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C-Suite Leadership Messaging is the greatest under developed skill

With my 35 years of business experience and the last 4 years in my own, coaching C-Suite leaders of today and tomorrow, one of the most under developed skills is in messaging vision & strategy.

I have seen so many talented leaders including myself successfully delivery tactical content only to be deflated because we were unable to move the needle, spawn conversation or achieve the outcome we seek to achieve. It becomes a source of frustration for many and then creates limiting believes and a negative mindset about ones’ capabilities. Ultimately it deflates confidence for which stuck C-suite leaders of tomorrow cannot find a path forward. 

In this week’s Drop In CEO Collective, I provided a framework for which I have found is starting point to not only craft your 30 second elevator pitch for your vision & strategy, but gets you to think differently.

Here is the framework, an example of good and a very bad example of what not to do:

Framework:

  • Grounding statement that relates your Topic to a greater strategy (gets people to wake up and listen)
  • Provide more details and context that justify why the topic is important
  • Propose a solution or course of action to spawn conversation.

Example of good:  Evolving our Root Cause Analysis capability is critical to reaching long term defect reduction in order to create a greater customer experience. By implementing this training & coaching program within these functional areas in the next 24 months, we will not only see a reduction in our customer defects, but we will be the first business unite of its kind to take a step forward in investing in our people which pays many dividends in employee loyalty. I propose we have a follow up workshop in the next two weeks to work out the details of the strategy, deliverable timeline and necessary resources.

Example of bad: We need to purchase now the Root Cause Analysis training package in order to train all employees across 3 business units using state of the art software that enables collaboration and real time reporting. When we implement the new tool, we should be able to show people how to do RC analysis more effectively and ultimately reducing our defect rate from 5% down to 2% which is our 2024 goal. The cost is $25,000 and would like to discuss how / when we can move forward with this proposal.

The good example aligns the leaders message to a greater strategic goal, provides a bit of context to help people to understand the impact and a call to action to move the conversation forward.

The bad example is from a place of siloed thinking and provides too much detail for which people may deflect or delay any constructive conversation leaving the messenger deflated. 
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The attendees of this past collective agreed that this was a different way of thinking and this could help them to craft more impactful messages and be seen, heard and respected as a C-Suite Leader. 

If this is a challenge for you as a C-Suite Leader or you see people on  your team struggling with this exact same issue, but you don’t have the capacity or capability to address, please have the courage to leverage a support system.

Drop in to my next Drop in Collective offered on March 20th and click here for your exclusive invite to this offering. 

It may be the best investment of 50 minutes towards effective Messaging for influence & impact. 

Let me know; I’d love to support you. 

Until then, I wish you much success-Deb

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What CEO’s can learn from the play “Annie”​

I’ve shared with many of you I’m working with a Functional Wellness Coach to ensure my health is in check so I can continue to be in service to you. During this journey, we’ve discovered Stress has potentially cause my chemistry to be out of balance. As part of decreasing stress, I’ve been doing more things that give me pleasure and are relaxing; one of which is continuing to go to the theater. Last evening we saw the play “Annie” and while it was a feel good story, there are important messages CEO’s can learn to get better results.

First and foremost, the song “The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow”, gives hope that you always have another day to make things right or to enjoy success and life. So many CEO’s dwell in what is going wrong vs. playing to what is going well and applying more energy. Where things are going wrong, they spend too much time in the weeds, vs. enabling teams to solve their own issues and inspire optimism. Fast Companies article about how CEO’s can lead with optimism in uncertain times is critical to enable high performing teams to meet those challenges. 

While I could gush about the entire musical score for Annie, let me share my personal thoughts. I was once a victim to circumstances and I simply wanted to “survive” until tomorrow. The turning point came when I realized I had no more energy to survive and wonder how I got to this place. I focused on the immediate vs. the future. I had my hands in most everything vs. improving my decision logic and prioritization. I worked harder vs. smarter and knew no other way. Where was my boss? Where was the coaching I needed to develop the essential skills vs. applying resources at the issues?

I am so grateful I can now see clearly these challenges are common to most C-Suite leaders and those seeking to get into the C-Suite. No where do I find a systemic approach within corporations to identify these gaps in skills nor a program to evolve them. Only a lucky few have a mentor or a coach with others falling into despair or feeling stuck. Given this insight, I have curated these gaps into The CEO’s Compass as a guide to stop and recognize the gaps and start helping leaders develop new skills & approaches to their leadership style. This is a DIY guide to get back on track, but I can also support you and your business challenges often moving you from crisis to stability in 90 days or less. Let’s have a conversation. 

If this is you, PLEASE do not continue as you have. PLEASE do start to do something different. If you are trying to get into the C-Suite, consider my book as a resource to get you on track in days vs. months. I also propose the Drop In CEO Collective that could jump start you to the right track in 50 minutes or less. Time is valuable and leveraging tools to give you back time and reduce stress is an investment in yourself that you should consider. We all want to see The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow!

Message me if you’re interested in the Drop In Collective or click here for your exclusive invite.  

Let me know; I’d love to support you. 

Until then, I wish you much success-Deb

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