Lack of Trust = loss of workforce

As many of you know I have been enjoying my online networking efforts and the community that I am building. What you may not know is the reason behind the why. Bottom-line, the community is rich. It encourages me to see things through different lenses and causes me to express myself and my own personal power differently. That focus (or clarity) is a great motivator as a solopreneur.

Today an online friend posted something on his blog that really delighted my senses and I couldn't wait to share it with you. Mark Herbert of New Paradigms, LLC is a management consultant specializing in helping organizations effectively and successfully embrace change and engage their workforces. I have enjoyed getting to know Mark this summer and have been enriched by the new relationship. His recent post on his blog is rich and I believe it will bring a new perspective.

What he posted today for our reading pleasure was in truth, a challenge. It was a call to action for me personally and I hope for you also. The call is from the place where I want to dwell more often, the clarity of the light that shines through me to affect a change in the world around me. To perhaps even...change the course of the field around me for something so great that it may not even be evident to me during my lifetime here on earth. Imagine that possibility for a moment. The thought that what you do today with clarity of purpose, may impact the greater whole for generations to come. It is supported in the planting of seeds for a harvest in the future, a principle law of nature. What might that mean for you as a leader in your field?

The blog post Why Build Lighthouses by Mark Herbert is rich with the exploration of the Trust Factor in organizations. Something that I too have written about and explored with many of my executive clients. Mark notes a staggering statistic on the avoidance of building trust in the workplace as cause for rapid failure of new managers within an organization.What I find staggering is that in avoiding building trust we are not only dis empowering our workforce, we are shorting perhaps brilliant leaders their ability to lead and masterfully gain momentum in their career or for the organization. So why are we losing mangers due to lack of trust, when we might think it would be competency? What is happening at the mid-line level of management that is assaulting our workforce and leaders?

Many studies are showing the positive impact coaching is having at the mid-manager levels of organizations. We have seen the effects of mentoring programs and how they support short-term efficacy however, it is with coaching that long-term change takes root. Keep an eye out for more on Coaching in Organizations and check out Mark's blog post, I think it will be a call to action for many business leaders out there. In the meantime, have you hugged your managers lately? Ok, maybe not and maybe you don't need to, and...What are you doing to build trust within your organization?

Tammy Redmon
Executive Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders

What action will give you the highest return?

The one question that all business solopreneurs want to ask themselves on a daily basis - (What action will give me the highest return?) is key to staying focused on results.

Too often I see clients get caught up in a tailspin trying to stay ahead of their schedule or to ensure that they are being productive, only to find they are missing things along the way. This is very prominent with executives and solopreneurs. Why? Because 1) they are trying to handle too much of the load to work effectively and 2) they are often working in isolation and that keeps them bound to what they say their schedule is, objective for the day is and bottom-line is. Instead they would likely benefit from drawing on the strengths of others and having a reality check frequently to ensure they are on the right track.

When working with my clients as an Executive Coach we complete 6 questions upfront to get them clear on the direction they are wanting to go, and the potential obstacles in their path. As we further co-create the plan of action they will take to achieving (x) then we begin to design language and behavior modifications that support their goal. During that process, I introduce the question on highest return, and every time I am intrigued by the pause or complacent stare that I get in return. (One of my clients has this clearing of the voice thing he does and even while coaching across the country on a phone line, I can pick up right away when he is unsure of something or stuck.) When those moments happen, it is an opportunity to dig deeper into that stopping point. More often than not the stop is around the notion that they have to pick one action. It doesn't matter that the one action is key to the rest of their day. It doesn't mean they only work one action a day. It doesn't mean they are over simplifying their day either. What it does mean is that we are staying focused together on our agreements made around goals and objectives, and for them it is often focused on the bottom-line.

What I enjoy about the coach/client relationship when it comes to this and so many more powerful questions, I get to witness the breakdown on the way to breakthrough that can be life (and business) altering. When busy, successful, stressed out, overworked, highly valued (or whatever hat they wear for the day) people come to coaching to forward their action in the world, they don't come because something is wrong, they show up because they acknowledge needing support to get to where they envision they are going. What keeps them on track when not working with their coach is in the question. When one has clarity around what they are wanting to produce and how they will have the most success getting there, the action will inevitably follow.

So, as you ponder what your schedule looks like today, as coach I encourage you to ask yourself...What action will give you the highest return? Start your day there and everything else will fall into place.

How do you show up?

Over the past week I have had several conversations around 'presence.' Whether it is executive presence, coaching presence, fear or bold presence, the question has been - is presence something that you show up with, can learn or have gifted to you? Well my experience tells me that, presence is something that we are all born with, life molds for us and choices further define.

I recently was invited to post my thought on executive presence to a blog on this very topic at New Paradigms LLC: Executive Presence- Fact or Fantasy?. I was honored by the request to share my insights that I have gained over the years working with executives and curious about the variety of answers. What I notice to be true about so many people, no matter their profession or title, presence is something that we show up with, it is something that while we may learn to enhance over time, we are born with a certain way of being. When we show up our presence impacts the field either positive or negative, neutral or assertive. It comes from within, it is not something that is staged.

Today while on a conference call with a group of fellow coaches, the topic of coach presence in a group or team environment came up as an opening inquiry. It was interesting to hear seasoned coaches discussing the idea of whether presence is be something that we just show up with as coach. The conversation went around how coach presence impacts the field within a group coaching session, it isn't forced, predetermine (the how part) we just naturally are it. With in that space there is possibility for us to have an impact, without working hard to do it. The same is true for you and me in any environment.

Think about this scenario, you show up in the grocery store line to pay for your dinner one night. You have two checkers to pick from, both lines are open. Checker #1 does not make eye contact, sends a short hello your way and gives off the impression that they would rather be anywhere else but with you at that moment. What is their presence? How is it impacting the field you are co-creating in line? How is it making you feel. Remember, they have only said hello. Checker #2 looks at you and also says Hello. They smile and display a quiet warmth about them, they acknowledge you with eye contact and invite you into their line inquiring how your day has gone. Now, did they show up in the field with a presence that had impact? Was it negative or positive? Would you rather go to checker #1 or #2? Each has a presence, each only started with hello.

The point that I am making, which you will also see when you check out that blog mentioned at New Paradigm, LLC., is that we do have a choice in how we use our presence - we will use it, there is no choice on that part. It is simply the question of, are we using it to leave the impression and affect the energy in the field in the way we want to or not? The choice my friend...is up to you.

So tell me, what do you think about personal presence? If the mirror were reflecting back at you, how do you see your self showing up?

Tammy Redmon
Executive Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders