Tag: Change

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365 Coaching Tips: the 67th, 68th & 69th

March 8th Coaching Tip: Coach Kids.

If you want to improve your leadership skills, coach kids. Yep, I said it, coach kids. If you can get second graders to 1) listen to you, 2) execute what you ask them to do, 3) have fun doing it, 4) win and lose, and 5) develop themselves thru coaching and practice, and as coach, deal with the parents with calm, integrity, and respect, then you can lead adults. You might just find that coaching other parents’ kids is the best way for you to fine tune some skills, and even learn from the kids, too. Today I watched two of my very special friends coach 2nd graders, and they both were so good with them. One of them is now a referee for kids’ games, while the other is now the director of the youth basketball league. Coach, referee, and director roles are great ways to improve your leadership skills. Coach kids.

When I was 24 years old, I coached 6th and 7th grade girls basketball. These gals had little confidence, but the parents really wanted me to coach them. I agreed, and we got to work, had a blast, and won. How did we win? We ran simple plays, played intense defense, and made our layups. To win, we realized that that we had to improve our dribbling and passing the ball better, so that we could hit the layups after creating steals with our defense. The kids had fun winning and developing their skills; the parents enjoyed watching their girls’ confidence skyrocket. Coach kids.

March 9th Coaching Tip: Don’t Delay.

Tax Day (approx. April 15th) comes every year here in the USA, without fail. And as an adult or business, you know it’s coming. This evening, I got one last list of questions from my CPA on remaining items that needed to be provided or questions that needed answered. What a relief, it’s all darn near done, and I’m not rushing to get it submitted.

For me, getting important projects done a bit early started back in college. By my junior and especially my senior year, I was prioritizing my surge of studying two evenings before exams. For example, if the exam was on a Wednesday, I was doing the bulk of my studying on Sunday and Monday evenings. This allowed me to think thru the materials on Tuesday, and if need be, it allowed me more time to dig in to the areas that I needed to tighten up. Decades later, I do this same tactic when I am asked to speak: I will work a week to two weeks in advance to fine tune the exact timing of the topics, how and when to intertwine the audience, and when to ask my colleagues on stage questions. This prep feels natural, and allows me to be smiling with calm instead of being anxious and underprepared. Don’t delay!

March 10th Coaching Tip: Here for you.

There’s that phrase that many people use when offering help, “I’m here for you.” How do you respond when they do need you? Today, this happened three times in my orbit. One was at work, with a very significant leader and team requesting my input on a Letter of Intent to potentially buy another business. I received it last week, printed it off, read thru it twice, and provided feedback. I was there for them when they needed me. Then my mother was called by her neighbor, and my mom said, “well of course I will take you to get your bloodwork done. I’m here for you.” And the third example was a public figure called me today, wanting to know if I could meet her tonight in Miami. I explained that I’m in New York City, but gave her options on when we could connect. It was apparent she wanted to talk face to face; we will make that happen. As a reminder, when you tell people that you are there for them, then make sure you honor that and be a model of integrity: here for you.

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365 Coaching Tips: 64, 65 & 66

March 5th Coaching Tip: Step Up.

In a couple of my coaching conversations today, the advisors that were leading their teams were frustrated with the lack of consistent high-level execution by their teammates. As I listened to them, it was clear to me that it was time to have the discussion, “step up or step out” with these underperforming teammates. However, as I drove home, it got me thinking, “what has the leader done to help them execute better? how are he/she coaching and developing them? what would the teammate say about the leaders and their instructions to complete tasks?” Both the leader and the teammates need to step up. If after all coaching and developing has been done, then it may be time for the teammate to “step out” and find a better role or fit elsewhere.

March 6th Coaching Tip: Remain Curious.

As we were driving to the airport this evening, we looked out the window to the south and there was something we had never seen before. It looked like a drone with lights was falling and spinning a bit out of control. We just couldn’t figure it out. Once I got to the airport, I started reading online to seeing anyone else noticed it or even recorded it. Sure enough, with a few minutes, figured it out: the SpaceX Starship had a fiery breakup, after departing from TX. This is the second explosion in the last two launches. Thank goodness there were no humans on board. For all of us, remain curious if you see something different or out of the ordinary. This applies to darn near everything in your life…including the engineers at SpaceX. I’m sure they are now very curious about why their efforts failed two times in a row. And it applies to your life, your personal safety, your kids, your home. Remain curious.

March 7th Coaching Tip: Keep it close.

You can’t win everything and always be atop the leaderboard on everything. With life comes losses. With life comes challenges. With life comes new or younger talent. If you can’t win, keep it close. My beloved Indiana University women’s basketball team really gave an outstanding team effort against the team from Univ of Southern California in the second round game of the Big Ten tournament. USC had much more talent than IU, but the IU women never ever gave up, kept up their intensity high until the end, and only lost by five points.

With basketball or business, it’s challenging. Be ready, as someone or some other company or team is always after you/your business. It might be developing a better product, at a lower price. It maybe a new, younger and quicker talent on the court; or more mature players who can execute under pressure. Bottom line, it’s hard to win at everything, all the time. If you do lose, do it with class: learn from it, evaluate your next steps, and keep it close. Always.

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365 Coaching Tips: 61, 62 and 63

March 2nd Coaching Tip: REST.

REST. I learned that acronym from a four-star general who spoke to leaders at Caterpillar over 15 years ago. And here we are 15 years later, and I can easily recall the essence of his message: take time to Read relevant and timely information, ensure you get your Exercise (150 minutes/week), get enough Sleep (7-8 hours), and Take Time To Think.

This general reinforced that the easy decisions are already made at an individual level or a lower level. The decisions that get to you as a high level leader or business owner are more difficult, and it’s imperative that you have time to think clearly about important decisions and all the potential and unintended consequences. REST, because it matters to your results, personally and professionally.

March 3rd Coaching Tip: Draft.

Today was my third coaching conversation with a future leader, and he has big plans for the current team, the current leader’s succession plan, and the growth that makes him giddy with excitement. He had been talking alot about it, quickly, and excitedly, but he wasn’t clearly articulating it. In our 2nd conversation, his homework was to draft/sketch what was in his head and put it on “paper”.

I was so proud of him today; prior to our meeting time, he emailed me his draft plan, and it was simple with just 4 pages. He had already used it the draft with the local management team, he has talked to his current leader, and now ready to share the draft with him/current leader. As we both spent 70 minutes really digging in to it today, we further improved it, added a few more details. He also agreed to keep it as an updated version with a date, so that he can keep track of the progress, plans, and be able to share the history with anyone who may join the team. Draft it up, it will help bring clarity to you … and others.

March 4th Coaching Tip: Time is Money.

Got up early today, drove to Coral Gables, FL to meet a colleague so that we could coach a number of leaders and advisors. We were there, on time, and ready to roll. The support women had sent out the emails and reminders, and ordered a lovely lunch. However, the office manager/leaders had NOT done the appropriate prep, didn’t have enough appointments set up for us, thus, it was an average day of efficiency. Actually, it was below average. For an upcoming two-day trip to New York City with this same group, you bet that I will be ensuring the schedule BEFORE we leave, so that others understand how valuable my time is. My schedule should be filled with high priority clients who want coaching and improvement.

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365 Coaching Tips: Here’s 58, 59 and 60

February 27th Coaching Tip: Do Due Diligence.

Met a leader today who has the opportunity to buy a business. As I asked him questions, he indicated that it’s a smaller business, about 1.5 hours away, the one employee isn’t very happy and feels overworked, the current owner is ready to check out, etc. Then we pivoted to the true details: what is he buying? what is in the business? what can he eliminate with minimum effort? how old are the assets and clients? how much potential is in the current business? what can he grow quickly to produce a higher gross margin? does he have other team members that can take care of this small business, so that the leader can be free to deal with bigger clients and deals? By the end of the conversation, he had a gameplan to drive to visit this small business owner in 3 days and start digging into what he is buying. When you’re buying a business, many larger companies take at least 100 days to complete the due diligence, and that’s after signing an LOI (letter of intent). Make sure that you do your due diligence.

February 28th Coaching Tip: Need Ya!

Coached a leader today with a highly talented team of 20 people. This leader had alot going on, alot! For example, his wife was on the west coast with her mom because of her mother’s transition to hospice. The leader was now taking care of three kids, and he needed to travel to Florida. Then, his middle child was admitted in to the ER, so he had to ask his 14 year old son to take care of their youngest child over night and also get them both to school on a Friday. I was proud of him, as we figured out a way to get him more help over the next three weeks. He called his mother, and said, “Mom, I need ya!” He then made a plan to talk to key members of his team and his executive assistant to also tell them, “I need ya.” It will be 2-3 weeks of asking others to help, and they will step up. Don’t be afraid to say Need Ya when you truly have alot going on and need help.

March 1st Coaching Tip: Help Out!

Just the opposite of the post above (Need Ya) is the offer to quickly help out. By asking some simple questions or reading an invite/email/text, you can really figure out how to help out quickly. Today we are having a block party, and my neighbors are helping arrange it. While on my walk today, they asked me if we are going; I said yes. Then I came back to our house, re-read the block party invite, and noticed that they were requesting neighbors to bring paper plates, napkins, and silverware an hour early. This made it simple for me: open up the cabinets, see what I have that is still packaged up, and I will now bring napkins, paper plates and some plasticware. A popular quote is, “look for the helpers, look who is helping.” Don’t overcomplicate things; ask a question or read something real quick, and you can figure out how to Help Out.

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365 Coaching Tips: 55, 56 and 57

February 24th Coaching Tip: Talent Everywhere.

Tonight, I had the difficult challenge of selecting four deserving winners of four scholarships from over 94 applicants. Why so difficult? Because the talent on these scholarship submissions was beyond impressive. There’s talent everywhere, all around us. These were written by the high school seniors, and a recommendation letter was also included from their high school administrators. These kids were 100% student athletes, and shared numerous examples and stories of how they are learning how to be disciplined, a good teammate, serve others in the community, keep their grades in good check, win and lose, deal with injuries, deal with coaching changes, and on and on.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest score, I mostly awarded the applicants with 7, 8, and 9’s. It was difficult to select the 10’s for the four scholarships, but I did it. The lesson that I learned here is that our kids today are juggling a lot and delivering in a very social world. There’s talent everywhere. Question: are you taking the time to witness them in action, mentor them, and help them become the adults that they want to become? They are ready!

February 25th Coaching Tip: Hold Yourself Accountable.

During three of my coaching calls today, it was all about helping the leader figure out what he/she could do to hold himself accountable to important goals. After listening and asking some clarifying questions on their priorities, one indicated $1m by the next time we talk. And before the end of the day wrapped up, he sent me an email indicating he had already done over $150k of that $1m goal. Another picked up on the number three. He needs to develop himself as a better leader, while coaching his two new associates. All three need to develop; he agreed to spend 3-5 minutes/day with them both, and also embraced the ‘rule of 3’ to help them develop. The rule of 3 encourages new colleagues to try to figure out the answer by digging in and being resourceful in 3 different manners, BEFORE asking the boss for help. It teaches them to “fish”, instead of interrupting someone else and getting the answer. The third leader that I coached had made great progress since July 2024, and yet he didn’t feel that good about it. We summarized all that he has accomplished, and then he pivoted and was ready to continue to be held accountable through yearend 2025. Hold yourself accountable, whether you have a coach or not. Accountability works.

February 26th Coaching Tip: Leverage Partners.

Today I had to coach myself. With three projects coming up in the next 90 days, I had to take some time to figure out WHO can help me, identify WHAT can they help me with, and WHEN do I need their assistance. We had an effective conference call at 9am, and by 10:15am, we had the plan regarding who’s going to do what by when. I was relieved to have these talented partners to work with.

I’m also remodeling a 95-year-old farmhouse, and boy, am I ever leveraging partners and specialists. At the end of nearly every day, my contractor will either text me with an update, send photos that are self-explanatory, or we facetime. He also does a great job of introducing me to all of his sub-contractors (partners), and my whole goal is to get to know them a bit, create a bond, and get a smile on their face. These men are helping me with electric, plumbing, demolition, roofing, siding, drawings, framing, drywall, leveling floors and walls, etc. You get my point; they are doing it all. I haven’t lifted a hammer yet and am 1,000 miles away. Leverage your partners and figure out how to get more done by leverage their expertise.

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365 Coaching Tips: 40, 41 and 42

February 9th Coaching Tip: Set High Standards.

Yesterday, I witnessed an uncomfortable moment. During a college softball game, the batter laid down a bunt, and then slowly ran towards first base, almost turned out of the baseline. It appeared to everyone at the game that the batter had already told herself that she would be thrown out and had convinced herself not to run fast to first base. Meanwhile, the defense/3rd baseman mishandled the bunt and had an errant throw to first base. Frustration sat in quickly by the batter’s teammates, as they screamed at her for not running hard to first base. And then the uncomfortable moment really happened: the head coach, standing in the 3rd base coaching box, shouted across the field to her team’s dugout, and said, “Stop…stop screaming at her (the batter). Seniors, you set the culture, step up and don’t allow this lazy culture to sneak in.” The entire crowd was in a bit of shock.

However, it worked. The next inning, these same gals went out and got hits, loaded the bases, and then a senior hit a triple that knocked in 2 more runs. That’s responding to an uncomfortable moment, by the seniors. The seniors did know the standards and responded to the accountability that the coach called out. What makes this special is that there was a high standard that was set, and the seniors quickly realized that they were the problem, and they fixed it immediately. Set high standards.

February 10th Coaching Tip: Clarify Goals.

As we are now in the 10th day of the 2nd month of the new year, recommend that it’s a great time to ask your colleagues and teammates IF they have 100% clarity on the goals. If they do have clarity, have them state what are the goals and their roles in making those goals happen. If they do NOT have clarity, then help them gain clarity. For example, ask what else do they need to understand, repeat what the goals were, ask them to rephrase how those goals impact them in their role, etc.

To help improve employee engagement, clarify goals and roles. Today, I realized that I don’t have to do three things that I did in 2024. This give me more time and mindspace to work on coaching and speaking. I’m thrilled, as I was not aware of these changes…because they had not been communicated until today. Now I can truly focus my time on these new, fewer high priority goals, Clarify goals.

February 11th Coaching Tip: Say What?

Every now and then, we hear things and roll it around in our head for a few, and then say, “Say What?” It happened to me today. Overnight, I had received a couple emails about an important and urgent situation that just didn’t make complete sense. Then we found out more info, and yet more info. Recommend that if you are saying to yourself, “say what?”, dig in, find out more info, set up some quick meetings/conference calls with people who are aware of the situation to gain their insights, all in an effort to understand. This deliberate action of learning more will help you move on from “say what?” to “ok, now I understand.” In my coaching work, sometimes we see teammates become overwhelmed or frozen, and then they don’t do anything. Seek to understand when others are looking at you awkwardly, stunned with silence, or have no input. Help them move on from, “say what?”

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365 Coaching Tips: Here’s to 37, 38 and 39

February 6th Coaching Tip: Go See ‘Em.

Had the opportunity to work with a number of people in the Southeast and across the state of Florida since October 2019, and then six months later, COVID happened and changed my business travel for years. In December 2024, I made the decision to go see ’em. It was time to take all of the Zoom and Web-Ex virtual meetings, and bring those interfaces to life, in person. Over the last four weeks, I’ve been traveling to see those that I’ve been coaching, sharing with others what we do and how we help others accomplish goals, with our coaching. What a joy it’s been to meet everyone in person, hug, chat, and really open up further. Go see ’em!

February 7th Coaching Tip: Be Unrivaled.

When two women’s pro basketball players start their own league and name it “Unrivaled”, take notice. Think about this: they started Unrivaled in 2023 and launched this inaugural season in January 2025. Everything is new: new format with a smaller basketball court, shorter shot clock, two month season, three on three style, only six players, coaches wear black, all games are played on Friday, Saturday, and Monday evenings in the same venue, the venue is intimate, all games are televised in partnership with TNT/Tru, and the players are the focus!

We were so impressed by the fast-paced game, energy, talent, crowd engagement, the drone flying over the players showing unique TV angles, the colorful media and graphics, etc. And what we didn’t see, but the women players feel every day here in Miami is the warmth of their surroundings, and I don’t mean just the weather. Nutrition, recovery, safety, community of pro athletes, and childcare are all priorities to these gals, many who have children. Again, the players are the focus. If you have the courage to start something new, then…Be Unrivaled.

February 8th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Others.

For the weekend, we zipped over to Miami to watch some college softball. My beloved Indiana University softball team is playing in a tourney. We quickly noticed a few new players, and wow, are they talented and quick. The senior pitcher also is a strong batter, and she hit a two-run homerun today to crush Iowa State 9-1, ending the game early due to the 8-run rule after the 5th inning. At the game, a former assistant coach sat with me and we were just celebrating the gals, chatting it up about the program, the coaches, the talent, the love of winning, and that winning is just plain fun. On a Saturday morning, celebrating others got my mindset in a positive state for the rest of the weekend. Celebrate others.

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365 Coaching Tips: 34th, 35th and 36th Tips

February 3rd Coaching Tip: Utilize Timelines

During an initial consultation this week that was about hosting a summit for some large international teams, I quickly realized that all the leaders had good ideas for this summit, had determined the right audience, and provided thoughtful content. Now it was time to figure out when this will all happen, and who will do what. Thus, I recommended pulling together a timeline. Within a matter of minutes, we all were able to start slotting in the important deliverables so that all the prep could be done timely and yet it also gave us some flexibility. Here we are in early February planning for this leadership summit in early May, and because we utilized a timeline with the group on this initial consultation, we have a plan for execution that is well understood by all. Key deliverables were identified for mid-February, early March, late March, and so on. Utilize timelines to simplify understanding, improve accountability and execution.

February 4th Coaching Tip: Culture Wins.

During my decades working at Caterpillar, we had a phrase that was repeated frequently in meetings: “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” For those who don’t quite understand what this phrase means, let me explain an example that I witnessed this week in the styles of two different leaders. One leader showed up early, welcomed me to his office, really spent time asking me about how I was, my hotel, my flight, my partner, etc. He was prepared for the all-day meeting, paced it well, asked alot of questions and listened to the answers, ordered healthy food, shared the stage and speaking assignments with many on his team; he was thoughtful and steady with his comments.

Contrast that to the other leader. He was not as organized, cut off some of his employees while they were speaking in mid-sentence, condescending to some team members, asked the same question multiple times, made some inappropriate comments about people and politics, etc. This 2nd leader gave us the feeling of frequently being in an erratic state, while the first leader was pleasant and calm, and had surrounded himself with highly skilled talent who exemplified calm and intelligence. Culture wins.

February 5th Coaching Tip: Quick Updates.

I’ve been traveling to multiple locations for the last four weeks. Haven’t had a chance to debrief my boss with a longer 30–45 minute update, so what works for us is quite simple: quick texts, one paragraph emails, and a quick phone call immediately after a conference call/webex that ends early. Don’t overcomplicate things. If a one-to-three-minute brief convo can update someone with a quick text, or a simple email, or a phone call, then do it. Remember, be specific, results oriented, and if there is an ask, state it. Quick updates work. If you don’t believe me, talk to a pilot during an emergency landing. Pilots are brief, calm, and exact with their communication in short statements with their co-pilot, the air traffic controllers, the passengers, etc. Quick updates.

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365 Coaching Tips: Day 28, 29 and 30

January 28th Coaching Tip: Exude Positivity.

Today, I listened to an accomplished leader who had led large groups of people in Washington DC and Miami. He and his wife made the decision years ago, after losing their son, to remove all negative people in their life. Intentionally, they were making the decision to include and keep people in their lives that exude positivity. How do you respond when you are supporting someone: positive or negative? How do you show up at a meeting at work: positive or negative? How do you show up for a family dinner: positive or negative? Research indicates that you are more likeable if you are positive, ask questions about others, listen to the responses, and remember the details. Embrace and exude positivity.

January 29th Coaching Tip: More Cowbell!

Celebrate your wins. Hit the cowbell. Celebrate a tiny, small win. Hit the cowbell. Celebrate someone else’s big promotion. Pound that cowbell. Celebrate a new baby born. Again, more cowbell. Affirmation and recognition are deep-rooted needs within our souls. And today, I was reminded just how important recognition is. Picture a room full of highly confident leaders and wealthy individuals, who are in the top 1% of income earners in the USA. And yet, none of them were recognized for all of their hard work and efforts accomplished in 2024 (year prior). This was a huge miss by the leader running the meeting, because everyone was gathered for this “2025 Kickoff”. Recommend that you never miss an opportunity to recognize people, to hit that cowbell. No matter the place on earth, people want to be seen, be heard, and hear their name being recognized. More cowbell is like love, just never ever too much of it.

January 30th Coaching Tip: Develop Others.

Couple of my coaching meetings this week have been pleasantly surprising, as a couple senior leaders were planning for the legacy of their business, and we were openly discussing the development of the next generation. As leaders age and get asked, “when are you going to retire?”, it’s such a pleasant and affirming conversation to have with clients (and your team) about your intentional plans for the next generation. Both of these teams have added the next gen and have given them big jobs and significant responsibilities.

Someone probably gave you a shot or believed in you at some point, that may have changed your life. Return the favor as you age and give the same kind of development opportunity to someone younger. My godson reminded me recently of a business trip that he joined me on in the Fall 2015; we cris-crossed 6 states, visited offices, leaders, businesses, ate at nice country clubs, stopped quickly at gas stations to gas up and grab a drink, checked in to numerous hotels, etc. My godson indicated it was a life changing few days for him, and he learned so much in how to manage time, effort, clients, energy, and business. Take some time to develop others. We all deserve it.

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365 Coaching Tips: Day 22, 23 and 24

January 22nd Coaching Tip: Be Seen.

As I was watching a leader today, the day after a 3-day weekend, I noticed how she intentionally walked thru the office area and said hello, stopped and truly talked to her colleagues. They actually stood up and talked to her, shared what they did during their long weekend; smiles and laughs were present. Whether you’re a leader or a colleague, ask people about themselves and their lives. They appreciate being “seen”. As I watched the leader step away, a couple people said, “thank you for talking to us…it shows us that you care.”

January 23rd Coaching Tip: Be Heard.

Received an urgent Skype message today, i.e. “we need to get some time with you today to discuss an important situation.” This team is one who came to me 6 months ago and really shared their WHY and WHAT they want to accomplish. Thus, when they needed time today, we squeezed it in from 4-430pm on a Zoom. Indeed, it was important; they want to promote one of their colleagues and they wanted to practice and run-through the new role and gain clarity for her. After 25 minutes of listening to them and asking questions, they had the role clarified, were smiling, and a bit relieved as we wrapped up the call. If someone needs time with you, consider it a gift. They need someone to be “present”, and the best gift that you can give them is your “presence.” Let me them be heard, to help increase their confidence.

January 24th Coaching Tip: Be Efficient.

As a week winds down, it’s a common tendency to have the mindset of “let’s push it to early next week.” In my coaching work, I actually find that I can get a lot done before 10am on Friday mornings and also between 2-5pm. For example, I was able to squeeze in three, quick, efficient coaching sessions today. In a matter of 15-33 minutes, I was able to help all three situations.

Everyone is busy. Who has ever approached you in the last few years and said, “hey…I just don’t have enough to do” ? Like, let’s get real, no one. In being efficient today, I found that telling all three of them yes, I had a few minutes, we immediately became efficient with our time. They truly felt not only seen but heard, and realized I was ready to potentially help them thru their coaching situation. The greatest gift you can give to someone is your time, i.e. being present. And then when you can help them work thru a situation or two, and they can sleep better over the weekend, you have truly added value. Be efficient, and others will likely mirror your behavior, and be efficient, too.