First sighting of Just Ask Leadership

Barns & Noble Galleria, Edina

What comes after Just Ask - Advise from a client

First book was "Just Ask" Here's an idea for the sequel.. "Just Answer" Maybe a little more credible to staffers than "Who will take this letter to Garcia" Copied and paste from this weeks "just sell" email: Thought it was pretty good You don’t know everything. You do know that, don’t you? Continual learning is a basic necessity to professional improvement and in many cases it’s other people who will help you get there. But only if you’re coach-able. Are you?
To be coach-able means to be…
• Approachable
• Attentive
• Receptive
• Curious
• Objective
• Trusting
• Shape-able
• Confident
It means you must listen with the intent to learn rather than to show what you know (exactly the type of listening required in the sales process). To be coach-able means to lack arrogance and defensiveness… to minimize pride and ego. Completely teachable. Completely trainable. Completely malleable. (Is there anything more frustrating than the know-it-all in the room?) To be completely perfect, to need no more training or coaching, is to stagnate or die – and in many cases, to be dismissed. To know everything is to be un… believable. The best professionals at all levels (and in most fields) require coaching to improve and they know it. Are you one of them? Check yourself with the 8 points below. sales managers: How much development attention are you giving to your team? 20% of your week would be a full day of nothing but development time… 40% would be two full days, beginning to end) salespeople: Don’t have a “coaching” manager? Consider finding a development partner. Here are some ideas on getting started.
____________________
A quick 8-point check on your coach-ability…
Which of these are true and to what extent?
1. I usually allow my manager and others to complete their sentences before responding. (If you don’t, it’s not a good sign.)
2. When I’m given feedback/ criticism, I usually think about it before responding, waiting just a bit. (If you don’t, you’re likely not giving it real consideration.)
3. When I’m given feedback/ criticism, I rarely find myself defending a position or action immediately. (If this is true, you’re probably trying to really learn how you can improve.)
4. When I’m given feedback/ criticism, I ask questions about it in order to try to better understand it. (A good sign.)
5. I feel my work’s purpose is to serve my external customers. (”You’re gonna have to serve somebody.”– Bob Dylan)
6. I feel my work’s purpose is to serve my internal customers (managers, colleagues, other departments).
7. I’ve changed/ revised my position/ approach because of the advice of another individual. (If not, how coachable do you really think you are? No one is always right.)
8. My manager invests time in my professional development (If s/he doesn’t, it might be because of a perception that you’re uncoachable).
There’s no rating scale here. These questions are simply meant to raise awareness (when answered as objectively and truthfully).

Leadership Conference September 17th in Minneapolis

Leadership summit hosted by The George Family Foundation, with support from Target, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Fredrikson & Byron, featuring Bill George (Fmr Chair and CEO, Medtronic), Marilyn Carlson Nelson (Chair and fmr CEO, Carlson Companies), John Donahoe (Chair and CEO, eBay), David Gergen (CNN and Harvard), and Anne Mulcahy (Chair and fmr CEO, Xerox) the evening of September 17th at Ted Mann Concert Hall on the U of MN West Bank.

This panel of esteemed leaders has dealt with crisis radiating from the White House, offices and boardrooms of global companies and their personal lives. The thought-provoking discussion will examine root causes behind many of the problems our country faces and the contributions leaders can make to address them.

There is no charge to attend, but space is limited, so please RSVP via the following website:

Leadership Summit in Minneapolis

Questions - A story that you have to hear!

Jim Estille has a blog named CEO Blog Time Leadership. He recently did a review of my book Just Ask Leadership. From that we started to exchange emails to one another - I guess this is how social networking works. He recently sent me a story for my speaking engagements. I liked it so I am sharing it. I am thinking he has many of these types of stories in his blog. Take a look.

Family, Mother, Father, little boy walking in the Zoo.

Boy – “Daddy, what kind of animal is that?”

Dad (fidgeting with his Blackberry) – “I don’t know” (somewhat absent-mindedly)

Boy (a bit later) – “Dad, what is that animal doing there?”

Dad – “Oh, Jimmy, just enjoy yourself!”

Boy (a short while later) – “Daddy, Daddy, why is that animal rolling on the ground?”

Mom (preemptively) – “Jimmy, don’t bother Dad with all those questions!”

Dad – “But let him ask questions. That’s how he’s going t learn!”

Market Media Magazine - Just completed an article for

Keep a look out should be coming up in one of the next issues Market Media Magazine

The Backstory: How One New Author Got His Book Published, by McGraw-Hill.

Ed. Note (GL Hoffman): Gary Cohen is a friend of mine here in Minnesota. He is a proven entrepreneur, one of the companies he started went from two employees to over 2,000. Seriously. He is a thoughtful, interesting guy to say the least. As he was developing his business, he discovered how important being a leader was instead of just being a manager. That started him off on a lifetime of learning about leadership. His study of leadership took him on an interesting nearly three year journey that culminated with the publication of his new book JUST ASK LEADERSHIP.

I am not a book reviewer. But I did find the story of how a business leader developed even more leadership skills himself to be fascinating. But not nearly as fascinating as the story of how a guy with a learning disability applied his entrepreneural skills to publishing a book. I don’t think many business writers approach their writings with such determination. I hope you like this Q and A format. Warning: it is long. You should buy the book.

Here is the interview with Gary Cohen, author of JUST ASK LEADERSHIP.

Continue reading

The ordinary and the extraordinary

Rabbi Michael Latz opens the service for Adam Rochlin's Bar mitzvah saying, "that having a Bar Mitzvah is very ordinary. It happens every weekend around the world. And yet this one is extraordinary for Adam and all of us participating in the service." I had several hours to consider this thought and realized how often those two events happen together.

As a leader we are often presiding over events that appear so ordinary for us and yet those ceremonies can be extraordinary for those being honored by achievement or tradition. How are you at honoring the extraordinary for others ordinary achievements?

Business Week article on Just Ask Leadership

Today I began drafting an article for Business Week on the Top 15 Questions a Leader should ask & How leaders can learn to ask the right questions. Stay tuned....

Just Ask Leadership - First Viewing!

Wow my first time seeing my book what a great experience. Four years in the making!

International Values Research Being Conducted

Chris Porter from the UK is conducting surveys around the world via Skype and Survey Monkey to help support the coaching industry. She is delightful and so appreciative of peoples time. If you feel you could be helpful to her please reach out by clicking on one of the two surveys below depending on if you are a coach or a client of a coach.

Coaching Strategies for aligning clients' lives with values
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UbTwP6yhfVML_2fVJhkbEI1g_3d_3d
Client Benefits of Aligning life and Values
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ELXyjbqntkfruxEy2JaDrA_3d_3d

Leadership Definition

Socrates sought to define important terms before having a debate. How productive can a debate be, after all, if terms are not agreed upon by everyone? The act of defining, however, is not always clear cut. In fact, it can lead to more debates.

In building a training program for leaders, I’ve given a lot of thought to definitions of leaders and leadership. Judging from the number of definitions of I’ve run across, it’s high time for a debate.

Here are a few debatable definitions that caught my attention: Read the rest in Leadership Excellence by Gary Cohen

Just Ask Leadership Gruzzle From the Inventor GL Hoffman

GL Hoffman who is a successful serial entrepreneur. He is at it again by inventing a new way to look at things that may look unrelated with his Gruzzles. Gruzzles are a mash-up like the Black album and White Album becoming the Grey album. GL sent this to me today as a original Gruzzle for my new book Just Ask Leadership. Visit GL's site and see the many creative ideas he is working on. Fast Company liked these Gruzzles so much you will them on their site two or three times a week.

Leadership and Trust

When you walk across the street, when your speeding down the highway at 65 miles an hour, why do you trust these perfect strangers driving in front of you and beside you with your life more than you trust people on your team with your career or the entire business?

This morning I was walking my dog around Grays Bay on Lake Minnetonka, and on one side of 101 was a very narrow space for he and I to make our way without getting hit by on coming traffic. As we walked I continually focused on the drivers and how much attention or lack of attention they were giving to their driving. And I began to wonder how often we trust our lives to perfect strangers and at times perhaps even more often have a hard time trusting those we know very well.

Are you struggling with trusting others?