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Drop In CEO Top 10 Books for Coaching Teams and Influence

More than once the community has asked for resources that I’ve found useful to creating a greater impact by elevating your skills and those of others.

Enjoy this curated list, share with others and let the authors now how you found them through The Drop In CEO community.

Drive your Career (I know the author) – Great tools to align with the people who can influence your future. Been on my podcast.

The 48 Laws of Power (given to me be a prior boss / past Navy) – Hard read, but takes you through politics and power and you find the tactics that work for you. Taught me a lot and from there I started to move up faster.

The CEO only Does Three Things – I know the author, been on my podcast. For you, it’s about setting your mindset to think like a CEO and then you’ll be perceived for those roles. 

How successful people lead ( a classic by John C. Maxwell) 

Creating the High-Performance Team – I actually taught some of this book as part of a project to build a team that worked with Pepsi. 

Team Secrets of the Navy Seals – I remember learning about a high degree of personal accountability. 

The Motivation Myth – I know the author and interviewed him. A great resource on how to motivate teams; different than traditional business. 

The Leaders Mindset – I’ve wanted to interview the author, but doesn’t respond. I will someday. Very forward thinking in leadership mindset. 

Good to Great – this is a classic. I should probably interview the author someday. This was really really good for me as I was setting up my strategy for the long game vs. short term thinking. 

The only Leaders Worth Following – I know the author and he was on my podcast. Really, really good about what makes a leader worth following. 

The Trusted Leader – I know the author and interviewed them on my podcast. Really good about trust and the making of great leaders that people will follow. 

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When you focus on your superpowers, you inspire others to find theirs…

When you focus on your superpowers, you inspire others to find theirs…

Pain point marketing can be so exhausting and if you know me, I do things differently. ?

With a passion to focus on the positive, I’m sharing a quick story to inspire you and hopefully lift others in the process.

Oh my, I am so blessed that every time, every time…did I say every time! that I step onto the Zoom stage and greet one of you in my network the first thing you say is they love my voice! I am grateful for this gift to use it as a guide to exchange content and create meaningful connections. It’s one of my superpowers and when I leaned into amplifying t I find my relationships are so much stronger. While written communications can be effective, the outcome we wish to achieve is an emotion or experience for which the voice carries it so much further. 

In the process of meeting with so many of you live, via zoom or simply through my podcast I’m starting to realize the impact it’s having on everyone. When we meet, I always listen and try to find either your value and make you aware of it. I also try to impart some value, so you are in a better place because we spent some time together.

This week, I kicked off The Drop In Collective and I was inspired by the engaging conversation. I know I shared some insight with the attendees or I simply provided a space for them to feel good about who they are and are becoming.

It’s moments like that when we take the time to focus on the process, our values and our superpowers that good things will happen. Recently during a mastermind, a colleague said as soon as they let go of results and simply focus on what felt good or gives them joy, magic started to happen. It’s a hard shift in mindset, but being the optimist… I’m riding that wave right now! I’ll let you know how it’s working!

For you, I’d love for you to pause and ponder what are your superpowers? What are those things you do so easily that when you use them, people are uplifted? Shouldn’t we be focusing more on those strengths than trying to fix what you’re not? And if you are reaching down into the organization, do you have talent that is good, but could they be great? How can you encourage them to use their superpowers to amplify their impact? Are they a good trainer? An excellent organizer? Do they have good people skills and can be put in front of a customer? 

Just think about it. My job here is to help you discover what you can do to have a greater impact directly or through elevating others. We are all part of this community to elevate the C-Suite Leaders of Today and Tomorrow Navigate Challenges with Confidence. 

What’s your superpower? I’d love to know!

Be well and much success-Deb

… and here are some more resources for you: 

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If you like this article, I have oodles of content on my blog

If you need a resource that is part self discovery and part guide, please check out my book, The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track. Share your receipt and I’ll provide a complimentary 30 minute workshop for your team on any Leadership or Continuous Improvement topic to provide value to your team.

If the book really resonated with you, I’d sincerely appreciate a book review as well!?

The Drop In CEO podcast is a great resource for insights and inspiration from industry leaders.

If you just want to connect with me and see how I can support you in a business or personal setback, let’s have a conversation.

My next Drop In Collective will be October 24th at 5:00 pm ET and October 25th, 5:00 pm PT where we assemble talented professionals from Operations, Operational Excellence /CI and Quality. We educate, elevate and collaborate on new skills, solving real issues and exchanging resources. Fast paced, high value and I’m grateful for you to join as we pilot the format until we have a viable product to expand this offer. Respond if interested and I’ll add you to the invite.

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I made a mistake and I’m grateful for your understanding…

I made a mistake and I’m grateful for your understanding…

I’m modifying my newsletter format and said in the beginning it would not be perfect as I stepped out of my comfort zone and learned a new skill.

Then, I hit the send button and forgot to check the title of my newsletter which was: TBD !

And because of that mistake, I had the highest open rate of my newsletter 47.7% vs. an average of 35%.

My mistake made an impact, perhaps curiosity, perhaps confusion and … I do ask for grace while I build my new process.

The lesson I learned from this is to focus on the process and quality vs. simply a deadline. Give myself time to learn the new skill. The other lesson I learned was I got an unexpected result of 47%. Was there something in an interesting subject line that drew your attention? That’s a good thing. When we take risks, we gain wisdom and in the process evolve our crafts.

I’m grateful for the high open rate, but I also want to be sure I’m providing you great resources and insights to help you and your teams navigate with confidence. I also ask that you think about your situation and reflect on your confidence in trying new things or encouraging the same in others. Not every risk gets you a great result, but what if you actually tried and succeeded? Think about it…you are worthy of taking a risk so why not start today!

Additional Resources 

If you like this article, I have oodles of content on my blog

If you need a resource that is part self discovery and part guide, please check out my book, The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track

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The Drop In CEO podcast is a great resource for insights and inspiration from industry leaders.

If you just want to connect with me and see how I can support you in a business or personal setback, let’s have a conversation.

I’m launching The Drop In Collective this month, a forum for professionals to provide support and collectively help solve the challenges we each have. I have two dates: September 26 at 5:00 ET & 27 and if you’re interested, reach out to me and I’ll share the zoom links.

Until we connect, I wish you well and continued success!

Be well-Deb

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Setbacks are healthy for your career and here’s why…

If you know me by now, I’m a optimist at heart. However, I like many of you am also going through some challenging times. It doesn’t feel good, but there is something inside of me that propels me to move forward and I’d like to share with you how setbacks can be healthy and help you through stronger than before.

See the future so it pulls you forward

Since the day I opened my business, I saw bright lights and a stage for me to impact more people than I could imagine. Even after creating my podcast platform, posting on LI as another platform, I still see the stage vividly. I know I’m making an impact on the people who consume my content. Perhaps I’m already there, but I still see the future vividly. Ask yourself if you can see the future. If you can’t, its a good time to pause and see if you can paint that picture and then run like heck towards it!

Listen to what people are saying you’re good at

As high performers, whenever someone says you’re “good” at something we shrug it off and say things like “that’s what they pay me for” or because we think it’s easy for us, it’s nothing special. When I speak, people say my voice is soothing and disarming. For me it is easy, but I have found my voice is my superpower and gift to bring forward. I’ve been listening to you on this platform and I’m grateful for the feedback. By listening more deeply to what people tell you, you are good at, we may bring forward on this journey that propels us faster than we ever thought. When you’re having a set back, listen to what people say to you, that you’re really good at. The setback helped you to rediscovery your gifts.

Listen to yourself

I keep wondering what I need to do differently in order to move my business and career forward. Because of a set back, we often rediscovery self doubt and wonder what needs to change. I often give advise when I’m auditing an operations to simply stand in one place and observe the activity to understand if the process is working or not. It gives you a different perspective on the world. If I stand in one place right now, the world is upside down right now and in chaos.

When I look at the value I can bring to others, I realize I don’t need to change. I simply have to wait while the world settles down and listen to myself…I have skills people need but now may not be the time. We often ignore what we say to ourselves because it doesn’t make sense. But sometimes when we take the time to pause and reflect, we are wise and should listen more to our ourselves.

Ask yourself if you truly listen? People might think you’re a little nuts talking when no one else is in the room! But think about it…you’re smart, resourceful and full of experience. The setback you’re feeling is temporary. You know this from past history you always have moved forward. This is nothing different. The gift is to take the setback and realize that 80% of what you are doing is just find and needs no changing. The 20% is a time of discovery to find out what you want to change and be more successful than before the setback.

Pro-tip: Success is not always measured financially. If you prioritize what would Peace of mind look like, you will find success factors are already in your grasp!

If you like this article, I have oodles of content on my blog

If you need a resource that is part self discovery and part guide, please check out my book, The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track

The Drop In CEO podcast is a great resource for insights and inspiration from industry leaders.

If you just want to connect with me and see how I can support you in a business or personal setback, let’s have a conversation.

I sincerely care about the C-Suite leader of today and tomorrow to navigate challenges with confidence. I’m thinking about a forum that brings leaders from Operations & Quality together to work together on challenges they’re having and elevate the collective so we don’t have to struggle as much. If you like this concept, please email me with your feedback and I’ll include you when we pilot this new opportunity.

Until then, I wish you continued success and be well-Deb

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Do You Have 30 Minutes to Invest In Your Team?

I ponder this as there are so many topics not taught in school and rarely through the journey of a C-suite leader. However, somehow they need to learn the skills to make them seen, heard and respected. I ask you the same question, how did you learn those simple tools that set you apart and were key to your success? I’ve seen leaders spend countless hours “managing” conflict because their team does not have the skills to effectively manage challenges with confidence. And yet we endure this wasteful practice vs. investing in your people to build those skills.

One such skill I teach is how to position a message for impact. So often we celebrate our subject matter experts for delivering the information we need for decision making. They’re wildly successful in their early career and then they hit a wall. As they are elevated to deliver information, they lose their confidence because we’ve failed to prepare them for delivering a message for action. When we don’t prepare them, the conversations go awry for which your rising star becomes deflated. A 30 minute coaching session in the art of delivering powerful messages for impact can be the key to their success and ultimately yours. Your conversations with your team are how to deliver the next powerful message vs. the wasted time managing someone who has lost their confidence. 

The framework is easy:

  • Deliver the data
  • Describe the trend
  • Qualify as an Opportunity or Risk
  • Quantify the Magnitude 

This will get attention and spawn conversation which is ultimately the outcome you want. It creates engagement and even if controversial, your C-Suite leader now has to learn new skills in conflict management. 

Think about your situation or perhaps someone on your team who is leading others. Do they have these challenges and yet you don’t have the time to coach them? Let me be your partner and deliver the skills you need for your team. I care so much about investing in you and your team that the first 30 minute event is complimentary. 

If there is a specific topic that your team struggles with, book some time with me so we can develop and deliver the tools your team needs for success. 

If you’d prefer to spend time with yourself first and learn some of my insights for the C-Suite Leader of Today or Tomorrow, I offer my book, The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track. It leads you on a journey of self discovery as a leader and builds that foundation first before you can take it to your situation and guide you and your team.

Looking for something a little lighter to read? Check out my other content on my website for more insights and inspiration.

Like to learn on the go? The Drop In CEO Podcast is up to 259 episodes and there is a huge amount of conversations with industry experts that is sure to inspire!

Until we connect, I wish you well and continued success!

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How to Connect with Your Front Line People to Improve Performance

I wrote The CEOā€™s Compass: Your Guide to Get to Back on Track as a Self Help & Roadmap for C-Suite Leaders of Today and Tomorrow. What I did not expect was it was a self help guide for myself to distill my insights. My unique value is how I partner with C-Suite Leaders to assess their landscape from Quality, Operations, and Safety perspective with the help of a Compass to get back on track. The Compass was the missing link between talented C-Suite leaders having achieved great results, but have now lost their way. Much of it is about getting back to basics about human-centric leadership. However, I didnā€™t always have a clear message for you, so let me take you back a bit. 

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My community since 2019 loved my content writing, but a wise colleague Karyl Eckerle shared that people did not know what I stood for nor my systems. They were confused; was I a consultant, leadership development coach or a podcaster? I was surprised by this feedback, but then I realized with all respect, Karyl was telling me that the messages had to be distilled so you know what I stand for, who I serve and how do I bring you to Peace of Mind. Iā€™m grateful for the tough love, but it soon propelled me forward to be crystal clear about my value and who I love to work with.

While I serve numerous industries, the common denominator of who I serve is the CEO/President, VP of operations or the plant manager who is going through some kind of major transformation. More specifically; theyā€™ve achieved great success for many years, but something has now changed; throwing them into chaos and unfortunately crisis for which they really need some external help. While the ways I help bring them back to a place of control may vary; a common theme I often see is the connectivity and confidence in leading the front line worker who is very close to your customer. I spoke at length on this during my interview with Joel Onyshuk on his podcast The Front Line Leaders podcast as well on the Drop In CEO podcast where Joel was a gracious guest full of insights. 

The magic bullet is engaging in Conversation and Collaboration so they are Confident to Confide in you. 

While recovering from a terrible cross-contamination issue resulting in loss of time, money & credibility, I found our front line workers not following the new process during an audit. While I asked in the most respectful way why not, they showed me how it was not possible to execute as written. The theoretical process that should have prevented the issue was not practical and was not written in reality. I was embarrassed to learn this and shared that with the front line worker. When I inquired what the process should be and they demonstrated what was possible, I quickly edited the process and came back with the updates to which we agreed it would work. 

I could have checked the box that the process was validated and be assured that there would be no further issue and be on my way to the next project. However, the next time I was on the shop floor, the operator pulled me aside to share another problem. They confided in me that not everyone was following the new process and trusted me with confidentiality. I thanked them for their courage to share and desire to achieve a greater outcome of compliance than simply doing their job heads down. Iā€™m pleased to share that after gaining their confidence and fixing this issue, the flow of insight continued to flow to assure we never delivered a bad product to our customers.

Do you have a compass to guide you when youā€™re off track? 

Iā€™ve connected with many of you who are reading this now to learn about you and your career journey, both successes and failures. The common theme is most of you have found a way to get back on track, but others still feel stuck. While I cannot know your frustration specifically; Iā€™ve seen enough in my career to know that you may need something. That something may be my blog posts on my website or The Drop In CEO podcast which is free and easy to consume. 

If you need something more, I propose a copy of my book may provide additional insights to help you navigate your career with confidence. If you obtain a copy of my book and share the receipt, I will offer you a complimentary discussion to help you get back on track.   I want this to be easy to move forward with confidence. I was once (well maybe several times) off track and I wish I had a compass to guide me. Iā€™m offering you one now to help you succeed and reach your career goals. 

Until we connect, I wish you continued success and be well-Deb

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Learning Lessons From Silence

Okay, so now you think Iā€™m off my rocker! After telling you in my numerous articles how feedback delivered in the context of what to continue, start or change is a positive framework, I tell you the absence of feedback is powerful. Well, even I can evolve my opinion and hereā€™s why:

I asked for feedback and did not receive anyā€¦

Last week I asked for feedback about my offers and what I should change as Iā€™m here to serve. What I realized was that I probably asked the wrong questions. I asked what should I change and instead I should have asked you, what do you need? Even I make mistakes and I thank you for your silence, because it gave me time to pause & reflect about what was missing. 

You did share feedback, but I did not truly listenā€¦

One person in my network shared that their friend consumes my content all the time and they really enjoyed it. They encouraged me to keep going because itā€™s making a difference. Being humble, I simply said thank you, but I didnā€™t give the feedback the respect it deserves. Iā€™ve had many people say they like my content because it gets them to think differently and inspire them. For that feedback I am thankful and I will continue to be in service through my content.

Youā€™ve spoken loudly about my voiceā€¦ but what to do with it?

Itā€™s funny how you work so hard to hone your craft to have people praise you for something completely different. You know me as a Fractional Leader, Crisis Management Expert, Leadership Coach, Podcast Host and Speaker. However, the thread that ties it together is my voice for which you have shared it is soothing, captivating and sometimes disarming.

I donā€™t have an answer right now, but Iā€™m open to suggestions about how to leverage my voice and make a difference. Iā€™d love to hear your thoughts! I value you and my network who have been so supportive to help me see what I canā€™t quite see.

I just want to say thank you for the silenceā€¦

I am truly grateful as it has given me so much time to reflect and figure out what to continue, start or change. 

Having gained such great insight from the silence, I also turn to you and ask for you to reflect on your situation, career or business. Have you asked for feedback for which you did not receive any or it was nothing you could action on? Look for what is not said and there you will find the wisdom and feedback you are seeking.

I want to say thank you to all for your continued support and I will continue to hopefully share valuable insights and inspire each and every one of you.

Be well-Deb

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Three Reasons Why Leaders Need a ā€œPAUSEā€ Button

Iā€™ll get to the point and if this resonates with you, I implore you to read on:

  1. Leaders need to STOP what theyā€™re doing and confirm if theyā€™re still on the the right track
  2. Leaders need to assess their energy and if theyā€™re dreading certain activities, itā€™s a sign you’re applying it in the wrong way.
  3. Leaders need to check in with themselves to see if theyā€™re still passionate about the work theyā€™re doing and if theyā€™re still up for the challengeā€¦itā€™s okay, because sometimes you might need a change.

Having spent so many years trying to support others and giving them the tools for success, I have to be honest and transparent with youā€¦I have hit the PAUSE button. No one likes to admit that, especially to my community of supporters and who I support willingly and with all my passion. But I too occasionally have to evaluate my strategy, goals and objectives. Itā€™s what leaders do and Iā€™m no exception. Today I am pausing for the reasons above and I simply wanted to share a bit with you in hopes it inspires you to also PAUSE if and when it makes sense. 

Fractional Leadership & Crisis Management

There are so many small & medium size businesses that are going through rapid change and may exceed capacity & capability to keep up with the changes. Thatā€™s where I drop in. Every client Iā€™ve served has become so much more. We have become fans of each other’s work for which we sustain long term partnerships. What Iā€™m seeing is that companies are still facing many crisis in supply chain, stable operations and finding talent that they donā€™t have the appetite for reach out for additional support. Iā€™m okay with that, but as a business owner, that too presents challenges. So, then I ask the question is Fractional Leadership what these businesses need or is it something else? Iā€™m open for suggestions and your thoughts. Great leaders leverage the collective input of their teams and I consider you part of the team!

Leadership & Skills Development

Youā€™ve heard me say over and over again, there is a demographic of aspiring C-Suite Leaders who donā€™t have a support system and also are overwhelmed with work and commitments and donā€™t have the time to invest in themselves. I then wonder if I should pause on reaching out to this group of people and try to reach those leaders or HR business partners who realize they want to develop their people, but donā€™t have the capacity, capability or have the courage to bring on additional resources to help. I know in my gut, this is an underserved market, yet Iā€™m struggling to find a way to connect. Again, as a leader I know Iā€™m stuck and realize my community may have the answers. 

How do I find the people who have the ability to invest? Who do I need to connect with that may want to invest in their people? What kind of offers should I offer that would be more attractive or consumable for this group of leaders I so care about? Iā€™d love to hear your thoughts and again, please respond to this email or message me at [email protected] 

What have I missed?

Many of you consume my content and Iā€™m grateful for those who have shared how much they enjoy it. But as someone once said to me, Iā€™m inside the cookie jar and may not see what is outside. Where else can I be of service? What skills do you see that could be used in a different way? What role can I play in order to impact more than I can imagine? I turn my attention to you and value your feedback!

As I return to the three reasons to pause, I feel Iā€™m on the right track, but need your input to make any course corrections. I love the work I do and invest a lot of time, but at times I feel drained and wish to take back some of that energy and invest in myself, my family and in the community I serve in the best way. I am also open to any new possibilities of support you or others. 

While this article was about asking for some feedback from my community, it is also meant to serve you. Ask yourself – do you need to hit the PAUSE button? And if so, what are you seeking? If you have hit the PAUSE button in the past, Iā€™d be eternally grateful to hear your story and perhaps bring it forward to inspire others. 

If this article resonated with you, Iā€™d love to share other resources with you:

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Iā€™m excited to share that The CEOā€™s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track is getting into the hands of many C-Suite Leaders of Today and Tomorrow. This valuable resource asks you challenging questions about your leadership and why you lead. It then takes you on a journey around different compass points with practical advice on where you can make small but impactful course corrections. If this is you, consider getting your copy of the book and then schedule a complementary conversation to discuss what resonated with you and how to evolve your journey. 

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Recently we offered the Drop In C-Suite Academy to our C-Suite Leaders of tomorrow. We heard from many of you that work and personal commitments keep you busy and make it challenging for personal development. I hear you and I know itā€™s hard to keep it all together.

Iā€™d love to hear from you about what kind of investment in your personal development makes sense. Reply to this email or send a note to [email protected] with a note about any of the following options:

  • Drop In Mastermind – drop in when time permits and glean new insights from topics presented and the opportunity to engage in conversation with others to solve real issues
  • Drop in C-Suite Academy Self Paced – consume the content when you have time.  No instruction needed
  • Drop in C-Suite Academy Self Paced + -consume the content when you have time but would like some coaching midway or at the end to evolve the skills
  • Drop In Conversations – I just need someone to align with periodically to coach through challenging situations, no packages, but spot support when needed.
  • None of the above – hereā€™s what I needā€¦. 
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Framework of One: One Team, One Way, One Goal

This story was originally written January 2019 when I had recently transitioned from corporate into running my own business. It’s a reflection of the beginning of me thinking differently and perhaps the genesis of my business many years prior. I do hope you enjoy it…

I was a year into my role where I realized I could not continue to Manage a region, but had to find a way to Lead through a Strategy that was purposeful and could organize the chaos and unify for results. Through countless hours of jogging (training for a 1/2 marathon) and inspirational music, the Framework of One kept coming to me.

Looking for a collection of Quotes that speak to Teams and Unity, I found this curated by Dave Kerpen in an article for Inc. that sums it up well:

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”  –Andrew Carnegie

The Framework of One is quite simple: One Team, One Way, One Goal is about aligning resources for interchangeability of talent, harmonizing processes and platforms to one set of Goals and objectives to achieve results. By establishing this Way of Working, it set the stage for teams to come together for collaboration; a key obstacle that needed to be overcome due to multiple disconnected locations & business unites.

The results were remarkable when the Vision took on a life of it’s own, when team members would regularly connect with each other, coach, train and align on best practices and soon resources could be moved around where the skills were needed. Fast forward two years, the region that was last in terms of performance unbelievably arrived at 2nd place and to the disbelief of others that they started diving into the data to make sure it was valid.

While there is more to the story how we tactically achieved brilliant results, it starts with a challenge, self reflection, a purposeful vision and great leadership to show the way. I’m grateful to have led great teams and seek to influence many, many more towards “One”.

This article was brought to you by our Mentoring Monday series. Please tell us if you liked, loved or have alternate perspective. We’d love to hear from you!

About the author: Quality & Operational Excellence Executive / Writer / Speaker: Deb Coviello thrives in Establishing Organizational Stability, Building Solid foundations and Coaching Teams to brilliant & sustainable results

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Deb Coviello The Drop In CEOā„¢

Guiding C-Suite leaders of today and tomorrow to navigate challenges with confidence?| Fractional Leader & Crisis Prevention | Coach | Author | Speaker | Podcast Host | Board Member | Silver Medalist Curler?

Published ā€¢ 3y

133 articles

The story is about Leadership, Reflection and building a Vision that achieves great results. Take One minute to be inspired. hashtag#Motivation hashtag#Leadership hashtag#Mentorship hashtag#MentorMonday hashtag#One hashtag#Inspiration

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Why Authoritative Leadership is Killing Employee Retention

It pains me to realize that Authoritative Leadership still exists in corporate culture; I once experienced this and it absolutely suffocated my creativity. However, taking the high road, I am grateful for having the opportunity to feel it first hand and now share my insights with you. While I seek to help C-Suite Leaders of tomorrow and give you tools to navigate such challenges, today I turn my focus to the C-Suite Leaders of today who may be in such an environment and have the power to make a difference. 

Seek to understand why Authoritative Leadership exists in your organization.

Whenever Iā€™m befuddled to understand a situation that is misaligned with my values, I seek to understand why it existed in the first place. We canā€™t change the future unless we study history and understand the past. In my situation, the industry was highly regulated and risk averse. The business had been burnt many times for which strict adherence to protocol was imperative to survival. Given this insight, I ask you – how you can maintain strict protocols while maintaining employee engagement and creativity?

Educate and guide when to stay in the lines and when to go outside.

When I came to the new opportunity, I was full of ideas on how to improve the situation. My enthusiasm was quickly dampened when I was told to ā€œstay within the lines.” I was shocked and dismayed to know I could not bring my creativity to the situation. I was simply a warm body to execute a transaction. This is frustrating to an employee and may quickly lead to their exit. Consider instead to share where there is freedom to bring new ideas. This helps people to understand the important protocols for business survivability, but also those where people can contribute to growth. The heavy fist should be replaced by education and guidance for the employee.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback

Did I mention feedback is important? When I was in meetings, I constantly heard people present proposals, but with a tone of uncertainty in their delivery. It was as if, individuals were afraid to voice their opinion for fear of being taken off line and admonished. If they presented everything as a question, they would be safe. Instead, I propose that we provide feedback to individuals on how to present information in a way that is positive and how they can improve while staying within the guidelines that keep the company safe. Employees will grow to respect the company because they cared and will protect it in how they navigate the landscape.

So I turn to you if you are a leader in a highly regulated or authoritative organization; do you provide a safe environment for people to thrive and contribute? Your behavior can make the difference between stability or high turn-over. If your leadership is not authoritative, but you see it in your peers, could you have a conversation with them to evolve the culture to one that is not authoritative. Are you ready to make a difference in the company culture to make a lasting impact on the company and on individuals in your care?

Iā€™ve shared my story with you, now I ask you, will you share your story? Iā€™m here to listen. 

My wish is for every C-Suite Leader of today and tomorrow to navigate their careers with confidence. If this insight was helpful, share this article with others. If you have a unique challenge and wish to have a complementary conversation, please reach out to me. 

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Your time is valuable, so I wanted to share a few quick links so I can be of service:

P.S. The C-Suite academy enrollment is open. This experience starts August 22nd. Enrollment ends August 15th. 

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