Lee Iacocca, the legendary Chairman of Chrysler Motors once said, “I hire smart people and get out of their way.”   I agree, and have seen it time and time again in my life as a people leader. It’s the notion that if you hire amazing people, and just get out of their way, they’ll do amazing things. But that does not mean that your job as a leader is done! In fact, it is just beginning.

Listening. Empathy. Consideration. Did I mention listening? Creativity. Oh, and listening. These things were critical. Leadership is the art of creating greatness in other people. Your job as a leader is to notice it and then help create the space for them to shine. Here I believe you can do that by simply remembering the letter "C".

Learn to Coach

To be clear, coaching isn’t the same as “here’s how I would have done it.” A lot of times what I hear others do isn’t coaching. They’re second-guessing. Or they’re highlighting why they wouldn’t have done it how someone else did it.

One of the aspects of coaching that I love the most is when I get to help someone think better. But that means I have to help them ask different questions to help them think about and see the situation in front of them differently. As you get better and better at teaching people to ask the right questions, you’ll see marked and serious growth from your team. A great way to learn to Coach is to have one of your own! If I can help and take my experience of almost three decades as a people leader and help you seek Clarity and Confidence in discerning direction and handling leadership circumstances in your personal or professional life – don’t hesitate to contact me

Learn to Celebrate

Now, to be honest, not everyone will love celebrations. I worked with a couple people who don’t celebrate much because they’re thrilled by the next challenge. So the moment one hill has been climbed, they’re off to the next one.

But some people, in order for them to shine, need the celebration that comes from a kind word, a pat on the back, and some external recognition. And the more you get in the habit of celebrating, the better you’ll connect with the kinds of folks that thrive off it.

Learn to Challenge

Pushing people to go further than they thought they could is something you see everyday in the gym. But we don’t always see it in a work environment. We get nervous. We don’t want to be pushy or look like we’re being mean.

But pushing someone to do more, go further, to level up, or to step their game up is positive, not negative. Can we all agree that it’s easier to stay comfortable? So our job as leaders is to let people enjoy that spot, but not for too long. Eventually you have to promote them or give them an assignment outside of their comfort zone and push them to step up to the next level for their own personal and career growth.

This month on our Podcast, and in my One to One Executive Coaching, I have been focussing on looking at the question of Leadership:

Episode 135 - Get Uncomfortable - So often it is our desire to "stay comfortable", which hampers our growth as a leader. Let's look at three strategies to overcome this, while staying true to our values. Check out this episode

Episode 134 - Partnership - "To build a leader you have to make them a partner." It was a statement told to me years ago. It shocked me, but it has continued to ring true over the decades. Let me share with you why in this episode

Episode 133 - Trust - One of the best investments you can make as a leader is to create a culture of empowerment, not control. That takes trust. Let's look at the five key elements that allow that to happen Check it out here

Episode 132 - Letting Go - As your business or organization grows, a good leader must know when to "lean in" and when to "let go". Let's look at three consequences of not letting go as a leader.  Check it out here

At Phoenix Life Coaching Canada we work with individuals and teams helping them lead with confidence and grow in clarity. Find out more about how we can help you personally and professionally - reach out today

Remember - Great Leaders Don't Grow Alone

#Makeitso

Leadership is a choice. It is not a rank. 

I know many people at the senior most levels of organizations who are absolutely not leaders.  They are authorities, and we do what they say because they have authority over us, but we would not follow them. 

And I know many people who are at the bottoms of organizations who have no authority and they are absolutely leaders. This is because they have chosen to look after the person to the left of them, and they have chosen to look after the person to the right of them. 

One of the best definitions of leaderships was shared with me early in my professional career – and it may well have come from a book – but it was instead shared in an elevator ride to a very tough meeting. The man I was working for simply said – “this is one of those moments you have to look ugly in the mirror and make it better.”

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for organizations is an unwillingness to be brutally honest about the difficulties they face. And it’s impossible to drive change, and lead others, if people aren’t aligned on why both are needed. You can have a group of supersmart people, but they can waste a lot of energy going down the wrong track, it is for this reason that the leader sets the tone. 

It is important to be clear about what you stand for as a leader. In my One to One Executive Coaching, I often ask those I coach several questions to help them develop what I call their Personal Leadership Brand or "Rally Cry". Here are the three questions:

What three values are most important to you as a leader and a colleague?

How have you lived them in your career?

Why are they important for driving success?

When a leader honestly asks and answers those questions, they make the choice to put the people inside the organization first, to sacrifice their comforts and sacrifice the tangible results, so that the people remain and feel like they belong. It is then that remarkable things happen. This takes a commitment to self awareness as a leader.

To do this, it is important for a leader to identify your triggers: the moments of stress that can spark an overreaction. Everyone has some emotional scar tissue, and certain circumstances remind us of the experiences that caused it, sometimes leading to reactions we later regret. Facing your triggers honestly is the first step toward creating some emotional distance from them and controlling your reactions.

Secondly, make sure also to uncover your blind spots. Be sure to close any gaps between how you think you’re leading and how your team perceives you. Be relentless about asking for input:  Questions like .... “What do you need me to do more of, less of, or differently to better help you?” Show appreciation when people respond and let them know how they informed your thinking or prompted a behavioral change.

This self awareness also can demonstrate itself by not being afraid to ask for mentoring, coaching or encouragement. It is not concidence that isolation is often found "at the top". Make sure you have a network that will aide with your being able to keep your perspective and stay focused on what matters most. An amazing book that I recommend everyone reads is Measure What Matters by John Doerr. I will speak about it more next month, but check it out!

This month on our Podcast, and in my One to One Executive Coaching, I have been focussing on looking at the question of Leadership:

Episode 131- Be a Fan - The leader that sets the tone. In order to be a good leader, you also have to be a good fan. Find out more

Episode 130 - Leap into Leadership - This requires you to resist the temptation to be a cheerleader for the status quo. Here are some things to keep in mind.  

Episode 129 - Are you a Manager or a Leader? Your answer reflects your approach and style. Not sure - start by listening to this episode & find out more

Episode 128 - Change? The summer months are a great time to "check it out", but that is not only a "tourist phrase", it is also applies to our personal and professional growth. Why not start by listening to this episode and find out more?

Episode 127 - Are You the Boss ? Fear & Afraid are two different things. One happens, the other we choose. That choice can lead to intimidation or procrastination of your goals. Find out how being "the boss" helps ensure neither impacts your success - check it out here

If I can help and take my experience of almost three decades as a people leader and help you seek Clarity and Confidence in discerning direction and handling leadership circumstances in your personal or professional life – don’t hesitate to contact me

At Phoenix Life Coaching Canada we work with individuals and teams helping them lead with confidence and grow in clarity. Find out more about how we can help you personally and professionally - reach out today

Remember - Great Leaders Don't Grow Alone

#Makeitso

 

One of my favourite children’s stories is the story of the “Little Engine that could”. I remember loving it when my parents would read it to me, and in time when I read it too. It is a story of persistency, consistency and mindset.

Now admittedly as a child, I just thought it was cute and I just wanted to cheer when the little train was victorious, but through the years that have followed it has shown me a much more important realization …… that when all is said and done, if we choose ... it is possible. 

In my almost three decades of working with business owners, C-Suite leaders and emerging leaders, those who have reached satisfaction and success have been those who in gratitude accepted, and worked with, today, but never lost sight of the possibilities of tomorrow. …. The great leaders I have worked with have never sacrifice the important for the urgent. They handle the immediate problem and still make sure to secure the future. That choice, however, has not come without hurdles.

The most often, tackled hurdle is the temptation to “accept management of today”. This usually happens when we feel a bit overwhelmed, so our focus turns to “survival” and not “success”. We simply want to get as much done as we can to make the load lighter for today and “let tomorrow take care of itself”, becomes a mantra. I discuss that a bit in this article about whether we "Chase Cash or Seek Revenue".

While no one will argue making today lighter is a good thing, and sometimes a very necessary thing, the opportunity is to not forget to secure the future. This requires looking at what is making overwhelm happen today and, most importantly, what can halt it from repeating again. That takes discipline, and also a mindset change.

It is important to remember that people do not naturally resist change. People naturally resist being changed. And adopting a mindset that tackles the urgent, and the important, at the same time, and knowing how to do that,  is part of Excellence as a leader. I discuss this in Episode 118 of our Podcast.

Speaking of it, this month on the You Can Make It So Podcast, we have been focussing on Excellence in Leadership. Excellence, not only individually but also as a team. Excellence requires us to not sacrifice the important for the urgent and still make sure to secure the future.

Episode 117 - Excellence as a Team Leader - Take a listen

Episode 116 - 4C's of Team Building - Find out more

Episode 115 - The Pursuit of Excellence - Check out this episode

Episode 114 - Do’s and Don’ts of Problem Solving -   listen to this episode

We have also put together a great Master Class on Team Building using the 4 C’s. If you would like details on subscribing to this Master Class - reach out today - Do not hesitate to Contact me

Leadership is influence—and you are a leader. That’s why it’s critical you keep sharpening your leadership. I’d love to help. At Phoenix Life Coaching Canada we work with individuals and teams helping them lead with confidence and grow in clarity. Find out more about how we can help you personally and professionally  - reach out today 

Remember - Great Leaders Don't Grow Alone

#Makeitso

Approaching year-end is like reaching the last few pages of an excellent book; there’s that bittersweet feeling where you’re excited to see how it ends but also sad that it’s almost over. That’s where we are in 2023—it just so happens that this is also the perfect time to reflect, learn, and plan. It is why we focussed this month of December on Refect, Refine and Ramp Up.

If December 2023 is like the bittersweet ending of a great book, then January 2024 represents the crisp blank pages of a book we’ve yet to write. Empty but overflowing with possibility.

We must recognize that it’s not always about taking giant leaps; often, the small steps have the greatest impact. It is discipline in Habits that add up, slowly but surely moving us closer to where we want to be.

Whether focusing on a healthier lifestyle, strengthening relationships, or achieving professional goals - hope, resolutions and determination will lead us there - but it is strategy and accountabilty that get us there!

This coming month our focus will be about learning lessons for future growth opportunities through a focussed 21 day period of strategy and accountabilty - our High Productive Leader Challenge.

The High Productive Leader Challenge will be limited in enrollment number with our Full Service Clients getting first spots. 

The difference between goals that get realized, and goals that don’t, is the actualized presence or absence of a strategy and accountabilty.

Our High Productive Leader Challenge is a personalized 21 Day Challenge begins January 5th (when all the hoopla of New Years is over) that takes the results of your Reflect, Refine and Ramp Up, and doesn’t create a resolution - but rather a strategy.

Imagine starting and finishing 2024 feeling ENERGIZED, AMBITIOUS, and on track to achieve your GOALS - you can sign up now.

Remember at Phoenix Life Coaching Canada we work with individuals and teams helping them lead with confidence and grow in clarity.

Find out more about how we can help you personally and professionally - reach out today - Do not hesitate to Contact me 

Wishing you a 2024 of Thriving!

Remember - Great Leaders Don't Grow Alone

#makeitso

 

We honour our veterans and take a moment to appreciate their sacrifice and how their service stands for our freedom. 

They died for us, for their homes, families and for a future they believed in but didn't get to experience. 

On Remembrance Day, we honor their courage, sacrifice and acts of heroism.   

A few amazing lessons that we can learn from our Veterans:

Be Resilient: Veteran's are no strangers to setbacks.  Their perseverance both during combat and when they returned home is an example for each of us to not give up when things get difficult.

Be Adaptable: Veterans often faced unexpected challenges during their service.  They were forced to adapt immediately. 

Be Disciplined:  When faced with adversity, veterans relied on their discipline, routines and training to accomplish their goals. 

Be a Team Player:  Teamwork was required for success and being part of a team helped everyone together to achieve the goal.  

These lessons can be applied to what we do in all aspects of our lives; financially, personally and professionally.  

In honour of these HEROS, please take some time this month of November to remember and thank a Veteran for their service!  

#makeitso

 

Our focus this month is on Anticipatory Leadership.  A good practical way to sum up what Anticipatory Leadership comes from the words of Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time who said, “Some people skate to the puck, I skate to where the puck is going to be.”

But… you don’t have to be "at the top" of your game, your organization, team or family to be an Anticipatory Leader. You see often the false belief that it is only the people "on top" that are called to be anticipatory leaders. The CEO, The Chairman of the Board , the person who signs the cheques. 

Yet I love that quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote: “The person who understands how will always have a job. The person who understands why will always be his or her boss.”

Anticipatory Leaders understand why - because we are all called to be Anticipatory Leaders …. whether in our personal or professional lives.

Your ability to lead forward will help you to move forward - and isn't that a goal we all share?

If you do not want to ‘get stuck’ – then keep leading forward – it is the best way to move forward. We do that by responding not reacting. We do that by anticipating not just accelerating.

So this month, we unpacked how to do that, by looking at what it takes to be an Anticipatory Leader by asking three questions on the  You Can Make It So Podcast

Who is a Leader who Anticipates ? - Episode 88 

What is Leadership that Responds ? - Episode 89

How can Virtues help you to be an Anticipatory Leader ? - Episode 91

We also welcomed a stellar guest - Matt Mayberry  - who spoke to us about a crucial element of anticipatory leadership in any size organization, team or group of people - Culture. His book Culture is the Way was our focus. It made it to our 23 Books for 2023 list. Listen to his interview, and his insights - Episode 90 of our Podcast

Why are these relevant?

Well, because while one of the things that often separates a good leader from a great one is that ability to anticipate.

And - one thing that separates a good organization from a great one – is the Culture.

Both Leadership and Culture without the positive virtues within a leader - is like breathing without oxygen - neither good or great

So if you want your organization, team, and even family unit, to not be  void of greatness – then it is important to take some time exploring how your current leadership relates to the well-being and trust of those you lead – no matter whether that is one person or 100 people.

I see too many leaders, business owners, executives -  chasing and not anticipating.

They chase cash – believing it will solve their problems – but no systems in place for revenue – the cash soon dries up and off they go on the chase again.

They chase position – if they get that new job, new client, new target – then they will be enough – soon they realize it isn’t – and off they go on the chase again.

They chase a success found in today, and maybe for today it comes, but then tomorrow arrives – and off they go on the chase again.

Even the longest Marathon comes to an end – so stop chasing – be a Leader who anticipates!

Being an Anticipatory Leader is crucial to success.

So skate not to where the puck is – but where the puck will be!

I’d love to help.

A lot of my one to one work is with leaders like you - helping them lead with confidence and grow in clarity. Whether that be one to one coaching or team coaching. Do not hesitate to Contact me  – together we can finish 2023 strong by giving you tools to review the year, and set habits of success for 2024 as Anticipatory Leader!

#makeitso

 

Leadership In A Changing Workplace is the theme of this year’s “Summer of Success Series” on the You Can Make It So Podcast. So far we have welcomed

Phil Simon, in his book ⁠The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace,⁠ takes a look at A.I., Chat GPT and workplace change - why and what business leaders should do about it. Take a listen

Michael Lenox, is the author of Strategy in the Digital Age- Mastering DigitalTransformation  and he leads us through a practical examination of problems and solutions. Listen here

Joe Tolzmann from Vancouver, BC is driven by principles of success as he builds Rocket Plan Technology . Arriving as a new Canadian Joe encountered hurdles, but overcame them to Thrive! I encourage you to listen to this interview  

Norm Bacal has written a great book "Never Stop" which helps to overcome the fear of making decisions, and navigate the next steps. The Summer of Success continues with this episode - take a listen

In the month of August we will welcome –

Mark Mears - Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Mentor, and Visionary Business Leader with brands such as PepsiCo/Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Frito-Lay, JCPenney, NBC/Universal and The Cheesecake Factory. His bestselling book, The Purposeful Growth Revolution: 4 Ways to Grow from Leader to Legacy Builder  - leads us to discover his focus now is on Legacy.  Listen here

Dr Jeffrey Hull who serves as the Executive Director of the Institute of Coaching and the author of a tremendous book called Flex: The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World   Listen to Episode 81 here!

Larry Hagner - founder of the Dad Edge  - who will invite us to Live Legendary

You can find all of our episodes on Spotify and our website – phoenixlifecoachingcanada.com.

There is no doubt that the workplace is going through a period of tremendous change right now. Many leaders and business owners, after responding out of necessity to having their employees work remotely, are now adapting to make the change to remote work permanent, while other businesses are shifting to permanent hybrid work models in an effort to meet employees’ demands for more work-life balance and flexibility.

Some leaders are ‘going along with it’, while others are struggling. Many of us resist change — especially when we have established ourselves in a certain way. But embracing change can be positive for yourself, your company and your employees. I will speak on this during Episode 80 of our Podcast this month.

As a leader, embracing change, and not being stuck, will ultimately help you become a more versatile leader and in time an overall stronger leader.

Over the next few weeks in this Blog, I look forward to sharing some personal insights on Leadership, in fact this Fall, I will be doing a series on the Virtues of Leadership and also share some hints on two spectacular guests who we will be featuring this Fall on the Podcast.

If we can help you here at Phoenix Life Coaching Canada to develop long-term solutions and drive your personal success and professional success - do not hesitate to Contact us and by the way check out our #Makeitso Platform as well as so many other features including tools like our #Makeitso Journal, some of our 23 Books for 2023, 

#letsgetafterit #makeitso

 

I have never had the height, or to be honest the skill, to be good at Basketball. I do however love the game. The action, the energy are engaging, but so too are the personalities involved. Names like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, Larry Bird and even Denis Rodman are household names. This is why an interview with another NBA Superstar, Shaquille O’Neal, caught my eye recently. However it was not because of his basketball skill that it struck me, it was because in it, he described some of the keys to his business success.

He told the story of getting his first $1 million signing bonus and feeling like he had “made it”. As a result, he quickly bought himself a 150-thousand-dollar Mercedes. He drove it home proudly to show it off. His father asked, “That’s great, son. What about mine?” Feeling humbled, Shaq and his father returned to the dealership and bought another Mercedes of a similar price. Sure enough, Dad thought Shaq should also get one for his mother. So, he did, although it was admittedly—slightly less, at roughly $100 thousand. Within days, Shaq also wrote a $20,000 check for a one-year lease on a penthouse apartment in the city of his new team.

It wasn’t long before a family friend and banker, who knew Shaq and his family well, asked Shaq to come in for a sit-down. The banker thanked Shaq for the confidence demonstrated by depositing his signing bonus. Then he went on to point out to Shaq that, having spent over $400 thousand of that first $1 million in a matter of days. This meant Shaq was effectively broke. Shaq was unaware of the taxes associated with such wealth. That the $1 million that came in was only about $600 thousand after taxes. Shaq was crushed—but determined.

It was at that moment, being crushed that he knew he needed help around him, or he would wind up like the 60 percent of professional athletes who end their careers broke. Today, Shaq’s published net worth is roughly $400 million.

John Maxwell often says you tend to make a change when you are "hurt enough you have you, see enough you are inspired to, learn enough you want to, or receive enough you are able to."  Shaquille O’Neal would probaably admit (though I have not asked him) that he was "hurt enough". 

There is much more to Shaquille O’Neal’s great story. but to fast forward us, he embraked about a knowledge journey that led him to financial security through many celebrity endorsements and commercials (Icy Hot, The General Insurance, Burger King, and Pepsi, to name a few). How did Shaq learn to embrace this path? He sought help.

I couldn’t help but think of the similarities with most great leader and their success: knowledge and commitment.

It’s the knowledge part that tends to trip us up. Primarily, this is because we have a hard time acknowledging our knowledge gaps. Shaq learned early because of a trusted ally. The banker told it to him straight and painted a very clear picture of the broke version of Shaq that poor decisions would lead to.

This past month I did one of my quarterly in person visits with the half dozen businesses I connect with as a consultant on a weekly basis with. One of them, who I have been working with for 3 year now, prudently has now broken the small business size barrier. Over the year, their growth has been impressive. I still remember the first session we had together – I simply said “ok, go ahead ask me anything”. We have not stopped. Every week this business owner shows up (commitment) and he puts on the table his wins, woes and wants and then comes the questions (knowledge).  

Asking the important questions

Just like Shaq, being willing to ask the questions is where it begins. Are there questions you wonder about your business but don’t seem to have the right opportunity to ask an expert in a safe setting?

How long will those questions linger?

What may be perplexing or nagging to you might be apparent to an expert. But you have to reach for that tool.

Ask yourself three questions about your business or your present role:

What could move the revenue needle within the next quarter?

Have I set the right conditions for that personal growth or business movement to happen?

Do I really know what conditions must be set?

If there was any uncertainty about any of questions then let me add one more question - who’s your equivalent to Shaq’s banker?

Now, as you answer that, the easiest path might be that you will turn to someone in your immediate network. A friend, realtive, uncle or family member who you see further ahead than you are. Well, that might be the easy choice, but likely not the best choice. If you have a nagging question about moving your business, or your own personal, success forward within the next quarter, send me an email. It is very likely that I have seen your situation before and can offer the counsel you have not heard elsewhere.

In most cases, my responses will be succinct and straightforward. I am not "sales orientated, I am success focussed". Drawing on my decades of experience and associated expertise, I could quickly connect the dots and identify viable options in front of them. 

This is why I encourage you to consider Full Service Coaching for 2023. We all need someone to be the equivalent to Shq's banker, and all the services provided in Full Service Coaching gives you that - check out the details of it here . Great Leaders Don't Grow Alone.

Let us start living in a way today that will help you to Thrive tomorrow.

Alright - let’s get after it - let’s #Makeitso

Frank

P.S. -  I’m hosting a Leadership Challenge  starting in January 15^th – (but you can join at any point)

The Leadership Challenge provides the same training value as an intensive 3-day workshop series of sessions, but allows you to absorb the content in micro-bursts of 10-15 minutes per day for 35 days — all on your schedule. Each day you receive a daily email with a link to a short message and to a simple worksheet. You tackle it when you can each day. I will bring the circle, you bring the resolve.  Sign up here today