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The C-Suite Academy: How to Reclaim Your Confidence

I can still see my mentee in front of me saying, “If I could only gain back my confidence, I can get the job done”. Their eyes were sad, their head was heavy and leaning on their hand and their shoulders were rolled forward. I was taken aback by this experience and the rest of our time together was spent finding the keys to gaining back their confidence. 

How many people reading this feel the same way? We as a community need to realize the pockets of greatness in our ranks and seek to elevate them; simply as part of being part of the human race. 

The causes for losing one’s confidence are numerous, but there is a common thread I see and it’s changing. As children we are fearless and climb, jump and run without fear. We tell stories of far off lands and see colors and shapes as far as the mind will take us. Then as we enter society and the systems seek to mold us into an approved form, we lose our creativity and some confidence along the way. For those that survive the conformity standards of society and continue to see bright colors and shapes are sometimes called out for being different. I’m sad to say that we continue to lose talent and shining stars through this process leaving people feeling unfulfilled and moving through life as a transaction. 

While some will appear successful and be praised and elevated for delivering results these rockstars lose their confidence and fall to the wayside unfortunately. This happens time and time again when the leadership, teams or strategy of companies change and with that change comes a lack of confidence. What worked before no longer works and they see their work no longer having the impact of the past. I could go on and on how I’ve seen this pattern repeat. But as I turn this sad state of our society around, I want you to know that you have the power to change the situation.

When Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz was told she always had the power with her ruby slippers to return to Kansas, so do you have the power to change your situation and regain your confidence. And so did my mentee, who after working with them for 6 months, later emerged into their work environment as a rockstar. The unfortunate situation was that leadership wanted to maintain control as they started to be more visible. The environment got toxic and ultimately my mentee took back control, left the organization and is extremely confident in their new pursuits.

Here are a few key actions for reclaiming your confidence:

  • Know your Strength & Passion and why you are valued
  • Acknowledge the limiting beliefs, but release the narratives in your head as they no longer serve you
  • Seek to understand the other people for their Strength & Passion and pay respect to them. 
  • Keep people informed about your work and engage stakeholders for support
  • Learn how to message your ideas vs sharing information; there is a difference
  • Continually seek feedback – it creates positive and actionable conversations
  • Seek out advocates and mentors to help pull you along. Don’t do it alone
  • Pause & Reflect – evaluate the impact of your actions and what you can change

There could be an hour of conversation on each of these topics, but all of these lessons are taught in my C-Suite Academy and more. I’m opening up my academy very soon and I want everyone who attends to know you can gain back your confidence. You can gain the tools you need to take control of your career and get the promotion or goals you deserve. Don’t let confidence stand in the way. When you can get it back, your results will be limitless. 

For more information about C-Suite Academy (CSA) dedicated to the aspiring C-Suite leader, simply register to get on the waitlist, email me or connect with me for a quick chat.  I can’t wait to help you be successful and reach your goals!

For more resources, you can listen to The Drop In CEO Podcast or check out my book The CEO’s Compass will help you get on track in days not months. 

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Resources

Good Reads

Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow  by Tom Rath. It’s a classic, but as I started at my bookcase, I pulled this one to share with you. I remember reading it and taking the test to discover my strengths. It started to make sense to me when I realized I should not focus on what I was not good at. The results would be marginal at best. But leveraging my strengths  would get me a lot farther. As an example, I’ve been told my voice and how I communicate is both calming and influential. So I spend more time writing, speaking and creating to inspire people. Find your strength and when you focus on that and let the world know, you will inspire others. 

Good Music

Fabrizio Paterlini – Colori

I’m watching the sun rise at 7:28 a.m on 2/9 hoping I can get this copy to my editor in enough time to publish it today (thank you Amanda) and I see a beautiful sunrise with pinks and blues peaking through the branches outside my office window. It’s an uplifting piece of waking moments and slowly easing into a beautiful day. Enjoy!

Good Advice

“Make sure that everything that you’re doing on a day-to-day basis really feeds into that larger plan and that larger goal.”

–Eli Menczer

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The C-Suite Academy: How to Manage Your Boss

When you think of model employee traits do you imagine someone who is loyal, obedient, and trustworthy? Someone who listens to and follows instructions? So often we’re taught to be obedient and follow the boss’s lead, but there’s an opportunity to get more out of your relationship with your boss. The truth is, they only know what they know from past experiences. It’s on you as an aspiring C-Suite Leader to take accountability for the outcome of the future and to stay on track with your career.

One of my mentees recently shared with me a question that their boss posed to them. It was during their 1-on-1 where they raised the question about applying for a position. Their boss responded:  “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” And with that, my mentee was taken aback and had to react and justify their position. In my opinion, this was an act of deflection vs. having a constructive conversation. I was saddened to hear my mentee had such a poor experience and this article is dedicated to them with the following tips on “How to Manage Your Boss” and get what you need out of a conversation.

Create a structure around your 1-on-1’s  

Without a compass you are destined to walk around in circles and the same goes for your meetings.  I provide the following framework that you can adjust to suit your needs, but it establishes an expectation for each conversation:

  1. What does your boss need to be successful 
  2. Have priorities changed? 
  3. Personal Development 
  4. Strategic Planning 
  5. Tactical 
  6. Feedback 

It’s a bit of a political game, but you have to make sure at the end of the day you’re meeting your boss’s needs. In some toxic environments, your willingness to help others and extend yourself will be met with adversity and you want to avoid that. In great cultures, your boss will be pleased to see your support.

Change is inevitable so if you had an agenda going in, be ready to adjust your plan while still keeping track of your priorities.

Personal Development

Always start with personal development, because if you don’t you’ll never get to it. This is where you talk about what you’re doing to improve current performance and discuss what needs to be developed to get to the next level. Should your boss be evasive as was with my mentee “Do you think you’re ready,” this is where you can discuss any gaps and actions to close those gaps. You can ask the requirements of the new position. You can ask what they see as the gaps that need to be closed. You can seek guidance on what resources you can use to close the gap; perhaps even shadow someone who has the skills that are missing. You can always get some action out of this conversation so you take control of your growth.

Strategic Planning

I propose we next discuss the larger projects you are on. There is nothing worse than proceeding too far and learning you were not on track. Check in and confirm you are delivering or where you need barriers removed. One more tip; never say things are “fine,” but give three (3) details that demonstrate things are on track. Your boss does not know everything and if they have to report up on the status of a project, you’ve given them the details they need to assure confidence in you and up the ladder.

Tactical

The tactical conversation is about your daily work and interactions to get results on a short term view. So often bosses want to start the conversation there, but only because we’ve not provided them a framework to structure the conversation. It could be this is where they’re most comfortable because they know no better. Always  be prepared with what is working, barriers you’re facing and also solutions you can propose. Never give a boss an option to jump in and solve the issue, but when you come in with your own thoughts, you give them something to respond to vs. react to a problem. 

Feedback

Last, but not least and you’ll hear me talk about this so often, is ask for feedback periodically using qualifying language as to what to Continue, Start or Change. Posing questions in this way will position you for a positive experience and actionable things you can take away… but that’s another lesson for another day.

As for my mentee who I’ve shared this advice with, I am waiting to see if their situation changes. At the end of the day, they at least have a framework for constructive conversions with their boss as well as others.

As for you, I want to see you succeed and I believe these tips will help you to manage your boss. You are the C-Suite leader of tomorrow and I want to see you take control of your career and get promoted.

For more information about C-Suite Academy (CSA) dedicated to the aspiring C-Suite leader, simply register to get on the waitlist, email me or connect with me for a quick chat.  I can’t wait to help you be successful and reach your goals!

For more resources, you can listen to The Drop In CEO Podcast or check out my book The CEO’s Compass will help you get on track in days not months.

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Resources

Good Reads

Your Mid-Career GPS: Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next  by John Neral: I recently interviewed John and his work is so aligned to mine; helping Aspiring C-Suite Leaders get their career back on track and get promoted. John is very heart-centric and aligned with the Drop In CEO brand and I look forward to sharing the interview and promoting his book as well. 

Good Music

Future World Music – Aqua Vitae 

This song is for you if you’re going through some changes, both challenging and potentially very exciting. I often share with you how I’m feeling in my business by the songs I spotlight. I’ve started working with a new client and I’m exhilarated by learning about a new industry. I’m also going through a period of feeling uneasy as I’m building a path to serve my client, but also uneasy as to where I can serve and what is off limits. When I serve clients it’s more than a service, it’s for a  lasting impact by elevating people and solving a greater business issue. For now, I’m only being asked to provide a service for which I’m grateful to serve, but sadly I can’t use the full range of my capability. However, as I share in this article, my job is to be in service to my client and ensure they are successful. During the journey, I hope to leave a lasting impact. 

Good Advice

My solo episode from last week is an extension of this post and this is one of the insights I wish to leave with you.

“If your organization is not already having regular one-on-ones between leaders and their people, you can take personal accountability and initiate the conversation, even if it’s not part of the culture.”

-Deborah Coviello

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The C-Suite Academy: How to Make Better Decisions

I was at the hospital with my very sick husband and my boss asked me if I wanted to proceed with my performance review. I said yes and the next 45 minutes were a blur as I received a tongue lashing for what I did not accomplish that year. While they acknowledged where I was target in my performance, I did not hear it because I NEVER and I mean NEVER get a poor review. On top of not knowing what condition my husband would emerge from the hospital, I was shell shocked to say the least.

Out of tough times comes reflection and new insights into personal performance for which I soon discovered I did not have good decision making skills when it came to prioritization. The gift of having a negative review was it short circuited the behavior of trying to do everything and failing in some of my priorities. I later took an online course in prioritization and good decision logic. Alas there is good news and bad news from this situation. My boss never followed up with me on how the training went and mentor me through the process. The good news is I practiced these skills on my own for which I’m grateful to carry this forward to teach aspiring C-suite leaders so they don’t have to struggle like I did.

Actionable tips to make a difference in days, not months.

A few simple tips I teach in the C-Suite Academy (CSA) are the following:

  • Write down your core values – by doing this, you establish a goal post for which you make decisions that impact your personal life.
  • Write down why you lead – this gives you clarity why you’ve worked so hard to get to this point and why you want to continue
  • Ask yourself how you lead – this will give you insight if you micromanage and are causing your own stress. 
  • How do you prioritize your work – do you block time to do emails, do you dedicate creative time, if an urgent item comes into your queue, do you have a process to manage it without disruption? I teach the Eisenhower Matrix to help define what is urgent vs. important and it’s been a game changer
  • Do you have a weekly or monthly 1:1 with your boss to manage priorities? If not, start now!
  • Is your boss also a mentor? If not, find that person fast so they can help you with perspective in making decisions while being grounded in your values and why you lead.

I wish I had a leader who would have taught me these things vs. simply giving me a poor review. It is because I was blindsided and had a professional setback that I quickly had to recover and now these insights I can share with you. 

For more information about C-Suite Academy (CSA) dedicated to the aspiring C-Suite leader, simply email me or connect with me for a quick chat.  I can’t wait to help you be successful and reach your goals!

For more resources, you can listen to The Drop In CEO Podcast or check out my book The CEO’s Compass will help you get on track in days not months. 

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Resources

Good Reads

Climbing the Right Mountain by Tony Martingnetti

I recently interviewed Tony and can’t wait for his interview to air. His book is an inspiration to help you follow the path you were meant to follow. While moving up in your career you seek to meet all your objectives; but pause and reflect as to what is the work you were meant to do? It may be different. 

Good Music

Music by Kevin Penskin

This song has a slightly sad note along with a playful melody. I often share songs with you that describe the moment I am in. I recently made a slight change to my streams of income in my business to support my goals. I realize it’s a temporary course correction for which it enables me to continue to move forward with my goals; such as the C-Suite Academy. Let me know what inspiration you get from this melody. 

Good Advice

My conversation with Dr. Jason Brooks affirmed my passion to help aspiring C-Suite Leaders. It is my hope and wish through providing you these amazing resources that I can move C-Suite leaders closer to their goals. 

“Leadership is the art of motivating and moving a group of people to

Accomplish a common goal and objective.”

– Dr. Jason Brooks

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Why It’s Time To Take The Doors off the C-Suite

I remember wishing many years ago that I could be a fly on the wall in the C-Suite meetings in order to better understand how and why decisions were made. When I finally got into the C-Suite, I realized that the way executives made decisions required a new level of critical thinking I had to master.

This developmental gap in my leadership training inspired me look for ways executives could be more transparent about the critical skills needed to join the C-Suite, especially for the aspiring C-Suite leaders could step in ready to showcase diverse thinking and innovation for the next generation.

So, why don’t we include the leaders of tomorrow in today’s conversations? Sure, there may be confidential matters that impact the company, but what about the other 75% of the time we spend behind closed doors?

The only thing standing in the way elevating and preparing your leaders is you. 

How will the aspiring C-Suite leaders of tomorrow learn how to present information and make important decisions? Even more importantly, having them with a voice at the table will help us to think differently. Their unique perspective and innocent questions are needed to help shape their future. What prevents us from inviting them to the table? Nothing! The only thing that stands in our way is the conscious decision to invite them. 

And while this piece is speaking to the C-Suite leaders of today, if you’re reading this and are an aspiring C-Suite leader, you can take control of your career now. Ask your boss to see if you can sit in on one of these meetings to observe and learn the process. Explain the value of gaining these insights and how they’ll make you a better leader. Bring those questions back to your 1:1 as part of your career development. By being proactive about your career, rather than wondering how decisions are made, you can learn the process now.  

In an article from Forbes, 14 Smart Ways for Managers to Get to the Next Executive Level , there is a section that mentions being positioned for leadership. While career advancement can be based on merits and politics, being in the right place at the right time with the right advocates can be quite helpful. 

If you google the personal development options for aspiring C-Suites, there is very little except a handful of articles of what to do to get to the C-Suite. All the content and advancement institutes are for the C-Suite executives already occupying that position. The vacuum in providing aspiring C-Suites is immense and I’m here to close that gap because I don’t want to see them struggle as much as I did.

For more information about C-Suite Academy (CSA) dedicated to the aspiring C-Suite leader, simply email me or connect with me for a quick chat.  I can’t wait to help you be successful and reach your goals!

For more resources, you can listen to The Drop In CEO Podcast or check out my book The CEO’s Compass will help you get on track in days not months. 

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Resources

Good Reads

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track by Deborah A. Coviello – I’m suggesting my book this week not out of self promotion, but as a resource that will help you if you’re a C-Suite Leader assess the talent landscape and make changes to better prepare your next level of leadership. I suggest this book to the aspiring C-Suite because I deeply care about you. You can make changes now in the book that will help you to be better prepared for being the leader you were meant to be. 

Good Music

Pianist Marlowe Carruth’s Eternal Light – I often share what is happening in my life by the music that gives me join and this piece is akin to blazing a trail while experiencing joy. I’m starting to hit my stride with my business and creating offers that help the aspiring C-Suite Leader and this song affirms that work. If you need something to get you going on a project, this is a great song. 

Good Advice

“All I want to do is see you successful and struggle less. I want you to live a

fulfilling life for yourself, your family and your community.”

–Deb Coviello

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How to be a Memorable Networker

When you prepare to meet with someone, do you plan for an outcome or are you in the moment? Sometimes having a plan going into a conversation helps to ground you and ensure you get what you need from that interaction. This can avoid frustration for a person who perceives the balance of power may not be in their favor, a plan can be a crutch to get what you want. 

On the other hand, being present to simply experience the natural flow of a conversation is also quite powerful. Simply enjoying conversation that volleys back and forth is a great way of connecting with someone and enjoying the time learning about another person. Both of these approaches are good. 

As you ponder your approach to networking or conducting business, I have a few tips:

Don’t lecture!

After sharing how we were introduced, a little chit chat about the weather and where we live in the United States, I asked “so tell me more about yourself.” I wish I had never asked that question. The person proceeded to do a whiteboard presentation non-stop for the next 15 minutes sharing their unique thought leadership. It was very interesting, but when they stopped they asked “do you have any questions?” 

I was at a crossroads between acknowledging their amazing perspective and reacting to them that I felt lectured. I was so frustrated because they knew nothing about me and what information might be relatable to me personally or my business. It was one-sided and I was put off. However, I took the high road and shared my thoughts and simply asked the question, did they want to learn more about me? I must have caught them off guard and then they realized they had lectured me and back-tracked and asked to learn more about me. 

The rest of the time together was me trying to fill in a bit more about who I was and by the end of 30 minutes we had not built a meaningful relationship; simply an exchange of each other’s resume. The only memory of the person I had was talking points and little else.

Don’t let this be you! A conversation is about creating connection and we can only do that by volleying questions back and forth until we find deeper points of conversation. The specifics of what is exchanged is not important. If you want to remember the technical expertise of a person, you can ask for links to their website, social media or copies of their content for later reference. 

Do you know of people that are like this that you must interface with and you never seem to get across your points or evolve the relationships? What can you do to break the cycle and create a more meaningful exchange?

If networking is still a challenge for you, I offer a few suggestions:

  • Always have some small agenda to know what you need to keep it on track – introduction, points of common interest, learn about them, and ensure you have time to share what you do. 
  • Learn the art of interrupting. It could be as subtle as saying “I know what you mean” or “I agree with that statement.” Talking over them or finishing a sentence is an easy way to wake up the other person that they’ve been talking to for too long. They soon realize they’ve been talking too long and instantly yield to you and your point.
  • Wait until they’re done. Acknowledge them for their information. Share that they’ve used up the time and would be interested in a follow up conversation. They will soon recognize the error of not giving enough time to you to speak. They will often apologize and very quickly agree to giving you equal time and schedule the follow up. If they were not interested in the relationship they may say they’re open to a follow up meeting, but they’ll soon forget. They show their hand that they were not interested in being memorable. 

Ask more questions

Conversation should be approximately 50/50 in sharing of information and asking questions of the other person. The more you ask questions, the more the person appreciates you finding them interesting. You have touched on an emotional center and you are creating strong chemistry. Another important technique is to respond to the person about what you liked about what they said and the impact. You may share a quick story about yourself and how it aligns to your situation. Then ask another question to show deep interest.

The pitfall of this approach is it is a balance. There are some people that constantly ask you questions about yourself and after speaking or answering their questions, you’re exhausted and don’t know anything about the other person. Learn the art form of sharing your stories, but then ask them a question to turn the conversation around. Remember this is about seeking connection and you need to understand the other person’s stories, their values and points of similarity and differences. If the person has a hidden agenda, they’ll keep asking you questions. If they’re sincere about the relationship, they’ll start sharing their stories. 

Remember, it’s about the bond of connecting with the person that is important. We might forget some details, but I do encourage you to take notes for future reference if you continue to build the relationship. They will appreciate you remembering finer points of their personal life. You become “that guy” or “that gal” that people will say, “you got to meet this person because of something they remember you by. 

If you are an aspiring C-Suite Leader who wants to take control of their career, but still finds interactions challenging, I’d love to speak with you. This message is also for the leader of an organization who’s team has not mastered these skills; I can help. 

Simply email me or connect with me for a quick chat.  I can’t wait to help you be successful and reach your goals!

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Resources

Good Reads

The book of Storytelling by Michael Davis  Professional speaking is in my wheelhouse and I’m forever refining my craft to connect with people. Michael Davis has been on my podcast and I on his. He has amazing resources including this book that will help you be a more effective speaker and connect with your audience. 

Good Music

Juniper by Philip Daniel it’s another light piece that inspires me to think of positive experiences, exchanges with individuals and the possibility of creating value for others. Simply enjoy and think about the feelings it evokes in you. 

Good Advice

“Speaking is serving. It’s not about me. I’m the messenger. The most important

thing is the message.”

–Lisa Evans

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Three Things CEOs Do to Make Their Year Successful

As I looked around the table at the amazing talent I had assembled for learning about the North America Quality Group, I realized I had a BIG problem. They were all respected subject matter experts, but they lacked leadership and influence skills. Normally I would have to play block & tackle to drive initiatives where my team lacked those skills. Instead I took personal accountability to elevate their leadership skills for a greater impact. 

Does this sound familiar? Have you been fortunate enough to have an amazing talent pool, but felt depleted because so often you would have to make up for short-comings in their skills? Do they have challenges handling conflict so you have to step in? Do they know their “stuff,” but can’t drive change with consensus? Do they focus on simply transactional work and can’t create a strategy to drive long term change? These are some of the most common pitfalls I see in a team of experts for which you and I as leaders must fill in the gaps. There’s an easier way in 2022 to achieve your goals with less effort.

I’ve seen many leaders of teams struggle with this issue. However, if you are reading this and you’re an aspiring C-suite leader who simply needs some tools for elevating your capability, you’ve also come to the right place. I’m here to help you as well. 

Build a strategy for accountability

First things first; do you have a strategy for 2022 goals? These can be personal or for your organization. If not, have you ever built a strategy? In my last corporate role, I had to duct tape my strategy, taking the corporate strategy and modifying it to my role and my deliverables. I later realized my team also did not have the skills to build a strategy and a roadmap to drive change within their function. It became apparent to me that the framework did not exist and I created it in my book The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track. 

Once you’ve built the strategy, you need an accountability tool to keep yourself on target each day, week and month until you’ve achieved the goals. I created this accountability tool for myself and it served as the foundation for helping my team do the same for their deliverables. In my book, we further discuss restructuring the monthly one-to-one meetings to focus on essential skills needed to achieve the goals and then on the strategic deliverables. The monthly one-to-one’s served as team accountability to ensure they had everything they needed to be successful. 

A leader needs personal accountability to allocate some time each day to advance the strategy. I find when I work with leaders to provide the framework they need, it makes the process quite easy and you get a higher success rate in achieving your personal and team goals. 

The book The CEO’s Compass has links to resources pages for all of the tools and templates you need to build a strategy and for personal accountability. If you need me to walk through this with you, let’s book a short call so I can support you. 

Have the courage to ask for help

Let’s assume that building a strategy and having monthly accountability sessions with your team makes sense, but you realize developing their essential skills needs more work than you have capacity. What do you do now? You may reach out to HR for resources or google a workshop that you think can help, but in the end, these resources only deliver awareness, but rarely achieve noticeable results. Developing essential skills takes teaching and mentoring for sustainability. You know this in your gut, but still feel helpless to know what to do next. And while you’re mulling this capacity & capability issue, you’ve gotten 50 more emails and the phone is starting to ring. You put this task aside only to realize it’s going to come back and bite you. 

I knew this challenge when I was leading an organization and I had to develop those skills while also doing my job as the Director of Quality. From this experience, I developed the C-Suite Leadership Academy designed for the leaders of tomorrow that is ready for deployment and in partnership with your needs. We offer group training and individual coaching to build the unique capability for each individual. I extend this offer to you because I know the challenges you have ahead of you and I simply don’t want to see you struggle anymore. I want you to move from saying “How do I have time for this” to “I’m grateful I’ve found a partner that can help guide me.” 

The only thing standing in the way of making a decision is something as simple as courage. It is having the courage to simply ask for help to build the capability you need on your team. If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying it to your situation, you can email me or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar. 

Make value vs. cost-based decisions

I’d like you to take out a piece of paper and pen and go through a quick exercise to estimate your time spent in mitigating issues. These are issues that you had to jump in and “fix” something because your team did not have the essential skills. It’s a quick formula, but it may make decision making easier based on value vs. simply cost: 

Value = # Hours / Month resolving issues X your $ Hourly compensation

For Example, if you spend 5 hours per month resolving an issue and your hourly rate is $75 per hour, the formula would look like this:

5 hours X 75 per hour = 4,500

Value  = $4,500

What if you invested that same amount of your value into developing your people. Sure, you still need to coach them, but you gain back the time you need to work on strategic work. Remember you are accountable for the strategic work and through your leadership and courage, you can leverage resources to round out the capability of your team. 

Now, let me be transparent with you. I WISH I had the external resources to have helped me to develop the essential skills of my team. It was a lot of work to coach the skills they needed for higher impact.  Because I did the hard work to see what was needed and I now have clarity and an offer to help build that capability for you. If you see the same gap on your team, I’d love to help you. 

Simply email me or connect with me for a quick chat. 

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Resources

Good Reads

“The Inside of my Eyeballs” by Deborah A. Coviello – a little bit of humor, but seriously, these past weeks I focused on sleep… a lot of sleep! While many take this time to rest and catch up on reading, I took the position to empty my brain and simply “being” vs. “doing”. By doing so, I was able to create my goals and strategy for 2022. Now that it’s running, I can make time to read again and share my best with you. 

Good Music

“Blizzard” by Thomas Bergersen – this week the temperatures are changing and winter is finally arriving where I live in Cincinnati Ohio. While people make preparations for “the worst” when a Blizzard comes through, I see it as an opportunity to hunker down and reflect on it’s beauty and powerful force. The beautiful snow represents new beginnings and a clean slate. The immense impact of nature can be yours as well. Is 2022 your year to make a major impact? 

Good Advice

“If you want to be unleashed and you want to be unstoppable, you need to clear out your subconscious mind with anything that’s holding you up.”

-Mike “C-Roc” Ciorrocco

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P.S. Do you have insights to share with CEOs? I’m currently accepting applications for my weekly live show on LinkedIn. You can apply here.

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The Three Languages of Leadership

My family and I were vacationing in Nice, France three years ago. I had the responsibility of checking us into the hotel because I spoke French. As I listened intently to the check in process, I was a bit nervous to ensure I understood them as well as formulating a response that would be understood. When I spoke to the receptionist, they responded with delight and asked if I was Canadian as my French was very good. I said I was American and they said they sincerely appreciated my effort. It was not typical for Americans to speak to them in French nor make the effort.  They suggested we switch to English for the remainder of the transaction and they were exceptionally helpful to settle us in.

Language is the vehicle to exchange information and achieve a result. Language is built on a foundation of history and culture unique to a group of people. When we seek to understand that foundation and leverage language to engage, we build trust and can move forward together.

Leadership has its own language based on the group we are meant to serve. The quicker we can learn that unique language, the faster we can make a lasting impact.

The Language of Simplicity: Keep it simple and people will thank you. 

A colleague and I had the honor and challenge of teaching an international group of professionals in Benicarlo Spain. We were teaching Six Sigma Methodology and I was given the task of explaining ANOVA (Analysis of Variation) and do it in a way that was concise and easy to understand. My colleague had other sections of equally challenging content to teach. When we broke for lunch and I sat down with the students, what transpired next is the key to connection through language. They said they liked my colleague very much, but when they spoke they used American English which was full of slang and they could not understand him. They said when I spoke, it was very simple and they could easily process the technical content and translate more easily with me. They thanked me for speaking proper English because I enabled them in the learning process. 

The important message is to understand your audience and speak in a language that enables them to process new information and gives them the power to engage in conversation. That is how we create connection and trust. When we speak at a level where they cannot process all the words or expressions, we break their confidence and fail to connect. As leaders, by keeping things simple we create better connections. 

The Language of the Locals – They’ll pick you up when you stumble and fall.

During a product transfer for a flavor company from Ireland to the Netherlands, I was interacting with many Dutch colleagues in the factory to enable that process. The Dutch speak exceptional English so it was easy to work with them. It was also important to me to try to learn words and expressions in Dutch so I could read their technical content and also listen to conversations in their native language. When I would respond with a few simple phrases, they were helpful to make corrections to enable me to continue to learn.

In business, we go into many situations where the technical language, the acronyms and words are foreign to us. When we speak in our own language, it takes longer to bring the conversations together and stalls the trust we need to build.  It is better to be vulnerable and start to use the other group’s language and make mistakes. When we ask simple questions to explain their unique language, the team is eager to help and in the process it builds trust. When we start using their language, we move the conversation along faster and together. 

The Language of the Body: Learn the culture for clues into human connection.

Singapore is a beautiful country and yet again I had the good fortune to teach an international group of colleagues. This time people came to us from Indonesia, India, Thailand, China and Japan who spoke various levels of English. This time, the challenge was not to speak in concise English, but to read what was said… and not said. Our students listened intently to every word we said and took copious notes. When we would take a pause in the training to ask if people had questions, there was silence in the room.

As an instructor, doubt ran through my head. Did we teach it so well, there were no questions? Did we teach it and no one understood what we said? It was very hard to read the situation, but we continued to move forward in hopes we were making an impact. 

During a team dinner, I was able to speak to one of the students to ask what they thought of the training. They said they were enjoying it very much and were eager to apply for the training when they returned to their country. This gave me permission to ask the next question about why the students were not asking questions. They responded that in their culture, they do not question the teacher. It is their responsibility to work harder to understand the material on their own. It would bring shame to them if they asked a question. 

Had I known that beforehand, we might have restructured the training. We could have provided some knowledge and then asked the students to work in small groups. Then I could listen to their knowledge level and provide additional clarification where I saw gaps in their comprehension. 

The lesson for leadership is to not assume comprehension amongst the team. We need to take the responsibility to ensure we read the body language and cultural norms to know if people will speak up when there is doubt. While difficult for some leaders, we need to slow down in order to speed up and bring others along with us. Language is meant to connect people. 

Every room you enter is an opportunity to learn a new language and build human connection.

Your willingness regardless of your performance level is what humanizes you to your team. Your team will help you in learning the new language and work with you to create a new language together. 

Starting today, think about what new project or team will you impact and ask yourself what language will you need to learn? 

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

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Resources

Good Reads

LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible – by Jeffrey Shaw   I’m a big fan of leveraging marketing and messaging to people I want to connect with. That is why I’ve leveraged an amazing marketing team that helps me to connect with you and my ideal client. When we learn the other person’s language we build human connection. This book by Jeffrey Shaw was very helpful as a business book, but it’s also important for the aspiring leader within an organization. Enjoy!

Good Music

Future World Music – Anthem of the World by Kai Hansen – it is only fitting I share a favorite song that is a celebration of cultures. I love this song because it is so simple and  uplifting. If we seek to understand individual cultures  and their language we can make beautiful music together. Enjoy!

Good Advice

This episode will be released on Friday 12/31/21 and I wanted to give you a glimpse into Earl Breon’s quote. It speaks to the reliance of a leader on their team to help them be successful. 

“You have to have a unique blend of believing that you can do whatever you need to do, but also know in the back of your mind that there’s a time when you will need to rely on the team.” 

–Earl Breon

 Listen and subscribe now: 

P.S. We will be out of the office 12/24/21-1/3/22. We wish  you a safe, happy & healthy Holiday.

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Three Ways Leaders Challenge the Status Quo

1970

Deb: Why is the Sky Blue? 

Adult: Why do you ask so many questions?

1982

Deb: How will I use the Pythagorean Theorem in everyday life?

Teacher: Can you see me after class, we have to get through this lesson!

2009

Deb: Shouldn’t this be our decision on who to hire for this position

Boss: You shouldn’t have asked that question!

2021

Deb: Before we get to the tactical details of running this meeting, shouldn’t we land on the outcome we want to achieve?

Colleague: Ahh, Ahh, you’re right, we should!

Asking so many questions has and always been my way of seeking to understand the world around me and navigating situations in front of me.

Why then does this superpower often collide with the world and people see it as an annoyance?  Challenging the status quo is not taught in our society as much as it should be and stifles creativity and higher levels of understanding. Compliance is mainstream because if you fall in line you won’t realize the backlash or conflict. Without this skill, people fall victim to the status quo and never learn how to ask better questions of themselves, others and society. 

I was recently at a networking event for which colleagues were sharing stories of not getting ahead due to lack of equal opportunity in the workplace. While I believe there are challenges in front of us, I was saddened to see the acceptance of the perceived obstacle. They were not asking deeper questions of why they thought the problem existed and even more upsetting was lacking the confidence to find ways out of the current situation.

When we allow ourselves and others around us to fall into acceptance, we stagnate our progress and our teams.  If you don’t, the people who look up to you will perpetuate the cycle of accepting the status quo and will also fall victim to narratives they believe. If you are an aspiring C-Suite leader, let me share with you my best tips to break out of the status quo and be the leader who asks better questions.

Have courage to ask questions that others won’t ask

If you don’t understand something, more than likely others will not understand as well. I recently asked the board of one of my professional societies a question. In the flurry of year end planning, people were deliberating details. I asked the question, “what do we want to be known for as a chapter?” to which people said I was right, we should answer that first. I said when we can define who we want to be as a chapter, we can make better decisions about the details. 

When you take the courageous position of asking “why”, you gain clarity and your silent colleagues will thank you as well. When you take a risk, others will be attracted to you and also learn important skills by modeling your behavior. I once had a personal trainer say something to me about risk-taking. He said, “what do you have to lose? You might actually be successful.”

With that suggestion, I err on the side of causing conflict because in the end I have engaged in conversation. Ultimately, we want people to interact in healthy dialog to achieve an outcome or decision. We want harmony and unified levels of performance in our workplace. When people don’t understand something or can’t relate it to their situation, over time compliance wanes or teams are misaligned. When we ask better questions and gain consensus or a unified outcome, team performance is higher. So what do you have to lose? Ask a better question, you gain clarity. Ask an even better question, you gain followers. 

Ask questions to get to the truth faster

Back in 2010 when I was getting impatient for a promotion I asked my boss to help me define my career path. They were honest with me that for my role, there was not a clear path to promotion. They offered me the advice that I was free to look elsewhere in the organization for opportunities. That truth short circuited a cycle of potential frustration; wondering if I would be recognized for my accomplishments and would be offered a promotion or new position. In that moment, I realized the truth and had information that enabled me to navigate to different roles. I saved months and possibly years of waiting and frustration. What I did was take control and have the courage to ask the question. A year later, I was working for a different company. 

The point I want to make here is so many aspiring C-suite leaders wait and hope. That simply doesn’t work and you’re losing the best years of your life. When you take the chance and ask a simple question, you gain back years of your life. If you’re nervous, the best advice I have is to write it down on a post it note or an index card (if they still use these!). 

Challenge the status quo to regain control

I’m often asked if I am a fractional CEO, COO or fractional (fill in the blanks) to which I say no; I’m the Drop In CEO. I catch people off guard, because they can’t put me in a box for which I fall in line with the sea of people doing the same thing. When we allow others to put us in a box, we are not seen, heard or respected.

When I respond that I’m the Drop In CEO, I become the leader that organization or team needs at that time and place in their journey. It challenges the status quo, but it makes me interested in which people want to learn more. It’s a lonely journey to position yourself differently, but over time, alternative thinking becomes interesting and in the long term, people will follow you to new lands vs. crowded spaces.

If having followers is not important to you, then the greater outcome of thinking differently is taking back the balance of power to control your situation. When people put you in a box, you have to fight to get out of it and prove your value. When you build the box and stand on it, people will come over and see how you constructed the box you’re standing on. You become interesting and you become the person people will ask more questions. As an aspiring C-Suite leader, challenging the status quo gives you the power you need to get ahead and stand out. 

Challenging the status quo is a lonely journey, but it’s liberating. Think about when you remained quiet and festered over a situation. You lost minutes, days or months of your precious life on earth. When you challenge the status quo and stand out as different, you speed up your ability to navigate your career. Ultimately you become the leader others will follow. You become the person you want to be and do the things you want to do with complete confidence. Does this sound better than falling in line? 

So what are you waiting for?  Five seconds have passed and you’ll never gain it back. What questions do you have that need to be asked? What ideas do you want to present that may change the course of your situation? Are you going to take control and change the balance of power in your favor? Let me know how it works out, I can’t wait to see where you take your career.

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

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Resources

Good Reads

Stand out by Dorie Clark I’ve shared this resource before with you, but it’s in this season that you should think about who you are and who you are meant to be in the coming year. You are talented and courageous, but still unsure about the future. Take control and think about how will you stand out and be different than the pack. What questions will you ask that challenge the status quo. What stake in the ground will you make towards building your stand out statement in 2022. Be inspired and be great!

Good Music

When Leaves Dance by Shoshan Michel – this peace is calming as it sounds like the transition from fall to winter. It’s light and airy but also deep in emotion. As we reflect on 2021, I ask you to think about what went well and what will you bring forward into 2022. It’s a time of closure and new beginnings. Slow down and reflect as you listen to this song. Be inspired to be the leader you want to be for yourself, your team, your family and community. 

Good Advice

“It’s not about how many contacts you make anymore. It’s about how deep you go on each conversation.” – Ari Galper  

 Listen and subscribe now: 

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Why Slowing Down Should Be Mandatory for Leadership

I was leaving a networking breakfast in February of 2019 and was racing to a dentist appointment when I was hit by a car. I and the other driver were fine, but talk about being shaken up for a few hours. The car was towed and later replaced. While I count my blessings that things turned out okay, I was not okay. One of the contributing factors to this unfortunate event was I was racing. Just as I was racing away from what I hated in my corporate life, I was repeating the behavior in my entrepreneurial life. Does this sound familiar to you? Let’s continue this conversation and dig deeper into why we need to change as leaders.

If you are reading this, you are most likely a high performer. Just like a dog is rewarded with treats for good behavior, so is the leader who is rewarded for execution at the highest level. We are lulled into a false sense of satisfaction only to move onto the next thing that feeds that instant gratification until we keel over from eating too many treats. It’s called burnout, lack of motivation, loss of confidence, feeling lost; it manifests in so many ways. Most important for you to realize why you arrived at this place and the importance to change, but how? We are not taught how to change this behavior until we crash and the behavioral change is forced upon us. Still sound familiar? Then this is what I propose we do to change this behavior: 

You are in control of your schedule; book an hour a week to pause & reflect.

We’re not going to start meditation or a yoga class with this one hour, but the intent is to simply teach you to not schedule every minute of your day. Don’t even multitask and listen to a podcast while walking the dog. The mind needs air to allow new thoughts to flow out of it vs. forever putting in more data that may clutter clear thinking. You may start randomly thinking about what friends you’ll invite over for the weekend. You’ll think about that doctor appointment you’ve been putting off. You may even remember to call a friend to reconnect. 

These have nothing to do with your business or career, but it’s about starting a practice of taking back time for yourself. I may even go as far as don’t schedule exercise except for maybe walking. It’s about breaking the behavior of thinking you’re productive when the most productive thing you can do is rest the brain and allow new thoughts to flow. I know it’s hard, but you’re a high achiever, so I’m sure you can master this one! Book the hour now!

Look back in the rear view mirror and ask yourself what went well in 2021.

The simple act of backing up in your car; using either the rear view mirror or camera is a deliberate activity done slowly to ensure you are safe and kind to people and physical property. The same deliberate activity bodes well when you look at what you have done in 2021. While programmed to start planning your 2022 goals, the wisdom gained by reflecting on what went well in 2021 slows the mind down to realize what should you continue, start doing or change. 

As an example, in 2021 I evolved The Drop In CEO Brand and wrote my book The CEO’s Compass to put a stake in the ground as my area of expertise. I will continue to do that and start engaging more with my network to expand the community and reach to people I can serve. I will change the amount of time I’m in certain networking organizations because there is no long term value to my brand while spending more time in others. 

What might your reflections on 2021 be in the context of what to continue, what to start doing and what to change? Slow down, don’t go to the next section until you write a few notes on what 2021 was like and what you will bring forward.

Slow down more and minimize the casualties. 

The side effect of being a high performer has an exponential impact that can be hazardous to yourself, your employees and the community around them. When you can’t demonstrate leadership in slowing down, you burn out your team and erode the community structure around your employees. Sounds harsh, but it’s a reality that leaders don’t see unless they slow down. 

What would it look like if you scanned your email hourly, but only responded to them in the morning and at the end of the day (for 90% of email, this is just fine). Do you send email out on the weekend or schedule them to only go out Monday morning? Do you set up meetings at 8:00 am and up to 4:00 pm each day. Does this make sense as these are times when employees can be dealing with early day urgent matters or thinking about evening activities? 

You create chaos in the lives of others when you don’t prioritize activity and when activity takes place. This can only change when you slow down and think about how your leadership and activity level impacts the lives of many, many people. So my best advice is to slow down, think about whether you react or respond to situations and what is most important to get done that day, when on that day or maybe next week. 

When we exercise the muscle of restraint to not get everything done now, your discipline in slowing down is felt by many in the employee ecosystem. It’s not a popular decision and the old guard may perceive this as lazy, not performing at the highest level and maybe losing confidence in you as a leader. I propose to you and say, this is the courage we must take as leaders to recognize the value of slowing down. 

When we slow down, we show discipline and better decision logic in what we do and when we do it. And if we can’t get everything done, we should question if all activity was really necessary in the grand scheme of achieving your goals and those of the team. Leaders must show courage when doing the right thing and not what is expected by others. In the end your people will respect you and you will be the one they follow… because you slowed down.

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

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Resources

Good Reads

In the spirit of the article to slow down, I’ve not been reading the  last few weeks. I have been thinking about what I’ve accomplished and given my mind air to let things flow out and give thought to the coming year. Good reads are helpful for inspiration, but at the moment, inspiration must come from within before we can move forward. I propose you take a moment or an hour to read what is inside your mind. There can be an amazing story worth reading. 

Good Music

Loyalty Remains by Veigar Margeirsson – when you listen to this song, there are images of a warrior riding a horse on rugged terrain towards a destiny. They briefly look back at where they’ve come from and then look forward to where they’re going. At this time of year, it’s important to realize your victories and those to be created. Enjoy this uplifting piece. 

Good Advice

“Because we are high-performers, so much of what we curate ourselves into is based on what we think the world expects. And that is a sure recipe to lose yourself.” -Tevis Trower

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How to Use Your Personal Leadership Brand to Serve Your Community

Have you ever changed your personal leadership style to what was expected to only realize it was not you that needed to change, but the community in which you serve? 

I once was advised to consider changing my “presence” and when I did, while it was interesting to some, it was not favored by others. That left me wondering if I was wrong in my approach, which impacted my confidence. Then I noticed a few people in my community started to gravitate towards the changes in my leadership style to which I realized I needed to change both in order to thrive as a leader. 

This is a challenge for a leader to make this realization as we’re programmed to press forward in our environment to make things work. However, the highly aware leader will take the time for self reflection to understand who they are as a leader, why they lead and how they will lead perhaps differently to get a different outcome. No amount of leadership books, courses or podcasts are going to enable you to be more effective until you realize what your leadership style is and only then can you move forward. I discuss this in the first chapter of my book The CEO’s Compass, impressing that every leader must pause first (I know slowing down is hard for us!), but it’s a necessary first step to understand the changes you need to make personally and then in how you serve others.

Realize who you serve is not you or the organization, but those in your care. 

Once I realized why I lead and how I was going to lead differently, I had to step out of my comfort zone to try new things. This takes a lot of courage because you won’t be at the top of your game anymore when it comes to perfection & efficiency; you’re going to stumble, but ultimately find out what works. I realized my meetings were too efficient and left no time to check in with my team on how they felt and what were their challenges. As soon as I started with What is working well and also what is not working, I started making stronger human connections and realized how I could serve my team to achieve results vs. driving results; a significant change in leadership style.

The meaning of presence; the great aha moment.

Remember earlier a colleague shared I needed to have more presence, but offered little guidance to what that meant. At first I thought it was to get a new wardrobe and I was better groomed with my hair & makeup. They shared with me that  it was about having key talking points each time I showed up, but there was no mentorship offered to evolve that skill. It was only later when I sought the input of an image consultant that presence was a complete package that started with consistency & quality of messaging. Oh, I wish I had found this person earlier in my career and who knows how it could have impacted my impact! 

It goes back to spending time with yourself as a leader and curating all the values & grounding talking points to which you deeply believe in and are the reasons you do what you do. Only then, (and by the way this is personal branding at the core) do you start evolving the external expression of these core values in how you communicate and connect with others. Once that messaging is honed in, you make minor changes in how you dress and groom that matches the messaging you wish to make with your community. 

Once I started showing up with a consistent set of values, talking points and my physical presence matching, people started to listen more and gravitate to my work and leadership. This advice was gold to me and if you’d like to know more about how to apply this to your situation, please reach out! I’d love to spread the wealth!

In the end, its more than what you do as a leader, but leaving a lasting impact

Up until now, I’ve shared with you simple changes in leadership style (aka brand) that move you from serving the business results to one that is creating connection with your community. That is incredibly important to ground you in the here and now.What leaders don’t often realize is the future impact of their work through these micro changes and how your work will far outlast the time you spent in the present. 

Leaders need to express their thought leadership beyond the confines of the organization.  When leaders only support the company brand, there is a missed opportunity to the existing community connected ecosystem. This is greater than visiting with customers or speaking at town halls or shareholder meetings. Once those forums no longer exist, so does the legacy of your leadership. When leaders who have come into their own and realize their thought leadership is far reaching beyond the boardroom, they serve an ever greater community and their legacy is more likely to be impactful.

Take 5% of your time to write an article. Speak at an industry event. Start being a podcast guest and engage in community service events. Increase the number of people you can impact.

The investment is clear; people want to align with people that align with their values. Investing in the community creates trust and then people want to be apart of you and the company you lead. By having the courage to share your thoughts with a greater community, you are destined to leave an impact for generations to come. 

Now I want you to pause and reflect on what I have shared. Do you work only to get a result? Or, do you work to leave a lasting impact? The answer is in you to take the time to develop your personal leadership brand. Once you have done that, you will find amazing strength and confidence in how you show up. That renewed energy then draws you into a new level of performance of being in service to others and inspiring others to do their best work. Now ask yourself if this is how you want to be remembered? 

If this makes sense, but you’d like to learn more about applying these principles to your situation, you can email me, direct message me on linkedin or simply grab a few minutes on my calendar.  

I find through casual conversation leveraging The CEOs Compass often has all the answers for you to get back on track. 

The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track – If you’re that leader who feels in their gut something is off track, this could be the resource for you.

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Resources

Good Reads

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, I spent more time with my family and did not have time to read. Did you recently read something you’d like to share with others? Let me know what was a good read and why and we’ll highlight it next week in our newsletter. 

Good Music

Florence by Kevin Penkin  Did I ever mention to you I have a habit of procrastination? Or maybe it’s inspiration comes to me only when I take the time to listen to music such as this piece called Florence. It’s uplifting and playful and motivates me into a creative space. The entire album by Kevin is a great for inspiration. Let me know what you think!

Good Advice 

“Everybody has the skills to be successful at what they need to do to get the final outcome. It’s all about building that capability from the C-suite down.”

–Mitchell Levy

Listen and subscribe now:

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