Investors.com - Push For Accountability

By Steve Watkins Posted 10/15/2009 06:14 PM ET

Hold people accountable and you'll get more productivity and profit. Here's how:

• Define it. Make sure your people know what you mean.

Accountability comes down to people doing what they said they would in the time frame they set, says Linda Finkle, founder and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based executive coaching firm Incedo Group.

Barring that, they should level with you: They can't meet the deadline; time to renegotiate.

• Hand over the reins. As you hold people to their word, let them make the decisions that go into hitting their goals, says Gary Cohen, author of "Just Ask Leadership."

Help them along, but don't force them to do it one way and then blame them if it doesn't work.

"You have to realize, 'It's their accountability, and I have to trust them,'" Cohen said.

• Admit you don't know. Successful leaders learn to ask questions, Cohen says. They don't need to feel they have all the answers. Read Full Article

20 Best Questions a leader can ask - BusinessWeek Slide Show

The Power of the Right Questions

By Gary P. Cohen

Voltaire wrote, "Judge others by their questions rather than by their answers." If you want to be judged well, ask the right questions. Most leaders ask questions with the hopes of generating thought, focus, and action from the listener, but too often their questions are designed to do little more than show off their own knowledge, not solicit meaningful answers. If leaders gave more attention to their questions, they would get not only better results but also a team of fully engaged co-workers. Here are 20 questions to get you started. See the full slide show at BusinessWeek.com

Great Leaders Ask Great Questions - CollegeRecruiter.com

As leaders advance, they tend to ask fewer questions and provide more answers. But according to entrepreneur and executive coach Gary Cohen, this is precisely the wrong approach. Based on interviews with nearly 100 leaders, including Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, military commanders, and heads of nonprofits- as well as his own business experience, having grown ACI Telecentrics from two employees to 2,200- Cohen discovered that one of the keys to leadership success lies in asking questions. In his new book, JUST ASK LEADERSHIP: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions (McGraw Hill/September 2009), he explains how CEOs, managers, and supervisors alike can learn to ask the right questions in the right contexts- enabling individuals and organizations to thrive.

"Leadership is about allowing others the chance to flourish," writes Cohen. "And you do that by asking questions." This empowers coworkers to find solutions, embrace responsibility, and become accountable. Moreover, it opens the door to greater productivity and creativity. Indeed, more than ever before, leaders can't know everything. By seeking others' input, they can inspire powerful and positive change.

JUST ASK LEADERSHIP details specific questions to pose in particular situations while also explaining how to create a culture of question-based leadership. Cohen addresses five critical areas: Read more at College Recruiter

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Survey: Although Popular, Definition of Leadership Coaching Eludes Managers

Leadership development tops the list of training manager, coaching managers and executives say they prefer, according to a survey by CO2 Partners, an executive coaching and leadership development firm based in Minnesota.

Actually defining leadership development, however, isn’t quite as popular. Gary Cohen, CO2 Partners president, said many people do not fully understand what leadership development coaching is or what it entails.

“Leadership is a captivating objective for most executives and managers,” he said. “So individuals feel obligated to choose leadership development, even if they have no clear sense of what it’s all about. Despite this lack of awareness, leadership ranks first on any survey of coaching needs.”

Cohen said, though, that leadership coaching is not well-defined and that it makes sense many people do not fully comprehend exactly what it is. (Full Article Chief Training Officer)

Employer and Employee Values Don't Always Align

One-third of employees say their employer's core values do not always line up with theirs, according to a survey of 615 Americans by CO2 Partners, a Minnesota leadership development firm.

The telephone survey was conducted March 7 to 11 by International Communications Research.

Gary Cohen, CO2 Partners president, said this situation has the potential to lead to employees experiencing an internal ethical conflict, which in turn, might be a factor in the high disengagement levels at many workplaces. (Full Article Chief Learning Officer)

Few Employees Turn To Boss For Advice

MINNEAPOLIS -- Most employees are unwilling to turn to their boss for advice on problems at work, according to an Internet survey of more than 3,000 employees by CO2 Partners, a Minnesota-based leadership development and executive coaching firm.

In fact, a supervisor was cited by only 11% of employees surveyed as a source for workplace advice. More employees rely on a peer, another senior person, a friend outside the company, and a mentor or coach.

Whom do you turn to for advice on problems at work? (Read Full Article at HR.COM)

Study Suggest More Than Half Managers Get Coaching

MINNEAPOLIS -- A new study suggests as many as half of mid-level managers have received some sort of coaching in the workplace in recent years. Minneapolis consultants CO2 Partners surveyed middle to senior-level executives via the Internet and found that 50% were provided with coaching on more than one occasion. (Read Full Article in HR.com)

Business Coaching Becomes The Focus

As executive coaching continues to expand, the field is shifting away from a therapeutic model to a greater emphasis on business performance and leadership development, according to Minnesota executive coaching firm CO2 Partners. (Read Full Article in HR.COM)

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, Don’t Say Anything at All

A small office gets back to basics and learns the value of a compliment.

The following story was described by Gary Cohen, a Minneapolis-based managing partner of CO2 Partners, LLC.

THE CLIENT: A small (25- to 30-employee) software value-added reseller

THE PROBLEM: The organization’s employees had very little appreciation for each other, and regular backbiting and complaining had turned the office environment sour.

THE CAUSE: The company was growing very fast, and each employee was focused on himself, his own job, and his position in the organization. The employees did not see how they fit together as a team or how their actions affected others. They also had little gratitude for what they were doing to help each other. (Continue Reading T+D Magazine)