I was in a coaching call with one of my amazing clients last week when I was reminded of the tension we often place on choosing an either/or solution to the challenges we're facing.

Although I'm the worst person you could possibly choose to have in an improv group (I draw a total blank when lobbed a live imaginary situation), the older I get it's becoming increasingly clear to me that, in most cases, things are not binary, not black or white, not simply option A or option B. 

What lies in the middle? Most of the juice, because the world is - for better or for worse - mostly various shades of grey. I think coaching is a way for us to explore what else is possible (a great question you can use in your world, btw!). And I recognize we don't all work with a coach (although - insert plug for coaching with us here!).

So here are some ideas for you to consider when it comes to expanding options in your corner of the world:

What lies in between the either/or options that may be most obvious to you on first glance?

Try a "yes AND", which is a technique from improv and which can open up some options for you at work, at home and in your community. NOTE: please try to avoid throwing a "but" in here. This small word has a serious tendency to shut down conversations, brainstorming and growth.

Here are some additional questions beyond the much loved "and what else is possible":

Think of the wisest person you know. What would he/she say around this?

How about a practical relative? And a dreamer? Your mom? Your bestie? The most creative person you know?

What are you taking as true in this situation? Is it absolutely true?

What is it time for you to do?

Expand your horizons - because in the end, which would you rather? Limit your options, or increase what's possible? 

​
And I'll wrap up this month with a sliver of poetry from one of my favourites, e.e. cummings:

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."
​
Resources for you:

Should you require more evidence as to why "yes" is the way to go, from Lifehack, 12 more reasons to say yes!

Always be learning,
Darcy & the team at The Management Coach

A friend and colleague of mine recently facilitated a one day offsite with a dozen senior leaders from a good-sized Canadian organization. One of the topics the group covered over the course of the day was the idea of psychological safety and its role in the workplace. I was somewhat surprised to hear that this came as a new idea to all 12 members of this leadership team. If this concept is new to you too, here's the scoop:

Psychological safety is the idea that team members feel safe to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns, and make mistakes without fear of being punished, humiliated, or ignored. It creates an environment where people feel safe to take risks, ask questions, and collaborate freely.

And what's the benefit of creating a culture where psychological safety is a part of the mix? Why, higher engagement levels, increased innovation, and better overall team performance, of course - and what leader and team member doesn't want more of all of that?

Here come our top 3 tips to increase psychological safety on your team - regardless of your title:

• Always be curious and ALWAYS ask more questions. Ask others people what they think. You might just learn something. And ask for help when you need it. In my experience, people (generally) like to help others. 
• Acknowledge your own mistakes. You don't know everything. When you share that you don't know the answer, or you that you've made a mistake, you give permission for others to do the same.
• And my current favorite, frame work as a learning problem, not an execution problem. Because not everything we do is rocket surgery. In fact, most glitches are at least somewhat fixable. Because life and work are all part of a grand experiment.

JOIN US! NEW TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOU 

If you're new to people leadership and could benefit from some scaffolding as you develop your management skills, or you've been at this for a while and are tired of dealing with some of those frustrating and apparently endless people problems, I'm launching a group training & coaching program designed just for you on Friday, September 13.

I would love for you to join us in Essentials: The Manager's Survival Kit program. 

You'll find a small, supportive community of people just like you as you learn 5 top time management techniques, specific ways to develop your leadership EQ, how to lead through change, how to do those performance management conversations that happen twice a year at least with greater ease...all kinds of practical learning.

If this isn't you, there may be someone in your organization or network who's new to people leadership who would benefit so please - I'd love for you to share!

Learn more about Essentials and join us here!

Resources for you:

If you're a TED Talk fan, try this from Amy Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor and author of The Fearless Organization who coined the phrase “team psychological safety” 25 years ago.

Click here for the Team Psychological Safety TEDx Talk from Amy Edmonston

If you prefer to read, here's a short HBR article from the wonderful Amy Gallo on team psychological safety:

Link to HBR article from Amy Gallo on Psychological Safety

And for something a little more lighthearted, some psychological safety stickers for sale (I'm a particular fan of "We all make mistaks"):

Psychological safety stickers!

Always be learning,
Darcy & the team at The Management Coach

And thank you for being part of the Water Cooler family. We are grateful for you and the work you're doing out there in the world.

Welcome back to the Water Cooler! This edition will be short and sweet because - well, it's summer and hot and humid where I live in the Toronto (Great White North!) area. So 3 brief messages for you:

1. REMINDER! Last opportunity to register for our free one hour webinar on managing change better later this week (Friday, July 19) to make this volatility a little more palatable and manageable for you and your teams - and also for you and yours on the home front. 

You won't want to miss this - I'll be sharing lots of practical tips and ideas on navigating this VUCA world of ours better, along with a sprinkling of change management theory (trust me, just enough to be helpful - I'm no academic!) and some thoughtful questions to use with your colleagues and team members as you make your way through the change cycle...

And if you know someone who might enjoy this training webinar, please feel free to share the registration link with them. The more the merrier!

HINT: if you're curious about this group coaching thing I'm cooking up for September, this is the kind of content you'll be learning and exploring with your peers - so come check us out. And if you hang in to the end, it may be worth your while if you are contemplating jumping in to the new Essentials program!

So don't miss out - click below to join us on Friday:

Sign me up - I'd like to learn to manage change better!

2. NEW PROGRAM LAUNCHING THIS SEPTEMBER!

And a reminder, if you're new to people leadership and might benefit from some scaffolding as you develop your management skills, I'm developing a group coaching program designed just for you which I'll be launching on Friday, September 13 (which is now only 2 short months away!). Join us for Essentials: The Manager's Survival Kit program.

If this isn't you, there may be someone in your organization or network who's new to people leadership who would benefit.

We'll be covering topics such as time management, developing your leadership EQ, leading through change, performance management best practices...all kinds of practical learning.

Simply hit "Reply" to this email and let me know - a few of you have already jumped in, and I'd love to add you to the list for our launch this fall.

3. RESOURCE FOR YOU

If you're a fan of LinkedIn Learning, or you haven't yet had an opportunity to check it out, it's highly recommended here at The Management Coach. All manner of virtual courses and training are available to you on this platform - AI, cybersecurity, leadership, career planning, accounting, programming - you name it, you'll probably find something here for you on the professional front.

AND, even better - you can access all the content free through your local library. Simply go to your local library website, search for "LinkedIn Learning" and they'll walk you through the steps to get registered and rolling. Enjoy!  

Darcy & the team at The Management Coach

Check out our website here

Connect with me on LinkedIn

​And thank you for being part of the Water Cooler family. We are grateful for you and the work you're doing out there in the world.

When I came across that line at some point over the last few years, I was positively gobsmacked (and now thrilled to be able to use the word "gobsmacked" in a newletter - after all I am an English major).

Think about this idea for just a moment: all management is change management. To my mind, this pretty much encapsulates most if not all management and leadership today in this VUCA world of ours. If this term is new to you, VUCA is an acronym that stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.

According to the website for The Outward Bound Trust in the UK, "The VUCA concept has military origins, first introduced in the early 90s in the US to describe the situation after the Cold War. It took off in a business context after the 2008 global financial crisis and roughly translates into 'it’s absolutely crazy out there!'”. 

I'm a particular fan of the "it's absolutely crazy out there" synopsis which pretty much sums up the world we've each been living in since the end of the Cold War.

And to help with the "crazy" part, I'll be presenting a free one hour webinar on managing change better on Friday, July 19 to make this volatility a little more palatable and manageable for you and your teams - and also for you and yours on the home front. 

You won't want to miss this - I'll be sharing lots of practical tips and ideas on navigating this VUCA world of ours better, along with a sprinkling of change management theory (trust me, just enough to be helpful - I'm no academic!) and some thoughtful questions to use with your colleagues and team members as you make your way through the change cycle...

And if you know someone who might enjoy this training webinar, please feel free to share the registration link with them. The more the merrier!

HINT: if you're curious about this group coaching thing I'm cooking up for September, this is the kind of content you'll be learning and exploring with your peers - so come check us out!

Click below to join us on Friday, July 19:

Sign me up - I'd like to learn to manage change better!

NEW PROGRAM LAUNCHING THIS SEPTEMBER!

​And a reminder, if you're new to people leadership and might benefit from some scaffolding as you develop your management skills, I'm developing a group coaching program designed just for you which I'll be launching on Friday, September 13 (which is only 3 short months from now!).

If this isn't you, there may be someone in your organization or network who's new to people leadership who would benefit.

We'll be covering topics such as time management, developing your leadership EQ, leading through change, performance management best practices...all kinds of practical learning.
​
Simply hit "Reply" to this email and let me know - a few of you have already jumped in, and I'd love to add you to the list for our launch this fall.
​
Future! Resource for you:
​
Please join us for the VUCA webinar (I really love this topic and I've lots to share) - and I'll send you a super useful executive summary following the session to lock in the highlights. Membership has its privileges :)

Not quite enough? Okay! Late-breaking resource for you: 

Now why is this management and leadership coach recommending a book on financial security? Cannot remember how/where this crossed my radar, but I put this book on hold at my local library at least a month ago and picked it up yesterday. I haven't finished it yet, but the first 50+ pages are seriously packed with juicy wisdom.
​
I'm no stoic, but there are some definite lessons to be gleaned here. Mr. Galloway explores the idea of character, the value of community, habits and more. A few personal stories of lessons learned the hard way, along with short bursts of goodness. One chapter is entitled "if money is the goal, you'll never have enough". Truer words...

If you're new to people leadership, or you have a manager who's new, we can help - would you like to learn how coaching could support you or one of your team members with a bespoke one on one program?

If it's time to stand out, let's chat. Simply hit "reply" to this email and let's find a time to talk. Or book a zero commitment, "tell me more" 15 minute call with me directly here: schedule a call with Darcy

Darcy & the team at The Management Coach

Check out our website here

Connect with me on LinkedIn

And thank you for being part of the Water Cooler family. We are grateful for you and the work you're doing out there in the world.

Welcome back to the Water Cooler!

Have you ever left a job because of your manager? The answer may well be yes. We can debate the percentages, but I can tell you that back when I was still in corporate I left at least two roles because of my manager. Let's not do that if we don't absolutely have to.

There are ways to manage our managers!

Managing your manager successfully requires three essential management skills.

1. Situational sensitivity
2. Style flexibility
3. And, last but absolutely not least, courage

What is Situational Sensitivity?
Situational sensitivity is the skill of being able to read a situation for the dynamics that underlie it. When it comes to managing your boss, that involves understanding and appreciating:

• Your manager's inherent personality
• Your manager's primary work objectives and priorities
• The challenges your manager is experiencing in achieving his/her objectives and priorities
• Your manager's personal stresses

Your ability to sense these dynamics is directly correlated to the extent to which you can transcend any emotional frustration, irritation or resentment that you may feel for your manager. The key for you here is to objectively see your manager with clarity and some degree of grace, along with their current challenges.

And what about this Style Flexibility idea?
BOLD STATEMENT AHEAD: There's no one style of leadership that is going to serve you in each and every situation with each and every individual you work with.

Style flexibility is key to all leadership - whether you are leading from in front, beside and - in this case - from behind. Let's take a look at the four different management styles that form the 3D Managerial Effectiveness Theory (courtesy of Dr. Bill Reddin), and consider the most appropriate style when working with your manager (and this will of course change over time depending on the situation).

Being proactive (thoughtful and intentional) and NOT reactive is the key here.

Here's what the four styles might look like in the wild...

Developer Style: Best used with a stubborn or strong willed, opinionated manager. Be curious and ask open ended, non-challenging questions until your manager has exhausted all his/her opinions on a topic and arrives at a place of "I don't know the answer to that." This creates an opportunity for collaboration, that gives you the opportunity to state your opinion. You can also use this style to learn more about your manager's situation and gain situational sensitivity. Curiosity is, as usual, your friend here.

Benevolent Autocrat Style: Sometimes managers need to be told what to do. They spend all day being expected to have all the answers, and that can be very stressful. The founder of The Management Coach once had a client who was waiting for a report that his manager had committed to providing him weeks earlier. It was the 11th hour, and her client needed the report. Mary suggested he hijack his next 1-on-1 and simply tell his manager that he would use that time to wait for the report he needed. Her client proceeded to sit in the corner of his manager's office, and worked on his own for an hour while his manager produced the report.

Collaborator Style: We often remind our clients: do not be part of the problem, be part of the solution. When you disagree with your manager, it can be very tempting for you to engage in debate or start to complain - because we are only human. However, that can create stress for your manager, and if you create stress for your boss, you become part of the problem. The collaborator seeks to build on ideas rather than destroy others' ideas. Instead of debating or complaining, see how you can understand the situation more fully and adapt your point of view. "Yes and..." is one approach here.

Administrator Style: This is the style where process and procedure can be helpful. Mary once had an event participant with the following challenge: one of her colleagues was underperforming in her role. Her manager had been contemplating re-orienting that colleague to focus elsewhere so they could get more done as a team, however nothing was happening - this manager wasn't pulling the trigger. Mary suggested that the manager might be struggling to see the path from the current state to the outcome he wanted. "The only path he sees is the one where he's the bad guy, and he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings." She proposed working with him to build the decision-making process that would get him from point A to point B without being the bad guy. Ta da! Focus on and clarify the process, and you just might produce a better outcome for everyone.

Each of these styles is equally helpful, but only when used at the right time. Knowing the right time takes situational sensitivity. You need both.

3. And just where does courage fit into all of this?

Be willing to acknowledge that your manager is human and imperfect, and to set your expectations of them accordingly. Then you need to be willing to expand your own style toolkit so that you behave differently than what you might be used to... and that can be 1. uncomfortable and 2. take courage as you try something new.

NEW PROGRAM ON THE HORIZON!

And a reminder, if you're new to people leadership and might benefit from some scaffolding as you develop your management skills, I'm developing a group coaching program designed just for you which I'll be announcing in the next couple of months.
If this isn't you, there may be someone in your organization or network who's new to people leadership who would benefit.

We'll be covering topics such as time management, developing your leadership EQ, leading through change, performance management best practices...

Simply email me at [email protected] and let me know. I'll add you to the list.

Resource for you:

It's been a while since I shared this resource, so I'm going to share it again right now. Asking more questions will always get you further ahead than thinking you already know it all. Or judging. It will help you with stubborn managers and developing your people. It will smooth some of your relationships with your colleagues. It will help with your gnarly teenage kids, and possibly even your toddlers.

Enjoy!

Download your 50 (+1) Power Questions here

If you're new to people leadership, or you have a manager who's new, we can help - would you like to learn how coaching could support you or one of your team members with a bespoke one on one program?

If it's time to stand out, let's chat. Simply hit "reply" to this email and let's find a time to talk.

​Or book a no commitment, 15 minute call with me directly here: schedule a call with Darcy

Darcy & the team at The Management Coach