Are You Progressing or Regressing through Change?

I’m always amazed at how quickly things change, and how some folks can end up worse off for a failure to adapt to change fast enough

This morning on the way to the gym near our head office, I couldn’t help but notice the big red signs: “Store Closing Sale.” It was a Blockbuster Video retail store. It got me thinking about how change brought rise and now demise to this chain. How did we see movies then and now? Think about it - from movie theatres, to VHS (and Beta), to DVD, and now streaming digital. Along the way, the competition for distribution became fierce. It appears that Blockbuster has not responded to recent market changes effectively, hence their filing for bankruptcy.

5 Habits Video - Getting Ready for the New Year!

Response to our "5 Habits Managers Must Break" post was remarkable. The entry was so popular, that we decided to publish a version in video format.

You can also find the video on YouTube, here - or just visit our main coaching page to see both the video, and a host of other coaching-related information.

5 Habits Managers must break to be Effective Coaches...

Without question, these are interesting times for organizations. Managers are challenged with the mantra of "doing more with less", and one significant tool for achieving that goal has to be coaching staff for greater productivity. While most of us prioritize to-do items, we rarely "posteriorize" - that is, take the time to reflect on those things we should not be doing. Below is a listing of 5 habits that actually undermine the goal of coaching for superior productivity. Here are 5 habits you need to break if you want to coach your team to success.

Talent is not Enough...

The last couple of years have been like a tsunami for the global economy. Who would have thought ten years ago that GM would be facing bankruptcy, or that IBM would stop making PCs? Without question, today's global economy and rapid pace of change are creating many challenges that organizations must rise to.

There is one thing that hasn't changed much, however:
organizations don't achieve results, people do!

Naturally, it follows from this that the primary challenge of any organization is to identify, hire, engage, develop, and retain talent in a manner that is superior to the competition. If you are not rising to this challenge effectively, then the projected outcome is simple; your organization will not be able to compete effectively for employees - or clients - in the long run.

In the pursuit of talent excellence, one practice that many organizations engage in, which is a real cause for concern, is the tendency to use training or coaching as a cure-all. For some this may be effective, but for others it isn't. The reality is that when a person is the wrong fit for the job, all the training and coaching in the world won't bring them to the same level of performance as a "Right Fit" person.

To put it another way, if a sales position requires Donald Trump for high performance, but you have hired Mother Theresa, there is no amount of training and coaching that can bring about the results you need. Mother Theresa has talent, integrity, and enough valuable attributes to qualify her for sainthood, but she is not the right person for your job. Read on...