Tag: Goals

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365 Coaching Tips: 139th, 140th and 141st

May 19th Coaching Tip: Parks are FREE.

What a way to introduce your kids to free entertainment by simply taking them to a park. Teach a child how to go find 10 different leaves or six different bugs or five different weeds or wildflowers. Ask them to go make a friend with someone else. Time them as they run to something or encourage them to go play with other kids. Parks are free and simply go underutilized.

I’m always amazed when I go to Central Park in NYC; no matter the time of the year, it’s busy and bustling. Mostly with adults. Adults realize how important it is to be outside, soaking up sunshine, laying on the grass, listening to the birds chirp, running or walking on the many paths. If we as adults get it, then let’s make sure that our children get those experiences early in their lives. Parks are free and might be one of the best educational experiences that kids can have. And the quality time visiting the parks is priceless.

May 20th Coaching Tip: Practice The Script.

Today I worked with a couple young advisors who are learning how to care for clients of their colleague, a senior advisor who is expecting to wrap up working in the next couple years. As these two are meeting the clients for the first time, they are simply listening and taking notes. For the second meeting, we are now working on scripting and practicing questions for them to ask these clients. They landed on asking them about their family tree. We agreed that who doesn’t like talking about their family tree. And the second question would be to ask permission to reconfirm the beneficiaries on record for their accounts. We practiced these questions and relief came to them with smiles. Then we added another part of the script. After these meetings with the clients, the young advisors would call clients back, at the request of the senior advisor. This ties the effort together, and the client is understanding that the senior advisor is still in charge, but delegating work to be done. Take time to practice the script. It will drive more confidence and comfort for all parties involved.

May 21st Coaching Tip: Stand Up to Greet People.

Recently as a client, I went into an office and was greeted warmly and professionally by a couple of the company’s colleagues. They both stood up and came out of their offices and workspace to greet me. But a third colleague just looked at me and stayed seated in his work cubicle. It immediately created an uncomfortable situation for the two who had greeted me, knowing that I was a client.

Coaching tip for today is simple: when a client approaches you, stand up and greet them. A simple handshake or even a quick standup and smile at them are both appreciated. If you don’t stand up, you may be sending a signal to that client that they don’t matter. Stand up.

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365 Coaching Tips: 136th, 137th & 138th

May 16th Coaching Tip: Weather Warnings.

Pay attention to the weather and listen to when the weather experts are issuing warnings. For most of the week, the news and weather channels were warning parts of the country about incoming severe thunderstorms that could potentially create tornadoes. This is how quick the weather changed on a nice spring afternoon. At 4:00pm until 5:45pm, I was sitting outside with my neighbors chatting and watching a softball game. As I jumped in my car to head to my 6:00pm haircut, I called those same neighbors quickly and said, “The weather in the west looks ominous. Can you guys take down my flags and move some stuff inside?” They got in to motion quickly. By 6:30pm, my haircut was done and I drove to get some groceries and then headed north to our lakeside condo. As I was looking west and also at the radar on my phone, the storm looked like it was going to stay south as I was intending to drive a bit north. But all of the sudden the tornado sirens started blaring and I knew that I needed to get to the condo quickly to be safe. I drove quickly to the condo…only to find out later that the worst winds were happening right as I was entering my condo. Pay attention to weather warnings; it can be a matter of life or death, as more than 30 people across the Midwest died that evening.

May 17th Coaching Tip: Take A Lazy Day.

This coaching tip is simple. Sometimes you just need a lazy day. Take it. You have to listen to your body. Being good to your body is a vote for YOUR overall wellness. Take a lazy day.

May 18th Coaching Tip: Avoid The Head-On Collision.

It was a lovely Sunday morning as my mother was driving from her home in Kentland, IN to make a quick stop in Lafayette and then travel on to meet our family for a baby shower in Pendleton, IN. This is her seventh great grandchild, and these events are beloved by my mother. As she was just 20 minutes into her trip, some type of truck started heading directly at her. She avoided the head-on collision and the side-swipe by this truck, she quickly reacted, but both tires on the passenger side hit the curb and immediately went flat due to the sudden impact. My mother got her car pulled over at a gas station very close by, regained her composure, and although she was shaking a bit, called me to tell me what had just happened and that she was ok.

She and I quickly developed a plan to get her car insurance involved to fix the tires/get the car towed, and then my partner and I got the wheels literally rolling. My partner drove to the exact location where my mother was; mom was already identifying who had the tire size available and who was open to install them on a Sunday afternoon. Fast forward to 7:00pm…my mother and I did make it to the shower a couple hours late, then returned to pick up her car in Lafayette. The two new tires were installed and I followed her awhile to help ensure her confidence. The biggest decision she made all day: avoid the head-on collision.

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365 Coaching Tips: 127th, 128th & 129th

May 7th Coaching Tip: Are You Magnetic?

This past week, I had the pleasure of coaching a multi-generational team in Naples. As we wrapped up, one of the women looked at me and said, “I’m so pumped up to go make change. You’re magnetic!” I was completely caught off guard but somehow had my wits about me to smile and say, “thank you.”

Are you magnetic? Per proper definitions, magnetic means that you’re attractive, captivating or alluring, as a person. I’m pleased that I had that impact on her. However, it’s my responsibility as a coach to follow up and see if the magnetic feeling continues carrying over into this week and following weeks/months with execution. Most of us have a few magnetic people in our lives. What we do with that magnetic feeling is the ultimate test.

May 8th Coaching Tip: Training Someone Else.

As I flew home this evening on a plane that was just 1/3 full, we had a funny, senior flight attendant who really took to the microphone. He explained what we needed to do as we entered the plane: space out and only 1-2 people per row. Everyone complied. Then he explained that he was training a new flight attendant, as it was her first flight, and he requested that everyone should give her some grace. The passengers clapped and were kind to her. As she made drinks for everyone and brought them to our seats, he stood behind her and watched her as she delivered them all.

We’ve all been there, that moment when you’re a new employee and you don’t know anything but you’re really trying. But whew, does it ever help when you have good training and a willing mentor/partner to quickly give you feedback as you begin your new role. Help someone out by helping train them. It might make you a better leader and colleague, too.

May 9th Coaching Tip: Gardening Is Like Leading.

My grandmother could get anything to grow and her flowers in her yard were always vibrant. My mother has similar skills and has won numerous flower and garden awards. This weekend, I was trying to emulate their skills. Out came the flowerpots, in came the annuals, dirt, and fertilizer. Identifying which flowerpots would be in the shade with which flowers was important from the beginning of my potting process. I set aside four window boxes because they are all in the shade and they need shade loving annuals (impatients). The other pots would need partial shade or full sun.

As I was potting, I was realizing that gardening is much like leading. It’s important to provide the right amount of sunshine, pot size, fertilizer, soil, and water, as well as protection from wind…or the flowers and plants won’t thrive. Similar to people, leaders need to make it a priority to really understand who needs what (sunshine, fertilizer, etc.) and when, all in an effort to help them grow and develop into the teammate or colleague that they can become. Seeds turn into seedlings, then to small plants, on to medium to larger flowers/plants, and ultimately their time runs out at harvest or die due to cold weather. If you care for your people like a gardener cares for their garden, you should reap great rewards. Are you a gardener of people?

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365 Coaching Tips: 118, 119 and 120th

April 28th Coaching Tip: Learning AI now.

Not sure why, but I’m not reading/listening to as many books on Audible as I have over the last few years. The Audible credits have been piling up; I have a couple upcoming trips, the weather is really nice for outdoor walking now, so it’s a great time to put in the ear buds and listen/learn. Popped open my laptop a couple days ago and downloaded three books on artificial intelligence (AI). Why? Because I had another leader tell me, “if you don’t understand AI and how it’s impacting every piece of businesses all over the world, then you will soon fall behind and become less relevant.” That direct statement hit me between the eyes and I was glad that he said it to me.

I’m putting those Audible credits to use and have listened to five chapters on AI. I realized today that three different people in our work group are working in spreadsheets over a matter of month…and that AI could have summarized the input in a matter of seconds or less than a minute. I’m using: AI Grok on Twitter/X, the AI Gemini search in Google that is now the first paragraph in search, and Alexa in my home much more frequently for weather, traffic, and ongoing questions. Do I want AI to take over the world with our eight billion people? NO! However, how can we utilize AI to help our lives be more efficient? I’m learning AI now because I don’t want to be a senior who can’t figure it out later.

April 29th Coaching Tip: Time Zone Accuracy.

Today I scheduled a couple personal and work appointments. Two of them were on the west coast, and another I just wasn’t sure where they are located. As I provided dates and times, I added one letter: “E” for Eastern Time Zone. It’s really that easy and simple to be specific on requesting an appointment. Put a E for Eastern, or C for Central, or P for Pacific after the time. Because of taking that small bit of extra effort to truly think it over, it makes the scheduling much quicker, with less back and forth.

When race fans drive to Indianapolis from the nearby state of Illinois, some get to the Indy 500 an hour late…because they forgot that Indiana is on Eastern time zone. One time, my godson drove from Illinois (Central time zone) to Bloomington, IN (Eastern time zone) for an event…and showed up one hour late. He was happy to be there, but darn it, that time zone accuracy got him. Be in touch and more efficient when you include Time Zone Accuracy.

April 30th Coaching Tip: Tidy Up Before You Leave.

We travel a lot and have multiple homes and places we visit frequently. To make our lives easier as we age, we like to do a few things before we leave: 1) tidy up the home quickly, so that it looks nice when we return, 2) run the dishwasher so that the dishes are clean and dry when we return, 3) do a load of laundry before we leave, so that the dirty clothes and towels aren’t stinky when we return, 4) quickly check out the items in the frig…if any items are close to looking a bit icky, toss it, because it will be moldy when we return, 5) put the good items in the frig into the freezer, and we write ourself a note and put it on the counter on “what’s in the freezer”, 6) if we are gone for more than a few days, we turn off the water and the water heater, and put the thermostat on the eco mode, 7) we arrange the transportation ahead of time (schedule the Uber, ask a friend, or plan for the car the be at the airport and share its location), 8) we have our favorite stuff at all the locations, i.e. lotion, deodorant, razor, hair stuff, key food items, our comfy shoes and clothes, vitamins, etc. Note: #8 allows us to travel with less stuff, and we don’t have to remember as much. Tidy up before your leave, which makes you smile when you return.

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365 Coaching Tips: 109th, 110th and 111th

April 19th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Others.

When someone turns 80 and throws a party, go! That’s exactly what my uncle did. He (at 80 years old, too) flew in from Denver on Good Friday. He and I relaxed most of the day before the party, then I drove my uncle around 4pm to this 80th birthday party of one of his fraternity brothers (Blair) from Indiana University. About 7pm, my phone rings and my uncle and Blair’s wife (Helen) were calling me to invite me over to the party to meet their family, taste some of their bourbon collection, and eat some of the remaining chocolate desserts. How could I say no to those three requests? Family, bourbon, and chocolate? YES! Fast forward to 10:45pm, my uncle and I are in the car driving home after listening to some live music in Blair and Helen’s covered porch. Blair hand-picked this duet and enjoyed laughing hysterically with his family. Lots of the yummy left-over desserts (moist, chocolate fudge cake and chocolate covered strawberries) came home with us to enjoy with Easter dinner. Join in the fun and celebrate others. It was Blair’s big 80th birthday and what a party he threw!

April 20th Coaching Tip: Catch The Sunrise.

It’s Easter Sunday; to us, it’s one of the most beautiful mornings to get up early and catch the sunrise to be reminded of the good news ahead for us eternally. The evening before, we headed up to our lakeside condo, which faces east, so when we woke up, the Easter sunrise was glorious. It was worth the effort and a great reminder to just get up and catch the sunrise.

April 21st Coaching Tip: Think Ahead.

The next three weeks have me hitting multiple cities, speaking to multiple groups with multiple presentations. In reviewing my timeline, I set some time-blocking on my calendar to work on the high priority and very specific items to help me ensure that I stay ahead and don’t fall behind. I also asked myself who can I leverage to help stay on schedule and completely on point. Earlier this month when I delegated a key piece of the prep work, I inspected some work that was done by others to help ensure that it was complete and accurate. Unfortunately, it was not completed accurately, and it may put my reputation as a speaker and a facilitator of a session with three others somewhat at risk. Thank goodness the “think ahead” mantra was in full effect, and we have time to recover and fix the work and get back on track. Think ahead!

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365 Coaching Tips: 106, 107 & 108

April 16th Coaching Tip: Pay Attention To Messages.

Our flight was delayed this week for an hour, then it pushed another hour. Since we are well-seasoned travelers, we knew that these delays would most likely lead to a long, uncomfortable evening in the airport. After the second delay, we quickly discussed our options, paid our restaurant tab, and made the decision to head back home so that we could sleep in our own bed and watch our favorite show at 830pm. Glad we made this decision, because we found out that our flight was delayed from 7pm to 12am, and then ultimately cancelled. Pay attention to messages, they might just save you some angst; I’m sure others weren’t paying as much attention and got angry at the delays and then even more angry when the flight ultimately cancelled. Pay attention…and trust your expertise.

April 17th Coaching Tip: Plan For The Future.

Recently, I met with two key leaders. Although they have no idea, they were in those moments helping me plan my future. One really needed me as a business coach and trusted advisor, while the other wanted to hear more about my background and how I might be able to help others (since I have nearly four decades of business and leadership experience) in the next few years. These two discussions have me really thinking about my future. I’m asking myself: WHO can I help? on WHAT topics? and WHEN do I do this? and WHERE do I want to do it?

My abilities to influence and help develop others, help them solve problems, be comfortable working locally and globally, and have a focus on client experience are valuable to a wide variety people. Now’s the time (no matter your age) to Plan for the Future. YOUR future!

April 18th Coaching Tip: Inspect Your Decisions.

Yesterday I went to inspect a late change that I made in the house remodel project that we have in progress. I had made the original decision to go with an off-white paint color (named after the dog breed, West Highland White Terrier). I really thought it was a good choice, as I compared eight to ten different off-white colors. However, the name grabbed me emotionally since we used to have two Westie dogs. When I saw this WHWT color on the walls of the house, it didn’t feel right, as it had too much yellow in it. I knew that had to make a change, just had to. Quickly, I selected a brighter white, named “White Snow.” My painters went to the paint store, grabbed the new paint, started painting and said, “much better…what should we do with the West Highland paint?”

Since it was my decision to change the color, I knew that I had to drive back to the remodel project and go check out the new paint color on the walls. Sure enough, it looked so much better, and the “white snow” color was brighter; zero hint of yellow in it. It made me smile! This week we received the building permit for the new proposed garage, so we will utilize the paint that was already purchased (“WHWT westie” for the interior of the garage. We all agreed with the changes. Recommend that if it is YOU who makes a change on an important decision, go check it out and inspect it.

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365 Coaching Tips: 97th, 98th and 99th

April 7th Coaching Tip: Portal Positives.

Last night, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team won the NCAA championship in an intense battle against a very strong Univ. of Houston team. Give the staff and these players some credit for winning this championship, as they were down 12 points, stayed focused, and only had the lead for just over a minute in the 40 minute contest. Florida added a number of pieces to their team from some smaller schools: most outstanding tourney player (Mark Clayton) formerly played for the tiny Iona Gaels. Another “strong as an ox” guard, A. Martin, came from Florida Atlantic Univ, and he also played in the Final Four last year. Surrounded by them was a 6’10” sophomore from Nigeria, by way of Washington State. W. Richard, a senior from Belmont University, was a starting guard. One of their backup centers transferred in from Marshall Univ.

There’s a lot of complaining about the transfer portal due to the amount of players in it. I totally get that, it’s excessive and the poor timing of opening the portal during the NCAA tourney are both valid complaints. However, in our family, we have a belief in “betting on yourself” and five of the players who played for Florida last night did indeed bet on themselves. They were under recruited, went to smaller schools, developed and got better…and transferred. They came together under a new, young coach, on a sunny Florida campus in Gainesville, trained hard, molded together, and won on college’s biggest stage. Instead of complaining about the portal in college sports or that there’s “no talent in the workplace”, challenge yourself to go out and embrace the talent that is out there. It’s there, and so many positives are in the portal. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to bring together and lead talent who know your vision and embrace it, know their well-defined role, and then allow them to soar!

April 8th Coaching Tip: Three S’s.

Coached a group of new advisors, who are making 25 to 35 outbound calls per day to leads that are provided from another part of the enterprise, i.e. they are already clients. These new advisors were in a bit of a lull and needed a bit of a pick-me-up session. After introductions of these four advisors and myself, they shared what are they most proud of. Then we discussed what are they struggling with and what’s creating the lull. After hearing their examples, we dug in a lot more and they identified that they couldn’t get people to make a decision. Delays by the clients were their “competition”. Another problem is that few of their calls are being answered, so they feel like they are just leaving voicemails.

We practiced what they are saying (script) to the clients and how they are leaving voicemails. I then asked them about their timing: when are they making these calls and leaving voicemails. After some practice, we landed on the 3 S’s: slow the script down a lil bit and do it with a smile. Yes, Slow down, personalize the Script just a bit, and have the client feel your Smile thru the phone or voice message.

April 9th Coaching Tip: Be Prepared.

Met with a team that I had never worked with before and it went great. Why? Because I really prepped BEFORE meeting with them. It actually felt like I knew their numbers as well as they did, and some of the key numbers, I knew well and they felt it. Because of that, our scheduled 30 minute “intro” meeting quickly turned into a very valuable 45-minute meeting, that was “informative, productive, forward looking, helpful” (their words describing our intro meeting). We were able to prioritize six items that they were willing to get to work on and we will have an accountability checkup in 90 days.

After the meeting, the son of the founder stayed and asked it I had a few more minutes. He realized that we both grew up around horses, so he really wanted to talk about it. He thanked me for being prepped; he said he quickly realized and said to himself, “she’s no joke, she knows our numbers!” We went from not knowing one another to having an action plan and a common horse connection…all because of prep. Be prepared; it’s appreciated.

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365 Coaching Tips: 94th, 95th & 96th

April 4th Coaching Tip: Leadership Standards.

Had the opportunity today to coach the lead advisor, on a medium sized team, who is expecting others on his team to step up. He indicated that they just haven’t stepped up for years. I pushed him for examples, and he shared that as he travels, his advisor colleague is not coming into the office. Two of his assistants are not getting their registrations done, and those opportunities to get registered are about to expire. One of his assistants is calling in sick frequently. Another junior advisor is not giving the lead advisor an update on his weekly activity.

After listening to all of these examples, I asked him to share his leadership standards. He paused, and sarcastically said the word: accountability. And I proceeded to ask more about accountability and who can help him drive the accountability (because it is obviously not working with him). He is going to begin leveraging his new business manager/operations manager. His business manager already is setting standards: No means no. Yes means yes. She is explaining the difference to the team members, holding one on one’s, setting up smaller team meetings, tracking key metrics in her first 30 days on the team, and beginning to deploy simple leadership standards. Have standards, and as a leader, implement them.

April 5th Coaching Tip: Go See It.

It was going to be 3.5 hours of driving, but I chose to go visit the farm that my grandfather bought over 50 years ago. Since I was already in the Tampa area for the Women’s Final Four, I had Saturday with a few hours of free time and called my mom and told her I was going up to Ocala to see it. Glad I did. I was able to connect quickly with the neighbor (to help keep the relationship positive and reciprocal). I texted with the tenant farmer. I walked the property and noticed a few things that need to be addressed, per our land lease. On the way back to Tampa, I got to have a quick chat with a friend who was nearby (those spontaneous and quick diet Coke conversations are worth it). I could have easily convinced myself NOT to go on this drive; but so glad I did. Warm weather and a convertible made the ride pleasant too, especially when the interstate got backed up and I took an alternate route thru the country…which took me by a locally owned farmstead that had an attractive farmstand. Of course, I had to buy that mixed berry pie, a big bag of oranges, two containers of blueberries, etc. because my friends and I were having ice cream sundaes and pie later that evening. As I returned to Tampa, my friends asked how was my trip. I pleasantly responded that I was so glad I went. It’s easy to say no, but “Just go see it!”

April 6th Coaching Tip: Momentum Changes.

UConn women’s basketball won its record setting 12th national championship this evening, beating South Carolina by 23 points, 82-59. Although UConn had been up by 15 points in the 3rd quarter, the UConn coach (Geno Auriemma) calmly and quickly called a timeout with 3:12 remaining, with UConn up 50-39. Geno sensed something, and it could have been that one of the SC players (MiLaysia Fulwiley) was subbed in and quickly made an impact with a rebound, made a shot, blocked a UConn shot, grabbed a steal, and had an assist for another teammate’s score. Geno was NOT going to let these momentum changing plays by this SC player continue; he was having no part of it, no way. He called the timeout to help slow the game down. I watched him closely. He didn’t even go into the huddle; he let the players talk. This timeout worked. UConn regained the momentum and they were leading by 16 points at the 2:33 mark. In less than one minute, the UConn lead increased from 11 to 16 points. Momentum changes happen on the court and in your life. How are you taking quick timeouts to evaluate what is happening?

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365 Coaching Tips: here’s to 52, 53 and 54

February 21st Coaching Tip: Recovery.

Some days, we just need some time to recover. After having two consecutive nights of less sleep than what I like to get, I decided to “recover” today. My exercise today included just one-mile of fast walking; I took a nap in the late afternoon by the pool and finished the evening with three short strolls before laying it down early. Even with my work today, I took a few less coaching calls, and I didn’t jam in things today due to my focus on my priority: recovery. I was still productive and ate balanced, just made the decision to turn down the dial a bit and recover. Prioritize yourself: you are your most valuable asset. Allow for time to recover. Your overall wellness depends on it.

February 22nd Coaching Tip: Text Real Quick.

If you’re trying to get ahold of someone, give them a quick text and simply ask, “are you free for 10 minutes?” or “is this a good time?” or “when do you have a solid 20-30 minutes? Need to run something by you.” Research indicates that a high percentage of our texts get answered in seven minutes or less. Seven minutes. If you want to connect with someone, give them a text, arrange a time, and then be ready to share your idea/question when you do get that time scheduled. It doesn’t work for everything or everyone, but for many, simply text real quick to get connected.

February 23rd Coaching Tip: Sunday Funday.

Sometimes, one just needs a beach chair and a sunset. And that’s exactly what we did today. We took it easy, enjoyed some “church time” at home, watched and listened to some relaxing geography and animal shows, did our workouts, ate well and prepped some meals for the week. But quiet time and the beauty of southwest coast of FL were calling our names. We threw a couple beach chairs in the car, grabbed a couple sweatshirts and some water, then drove to the beach. Heck, we even squeezed our convertible into a partial parking spot, and it worked. We just sat there for an hour and simply enjoyed all that the good Lord created. It was a wonderful way to end our Sunday Funday.

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365 Coaching Tips: 49th, 50th and 51st Tips

February 18th Coaching Tip: Own it.

Today during a coaching conversation with a couple men who are buying a business, they were a bit hesitant in working proactively with the current business owner. They hadn’t done the due diligence required to buy a business and they lacked a process for introducing themselves to the current business owner’s clients. They had no plan. After listening for a while, I leveraged an example from outside the industry, i.e. buying 25 car washes in a different state that we had never seen. They quickly knew what to do: fly to that state, rent a car, inspect all 25 car washes regarding all of their locations, better understand the real estate values, inspect the overall care of the car wash, interview key employees, evaluate how good is the drainage, how old/new is the car wash equipment, and on and on. Then I pivoted them. I asked, “You’re about to buy a business. Act like you own it. What do you want to know about it, similar our car wash quick exercise?” And they got it. They quickly realized that they didn’t know what they were truly buying and they weren’t acting like the new owners. Own it!

February 19th Coaching Tip: Been There.

We all have been on the job the very first day. All of us, every single one of us. Tonight, we walked to dinner and had a new waiter. He was pleasant and greeted us nicely, and of course, struggled answering some basic questions: “what’s the soup of the day? is the calamari fried or not?” We could tell he was new, and we smiled and said we understood. He quickly went back to the kitchen, got the answers, wrote them on his order pad, and came back to the table with the answers. We ordered the soup of the day and the fried calamari. He checked on us without being too nosey, refilled our drinks, and shared with us the gelato flavors. Of course, we ordered the mango sorbet. It was yummy, he was pleasant and learning quickly. We’ve all been there. Be kind; help a guy out on their first day at their new job.

February 20th Coaching Tip: Void? Lead.

When there’s a void, step up and lead. I saw it today in two of my coaching conversations. A team with five “leaders” and three “staffers” had explosive growth in 2024. They are on track to do the same thing again in 2025. However, they all were complaining about their workload, lack of capacity and accountability, shocked by what their “staffers” told them recently about fairness, etc. It was quite clear to me after listening to the five “leaders” share their insights, that they were most likely the bulk of the problem. No one was truly stepping up to lead. There was lack of clarity in compensation, roles, expectations, how to hold the “staffers” accountable and how to communicate with their leaders. There was limited to zero coaching or development of their best and their worst performing “staffers.”

Another example was in my own work. I was given the opportunity to present a quick summary to my boss about a complete plan to support a growing part of our business. In one page, I laid out the short-term plan with the resources needed and the budget. She read it and quickly approved it. Bottom line: when there’s a void, step up and lead. People want to be lead with simplicity, clarity and fairness.