Lathren on Leadership

I love it that emerging and aspiring leaders listen to Lathren on Leadership.  Today's guest is George Lippard, recently retired from Dominion Energy.  He had this unrecorded closing thought:  "Do your BEST.  Do the RIGHT thing.  CARE for others.  Best....Right....Care."  What a great summary of a leader leaving a legacy of extraordinary.  Thank you, George,...

Learning from previous coaching sessions.

Lessons can be learned from coaching sessions reviewed.

This episode covers how a leader interviews a candidate for a lower level leadership role, or how a leader prepares for an interview for a higher level leadership position.

Do you know weak leadership when you see it?  Yes.  Do you the cause of the weakness?  Possibly.  This episode covers five of those causes.  

The most under-rated leadership skill is listening.  Every leader - in fact every person - can make immediate improvements with a few simple steps.

Listening may be the most under-rated, unappreciated skill.  Listening with intensity is the one leadership competency that we can all commit ourselves to today.  

Knowing when to react...reply...respond is directly tied to self-awareness.  When your 'emotional gauge' is in the red zone, what not to do.

Extraordinary leaders focus on results and relationships.  The theme of this conversation is having clear, concise criteria for delivery 'extraordinary service'.  Also referred to as FIVE STAR.

I want my listeners to know how much I appreciate their time and attention.  And sending me comments and questions.  And sharing the link to my podcast to their family and friends.

Included in today's conversation are ten practices for leaders at all levels.  A also call it "The Leader's Playbook".  

In this episode, I cover the title "The Most Frequently Asked Hard to Answer Question",  simulation and "run to the fire".  Three unrelated topics.

Extraordinary leaders understand that teams do not just naturally happen.  They work hard to get their employees at peak operational performance.

I call this my most important episode yet.  Possibly the most important word of "Ten Words That Describe an Extraordinary Leader" .  Certainly the most important of the 29 episodes.

Do you promote someone into leadership who has behavior flaws?

I begin addressing the question of whether you need a coach....and if so, when?

As employers of people and providers of services to customers, we seek to build loyalty.  We strive to retain good employees and to have customers who return again and again.  Extraordinary leaders understand these simple facts and behave in a manner to build loyalty.

In this conversation, I introduce listeners to "situational leadership"....how leaders change their style based on multiple factors.  

Courage is the #1  leadership trait.  The week of 9/11 is a good time to discuss courage.

A listener asks why it is so difficult to find out why an employee does not get a promotion.  And, how do I improve my chances next time?

I was thrust into a complex coaching situation early in my career.  I made a couple of bad decisions initially...and was saved by a more experienced leader - the chief nursing officer.

This episode tells the story of an under-performing executive who has more uncontrollable external factors than executable action plans.  We tend to be too patient and instead need a greater sense of urgency.  Why do we wait too long?  One leader shares an experience.

There are so many different, unique, challenging  coaching situations.  I will cover some here - and more in the next episode.  If you have a situation you would like covered, please email me at jimlathren@gmail.com.  And.....THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

Recognizing, praising, complimenting, encouraging and uplifting is how leaders inspire.  And inspiring is the most important leadership skill.

This episode moves into actual coaching scenarios in order to help the leader to prepare for the sometimes difficult conversation.  And, preparation is the key.