: Self analysis “I took a break from the NPC and did some research [...]
Posted in: Various – Lynn | Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
These are just some of the issues that effective Business or Leadership Coaching can assist with: 1. Corporate financial health and fiscal responsibilities a. Achieving consistent financial returns in a highly competitive global market b. Forming strategic alliances to leverage resources c. Ensuring your organisation is a compelling place to work to attract and retain high quality people
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Saturday, November 1st, 2008
Using executive mentors in New Zealand business has a long history and more recently has changed in form. Historically some business people were assigned executive mentors who had “walked the path” to help guide and coach them. The upside was that these executive mentors had been there and done that, the downside was that they [...]
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Saturday, November 1st, 2008
Companies interested in enhancing their leadership and team performances often engage the services of business consultants as facilitators. When Stepshift’s business consultants work in the area of leadership team development, they start with a gap analysis exercise. They then act as facilitators to assist the team to look honestly at where they are, where they want to [...]
Posted in: Various – Carmel | Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
When embarking on an executive coaching or leadership team development programme, it is critical to establish the measures of success and the return on investment required. At an executive level, the outcomes for the programme will normally include a number of areas that ultimately add value to the business.
Posted in: Various – Carmel | Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
A high performing executive team is critical to the ability of an organisation to drive results and execute the company strategy in a sustainable way. Therefore developing your leadership team is vital. It is critical that, at this level, the leadership team members are each committed to achieving the organisational results and not just those [...]
Posted in: Various – Carmel | Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Leaders’ effectiveness can be enhanced by effective executive coaching. Executive coaching facilitates leaders to clarify what they want to achieve and to identify and work on the key underlying areas that will enable them enjoy enhanced leadership effectiveness and success. These underlying areas vary from leader to leader and the one to one nature of [...]
Posted in: Various – Carmel | Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Leadership performance is driven by a number of factors including the leader’s ability to influence and get buy in and commitment from others in the team or organisation. The ability to influence other people at a leadership level is driven by several factors including the leader’s proven technical or industry capability and effective leadership skills.
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
If motivation levels are flagging, despite your career success, you may need to examine some key questions. Key Values and Priorities When you as a leader are clear on your work values, you have a foundation for leadership that will allow you, your team and your organisation to benefit. Are you clear on your values and their priority?
Posted in: Various – Kevin | Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Retaining employees can be a challenge for business leaders. Positively impacting your retention rates can significantly improve productivity and bottom line results. Why is it important to hold on to employees? While unemployment in New Zealand is likely to rise over the next year, much of that unemployment rise will be in the unskilled labour force. Recruiting highly [...]
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