Coaching Big Ego Leaders

In the War for Talent high potential leaders are in great demand. The problem is when a talented leader believes that the road to success is paved by his/her capability alone. Enlightened leaders have a more collaborative mind-set.

Companies and law firms have referred a number of very talented leaders to me for executive coaching because the person is perceived as being arrogant or condescending. I am frequently asked if someone like this can change or is it ingrained in their personality. Fortunately, most leaders who fit this personality profile can change. Self-awareness is critical coupled with 360-degree feedback from their boss, peers and direct reports.

What are your thoughts regarding the pros and cons of someone with a big ego?

Why do leaders cling so tightly to their egos?

There is a significant difference between big ego and big ambition. High-potential professionals usually start out with great ambitions, big ideas and a healthy ego. A certain combination of ambition, talent, ideas and healthy ego drives success. When coupled with good timing and help from others, great things invariably happen.

But there is a trap inherent in success. When people begin to believe their own press their success creates the illusion that they alone were responsible for workplace accomplishments.

Once people are in the limelight and the more publicly visible and celebrated they are the greater the tendency to forget the other factors involved in success. And once they attribute all of their success to their personal talents, their formally healthy ego relaxes and big ego takes over. Ego encourages the belief that anything they do in the future will be just as successful, or even more so.

It can be hard to recognize the point where ego becomes big ego, as our past successes reinforce the message that we are the the only one who pulled off the job to rave reviews.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more inspiring and happy leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

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P.O. Box 471525
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Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
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Leaders who are in think they are always right can do a great deal of harm in the workplace. Everything thing a leader says is consciously or unconsciously picked up by followers.

I recently had an executive coaching meeting with a senior vice president. We talked quite a bit about his lack of confidence. The VP was constantly scanning the language of his CEO for tell-tale signs of approval. Silence was not a good sign. Worse was the possibility of a perceived failure.The CEO rarely admitted making mistakes. Executives were highly unlikely to bring up what went wrong with an initiative.

Look in the mirror. What do you see? Is your ego in check?

Using five years of research, David Marcum and Steven Smith write about the costs of ego in their book economics (Fireside, 2007). When they refer to the cost of ego they are talking about several detrimental workplace phenomena:

• Hearing, but not listening
• People thinking about themselves more than the company
• Only the right people have good ideas
• Pressure to fit in
• Failure to challenge the status quo
• Candid discussion saved for outside the meeting
• Failures being buried and never mentioned again
• Silos created and tolerated
• Meetings going longer than necessary
• Fear of making mistakes or admitting them

Companies can be populated with talented, high-IQ people with no shortage of vision, education, experience or good intentions, yet they may still have an undercurrent of out-of-control egos responsible for huge losses in productivity and profits.

Does the above describe anyone at your company or law firm?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a leader who has his/her ego in check. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

The High Cost of Ego

We all have the experience of working with someone who has a strong ego. Maybe it describes yourself. Leaders who have a need to be right all of the time can have a negative effect on employee morale and productivity.

I am currently coaching an executive team. One of the executives is very competitive and influential. The team avoids conflict and members rarely confronts this leader. The result is a very dysfunctional leadership team that effects the workforce at all levels.

Are there people on your team with big egos? How do they affect the team?

Unchecked egos can have a powerful negative influence on the workplace climate and retention. Fifty-three percent of business people estimate ego costs their company 6 to 15 percent of annual revenue; 21 percent say this cost ranges from 16 to 20 percent. That is somewhat astonishing, considering ego is difficult to measure by any standards. But even if ego accounts for only 6 percent of revenue, the annual cost of ego would translate to nearly $1.1 billion to the average Fortune 500 company or roughly equal to the average annual profit of these same companies.

What exactly is ego? Most people associate ego with words like arrogant, self-centered, closed-minded, defensive and conceited.

Big egos invade every team conversation, boardroom debate, marketing plan, client interaction, contract negotiation, employment interview and performance review. There is no question it gets in the way and is a major cause of bad decision-making.

Each of us has an ego. Most of us strongly believe ours is healthy and vital to our success. Our egos contribute to self-confidence, optimism and drive for success. The overwhelming majority of us approximately 99 percent do not have over-inflated egos, but we are all capable of letting our egos run rampant on occasion. When this happens, our personal success and the performance of the organization pay the price.

Is your ego in check?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a leader whose ego is in check. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

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Developing leaders is the life blood of an organization. Successful organizations fill a pipeline full of the right potential leaders.

I provide leadership consulting to a number of organizations. I find that many do not have a competency-based succession management program. Top leadership frequently assesses an incomplete list of leadership competencies when determining future leaders.

How effective are you at spotting high potential future leaders?

Most companies have a faulty idea of what a leader really is and does. Executives focus on an incomplete list of personal traits, which hampers them when attempting to spot real leadership talent early on.

Young executives who are smart, creative and financially adept command attention and respect. They combine their mental abilities with a strong work ethic and drive to achieve. They often get promoted quickly, but they may actually lack the right leadership traits.

The best performers are usually the most visible, but they do not necessarily have leadership essentials. Many execs confuse the two issues and identify the wrong people as high potential.

Many of the personality traits and capabilities associated with leadership in the past are insufficient today. You must identify other indications that a person can succeed in leading a business unit or whole company in an emerging business context.

As with DNA, two strands of a helix fuel the inner engine of business leaders:

1. People acumen: the ability to harness the energy of others
2. Business acumen: understanding how a business makes money

When future leaders are in their 20s, these strands are already in place. Every company has leadership talent, but spotting it is critical to identifying leadership potential.

How adept are you at spotting leadership potential?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a leader who is highly competent at spotting leadership potential. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

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P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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Are you focusing on future scenarios in your business?

Many of my executive coaching clients find focusing on the future with constant change daunting. Their biggest challenge is adjusting their business strategy to align with ever-changing new data.

Are you looking at future business scenarios based on the five primary drivers of change?

Risks and Opportunities in an Uncertain World

According to Paul A. Laudicina, managing director of the Business Policy Council of A. T. Kearney, there is a way to look at future business environments and evaluate risks and opportunities that might evolve. Laudicina, in his new book World Out of Balance (McGraw Hill, 2005), argues that the earth-shattering events of today are fundamentally different from those of previous eras of history.

Technologies are collapsing distance and we now have unprecedented global interdependence. Only a disciplined strategy will embolden corporate management to engage the world and seize the many opportunities it presents.

Five Drivers of Change

The framework developed by Laudicina for looking at future business scenarios is based on his identification of five primary drivers of change:

1. Globalization
2. Demographics
3. The new consumer
4. Natural resources and the environment
5. Regulation and activism

It used to be that large global companies such as Royal Dutch/Shell had sophisticated risk management and strategic planning departments to evaluate opportunities as well as vulnerabilities to social and political unrest, economic upheaval, and natural disasters overseas.

Corporate restructuring has taken the scissors to strategic planning departments. The rapid expansion of global opportunities has led many leaders to believe that careful planning is not necessary. Just do it becomes the global manifesto. As a result, most companies today lack the means to identify and manage external risks.

Most companies can and should expand, as the most promising opportunities are located outside home markets. In order to spot and act on new opportunities and avoid emerging threats, however, it is necessary to consider the five drivers that are most likely to shape the business environment in the future.

To do this, take each driver and plot three scenarios, ranging from most conservative environment to most liberal. Evaluate the consequences on your business if each of these scenarios should evolve over the next five years. Plan for the consequences and be ready.

What makes this era of globalization truly unique is how inexpensive and powerful technology has become. But if governments continue to fail to implement universal standards, corporations will find themselves in an increasingly complex quagmire of regional and national regulations. This will curtail their ability to expand markets abroad and limit the opportunities technologies offer to underserved populations.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more inspiring and visionary team leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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A number of smaller companies, law firms and accounting firms where I provide leadership consulting and executive coaching do not have formal succession management processes in place. They assess and select leaders sometimes in a crisis mode often with less than desirable results.

I strongly recommend to my leadership consulting clients that they start with building competency models for important leadership positions. They can then develop their talent using the competency model as a guide.

Does your organization have competency models for key leadership positions and spot superior talent early?

Companies have to ensure that potential leadership talent wherever it is found is spotted early and developed thoroughly. Executive coaching is an extremely effective one-on-one leadership development process.

Future leaders with high potential to succeed at the highest levels should be:

1. Allowed to spread their wings early
2. Encouraged to move in big leaps
3. Given a variety of challenges tailored to their particular strengths and developmental needs
4. Closely watched to see which talents prove reliable
5. Observed for limitations that may be emerging
6. Given ongoing feedback on every aspect of leadership
7. Given feedback on business and people issues by leaders with business savvy who are close to the everyday work environment.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a a more inspiring and leader who excels at talent management. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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A number of my executive coaching clients do not like to look into the future. Perhaps it is because so much will change and change can be unsettling.

We work on changing their mindset to embrace change and the future as challenges and opportunity. Our conversations frequently revolve around learning from the past, living in the present and designing a desired future state full of possibility.

Most leaders of organizations do not spend sufficient time considering the future. It may be in part because the answers are not easy. No one can know for sure what the future will bring. Globalization and rapidly changing technologies are only part of the uncertain future. One must also consider fluctuations in world politics, natural resources, and industry regulations.

Many leaders do not want to look into the future because to do so is unsettling. They must admit that what they know today may be irrelevant and obsolete for the future. The knowledge and experience that brought them this far in their careers may not be sufficient.

Looking at the Wrong Things

This leads to focusing attention on internal issues of restructuring and reengineering to shore up present day business rather than creating the future. But neither will ensure continued success if a company fails to regenerate its core strategies.

In 1989 there was a survey of U.S. managers who believed that quality would be a fundamental source of competitive advantage in the year 2000. On the other hand, barely half of Japanese managers predicted quality to be a source of advantage in the year 2000. The Japanese managers rated first as a source of competitive advantage in the year 2000 the capacity to create fundamentally new products and businesses. This does not mean that the Japanese turn their backs on quality, only that it is no longer a competitive differentiator.

Too many companies are focusing on creating advantage through quality, time-to-market, and customer responsiveness. These are prerequisites for survival, not competitive advantages for the future.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a a more inspiring leader who embraces the future. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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The Apprenticeship Model of Leadership Development

A lot of leadership development programs are not delivering promised results. Some of the wrong people are selected as leaders. High potential leaders are not given the right experiences or stretch assignments to develop leadership competency.

I work with a number of companies to help them assess future leaders. In our executive coaching programs, we co-create leadership development action plans based on requisite competencies to grow future leaders. Required experiences are built into each leaders development plan.

Is your company using an executive coach and leadership consultant to help select, assess and develop future leaders and fill your leadership pipeline?

Traditional leadership development processes are not delivering on their promises. It is time for a new approach to finding and developing the kinds of leaders businesses need for a complex and uncertain future.

Ram Charan in his recent book, Leaders at All Levels. presents the Apprenticeship Model which is a remedy for the leadership crisis. Having observed how leaders develop (or fail to do so) over several decades, in hundreds of organizations, he concludes:

• Not everyone can become a leader. No amount of classroom instruction can supply leadership qualities. Leaders think and act differently. We can recognize future leaders if we know what to look for and sharpen our powers of observation.
• Leadership ability is developed through practice and self-correction. People who have the right talent can accelerate their growth as long as each new job assignment helps them build their core capabilities and acquire new ones, provided they are given timely and precise feedback.
• The CEO job requires giant leaps in learning. Leaders will not be prepared to lead large companies unless each job experience is much more complex than the one before.

The Apprenticeship Model for leadership development requires us to spot leaders early and put them in situations that drive them to grow fast. People with the right talent and high potential must embrace opportunities to learn by doing: practice, feedback, corrections and even more practice.

Leadership development is no longer a discrete activity run by HR staff; it is an everyday contact sport that is fully integrated into the fabric of a business. Line leaders play a central role in providing the necessary practice and feedback.

Are you or your company working with an executive coach who can help with leadership development?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become an inspiring values-based leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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The High Cost of CEO Turnover

You read about CEO failure everyday. Another CEO at a well know company does not work out. The results can be very damaging for a company.

I consult with companies in executive selection either from within the company or if necessary from the outside. I provide psychometric testing and an extensive structured interview based on competencies. Unfortunately, companies and Board of Directors often do not create a competency model for executive positions in their leadership pipeline as part of the succession plan. They do not do their due diligence in the development or selection process.

Is your company finding the right successors for top jobs in the organization?

CEO turnover has increased sharply in recent years. CEOs are failing sooner and falling harder, leaving companies in turmoil. At all levels, companies are short on quantity and quality of potential leaders.

There is something wrong with leadership development practices. Organizations are facing unprecedented challenges in finding successors for top jobs and worse, so many leaders fail shortly after landing their positions.

Leadership matters. It motivates people beyond their limitations, unleashes energy and gives people direction, synchronizing their efforts.

Financial results define where a company has already been. In contrast, leadership is a key indicator of the prospects of a company.

The quality of leadership at every level has a huge impact on everyday operations, and it determines the level of engagement of workers.

That is why companies spend so much money on elaborate leadership development programs. Nonetheless, succession planning and leadership development simply are not working.

When a company fails to produce the leaders it needs, executives are recruited from the outside. Needless disruption occurs as they struggle to learn the business and adapt to corporate culture. Seeking a CEO from outside the company is risky, difficult and more costly.

Directors, CEOs, HR executives and other business leaders have fared poorly at selecting and developing organizational leaders. They do not seem to understand what makes a leader or what the job entails. They focus on the wrong people for the wrong reasons.

Many fail to recognize that developing other executives is a major part of the job of every leader, and they tend to start the process far too late. They underestimate what it will take for a leader to develop the capabilities to take a complex organization into a future fraught with rapid and destabilizing change.

Are you helping develop future leaders in your job?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a more inspiring and visionary leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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It is hard for people to work in alignment with an the values of an organization if they do not know what they are. It might not be easy but it is your job as a leader to help clarify values for the workforce and reward people when you see value-based behaviors demonstrated.

Most employees want to be recognized and appreciated. Companies have retention problems when they feel leadership does not care.

Are you a leader who puts values into action?

How does a leader put values into action? What questions does a leader need to ask himself or herself to clarify what is needed to lead by, with, and through values? Here are three common sense leadership strategies to consider, adapted from the book Leading with Values by Bud Bilanich (2004):

1. Remove obstacles to working with values: Your most important job as a leader is to help your people succeed. You must smooth the way for them because there are always obstacles and barriers to values-driven performance. You must identify roadblocks, eliminate or minimize them, or show team members how to deal with those that cannot be removed.

2. Reward and recognize those who live the values: Most leaders know that effective feedback must be specific and timely. It is not effective to tell someone that he or she is doing a great job and working with the values of the company. What does that mean? How can people do more of it, if they are not sure what you mean? Instead, effective leaders say something like, I saw you go out of your way to help so-and-so yesterday in order to avert a problem. That is a great example of our organizational value of teamwork (or customer service, or other value) in action. I appreciate what you did.

People crave recognition. According to the Gallup Organization, 65 percent of U.S. workers reported that they received no recognition in the workplace last year. The number one reason people leave their jobs is that they do not feel appreciated. Smart leaders actively search out opportunities to catch people doing something right and thank them for doing it. Recognizing and rewarding behavior that is in line with values is the single best way to ensure that it continues.

3. Redirect those who are not working with values: This is where the rubber meets the road and where you earn your money as a leader. You must hold people accountable when they are not living the values. There will always be a few who do not want to get with the program, and you must be the one to deal with this problem or everyone suffers. You will lose credibility and respect of others, and the work group as a whole will suffer.

Explore with people the reasons they are doing what they are doing and why they choose not to live the values. Consider these reasons:

a. They do not know why the values are important.

b. They do not know what they should be doing to live/work with the values.

c. They think values are for other people, not them.

d. They do not get rewarded for living the values.

e. Nothing happens when they do not live the values.

f. Quite simply, they do not like the values and refuse them.

As a leader, this presents the challenging opportunity to engage them in some meaningful dialog about what is important to them, how their personal values can align with those of the organization, and how their personal behavior is in conflict with organizational values.

The hard part is when disciplinary action is required. Similar to giving positive feedback, be specific and timely about what behaviors need to change. The key to attempting to change the behavior of someone is respect. You must show that you respect the employee as a person while asking for conflicting behaviors to change. Redirecting people who are not living the values is one of the most important things a leader must do. To do so is to ensure your credibility and to reinforce the importance of values.

How successful are you putting values into action at work?

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a a more inspiring and values-driven leader. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com
Web Site: http://www.workingresources.com

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