54.

That’s the average number of unsolicited cold prospecting touches (emails, texts, phone calls, and letters) my focus group of 7 key business decision makers say they receive in a typical week.  That’s more than 10 a day and when I asked these decision makers if they ever follow-up on the unsolicited prospecting touches the answer was not unexpected, 0. Not one of the 7 professionals in my focus groups said they saw any value in the prospecting reach outs and wouldn’t waste even 2 seconds reviewing it because they all instantly knew it wasn’t for them.  Here are a few comments from the focus group that should sound familiar as we’ve all experienced this:

Let’s cut right to the chase.  If you are a manager in today’s business world, you may be managing in an environment of great strategic change that has up to five generations of employees, a global matrix where you have 10 direct reports half of which you will never meet face-to-face, and unrealistic business goals that you are supposed to achieve with 30% less resources then you had a year ago.

Most current leadership development initiatives suggest that the role of the modern leader is not “managing” employees, but rather “coaching” them through goal setting and performance dialogues that continue to enhance strong behaviors and overcome the weak ones.  By all definitions, a good coach is someone who can help others reach higher levels of effectiveness and business performance by engaging in dialogues that lead to awareness, actions, and results.

Over the past decade many organizations have invested significant resources in created an “environment and culture of accountability”.  As the leader of an award-winning talent development consultancy that works with more than 50 large global clients, I have interesting access and insights into what types of training and other initiatives companies are investing in to provide the skills and tools needed to create this accountable world.  Literally billions of dollars have been spent on eLearnings, seminars, books, and other materials that teach people how to lead and be accountable.

Navigating the tensions between the two to think beyond the next two quarters

In today’s quarter-to-quarter-mindset, business leaders are faced with the daunting task of trying to create long-term value with a short-term mindset.  Over the past ten months, I have delivered business acumen and business leadership development programs for more than 1500 leaders and during each workshop I take a few moments to ask about their challenges and more than 85% of them mention the tension between short-term expectations and long-term strategy as being a top 3 issue.  This blog will provide new ideas and perspectives on how to move beyond the short-term mentality to do both.

Episode 1 - Change Leadership