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	<title>Leading Thoughts Blog &#187; Strategic Engagement</title>
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	<description>A Blog Supporting the Development of Masterful Leadership</description>
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		<title>Woman Power &#8211; US Corporations Still Do Not Get It</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/05/woman-power-us-corporations-still-do-not-get-it/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/05/woman-power-us-corporations-still-do-not-get-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 May 2010 13:47:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inside the Executive Suite]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=1408</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Again, it does not seem US corporations get it.  In this entry I share research from an article recently published on Forbes.com that highlights that 1/3 of all women are leaving the workforce each year!  In addition to child care reasons - 89% leave because they feel a lack of support around their career progression.  If US corporations do not get this soon - they might just find they are facing stiff competition from emerging companies lead by women in several years.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1412" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/WomanCEO.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1412" src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/WomanCEO-200x300.jpg" alt="WomanCEO" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bringing Balance to Leadership</p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">In an earlier entry &#8220;<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/09/unleashing-feminine-power-in-executive-leadership/">The Rising Power of the Feminine in Executive Leadership</a>&#8221; &#8211; I highlighted solid research showing that companies with women in top leadership positions have stronger  relationships with customers and shareholders and a more diverse and  profitable business <span id="btAsinTitle"><sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-1408-1' id='fnref-1408-1'>1</a></sup>.</span> </span></p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">ANY CHARACTER HERE</div>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">A <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/work-in-progress/2010/05/18/women-off-ramping-money-work-jobs-salary-wage-gap/" rel="nofollow" >recent  article in Forbes</a> shows that most US Corporations are still not  realizing the power that women bring.  The article highlights some sobering statistics as follows:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Research done between 2004-2010 indicates that over 33% of women are leaving the workforce each year for various reasons.  For example in 2009 74% left for child care reasons, 16% left because their careers were stalled and a whopping 89% left because no executive in the organization was sponsoring their journey to success <sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-1408-2' id='fnref-1408-2'>2</a></sup>.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">While 89% planned to resume their careers after a hiatus &#8211; only 40% of the women looking to reenter the work force after only 2 years found full time employment <sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-1408-3' id='fnref-1408-3'>3</a></sup>.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Women who return to full-time work face a lower job title, a decrease in  management and overall responsibilities and a striking financial  penalty. Women who off-ramped for two years faced a 14% salary gap. The  penalty tripled to 46% for those that left for three or more years <sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-1408-4' id='fnref-1408-4'>4</a></sup>.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is just another symptom of organizations cutting their nose of despite their face.  Then there is the other side of the coin where an organization takes a talented woman leader and instead of leveraging her strengths and interests &#8211; they try to force her into a leadership position that does not fit because they want to show the world they are supporting the promotion of women.  While this shows some thoughtfulness &#8211; it is also misguided.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those organizations who continue down this path just might find that this decision comes back to haunt them.  Why do I say this? Because another statistic shows that the majority of small businesses rising today are lead by women.  If your organization takes no action to change its trajectory &#8211; you might just find a fierce yet compassionate competitor lead by a woman eating your lunch.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whether everyone sees it or not we are facing a major transformation in the way business is conducted worldwide.  If we do not take advantage of the lessons this difficult time has taught us &#8211; we will miss a huge opportunity.  To fully leverage this opportunity we need leadership and true leadership integrates a results focus along with a collaborative orientation (among other things).  We do not have enough male leaders who embody both sides of this equation and thus this is why there is a deep need for strong women leaders who for the most part have the capacity to embody both.   Men reading this might react negatively yet this is not about male bashing.  It is about finding balance and having leaders who can model the full power of leadership for everyone.  The question is will enough large organizations recognize the importance of such balance?  If not, there will be a revolution and for those who do not join &#8211; you will miss huge opportunities now and the pain of not joining will be greater down the road for you and your organization.<br />
</span>
<div class='footnotes'>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-1408-1'>Womanomics, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay,  Harper Collins, NY, NY, 2009. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-1408-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-1408-2'>Jenna  Goudreau, Forbes.com &#8211; http://blogs.forbes.com/work-in-progress/2010/05/18/women-off-ramping-money-work-jobs-salary-wage-gap/ <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-1408-2'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-1408-3'>Ibid <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-1408-3'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-1408-4'>Ibid <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-1408-4'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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		<title>True Leaders Take 100% Responsibility</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/05/true-leaders-take-100-responsibility/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/05/true-leaders-take-100-responsibility/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 May 2010 13:51:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inside the Executive Suite]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=1394</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
	
	Leaders Are 100% Responsible
As I have said before, the essential purpose of leadership is to create.   The fundamental tool of creation for a leader is their vision for the market place as well as the vision they hold for their organizational culture.  As a creator the leader takes 100% responsibility for the outcome of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-1395" style="width:240px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/100_responsibility.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/100_responsibility-300x217.jpg" alt="Leaders Are 100% Responsible" width="240" height="174" /></a>
	<div>Leaders Are 100% Responsible</div>
</div>As I have said before, the essential purpose of leadership is to create.   The fundamental tool of creation for a leader is their vision for the market place as well as the vision they hold for their organizational culture.  As a creator the leader takes 100% responsibility for the outcome of the vision.  Now please allow me to distinguish between taking 100% responsibility with taking the world on your shoulders.  They are quite different.</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">ANY CHARACTER HERE</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Taking everything on your shoulders and taking on all the stress around the success or failure of the business is not the point.   The point owning the vision and holding the expectancy it will unfold.  If a leader has developed a compelling vision and has done a great job of instilling this vision into their people &#8211; while mistakes will happen &#8211; in the end the vision will become reality.  Yet, if the leader begins to complain about how the market place is behaving, the problems with the economy, or begins to blame low performers for all the woos in the business &#8211; they are missing the point of being a leader as well as the power of vision.</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden; text-align: left;">ANY CHARACTER HERE</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">If the market is not responding &#8211; a true leader does not blame the market.  They collect the best minds and ask what do we have to do to engage the market more effectively so people get who we are and want to do business with us?   If the economy is tanking and business is off &#8211; the true leader takes responsibility by examining with his top people the model they are using to develop business and will shift their approach to succeed or do better than they have in the tough economy.  If there is an issue with low performance &#8211; a true leader coaches the boss of that direct report to get to the bottom of it or they themselves explore what the issue is.   If there is not a fit &#8211; they let the person go.  If it is a coaching issue they work towards a new commitment with that employee to engage at a higher level and make sure that there will be rewards if they do and consequences if they do not.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The fundamental key here is making sure your people are enrolled in the vision and know their part in fulfilling it.  If the vision has come alive &#8211; the true leader knows with certainty it is only a matter of time before things line up.  They embrace the responsibility for creating an environment that is brutally honest about what the challenges are while also inspiring others to reach further to fulfill the mission and key priorities.  They also expect their best people to take 100% responsibility for the vision as well.</p>
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		<title>Activity, By Itself, Does Not Equal Success</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/05/activity-by-itself-does-not-equal-success/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/05/activity-by-itself-does-not-equal-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 14:30:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=1353</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many times when we face challenges in our organization executives want to act immediately.  The question is - does more activity equal the results we most care about?  In most, cases they do not.  In this article I explore this tendency and offer an approach that is guaranteed to generate higher level results.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-1358" style="width:300px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Success-Failure.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Success-Failure-300x197.jpg" alt="Your Choice" width="300" height="197" /></a>
	<div>Your Choice</div>
</div>You hear it all the time in organizations, especially when the economy is tanking, or a bad earnings report comes out, or the CEO demands his direct reports generate better results. &#8220;<strong><em>We need to be more active in the market place!&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;"><strong><em>ANY CHARACTER HERE</em></strong></div>
<p><strong><em> </em></strong>&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For example, one of my clients reacted to the recession  by asking each of its senior executives to make 5 new contacts a week  with the goal of closing at least 1 new major account for the quarter.   To put this in context &#8211; up to the recession &#8211; this company had little  concern for how to win business.  In fact, the organization had been  doing quite well for over 10 years to the point it was having a hard time keeping up with demand.  So most of the executives they were  telling to engage in more business development had not had to do so for  much of their careers.  Yet, now they are being asked, from on high, to  go out and market, sell and network.  They were not asked to discuss  the existing state of the business, their ideas for growing the business  were not requested, and there was no discussion around what support  they needed to succeed in their business development efforts.   You  might not be surprised that their efforts generated marginal results at  best.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">At its core, there is nothing wrong with encouraging more activity and yes we need to make more contacts so that we can develop more relationships so that they turn into more sales.  I get that.  However, just pushing for more activity misses the point of effectively engaging the market place or, for that matter, to succeed at any endeavor.  While action is important &#8211; the question you must ask yourself is how do we ensure that such activity actually generates results?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>The formula for achieving <em>leveraged or inspired action</em> is as follows:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Inspired-LeveragedActionModel.jpg"></a><div class="img aligncenter size-full wp-image-1373" style="width:482px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Inspired-LeveragedActionModel.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Inspired-LeveragedActionModel.jpg" alt="Generating Leveraged Action" width="482" height="325" /></a>
	<div>Generating Leveraged Action</div>
</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">In short, there needs to be some reflection and interaction around what we want to build, create, shift as well as doing gaining an aligned view of the current reality.   It is interesting that senior executives deal with challenges much like any human being.  They tend to focus on WHAT THEY DON&#8217;T WANT versus WHAT THEY DO WANT.  For example, as the recession hit many of my clients were focusing on how to survive the recession versus how to support their customers through the recession.  They lost mission focus and went to survival focus.  Now in some cases an organization must do this because they face real challenges.  Yet, the majority of my clients were living in fear this would happen &#8211; not considering their current state along with the long term view.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The <strong>first step</strong> of the model above requires the senior team to ask &#8220;How do we want to face this challenge and how can we use it to our advantage to strengthen our organization&#8217;s position and most support our client base?&#8221;   <strong>This leads to a more proactive vision, mission and set of goals. </strong>This is also a time to be brutally honest about the current reality being faced and to uncover any limiting beliefs or emotions that are driving the action forward.  As I mentioned above, in my view, any fear that is experienced is usually not warranted.  That being said, you don&#8217;t know that unless you can honestly assess the current reality.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The <strong>second step</strong> of the model has to do with <strong>engaging your direct reports </strong>around the vision as well as the challenge.  The goal here is to both enrich the thought process around how do we accomplish the vision and it also helps to instill ownership of the vision and the challenges by those you engage.  This is much different than pushing the edict down to &#8220;be active&#8221; in some way.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The <strong>third step</strong> has to do with <strong>energizing people. </strong>It is akin to filling up the gas tank in your car for a long trip.  Without the fuel you are not going to get far.  To get the most from those who are out there in the market place &#8211; you must be able to help them tap into whats in it for them.  When that is present people will engage in activity &#8211; even if it is a bit uncomfortable &#8211; because they understand the value for the organization AND THEM.   Here is where another mistake is made.  Sometimes senior leadership feels &#8211; &#8220;they are in this position for a reason &#8211; they should not have to be motivated to achieve our goals.&#8221;  This completely misses the point!  The question is do you want a 4 cylinder car or one running on 8 or more cylinders.  The more you energize people and engage their passion &#8211; the more they will accomplish.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The <strong>fourth and fifth steps</strong> can be taken together.  At this stage we are ready to act in a powerful way.  If the first few steps were done well &#8211; you won&#8217;t need to lay out elaborate activity goals.  You can but it is unnecessary &#8211; people who are engaged and energized will act consistent with the vision.  Plus you have the fifth step to ensure the activity is working to meet the vision and goals.  Taking time to take stock of progress and work through the process again will ensure more ownership, engagement, energy and effective actions.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Finally, another concern I get about this model is &#8211; &#8220;<em>I can see your point but do we have the time to do this?</em>&#8220;  I will ask a question back to you on that one.  You have two choices.  Door number one &#8211; accept a more narrow band of successful actions.  Door number two &#8211; you can take more time upfront time in order to ensure you will multiply your results many times over.  Which door do you choose?  Either choice is fine but one leads to what you really care about most &#8211; the other does not.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
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		<title>Re-Inventing Capitalism</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/02/re-inventing-capitalism/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/02/re-inventing-capitalism/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:03:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trends]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=1260</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Umar Haique of Havas Media Lab is helping us reinvent capitalism to succeed during our times.  His message is consistent with the new practices we are asking leaders to embrace that support greater success during our times.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/2009/01/a_users_guide_to_21st_century.html" rel="nofollow" >Umair Haque</a> Director of the <a href="http://www.havasmedialab.com/" rel="nofollow" >Havas Media Lab</a> speaks on &#8220;Constructive Capitalism.&#8221;  This is an excellent view that will give every leader valuable insights on how to reinvent themselves to succeed in an emerging new era in business.  Take the time to watch this &#8211; it will support you as you consider how to rethink your approach moving forward.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="400" height="225" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3204792&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="225" src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3204792&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p><a href="http://vimeo.com/3204792" rel="nofollow" >Umair Haque @ Daytona Sessions vol. 2 &#8211; Constructive Capitalism</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/daytona" rel="nofollow" >Daytona Sessions</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com" rel="nofollow" >Vimeo</a>.</p>
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		<title>You Can&#8217;t Improve Performance Without This!</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/01/feedback-a-missing-component-to-high-performance/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2010/01/feedback-a-missing-component-to-high-performance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interpersonal Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[achievement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feedback]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[improving performance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=1163</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Robust and regular feedback is missing in most organizations.  Why is this?  In this entry I focus on the reasons and the elements that must be in place so that you create a feedback rich and self-correcting organization.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-1170" style="width:216px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Feedback-WhichWay.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Feedback-WhichWay-300x225.jpg" alt="Where is The Feedback?" width="216" height="162" /></a>
	<div>Where is The Feedback?</div>
</div>I work in a lot of corporate as well as public sector settings and I am always amazed at the intellectual horsepower found among corporate executives, partners in professional services firms and SES leaders in the Federal Sector.  Unfortunately, this intellectual horsepower goes partially untapped because of one thing -  the lack of regular feedback.  This is certainly not true for all organizations yet in our experience it is for most.</p>
<div style="height: 1.4em; visibility: hidden;">ANY_CHARACTER_HERE</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Can you imagine the implication if guided missiles, satellites, GP-S&#8217;s, or your own body&#8217;s temperature gauge had no feedback mechanisms built in?  Bottom line, they would not work and in the case of the later the lack of a feedback mechanism would lead to death!  Now look at your organization and ask yourself -</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">How effective are we at giving each other constructive feedback?</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">If and when we do &#8211; what impact does it have on our performance and profitability?</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">What, if anything, keeps us from having a more feedback rich culture (e.g. we are too polite to each other, we live in silos, etc.)?</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here are some common challenges that hinder an organization&#8217;s ability to improve performance through feedback:<span id="more-1163"></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Engaging the performance review system is seen as a hassle and task to get checked off rather than an opportunity to provide substantial feedback and an opportunity to improve performance overall.  In addition, performance reviews are typically done once a year (sometimes there is a mid-year review).  While such reviews are valuable &#8211; they are not enough in and of themselves.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">People hesitate to give tough feedback to others or only give positive feedback. Time and time again I have seen this come back to hurt the manager, the person receiving feedback and the organization.  When less effective or disruptive behavior is swept under the carpet for even the best performers you run the risk of the behaviors escalating to the point you hurt team chemistry and/or lose valued employees.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Even if an organization has a clear set of values or operating guidelines (and many are even lacking this) &#8211; they are rarely discussed let alone leveraged as feedback tools.  The benefit of having articulated values (or operating guidelines) is to ensure you are setting a context for how you work with your clients as well as within the organization.  Quite frankly, taking the time to develop values <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>without</em></span> integrating them into the feedback system is a waste of time!</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">Any of these sound familiar?  I would be surprised if none of them resonate for you.  To create a feedback rich culture you must:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Create a context for feedback (e.g. your vision, mission, values, and key priorities) and make sure people know these will be used as vehicles to improve focus and performance.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Provide feedback on approaches and behaviors that either support or detract from the context above.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Make sure you have a process to support giving feedback that focuses on the items above and not the person.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Leaders must model this and be open to receiving feedback themselves when they are not living up to expectations.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">Again, feedback is necessary for any goal to be achieved.  Failure is part of the process of succeeding and failure must be embraced BUT ALSO LEARNED FROM!   Internal and external feedback is what provides those learning moments that allow us to navigate more quickly to our desired destinations!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
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		<title>The Power of Networking &#8211; Part I: The Fundamentals</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/12/working-the-room-networking-tips/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/12/working-the-room-networking-tips/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:14:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interpersonal Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Influence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=1026</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
	
	A Network of Conversations
Every savvy business person understands that a key to growing your business involves expanding and deepening relationships.  The next series of blog entries will focus on the essential business practice of networking.  Today, more than ever, your ability to create and sustain a rich, deep and lasting network is central to your [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-1045" style="width:240px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/NetworkofRelationships.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/NetworkofRelationships-300x225.jpg" alt="A Network of Conversations" width="240" height="180" /></a>
	<div>A Network of Conversations</div>
</div>Every savvy business person understands that a key to growing your business involves expanding and deepening relationships.  The next series of blog entries will focus on the essential business practice of networking.  Today, more than ever, your ability to create and sustain a rich, deep and lasting network is central to your long term success.  Yet,<strong> before I start discussing the what and how of networking &#8211; I want to step back and talk about <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">why</span></em> networking is so powerful.  Because highlighting this foundation will allow you to be far better prepared to take full advantage of your network.</strong></p>
<div style="height: 1em; visibility: hidden;"><strong>ANY_CHARACTER_HERE</strong></div>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">First attending networking events and being able to clearly articulate what you have to offer is <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">not</span></em> the foundation of networking.  Certainly attending networking events as well as being able to clearly articulate your value is important but these are tactical areas that support something more important.  Networking is founded on the following principles:<span id="more-1026"></span></p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: left;">As mentioned in the outset of this entry, to become a consummate net-worker <strong>you must hold the fundamental belief that relationships are what drive your business and personal success</strong>.   If you do not hold this as a fundamental belief you will not have much success networking.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>Relationships can be boiled down to being a series of conversations that when done well lead to deeper value and trust. </strong> The core driver of conversations, whether they be business or personal, is the innate desire to forward something of importance.  The way we move things forward is through the commitments we make with each other.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>At any given point, most executives have a series of concerns that are open. </strong>Meaning &#8211; they have yet to reach commitments with anyone that will allow them to leverage specific opportunities or mitigate their most nagging challenges.  It is also important to realize that every concern that an executive has open is not of equal priority.  Most savvy executives are more or less aware of their priorities and eager to take action to resolve them.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>Most executives tend to make a large amount of their commitments with people they know, trust and like. </strong>Again, when you are highly involved with your network [whether it be through a networking organization (e.g. your local chamber), conversations with clients, your volunteer work, etc] you will tend to establish a natural rapport that allows for deeper concerns to be more openly expressed<strong>.  Developing this rapport and being present to listen puts you in the position to be helpful!<br />
</strong></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>By placing yourself in the right networking circles &#8211; you can develop rapport with a broad range of people and create a reputation that generates a lot of business opportunity.</strong></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><strong>Networking will start baring fruits once you are perceived as a go to person who can:</strong>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">Solve deep and complex issues in the area of your expertise.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Refer a broad range of resources that can assist other executives outside your realm of expertise.</li>
<li>Be a skilled sounding board to help clarify and prioritize issues for others.</li>
<li>Expand people&#8217;s thinking about an issue.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>As mentioned earlier &#8211; your job in networking involves far more than making sure people know you and what you do &#8211; your primary purpose is to become known as a high value resource with a lot to give.</strong> When you become known as such a resource &#8211; business will come more regularly and at times from resources you never even considered.  Why &#8211; because someone in your network started a conversation and you became the resource they referred!   Now that we have set a more powerful context for how to view networking &#8211; <strong>the next entry in this series will focus on helping you develop a clear strategy for your networking efforts.</strong></p>
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		<title>Unleashing Feminine Power in Executive Leadership</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/09/unleashing-feminine-power-in-executive-leadership/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/09/unleashing-feminine-power-in-executive-leadership/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:59:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=882</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Few would deny we have a major leadership gap in today's corporations.  The ability to find talented senior executives is a constant challenge. Yet there is good news!  There is an extremely talented group who is ready to step up and lead organizations forward.  Which group is this? Women!  In this article David Utts explores an expanding base of research pioneered by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay called "Womanomics." Expanding on their findings that have noted women's positive impact on organizational results - David discusses the unique development path that women can take to more fully embrace their emerging power in the corporate world.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h4 style="color: #21361b;">Maybe Corporate America is Starting to Get It?</h4>
<div style="visibility:hidden;height:1.4em;">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-908" style="width:300px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/executiveteam.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/executiveteam-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>
	<div>Women In the Power Mix</div>
</div>I have been fortunate to work with hundreds of talented senior executives over the past fourteen plus years. Yet, over the past few years I have been quite fortunate to work with an especially talented group of women leaders.  And to be honest, through this experience I have found that women executives seem more naturally wired for the style of leadership demanded in today&#8217;s business environment.  This is not a judgment of my own gender &#8211; it just has been my experience.  Women tend to be more powerful in situations that call for:</p>
<ul>
<li>Collaboration and inclusion</li>
<li>Teamwork</li>
<li>More authenticity and transparency</li>
<li>Building a culture the fosters creativity and innovation</li>
<li>Coaching and mentoring high potentials</li>
<li>Showing concern for how the organization impacts the community surrounding it</li>
</ul>
<p class="parseasinTitle"><span id="more-882"></span>Yet even more impressive is that I have found women also have a strong drive to succeed and more importantly have the ability to achieve great results for their organizations.  This is not to say that women leaders have no Achilles Heels &#8211; they do and I will discuss three major ones a bit later.  That being said, my overall experience has been that women are more willing to acknowledge and accept their short comings which allows them to grow faster and increase impact faster than their male counter parts.  For the most part, they are stellar at taking in feedback.  It would be interesting to see a study on ROI with women versus men who leverage executive coaching.  My guess would be that while both would see strong growth &#8211; women may have the edge because they are more naturally open to the learning process.</p>
<p class="parseasinTitle">As more women enter the work force and prove their meddle &#8211; they are also transforming the work place. Women business executives with families are dogged about protecting their family time.  On top of this they seem to have the ability to manage their work load so that they can make it to their kids softball game, to be home in time to make dinner, to be there if their kid calls, etc. Many organizations and most male executives have a challenging time appreciating the flexibility that many women executives require for job fulfuillment.  Even when a woman is clearly one of the best producers &#8211; men seem to wonder why they are leaving work at 3:30 to attend to family needs.  In short, high powered women executives with families have two jobs yet they have the ability to attend to both with a high level of quality.  Let&#8217;s take a look at some powerful statistics.</p>
<p class="parseasinTitle">In <span id="btAsinTitle"><em><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Womenomics-Write-Your-Rules-Success/dp/0061697184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1253634525&amp;sr=8-1#reader" rel="nofollow" >Womenomics:</a> Write Your Own Rules for Success</strong></em><strong> published recently, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, </strong><sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-882-1' id='fnref-882-1'>1</a></sup> provide some very compelling research.  For example, did you know that:<br />
</span></p>
<ul>
<li>Women&#8217; representation in the senior ranks of Fortune 500 companies grew from 10 percent in 1996 to 16 percent in 2002 <sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-882-2' id='fnref-882-2'>2</a></sup></li>
<li>57% of women in the US hold a bachelors degree, account for over 58% of all those receiving graduate degrees and will soon be in the majority over men in the workforce (current women hold 46% of all positions). <sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-882-3' id='fnref-882-3'>3</a></sup></li>
<li>At the University of California at Davis, the graduate school of management concluded in 2005 that companies with women in top leadership positions have stronger relationships with customers and shareholders and a more diverse and profitable business.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-882-4' id='fnref-882-4'>4</a></sup></li>
<li>In Norway the government has become so convinced of the value of women in business that the minister of trade has demanded that 40 percent of any company board be women‚ not to appear politically correct, but to make their firms more competitive internationally.<sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-882-5' id='fnref-882-5'>5</a></sup></li>
</ul>
<div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-44" style="width:300px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/zengers-leader-impact.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/zengers-leader-impact-300x214.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="214" /></a>
	<div>Strong Leadership = Powerful Results!</div>
</div>If this is not compelling enough &#8211; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Leader-Turning-Managers-Leaders/dp/0071387471/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1253635024&amp;sr=1-2-spell" rel="nofollow" >add to this the research done by John Zenger and Robert Folkman</a> <sup class='footnote'><a href='#fn-882-6' id='fnref-882-6'>6</a></sup> on leadership.  Zenger and Folkman found that <em><strong>those who have extraordinary leadership skill will generate up to four times the impact than do average leaders </strong></em>.  Further their research shows that poor leaders cost organizations.  The graph on the left illustrates, in summary form, Zenger and Folkman’s research.  They looked at aggregate 360 scores of thousands of leaders and found that those who scored the highest in leadership competencies generated the most positive results on profitability, employee commitment and customer loyalty, etc.</p>
<p>If you really get your arms around  all of this, it quickly dawns on you that:</p>
<ol>
<li>It is essential to be consciously focusing on the development of stronger leadership in organizations through hiring and active development strategies.</li>
<li>If you have a pool of talented highly educated women available who naturally embody key leadership competencies then it makes sense to leverage this and promote women to senior positions &#8211; especially if you want to add velocity to strengthening your leadership culture.</li>
</ol>
<p>All of this points to the value of diversity and hopefully moves us away from trying to strike a balance by using quotas and recognizing how diversity strengthens our ability to be profitable and high performing.  On top of this, everyone has to start to realize that women&#8217;s efforts to create greater flexibility in the work force has generated something positive for both men and women.  For example, I have had a number of male clients who have taken time off of work when a child is born &#8211; taking advantage of new policies supporting maternity leave.  Similarly, men have greater latitude to attend events their children participate in and have the ability to leave work early to take care of a sick child.</p>
<p><strong>What Women Must Learn</strong></p>
<p>While many women have natural leadership instincts &#8211; there are at least three development areas that they must examine &#8211; these areas can be boiled down to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Generating greater confidence</li>
<li>Not sweating the small stuff</li>
<li>Reduce the drama</li>
</ul>
<p>Again, these are generalities and like men &#8211; each individual woman will have their unique development journey.  That being said &#8211; let&#8217;s briefly take a look at each of the items mentioned above.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Achieving Greater Confidence:</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Because many women are relational they tend to be concerned about how others are viewing a problem and can see great value in taking into account another&#8217;s opinions when making decisions. This is certainly a strength.  The problem comes in when women begin to discount their inner power and natural abilities when it seems others are taking actions that seem to undermine their own sense of value.  Many of my woman clients, and all the rest of us, tend to desire validation from the outside and create rules that this validation must exist for them to be confident.  Yet, ultimately, confidence is controlled by us &#8211; not through another&#8217;s opinions.   It is an inside out experience that collapses when we start using external opinions as the main basis for validation.  This is a central learning territory for most women.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Don&#8217;t Sweat the Small Stuff</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I have found that women, like all of us, can get stuck in small issues.  For example, they might fixate on a particular interaction and how they felt leaving that interaction losing site of the purpose of that relationship and the results they are trying to generate with the other person.  At the extreme, this can be perceived as &#8220;petty&#8221; and hurt their image.  The key to overcoming this is to hold laser focus on key priorities and engage others around the most important outcomes they are aiming to achieve.  This is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater either.  There are times when others are rude, insensitive or just plainly ineffective in an interaction.  The key is to bring this up in the context of the outcomes that are found mutually valuable and provide feedback that the approach they took to the interaction gets in the way of achieving those results.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Reduce the Drama</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">This trap door builds a bit off the last one.  And again, this can be an issue faced by both men and women.  Reducing drama is not about cutting off emotions.  One of the great things the growing population of women in organizations brings is emotional intelligence.  Yet, when we become overly dramatic when addressing an issue &#8211; it takes away from a woman&#8217;s impact.  Again, the key is to remain focused &#8211; on your personal purpose and vision for impact as well as the key priorities you are accountable for attending to.  Also, taking up something that helps center you whether it be meditation, Hatha Yoga, Thai Chi or some other proven method for finding focus can assist in smoothing out any habit to generate drama.</p>
<p>Certainly the items mentioned above can reduce a female executives power yet no matter how ineffective a strategy or habit is &#8211; all of us develop them for some reason.  Yet all habits have a shelf life based on the time in life we developed them.  This is a key understanding in development &#8211; how to let go of old habits that no longer have the same effectiveness.  The good news is that I find when a trusting environment is built in the coaching relationship &#8211; most women are more than wiling to acknowledge if one of these is getting in her way.</p>
<p>As I have mentioned before &#8211; a key to competitive advantage in today&#8217;s global market place is enhancing leadership.  Today organizations have a rich pool of talented women leaders ready to answer the call and help your organization move forward towards greater success.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Additional Resource LInks</strong></span>:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.20-first.com/683-0-womens-impact-on-corporate-performance.html" rel="nofollow" >More research on &#8220;Womanomics&#8221;</a> by Cristian Dezső is assistant professor in the Logistics, Business and Public Policy department at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.</li>
<li><a href="http://harvardbusiness.org/product/women-in-business-collection-insights-for-executiv/an/2343BN-BUN-ENG?N=4294958484+4294935043" rel="nofollow" >Harvard Business Review &#8211; Women in Business Series</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.resumebear.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/12/top-10-companies-for-executive-women-2009/" rel="nofollow" >Top 10 Companies for Executive Women</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/132/the-most-influential-women-in-technology.html" rel="nofollow" >Fast Company Magazine &#8211; The Most Influential Women In Technology</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nafe.com" rel="nofollow" >National Association of Female Executives</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.newonline.org/" rel="nofollow" >Network of Executive Women</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=158310&amp;trk=myg_ugrp_ovr" rel="nofollow" >Executive Women &#8211; LinkedIn Group</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groupInvitation?groupID=1791757&amp;sharedKey=504CA63ED9D0">Women in The Professional Services Industry &#8211; LinkedIn Group<br />
</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mdwit.org" rel="nofollow" ><span class="H1"><span class="low_left">The Multinational Development of Women in Technology</span></span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.aswa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1" rel="nofollow" >American Society of Women in Accounting</a></li>
</ul>
<div class='footnotes'>
<div class='footnotedivider'></div>
<ol>
<li id='fn-882-1'>Womanomics, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, Harper Collins, NY, NY, 2009. <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-882-1'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-882-2'>Ibid <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-882-2'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-882-3'>Ibid <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-882-3'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-882-4'>Ibid <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-882-4'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-882-5'>Ibid <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-882-5'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
<li id='fn-882-6'>Extraordinary Leader &#8211; Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders, John H. Zenger and Joseph Folkman, McGraw Hills Publishers, NY, NY, 2002 <span class='footnotereverse'><a href='#fnref-882-6'>&#8617;</a></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
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		<title>Book Review: Strength Finder 2.0</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/09/book-review-strength-finder-20/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/09/book-review-strength-finder-20/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Book Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=862</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A New and Upgraded Edition  of the Online Test from Gallup&#8217;s &#8220;Now Discover Your Strengths&#8221;
By Tom Rath
DO YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT YOU DO BEST EVERY DAY? Chances are, you don&#8217;t. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h5 style="color: #000000;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/StrengthsFinder-2-0-Upgraded-Discover-Strengths/dp/159562015X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1252441948&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" ><img class="size-medium wp-image-863 alignleft" style="margin: 10px;" src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/strengthfinder20.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="181" /></a><strong>A New and Upgraded Edition  of the Online Test from Gallup&#8217;s &#8220;Now Discover Your Strengths&#8221;</strong></h5>
<p style="text-align: right;">By Tom Rath</p>
<p><strong>DO YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT YOU DO BEST EVERY DAY?</strong> Chances are, you don&#8217;t. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.</p>
<div style="visibility:hidden;height:1.4em;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="visibility:hidden;height:1.4em;">&nbsp;</div>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>&#8220;Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong&#8230; And yet, a person can perform only from their strength</strong></em><strong>&#8221; </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Peter Drucker</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and ignited a global conversation, while StrengthsFinder helped millions to discover their top five talents.  <strong>And with your purchase you will be provided with a code that allows you to &#8220;Discover Your Strengths&#8221; by taking the assessment yourself.</strong></p>
<p>In its latest national bestseller, StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new and improved version of its popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more (see below for details). While you can read this book in one sitting, you&#8217;ll use it as a reference for decades.  Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this new book and accompanying website will change the way you look at yourself &#8212; and the world around you &#8212; forever.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/StrengthsFinder-2-0-Upgraded-Discover-Strengths/dp/159562015X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1252441948&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" >Follow This link to Order</a> or Click the Image Above</p>
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		<title>The Last Obstacle to Executive Development = The Executive</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/07/the-last-obstacle-to-executive-development-the-executive/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/07/the-last-obstacle-to-executive-development-the-executive/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:44:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[obstacles to leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ROI for executive coaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ROI for Leadership Development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=687</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A major obstacle still is in the way of developing more leader's in today's organizations. At the same time we find ourselves in an exciting time for executive development!  It is clear that great leadership has significant business impact, we understand what it takes to be an executive leader, and we know how to develop leaders.  This article reviews current research in the field of executive development and highlights the main obstacle holding organization's back from engaging in more robust development programs.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-695" style="width:240px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/resistantbusinessman.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/resistantbusinessman-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="159" /></a>
	<div>Nothing More to Learn?</div>
</div>We live in an exciting time in the executive development field.  In short,</p>
<ul>
<li>Recent research has shown compelling evidence that an evolved executive leader can make a huge difference in expanding profitability, performance, employee loyalty, etc.</li>
<li>There is strong alignment amongst the many leadership models on the competencies an executive leader must embody to strengthen their impact.</li>
<li>Based on this clarity as well as the ground breaking work of many &#8211; processes and methods have been created that are proven to add velocity onto the development process.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote style="text-align: left;">
<p style="text-align: right;">&#8220;<em>The study was a real eye opener. Even after adopting the most conservative approach to determining the return on investment, we showed 700% in ROI for the coaching initiative (at Booz Allen Hamilton)</em>&#8221;<br />
<strong>Ed Cohen<br />
Former Senior Director<br />
Center for Performance Excellence<br />
Booz Allen Hamilton</strong></p></blockquote>
<p>While executive coaching is only one piece to the puzzle &#8211; it is an approach that has proven we can build programs that work.  Given all of this plus the recognition that we find ourselves in challenging times that are crying for more leadership &#8211; you have to wonder why organizations and their senior leadership teams are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">not</span> fully embracing the journey towards greater development of their leadership?<span id="more-687"></span></p>
<p>Maybe it is because organizations and senior leadership are not aware of the evolution of the executive development profession.  Yet, I believe there is a more fundamental reason. In short, the main reason is the lack of willingness or even fear on the part of leaders to enter the development journey.  I have heard a number of excuses that point to this &#8211; yet most boil down to this one:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">&#8220;<em>I have worked hard to get to where I am and there is no reason for me to change at this point &#8211; anyway I have always been able to figure out what I need to do to be successful</em>&#8220;</p>
<p>And there is strong validity in this statement.  It is important to honor the hard work and habits that supported a senior executive to succeed.  There is no doubt that continued success can be achieved without further development.  But, <strong><em>that&#8217;s not the point</em></strong>.  The point is human beings have tremendous capacity to expand their impact well beyond where it is today.  If you get your head around that statement &#8211; what self-motivated executive would shy away from enhancing their influence?  For an executive to tap into this increased capacity &#8211; they must be willing to challenge and transform many of their beliefs about themselves, their approach, and their purpose for being a leader.  While a large part of the development process is exhilarating &#8211; there are times of discomfort.</p>
<p>Engaging in the development process requires one to take risks in trying new ways of thinking and acting so that you can expand your effectiveness.  While one can be encouraged &#8211; it comes down to the willingness of the individual leader to expand their impact and embrace the risks.  Many executives are rebuffed by this process.  Usually this is not conscious resistance &#8211; it is unconscious based on where the person is at in their own adult development journey.  In other words, they would much rather remain in the comfort zone of their current habits &#8211; even if some of them cause problems &#8211; than take a risk to shift their way of thinking and acting out of fear they may become less effective and ultimately fail.</p>
<p>Recent and extremely compelling research done by <a href="http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/site/main/about-founder.htm" rel="nofollow" >Bob Anderson</a> of <a href="http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/site/index.htm" rel="nofollow" >The Leadership Circle</a> has revealed a strong link between leadership competency research and stages of adult development research.  For those who have not heard about the later &#8211; stages of adult development research has shown that human beings continue to grow to higher orders of awareness over their lifetime.  Anderson&#8217;s research has shown that there is a strong link between one of those stages of adult development and leadership competencies.  In short this shows, while some may have natural inclinations towards leadership &#8211; there is a capacity for all of us to develop a leadership mindset.  Whether we are ready or not for this step is another question.</p>
<p>When one begins to enter this leadership stage of development it is literally an upgrade in the operating system of that individual.  When this natural development process unfolds &#8211; one begins to view the world differently.  With this shift &#8211; the known leadership competencies begin to naturally &#8220;boot up&#8221; from the new operating system.  This is a profound breakthrough in the executive development field!  It shifts the focus away from skills training to experiential training that escalates the natural development process.</p>
<p>Anderson&#8217;s research also seems to quantify the resistance to development mentioned earlier.  He found that the stage of adult development preceding growth into the leadership mindset is far more reactive.  Individuals at this stage are primarily focused on how they can control the external world through key strategies they have developed over their lives.  Further, individuals at this level tend not to appreciate the full value of leadership competencies seeing them as &#8220;soft&#8221;, &#8220;ineffective&#8221; or &#8220;a gift of the few (i.e. leaders are born)&#8221;</p>
<p>This leads us back to the quandry we began this entry with &#8211; what is the real obstacle to executive development.  Bottom line, not everyone is ready or willing for the development journey.  It is important for organizations to realize this in their succession strategies.  Look for people with a balance of strong techical understanding and the willingness to engage in the learning necessary to succeed as a leader.  To help this along it is important that the CEO also sets clear expectations that leadership development is part of an executive&#8217;s priorities.  The more CEOs set such expectations and back this up with leadership development support the more likely that they will be to boost the performance and profitability of their organizations.</p>
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		<title>Executive Peer Groups Increase Their Appeal</title>
		<link>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/06/executive-peer-groups-increase-their-appeal/</link>
		<comments>http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/2009/06/executive-peer-groups-increase-their-appeal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:34:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David Utts</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Executive Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strategic Engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ceo peer group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ceo peer groups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[executive peer groups]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/?p=656</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[CEO and executive peer groups are becoming even more popular during these troubling economic times.  Why? Because an honest and authentic CEO and/or executive realizes that if they risk less around their decisions when they get good council from those who understand their challenges the best.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="img alignleft size-medium wp-image-658" style="width:292px;">
	<a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ceoadvisoryforum.jpg"><img src="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ceoadvisoryforum-300x211.jpg" alt="" width="292" height="219" /></a>
	<div>CEOs Helping CEOs</div>
</div>Whenever we face times of uncertainty and ambiguity life and business can seem more challenging. Yet. we also tend to let go of our resistance to learning and become more open to the advice and support of others.  One of the biggest challenges to innovation and success are when the ego fortifies itself from being in a learning mode.  This can manifest in a number of ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>The need to be right</li>
<li>The need to tell rather than ask</li>
<li>The false perception that we are masterful in all things and there is nothing left to learn.</li>
<li>The confusion that because we are successful in one domain &#8211; that it guarantees success in other domains in business and life.</li>
</ul>
<p>Yet, because of today&#8217;s environment I am finding executives and business owners far less entrenched in these &#8220;enemies of learning.&#8221;   This is because they realize it will take more than their own experience and knowledge to maximize their business success in today&#8217;s Topsy Tervy business world.  Many of us in the executive and CEO development business have not seen the drop in business experienced in past recessions.  In fact, many have seen an increase in their business because during these times &#8211; tried and true principles of success still work.  Yet, another emerging trend is the rise of executive and CEO peer groups.<span id="more-656"></span></p>
<p>Besides a seasoned executive coach or business advisor &#8211; there is no better advisor to a CEO other than a group of other CEOs who are working on similar opportunities and challenges.  A well facilitated CEO peer group emphasizes this type of support with the added benefit of having a seasoned CEO Advisor/Coach facilitating the sessions.  The program format is rather simple yet the outcomes for those who participate can mean millions in additional profits and add velocity towards the fulfillment of a growth plan.</p>
<p>The best CEO or Executive Peer Groups are:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Local</strong> &#8211; allowing the members to form deep relationships with fellow CEOs in their area.</li>
<li><strong>Facilitated by a seasoned facilitator </strong>- this allows participants to sharpen their focus on business issues and not worry about format or process.</li>
<li><strong>Confidential and Based on the Member&#8217;s Most Important Issues </strong>- this provides an opportunity for the members to breach issues that they can not work with or reveal to others.</li>
<li><strong>Oriented to a particular membership population </strong>that brings the most like minded executives together with others dealing with a similar revenue and organizational structure.</li>
<li><strong>Provides some sort of educational component </strong>that supports the CEOs in having more effective dialogue around their opportunities and issues.</li>
<li><strong>Consistent and regularly scheduled </strong>so that momentum is built and the members feel even more accountable to each other.</li>
</ul>
<p>Almost without exception members of such peer groups say the return on investment far outweights the time and money invested.</p>
<p>We find ourselves in a time when such &#8220;executive/CEO communities&#8221; will become more prevelent and valuable.  To look for such a peer group in your area you can certainly do an internet search and even better yet connect to one of your local networking groups or fellow executives for a referral.  It can&#8217;t hurt to try out a session or two to see what value can be gleened for your business.</p>
<p>For more information on the CEO Peer Groups we run in Howard County, Md &#8211; <a href="http://www.executiveskillworks.com/ceo_peer_group.php" rel="nofollow" >click here</a> or <a href="http://www.executiveskillworks.com/contact_us.php" rel="nofollow" >contact us</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Click Article Links Below for More Press on Rising CEO Peer Groups</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small; font-family: verdana,geneva;"><a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/19980301/893.html" rel="nofollow" ><strong>Inc. Magazine:  How to find a CEO peer group that&#8217;s worth your time&#8211;and money</strong></a></span></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://executiveskillworks.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&amp;post=656">Orange County Examiner: CEO peer groups boost business results</a></strong></li>
<li><a href="http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/05/05/focus5.html" rel="nofollow" ><strong>Business Journal:  <span style="font-size: small;">Master business through mastermind groups</span></strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/10/20/smallb2.html" rel="nofollow" ><strong>Business Journal: <span style="font-size: small;">Peer group provides a  haven for business wonder women</span></strong></a></li>
</ul>
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