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June 4th, 2013
 With the recent economic downturn and the shift toward outsourcing, employee engagement is a key issue facing leaders today. Deteriorating morale, high turnover, and lack of innovation, creativity, and self-leadership, are signs of organizations with low employee engagement.
As a result, leaders are spending a lot of time focusing on various programs and initiatives to counteract this ripple effect. Among the many solutions, I’ve seen, for increasing employee engagement are offering higher salaries, instituting more “Casual Friday” type initiatives, increasing the flexibility of work-at-home schedules, offering on-site massages, and throwing parties – to name just a few.
These initiatives may improve engagement for a while, but they aren’t sustainable; they may give employees something they “want,” which are just short-term bandaids, but they fall short of addressing the real causes of disengagement.
Sure, offering a person more compensation can help, but people are motivated by more than just their salary. Consider the following types of motivators:
• Externally-based, short-term impact
• Internally-based, long-term impact
If the engagement initiatives you’re focused on are externally-based, don’t be surprised if a boost in engagement levels is temporary.
The Dangers of Compliant Engagement
Another issue that arises with externally-based initiatives is “compliant engagement,” which occurs when employees answer your engagement questions with what they think you want to hear. Such engagement is dangerous for two reasons:
1) Engagement scores will look great, masking the real issues, and lead you to conclude there’s nothing to address.
2) If you do nothing, you run the risk that employee engagement levels remain low, or worse, drop even further.
So, be careful with externally-based initiatives, as they may lead to compliant engagement, rather than a real improvement in employee engagement.
To me, the basis of true engagement is that people feel valued and that they matter. By being valued, I mean that employees know they’re respected for their many contributions. And, they know they matter because their organization doesn’t just care about their work; they also care about who they are as a person.
As a starting point, rather than thinking, “What programs can we bring in to increase employee engagement,” focus on how you, as a leader, treat your employees. Do you recognize the great work they do? Do you encourage them as they make progress towards their goals? Do you allow them to be who they really are, authentically, so they can tap into their greatness? Or, do you stifle them and cause them to display the “work version” of themselves?
When I think of organizations with high engagement, the people in that organization know, without a doubt, that their leadership respects both who they are, the value they bring, and the contributions they make.
If you’re looking to increase engagement levels in your organization in a sustainable manner, begin by asking yourself these key questions, “How am I ensuring that my employees feel valued and know that they matter?” “In what ways am I recognizing the contributions they make to the organization?” And, “How might I be contributing to the issue when I think about my own level of engagement in the organization?”
Zack Lemelle
Managing Partner, Corporate Engagement Services
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
iPECleadership.com
Tags: coaching, engagement, leadership, motivation, workforce engagement
Posted in leadership, Zack Lemelle - Corporate Engagement Services
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May 21st, 2013
 Having been around many successful leaders in the military, in business, and being one myself, I am often asked by people how they can lead successfully. This triggers a rather lively discussion with questions such as, “Is it a particular leadership style?” or “Is it a particular skill set?”
In my experience, I’ve noticed successful leaders can vary dramatically. Some were authoritative, command and control types. Others were focused on collaborating with those they lead. Some had a high level of knowledge or expertise that helped them become successful. Others didn’t have a particular skill that set them apart, but they were charismatic and their colleagues were drawn to them. So to me, it’s not about a particular style or having a particular set of knowledge or skills.
When thinking about successful leadership, I naturally also thought about unsuccessful leaders. For me, something that is universal about the traditional hierarchy is that they “lead from their title.” When I think about titles, their purpose should be to define a person’s position in an organization, their compensation, and some perks they may receive. A title should not be used as a source of power, affect how you treat people, and ultimately, how you lead. Leading from your title may get people to do things, but they will never reach their maximum potential because they’re focused on staying in line.
Understanding how you view titles and leadership is crucial. When I think about leadership, it always comes back to the question, “If they take away your title, will they follow you?” The answer I come back to is, “If you’re an authentic leader, then yes they will.”
What I mean by being authentic is remaining true to who you are. People can tell if you’re being authentic. Just as leading from their title is often a trait of unsuccessful leaders, authenticity is a common characteristic of successful leaders. As an authentic leader, people will follow you out of respect. Even if you make a decision they may not like, they’ll still follow you and do their best, because they’ll believe your decision comes from an honest place.
To me, authenticity is why coach centric leaders are successful. Coaching starts by focusing on your core, or who you are. If a person leads from their core, their values are intact. Their focus is not clouded by a selfish need for attention, praise, or the limelight. In addition, authenticity allows you to develop the individual leadership style you’re most comfortable with, because that style reflects who you are. By leading from their core, not their title, coach centric leaders use their authenticity to motivate and inspire others to maximize their potential.
So, for anyone wondering how they can lead successfully, the first question you may want to ask yourself is, “If they take away your title…will they follow you?”
Zack Lemelle
Managing Partner, Corporate Engagement Services
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
iPECleadership.com
Tags: achievement, authenticity, iPEC Coaching, leadership, opportunity, workforce engagement
Posted in leadership, Zack Lemelle - Corporate Engagement Services
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January 16th, 2013
 Tell me if this sounds familiar.
A challenging situation is identified at work. A new goal and strategy is set to tackle this issue, gaps in strengths and competencies are identified, and training begins.
And yet, 6 to 12 months later, the impact and change you were looking for just isn’t there.
Whether in our classrooms with teachers or our corporations with executives and professionals, the difference doesn’t seem to be about strengths anymore.
Listen, I’m not saying you don’t need the ability (i.e. the competency) to get things done. Of course you do.
What I am saying is that giving someone the knowledge and skills doesn’t mean they will actually use those and actively contribute. And if they do, it doesn’t mean they will use this newfound knowledge and skills in a manner that advances the situation, project, or strategy.
Give conflict resolution skills to someone who always wants to be right, and you’ve now armed them with even more negotiating power that may not be well received by others. Give influential communication skills to someone who only has their own interest at heart and watch the politicking ramp up. Give new professional training, such as project management, to someone who is no longer engaged or committed and watch them get hired away!
Uncovering Motivations
It’s not about the skills. It’s about engagement, contribution, connection, values, and purpose. This is the reason why coaching has taken off as an integral part of nearly all development programs. Coaching provides integration – it allows individuals to connect to the material, sift through it in their own unique way, relate it to their specific situations, try it and reflect, and then try again.
Coaching (specifically, the Core Energy Coaching™ process), connects to who a person is, what their motivations are, how and why they perceive what they perceive, and how they, personally, can fully engage and perform at their best. Training is a vehicle for development. And the development that’s needed now – to get ourselves and to get our teams to “play full out” – is not about skills; it’s about motivation, engagement, and connection (to others, to purpose, to goals, to a vision.)
Your people (and you can validate this with yourself) are capable of anywhere from 90 – 110% of what’s needed.
Establishing Meaning
People put their discretionary energy towards whatever they deem most meaningful to them. Development programs and the relationships between a leader and their team must establish that meaning.
If the work is meaningful (in the eyes of the person doing the work), and that meaning is not just “that it makes sense,” but is something they believe in and are committed to, watch out! Being a Coach Centric Leader enables you to make this connection with your team and helps them make this connection for themselves.
Let’s go. It’s time to play full out!
Live (and Lead) on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: coaching, expectations, motivation, values, workforce engagement
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO
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November 16th, 2012
 Innovation. It’s a buzzword. But, if we dig deeper and elaborate a bit more, the term takes on a much greater significance. In this case, we’re talking about Innovative Leadership.
How important is this in education? Critical.
When you have more to do with fewer resources, innovative leadership makes people the focus. If executed properly, this matrix diminishes the limiting beliefs touted across all levels of an organization.
In his book, “The Reinventors: How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical, Continuous Change,” Jason Jennings highlights the pitfalls of accepting the status quo. He vehemently rejects the idea of “leaving things alone,” even if an organization is doing perfectly well for themselves.
The bottom line: innovators actively seek improvement.
If there’s an environment of indifference in embracing or rejecting ideas before they’ve even been heard, you’re losing out on innovation opportunities.
“Creative activity could be described as a type of learning process where teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.” — Arthur Koestler
Recently, IBM conducted a poll of roughly 1,500 CEO’s and found that the apex of leadership over the next five years is, you guessed it, CREATIVITY. Forbes Magazine propelled this notion into the mainstream when they published their list of the world’s most innovative companies. The news-maker begged the question, “Why are some companies able to create and sustain a high innovation premium while others don’t?”
They uncovered 3 principle caveats:
PEOPLE, PROCESSES, AND PHILOSOPHIES
“You don’t understand anything unless you understand there are at least 3 ways.” — M. Minsky
Much to the avail of Minsky, innovative leaders leverage the 3 P’s based on human economics. Leaders lead through their behavior and how they “show up” each and every day.
PEOPLE will follow suit based on this culture of consistency. Leaders also understand how innovation unfolds, imprinting this knowledge-base as PROCESSES to streamline an organization. And, in the most rudimentary sense, the PHILOSOPHY behind any great leader can be construed by their actions.
As you reflect upon these leadership leverage points, consider the vast difference between being vs. doing in your organizations. How are you maximizing your leadership leverage points to increase innovation in your schools?
Susan Gonzales, MA.Ed, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
Vice President, Coach Training Programs
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
This is the second in a series of blogs addressing topics for today’s educational leaders. Check back for more postings.
(SOURCE: Four Rules for Innovative Leadership, Entrepreneur.com)
Tags: creativity, education, leadership, opportunity, workforce engagement
Posted in leadership, Susan Gonzales - Vice President, Coach Training Programs, C.O.O.
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August 29th, 2012
I can’t count how many times I’ve observed managers talking about the need for change. Whether they’re referring to a process that isn’t working properly, sales numbers that are down, or improving customer satisfaction, they’ve determined a change needs to be made. The process is usually the same in every organization. The manager puts together his/her plan to achieve the desired results, schedules a team meeting, and then proceeds – with good intentions – to inform the team how this change will occur. Hey, they’re the managers, and this is what they’re supposed to do…right?
Well, a month later, the same challenges are present. The manager can’t comprehend how the plan he so painstakingly crafted and explicitly laid out isn’t correcting the problem. It must be the team’s fault. They have another team meeting, but this time the presentation is more authoritarian.
Do you see the downward spiral this division is facing?
What if the manager, instead of dictating change, facilitated it? What if he empowered his staff to be the ones spearheading the initiative? The goal hasn’t changed, but the process of reaching the goal has. General Patton said, “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
As leaders, we’re best served by relinquishing control, despite how much it might be against our nature. We need to empower others to come up with creative solutions to the challenges. Perhaps that means allowing them to cross the river — without feeling the need to build a bridge at that moment. Maybe we don’t need to build a bridge at all!
Ten people pushing a small rock in different directions, at the same time, will not move that rock very far. Yet, those same ten people, working together, can move boulders, when left to use their own ingenuity to complete the task.
This is how a true leader accomplishes change. Tell them the “what,” but let the team determine the “how.”
Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: achievement, change, leadership, success, workforce engagement
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO
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