Coach Dan's Blog

  Struggling with Low Performing Teams? Unit costs going up? Experiencing low employee engagement scores? Seeing an increase in turnover or burnout? It's easy to chase a single metric, especially when we live in a world where the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Ironically our instinct to "laser focus on solving the problem" which is often what causes additional problems, and wastes the investment made on improvement. Savy leaders measure, balance and invest in all three E's of their teams' performance. 💡 Effectiveness - A team's ability to regularly achieve their assigned outcomes (be it business or customer outcomes); often measured by ROI, NPS, Revenue/Profit growth, etc. 💡 Efficiency - A team’s use of their available resources, and their ability to continuously improve their ability create value; often measured by throughput, cycle time, defect rate, or a cost-per metric of some kind. 💡 Engagement - A team's psychological safety, alignment and sense of ...

  Who doesn't start out the new year with a Confucius quote? Seriously though - this particular quote hits pretty close to home as I reflect on my career, and consider my next steps forward. I've been blessed to have worked with so many amazing people, from whom I have learned so much. Wonderful mentors, talented coworkers, incredible partners, people who have challenged me, taught me, solved problems with me, taught me new approaches, supported me, laughed with me, learned with me. The experiences of my past have taught me countless lessons about how to be a good partner, team member, leader and coach. That said, those lessons mean so much more when I'm able to apply them to the task at hand. Every training session, workshop, seminar or new certification imparts valuable knowledge - but until I apply those lessons to solving a problem, or working together to create value - they are just theory. Learning new knowledge is great. Applying that knowledge in real time is the...

Jane Goodall's quote resonates with me deeply, and is especially relevant when applied to the practice of change management. So often, changes start with the best of intentions, then devolves into a litany of communication plans, stakeholder management lists, status updates, milestones and deadlines. Every change, regardless of size and complexity, ultimately intersects with the values, thoughts and beliefs of the people impacted by that change. "Listening and then starting a dialogue..." before, during and after the change is fundamental to creating an environment that embraces change. Listen and then start a dialogue, and you are well on your way to creating an environment that embraces continuous change and improvement.  

  Good morning! As you're setting your goals for the day, why not include something quick and easy that may just help you improve your leadership and communication skills. Almost all of us interact with others throughout our day, and each of those interactions is an opportunity to reflect, gain insights and learn. What if... at the end of each meeting or call today, you paused for 60 seconds and reflected about that interaction? (Any of the following questions would work, or create your own!) ❔ After we concluded, what impression about me did they walk away with? ❔ On a scale of 1-10, how clear was I with communicating my intentions? ❔ What new thing did I learn about that person just now? ❔ What new thing did that person learn about me just now? ❔ What one thing might I do differently in my next interaction? Taking a brief pause and reflecting in the moment can be a powerful way to identify opportunities for improvement throughout your day. Commit to pausing and reflecting for ...

Happy Monday. As you set your goals for the upcoming week, why not challenge yourself to try one small thing? Leaders who ask questions instead of giving instructions create an enviornment where team members feel empowered and passonate about solving problems. 💡 "What are your ideas about how to solve this?" 💡"If you were me, how would you address this?" 💡"If you could solve this problem right now, what would you do?" Give your team members the space to be creative, and the support to implement their own solutions - and they will thrive! What's stopping you from making a small change today? We all win together.  

  I was recently asked by someone I met, "Isn't a coach really just a trainer?" My response was quick - "While a coach sometimes trains on new skills or knowledge, they also facilitate, mentor and challenge teams to improve the way they work." Looking back, I would grade myself a "C-" on that answer. I WISH I had said... "A great coach works with you to achieve your goals. They bring experiences, perspectives and tools to help you and your team accelerate performance. It's not always about faster... but it IS about better! A great coach helps you and the team identify ways to improve and then challenges you address them WHILE working to achieve the teams goals. They know that there are many different ways to make improvements, and have a "toolbox" of processes, frameworks and techniques to help identify and make them. That said, they don't just want to teach you a skill (or framework, or process) - they want you to use your skill...