Box of Crayons

Box of Crayons Blog

Gregor Thain, Intercontinental Hotel Group

One of the interesting things I get to tackle in my job is working with smart people who are trying to increase the leadership capacity within their companies. One of those people is Gregor Thain, a man I first met when he worked as a leadership driver within GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and who is now VP of global leadership development at the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG).

I thought it would be interesting to hear about some of the challenges he’s faced in making leadership capacity stick, and to learn some of the strategies and insights he brought to those challenges. So I invited him to join me today for a conversation.

In this interview, Gregor and I discuss:

  • Why a varied background is an asset to developing strong leadership skills
  • Why companies in any industry should make a priority of leadership development
  • The importance of changing how people are rewarded and promoted at work
  • How to connect the impact of leadership training and the commercial outcome of an organization

(Scroll down for more in-depth podcast notes.)

Listen to my interview with Gregor Thain.

0:03:23: After briefing Michael on his career to date, Gregor and Michael discuss the fact that a varied background brings valuable perspective, which is particularly helpful for people in leadership roles. They go on to talk about how companies should prioritize leadership development, rather than focusing primarily on their output or service lines.

0:07:57: Gregor outlines some strategies for engaging companies in leadership development, pointing out that it’s important that they demonstrate willingness to highlight the changes they’re making.

0:09:38: Gregor and Michael talk about changing the way people are rewarded and promoted, and emphasize the need to bring about an environmental shift in order to influence a change in behaviour.

0:11:08: Gregor discusses some of the differences in facilitating leadership development at GSK vs. IHG, and notes the importance of making a connection between commercial benefit and leadership development.

0:15:13: Michael asks Gregor to cite some examples about the links he’s made between the impact of development and the commercial outcome of the companies he’s worked with. Gregor mentions that “guest love” is a good indication of how well a hotel is led and run.

0:19:19: Michael and Gregor wrap up by touching on the changing role of a leadership developer.

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Posted on May 23, 2013
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Posted on May 20, 2013
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Who’s To Blame?

It’s so easy to point the finger, isn’t it? To point out what they’re doing wrong. To wash your hands of the whole situation. In this video – via sports, shaving and livestock – I’m digging into the practice and rituals of blame. Discover a couple of powerful questions to shift the conversation, and be sure to leave me your comments and tips on how to avoid the blame game!

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Posted on May 16, 2013
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Posted on May 13, 2013
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Chris Brogan, It’s Not About the Tights & Trust Agents

ChrisBroganI’m talking today with Chris Brogan who, if you don’t already know Chris Brogan, you should. He’s that awesome. He’s the CEO of Human Business Works, and author of a bunch of publications, including The New York Times bestseller Trust Agents and countless excellent blog posts. His latest piece is an e-book called It’s Not About the Tights, which is about the importance of bravery in today’s workforce.

In this interview, Chris and I discuss:

  • What it means to be brave
  • Why it’s more beneficial to be “whole” than to be “good”
  • How to apply CAPE (confidence, acceptance, permission and execution) to succeed in business and in life
  • How to take educated risks that don’t jeopardize your livelihood
  • A methodical approach to eliminating excuses

 (Scroll down for more in-depth podcast notes.)

Listen to my interview with Chris Brogan.

0:00:00: Michael and Chris discuss the Buddhist quote at the beginning of It’s Not About the Cape (“Ultimately, courage is not being afraid of yourself.”), and the importance of looking within to solve a problem.

0:02:04: Chris and Michael talk about what it really means to be brave, particularly within the context of business. They reflect on the idea that it’s better to be “whole” than to be “good.”

0:05:10: Michael asks Chris about the CAPE acronym in his e-book – confidence, acceptance, permission and execution. They get into a lengthy discussion about the first two points, touching on: how we gain confidence; why it’s important to take educated risks; and why it’s necessary to accept reality and not use the past as an excuse not to move forward.

0:10:00: After further exploring the importance of accepting reality, Michael steers the conversation to the final two points of CAPE – permission and execution. He points out that giving oneself permission to take the first step IS the first step to progress. Chris agrees, noting that the idea of taking ownership for one’s life relates to an important statement in his e-book: “You are the superhero you’ve been waiting for.” They move on to discuss the final point in CAPE, execution, pointing out that people are prone not to execute, and that we need to implement the “excuse removal system” in order to meet goals and succeed.

0:15:03: Michael and Chris reflect on the methodical approach to eliminating excuses, and observe that it ties in with basic marketing – the concept of “removing all the reasons why not so that you’re only left with why.”

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Posted on May 9, 2013
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Posted on May 6, 2013
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Penelope Trunk, The Power of Mentors

penelopetrunkI’m really excited to be talking today with Penelope Trunk, who writes what is probably the world’s leading career blog. Her posts are fascinating, provocative and always well researched, but often go counter to what you might expect. So they’re really terrific, insightful pieces.

Penelope has had three start-ups, and recently released an e-book called The Power of Mentors: How to Find and How to Learn from Great Mentors. Given her depth of knowledge and expertise, I thought it would be great to talk with her about why mentoring is so important.

In this interview, Penelope and I discuss:

  • Why finding a good mentor is one of the best ways to ensure career success
  • The difference between a coach and a mentor
  • How to attract a mentor and create a mutually beneficial relationship
  • The difference between good and bad questions
  • Why it’s important to nurture multiple mentoring relationships
  • Why mentors can be more valuable than heroes

(Scroll down for more in-depth podcast notes.)

Listen to my interview with Penelope Trunk.

0:01:40: Penelope explains that having a mentor is similar to having family and friends, in that they’re on your team and they support you, but that a mentor goes further by offering work-related advice relevant to your career. She points out that the quality of one’s mentor is the second most important factor in determining career success, after the quality of one’s upbringing and education.

0:02:50: Michael asks Penelope to distinguish between a coach and a mentor. She explains that a mentor is someone with a long-term and personal interest in your success, whereas a coach is paid to offer short-term support.

0:04:56: Michael and Penelope discuss some of the barriers to finding a mentor. They agree that it must be a mutually beneficial relationship in order for it to work.

0:06:46: Penelope explains that the best way to attract a good mentor is to ask good questions and make sure to implement the mentor’s advice.

0:07:42: Michael and Penelope discuss what makes a question good vs. bad. Penelope suggests that a good question is specific and within the mentor’s field of expertise.

0:10:16: Penelope elaborates on how to build and maintain a successful relationship with a mentor. She points out that it’s important to do what they say and to keep up consistent interactions.

0:11:22: Michael asks Penelope how many mentors she tries to maintain at one time. She replies that it’s important to try to nurture mentoring relationships with several people, because they don’t always work out. She adds that it’s a good idea to always have at least three solid, long-term mentors, each of whom can offer something different.

0:13:16: Michael and Penelope discuss the merits of having a “Jedi council” or famous hero vs. a mentor you know personally. They agree that a mentor offers an intimacy and honesty that isn’t available simply by reading an expert’s book, and that it’s important to find a mentor who lives life the way you want to.

0:15:45: Penelope notes that it’s important to have a mentor throughout every phase of one’s career, including retirement, and laments that schools don’t do a better job of teaching youth how to find a mentor.

0:17:47: Michael wraps up by directing people to Penelope’s blog and other resources for more of her insights and career advice.

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Posted on May 2, 2013
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Four useful (and free) events for the managers, leaders and coaches among us

I’ve got four great events coming up that I’d love you to check out and perhaps be part of.

The first three have this in common:
1. there’s no charge at all and
2. they’re stuffed full of usefulness and
3. they’re virtual, so you don’t need to leave your computer to get full immersion.

The final one is a conference in Boston on EQ that I know will appeal to some of you.

1. WBECS: Possibly the Best Virtual Coaching Conference in the World (running virtually May and June)

I spoke at the World Business and Executive Coach Summit last year, and I’m really excited to be speaking again. If you’re a coach – internal or external – or thinking about being a coach, this is absolutely the place to be during May and June.

And you can pick up your complimentary pass right here:


Here’s how it works. For a full month, there’s an absolutely free conference “TED Talk style” with such fantastic thinkers and speakers as:

  • Dan Pink (his book Drive speaks to the very essence of Great Work)
  • Charles Duhigg (whose work on building new Habits is the most influential force in my program redesign right now)
  • Mary Beth O’Neill who’s written one of the top three coaching books I know
  • Michael Port (who’s just released a wonderful illustrated version of his best-seller Booked Solid)
  • Marshall Goldsmith, who’s a lovely man and the most influential CEO coach I know
  • Sir John Whitmore, who’s definition of coaching is the very one I use in my own workshops
  • … and a big bunch more. It’s really a stellar cast.


(It’s not a coincidence that you can listen to Great Work Interviews with all of these people, by the way. That’s how highly I rate them. Just click on their names above.)

I’ll be speaking on May 23 at 11am EST, if you want to hold that in your calendar, on “embracing your inner Darth Vader. ” It will be lots of fun.

Then, if you want, you can sign up for the follow on paid conference where the speakers go deeper and wider on their topics. (I’ll be speaking Monday June 17th at 11am.)

I’d love to have you along and I’ll be attending a number of the sessions myself.

 

2. WBOLS: The inaugural online conference for the busy manager (Also running virtually May and June)

Inspired by the success of WBECS for coaches (see above), Bob Alton has created a similar wonderful virtual conference for busy managers looking to have more impact in the work they do.

Throughout May and June you can dip in and out of some really high quality content – and at no cost to you.

As with WBECS, we start in May with a free pre-conference gathering with TED-style talks. There are a really interesting mix of speakers sharing their wisdom.
Here are a few of the people on the agenda:

Again, you can tell how much I rate them by the fact I’ve done Great Work Interviews with all of them.

I’m speaking May 29 at 11am EST, and sharing some of the content from my new book… Yes, it should be good!

In June (if you wish) you can then sign up for the full conference, where the faculty go deeper into the work they’re sharing with you.

In short: awesome speakers, in the convenience of your home, and for no charge. Yep, it’s fantastic.

 

3. HR That Works webinar, May 23

I’m running a useful, practical webinar in partnership with HR That Works on May 23 at 2pm ET.
“The Four Counterintuitive Truths About Effective Coaching in Business” is about the links between the life of the time-crunched manager and the skills needed to be more coach-like in the work you do.

Curious? I hope so. And it’s easier to register – just click this link.

 

4. NexusEQ Business Conference, Boston, MA June 24-26th.

If you’re interested in the latest science and practices of EQ, this might be the conference for you.

It’s a gathering of 80 experts from around the world – academics, scientists and practitioners – exploring the ways that EQ can best be harnessed to help people and organizations flourish. June 2013 at the Harvard Medical School Conference Center.

I’m increasingly aware that the programs we offer at Box of Crayons rely on participants having a certain level of EQ to really be effective.

But how to move from theory to practice? Well, I think this conference will help.

To register for the NexusEQ Executive Summit – a 1-day business program within the conference, just click here 

To receive a 30% discount, valid through May 25th, above the big green “Register” button, click “Enter Promotional Code” and enter EXCRAYONS

To register for the NexusEQ Conference, click here.

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Posted on April 30, 2013
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Great Work Provocation

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Posted on April 29, 2013
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