The Importance of Technical People Becoming People-People

Check out this quotation that supports the importance of understanding people and putting focus on building relationships with people:

"A Bell Lab's study found the best engineers didn't succeed because of their technical prowess, but because they put time and effort into building relationships that they could call upon when needed."

- from the Financial Post,  "The best of 2009 e-letter wisdom from 'experts'", Dec 21, 2009

Putting focus, time and effort into building relationships is important, even for, and perhaps, especially for, technical people.  It may not be a technical person's strength or natural inclination to pay attention to people, and build relationships.  However, it is important to succeed. 

If you're a technical person who want to achieve greater success through people, check out my "Technical People Becoming People-People" coaching program offering.  Feel free to ask questions, post comments, or apply for the program.

How to Get Results

I just returned from the International Coach Federation (ICF) Conference in Orlando, inspired to create a greater impact through results-based coaching.

 

This is a quotation from a leader of one of the workshops I attended, on Accountability:

  

"Taking action consistent with your desired outcome for your life, career or business gets results". - Mark Samuel

When I consider results I have attained recently, it is a result of applying these 4 principles:

1. Being clear on my desired outcome,
2. Setting a clear measure that defines success,
3. Being focused and taking action in line with my desired outcome,
4. Measuring how I’m progressing toward my desired outcome.

Considering areas where I have not attained the results I wanted, it clearly is due to a break down in applying at least one of these 4 principles.

Coaching Challenge:  For the results you want to see in your life, career or business, answer these questions:

 

How will you become clear about your desired outcome?

What measure(s) defines success for you?

What action(s) do you commit to take, consistently?

How will you measure progress towards your successful end-result?

Share your commitment by sending me an e-mail, or comment on this post. Personal accountability strengthens when you share your commitment with someone else.

3 Top Tips to Overcome Overwhelm

Overwhelm is rampant these days, as we are all asked to do more with less. 

Here are three practical tips for dealing with overwhelm, to focus on what really matters, and see tangible results each day:

1. Decide what is really important. Focus on projects or goals that really matter.  If possible, put less important projects aside for the time being, or take them off your plate completely.  Scattered thinking and associated feelings of overwhelm will begin to subside once you have decided to focus on what really matters. To keep your projects or goals front of mind, post them in a visible place that you will see throughout each day.
2. Chunk it down.  You make progress day by day, step by step.  Take a step each day towards your goals.  Make a list of the top 3 actions you will take, each day, that will make the most difference in achieving your goals. Put these 3 actions first, and address them before you do anything else. No checking e-mail; no getting distracted surfing the internet! Put First Things First.
3. Measure what matters.  You have identified what is really important.  You take actions towards your goals each day.  Now track your progress towards those goals. There is always a way to quantify your progress, if you are clear on the ultimate outcome. Review your progress, each day, each week, each month. You will soon see how you are achieving more, with less.

Weekly 1 Hour Time-Outs for Leaders

Check out this advice from the Behavioural Coaching Institute:

"All leaders, especially today, need to develop the discipline to engage in a weekly 1 hour time-out meeting with themselves and a leadership/executive coach.

With leaders dealing with all kinds of internal and external challenges, many consider themselves too time poor to stand back and consider today's serious issues deeply and to honestly appraise their leadership. Yes, leaders find this difficult and many also claim any time spent on such reflection is a luxury that they cannot afford. However, this is a huge mistake if they take this posture. These leaders are failing themselves, their teams and their organizations.

The invaluable 'time out' from their 'game time' should be used with their coach to reflect upon their actions, what they have learned, what they have not been doing, what more they could do and how they can achieve that end."

Carving out an hour each week to reflect, refocus and re-engage is a discipline I know works, from personal experience.  When I take the time for it.  Whether it is with a professional mentor coach, or when I self-coach. What works for me is to use an hour at the end of each week, to reflect on what has worked for the last week, and plan where to focus my efforts for the next week.  With time-outs, I am much more productive and focusing on what really matters.

Coaching Challenge: What "time-out" discipline will help you become a better leader?

Energy and Leadership

A recent Harvard Business Review article states that "energy is a neglected dimension of leadership".  How true.  Here are the three main characteristics of leaders who are energizers:

1. A relentless focus on the bright side. Energizers find the positive and run with it.
2. Redefining negatives as positives. Energizers are can-do people.
3. Fast response time. Energizers don't dawdle. Energizers don't tell you all the reasons something can't be done. They just get to it.

What energy do you contribute as a leader?

Welcome to the Lounge!

Visit here often to learn about:

• leadership tips;
• career development tips;
• coaching challenges;
• recommended tools and techniques;
• brief synopses of recommended resources like articles, books, and websites.

I love feedback, so do let me know what you appreciate, what impacts you, and any suggestions for improvement.


Post your musings. Ask questions. Hang out and enjoy.


Cheers,
Sylvia