​Coaching is my passion. But teaching leaders and managers to use the tools of Navigating Challenging Dialogue and the NCD Approach to Coaching really brings me so much joy!  A past participant in my Coaching in the Workplace workshop emailed me to let me know how a conversation they were dreading turned out. They gave me permission to share with all of you.

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When you build a coaching culture where peers, leaders, and supervisors are engaged with curiosity and listen deeply to each other, they begin to find common ground and develop empathy. Cross-departmental teams who previously fought over resources or power now begin to see how they are all connected and working toward the same goals. Mentorship is specifically for individuals who are coaching now or adding coaching into their leadership toolbox. 

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In today’s fast-paced work culture, it feels like there are more demands and priorities than can be completed in an average workday. Because of the overwhelm, many of us tend to show up to meetings already braced to “say no” to new assignments that come up.  Saying “no” sometimes is absolutely important and not always possible. But if you are consistently bracing for the “no” before you hear or consider the full request, you are risking your reputation as a team player. And nobody wants that.  So how do you balance protecting yourself and your team from taking on too…

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Unproductive speculation is what we name as “future tripping” in Navigating Challenging Dialogue®. It’s worrying about what might happen in the future while missing what is happening right now – like sleep. When you’re engaged in future tripping, your brain is spinning stories that seem to be an attempt to help you problem-solve something that hasn’t even happened yet. It is a strategy your ego employs to try and protect you. But when your mind conjures up these stories that focus on negative outcomes, it triggers even more anxiety.

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Here’s a situation many of my clients face:“How can I deal with someone who hints instead of directly sharing information with me? I often feel blindsided when a project goes off track. And when I finally discover that things have gone wrong, one of my staff people says, ‘I tried to tell you last week.’ When I ask them when, what they share with me was not direct communication, but instead a hint I did not pick up on.”The only solution here is to give direct, fact-based, clear feedback.  

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When I am asked to help with positive culture building, I am often called in by leadership who wants to point fingers at their employees’ behaviors and attitudes as what needs to change. Often, when it comes time for coaching, training, and consulting, the executives want me to focus on staff. They say that they are too busy. Or they agree to participate, but when the time comes, they are distracted, running in and out, or looking at their phone. All these behaviors convey messages to employees that are stronger and longer lasting than sentiments about teamwork and how much employees…

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​Here is a tough fact: As your status and power elevate within the workplace, so too does the potential for people to: disagree,  make assumptions,  criticize your decisions and how you lead lay blame at your feet for things you had no control over  In other words, you can become a target for a frustrated few. I work with a leader whose organization is achieving incredible growth and success. Along with that, he has faced, for the first time, a constituent going to his board and voicing concern over a decision the leader made.  Up until this time, this leader…

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The world of work is changing. Employees are seeking workplaces where trust is high, there are opportunities to use their unique strengths, skills, and talents, and they feel supported but not micro-managed.  Coaching is the tool that will help you to foster this kind of culture in your workplace. But you must be courageous enough to start and vulnerable enough to understand that effective coaching is a skill not just a talent. Workplaces that have a normalized culture of coaching are ones in which people proactively ask questions, share vulnerabilities, learn skills for proactive thinking, and experience trust in relationships.…

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The swift river that is work and the emotions associated with work continues to flow while you are gone. In order to successfully jump in, you must be well nourished, well rested, and well organized. Otherwise you can end up flailing, being swept away and barely able to keep your head above water, just like my client.

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One of the best ways to increase employee engagement is with 1:1 Check-ins. However, 1:1 Check-ins are one of the most dreaded and least thought about tools in the engagement toolbox. Let’s talk about making check-ins more effective, efficient, and valuable.

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