When placed into executive roles, by promotion or otherwise, 50-70% of those executives fail in their first 18 months. This is a shocking statistic from research gathered by the Corporate Executive Board, and it is needlessly high. So, why is this happening, and what’s the solution?
When someone has great skills and a good rapport with their colleagues and then gets promoted to a leadership position, it seems strange that they’d fail, right? After all, shouldn’t they be able to just get on with it?
Of course not! When they’re not provided with the right coaching or support, a newly promoted leader is destined to fail. If someone has never been in a leadership position before, how can they be a great leader without any kind of mentoring?
“Leaders are under a lot of pressure to produce results, but they often don’t get the mentoring support they need. The thinking is that at this level they should be able to just do it.” Madeleine Blanchard, organisational coaching expert at The Ken Blanchard Companies
It’s not surprising that such a high percentage of executives fail when this attitude is so prevalent within organizations; coaching is seen as something that those below leaders need when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just because someone succeeded in their role previously, doesn’t mean they can make the transition to the leader on their own.
Organizational and leadership consulting firm Navalent conducted interviews with 2,600 Fortune 1000 executives and found that 76% of newly promoted executives thought the development processes their company had in place were only slightly helpful in getting them prepared for their new executive role. 55% of those interviewed also said there was little to no feedback or coaching on an ongoing basis, which meant their leadership abilities weren’t being refined, affecting their performance.
For those in HR, it can also be very challenging to manage the transition of executives into their new leadership positions. In larger companies, it’s not unusual for there to be multiple executives from varying departments transitioning at the same time, which means a big amount of change across the company.
LeadershipHQ have a FREE Leadership Development Plan and Online Leadership Academy which is perfect for new leaders (or anyone).
HR Executives then have to manage multiple different conditions, contracts, approaches, etc., which can cause ROI and quality to suffer due to the overwhelming nature of these changes. The disruption continues throughout the company, as the teams that have lost these executives now have to compensate for their absence.
If you are the HR leader or CEO in your organization or business, don’t try and manage the transitioning of these executives on your own, especially if there are multiple transitions happening at once. Be sure to engage with the leaders of these new leaders, and have one contact person per department if needed. This way you can ensure that the transitioning leaders are all under the same approach and coaching style; cohesion throughout the executive leadership roles gives your company the reassurance that each leader understands their role and has the tools and skills to get positive results.
Another solution to ensure cohesiveness and quality with transitioning leaders is to enlist the help of an executive coaching service (LeadershipHQ!). When you hire an external coaching/training service, you’re engaging professionals whose goals are to align their coaching with your company’s objectives and get the results you need. They also provide invaluable feedback about each of your leaders, that is also objective thanks to not having ties with your organization.
“That’s what you are accomplishing when you bring coaching into an organization. You are ensuring that the bus is going in the right direction and all the right people are in the right seats.” Madeleine Blanchard, organisational coaching expert at The Ken Blanchard Companies
It’s almost always recommended to engage an external service for coaching rather than someone in-house, as many executives don’t often respond well to sharing thoughts with or taking directions from someone they perceive as less senior than themselves. And there is also the fear that the sessions are not truly confidential; that anything they say may be reported to management or gossiped about with coworkers.
When your transitioning leaders are given the tools to succeed in their new roles, rather than just flying blind or receiving inadequate coaching, they will feel valued and empowered, leading to the results that your organisation needs to succeed. Change the large amount of failing executives by investing in coaching for your new leaders; support them and watch them flourish in their new roles!
We want you to thrive.
Sonia Mcdonald have launched a FREE Leadership Development Plan which is perfect for new leaders (or anyone). If you would like to know more about our Online, One on One or Group Coaching please contact the team today at info@leadershiphq.com.au or 1300 719 665.
Phone 1300 719 665 or +61 424 447 616
(every freakin’ minute, every day)
Self-confidence is your best outfit: rock it and own it
Only YOU matter. Focus on your talents, strengths, what you love, your passions, goals, dreams… Life is way too short not to focus on you. You rock for a reason. Hone in on your talents and strengths; only focus on those. We can’t be great at everything (believe me I have tried!). The key to focusing on what makes you rock is to know what makes you rock. Simple. Maybe not so much.
When I ask my leaders at events or conferences, and in my coaching or leadership programs, to write down what makes them different and unique, most people struggle. I bet they wouldn’t if I asked them to write down their weaknesses. ARGH!
So how do you find out what makes you different and unique? Why are you special? (Be assured, we all are!) What are your strengths, talents and passions?
Simple. It takes some work and self-discovery time though.
Find some tools to give you insight into what makes you tick and how people perceive you. This is a short list of possible strengths assessment tools available to you. Please note that it is important to have an expert debrief these to you if you complete them:
- 360 assessments –we have some brilliant ones!
- DISC – www.discpersonalitytesting.com
- Myers Briggs – www.mbtionline.com
- LSI – man-synergistics.com.au
- Talent Dynamics – www.talent-dynamics.com/profile-test
- Gallup Strengths Finder – gallupstrengthscenter.com
Ask your peers, family, friends, and work associates what they think your strengths and talents are.
Discover your values; what’s important to you and why? I am really aligned with my values as it drives my behaviour. It helps with my confidence and focus.
Write down a list of achievements, successes, what you love doing when you are at your best and when you are in the flow.
And finally surround yourself with people who have different strengths to you. They rock for a reason too! The more aware and the more you know what makes you rock; the more aware you will be to help those around you rock too.
You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous. Gabby Douglas
Tell me 5 things that rock about you:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Author – Sonia McDonald, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach and CEO of LeadershipHQ
Sonia McDonald is one of Globe’s leading leadership executive coaches and keynote speakers, as well as an advisor, thought leader, and author. She’s also CEO and founder of LeadershipHQ, and through this, she empowers people to discover their own innate talent and strengths.
Named as one of the Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs and Top 250 Influential Women in the world, Sonia is shaking up the traditional view of leadership, and along the way she has uncovered some outstanding leadership talent which had previously gone unnoticed.
Sonia is internationally recognised as an expert in leadership and strategy, organisational development, workplace diversity and the neuroscience of leadership.
Sonia has also coached people around the world, encouraging them to succeed by reaching their full potential. She has helped hundreds of people build their brands, grow their leadership and business strategies, increase their confidence, build awareness, increase their business revenue, connect to the right people, build exceptional skills and achieve brilliant businesses and careers.
Sonia has written several books on leadership: Leadership Attitude, Just Rock IT! and Neuroscience of Leadership, and she writes regularly for publications such as The Australian, HRD Magazine, Smart Healthy Women and Women’s Business Media. She has been published in BBC Capital, The Australian, HRD Magazine, Business Insider and Richtopia
Her academic achievements include:
- Bachelor of Business (HRM)
- Diploma of Neuroscience of Leadership
- Certified in Prism Brain Mapping Assessment
- Certified Leadership Architect
- Certified in The Extraordinary Coach program.
Phone 1300 719 665 or +61 424 447 616
(every freakin’ minute, every day)
Self-confidence is your best outfit: rock it and own it
Only YOU matter. Focus on your talents, strengths, what you love, your passions, goals, dreams… Life is way too short not to focus on you. You rock for a reason. Hone in on your talents and strengths; only focus on those. We can’t be great at everything (believe me I have tried!). The key to focusing on what makes you rock is to know what makes you rock. Simple. Maybe not so much.
When I ask my leaders at events or conferences, and in my coaching or leadership programs, to write down what makes them different and unique, most people struggle. I bet they wouldn’t if I asked them to write down their weaknesses. ARGH!
So how do you find out what makes you different and unique? Why are you special? (Be assured, we all are!) What are your strengths, talents and passions?
Simple. It takes some work and self-discovery time though.
Find some tools to give you insight into what makes you tick and how people perceive you. This is a short list of possible strengths assessment tools available to you. Please note that it is important to have an expert debrief these to you if you complete them:
- 360 assessments –we have some brilliant ones!
- DISC – www.discpersonalitytesting.com
- Myers Briggs – www.mbtionline.com
- LSI – man-synergistics.com.au
- Talent Dynamics – www.talent-dynamics.com/profile-test
- Gallup Strengths Finder – gallupstrengthscenter.com
Ask your peers, family, friends, and work associates what they think your strengths and talents are.
Discover your values; what’s important to you and why? I am really aligned with my values as it drives my behaviour. It helps with my confidence and focus.
Write down a list of achievements, successes, what you love doing when you are at your best and when you are in the flow.
And finally surround yourself with people who have different strengths to you. They rock for a reason too! The more aware and the more you know what makes you rock; the more aware you will be to help those around you rock too.
You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous. Gabby Douglas
Tell me 5 things that rock about you:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Author – Sonia McDonald, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach and CEO of LeadershipHQ
Sonia McDonald is one of Globe’s leading leadership executive coaches and keynote speakers, as well as an advisor, thought leader, and author. She’s also CEO and founder of LeadershipHQ, and through this, she empowers people to discover their own innate talent and strengths.
Named as one of the Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs and Top 250 Influential Women in the world, Sonia is shaking up the traditional view of leadership, and along the way she has uncovered some outstanding leadership talent which had previously gone unnoticed.
Sonia is internationally recognised as an expert in leadership and strategy, organisational development, workplace diversity and the neuroscience of leadership.
Sonia has also coached people around the world, encouraging them to succeed by reaching their full potential. She has helped hundreds of people build their brands, grow their leadership and business strategies, increase their confidence, build awareness, increase their business revenue, connect to the right people, build exceptional skills and achieve brilliant businesses and careers.
Sonia has written several books on leadership: Leadership Attitude, Just Rock IT! and Neuroscience of Leadership, and she writes regularly for publications such as The Australian, HRD Magazine, Smart Healthy Women and Women’s Business Media. She has been published in BBC Capital, The Australian, HRD Magazine, Business Insider and Richtopia
Her academic achievements include:
- Bachelor of Business (HRM)
- Diploma of Neuroscience of Leadership
- Certified in Prism Brain Mapping Assessment
- Certified Leadership Architect
- Certified in The Extraordinary Coach program.
Phone 1300 719 665 or +61 424 447 616
(every freakin’ minute, every day)
Self-confidence is your best outfit: rock it and own it
Only YOU matter. Focus on your talents, strengths, what you love, your passions, goals, dreams… Life is way too short not to focus on you. You rock for a reason. Hone in on your talents and strengths; only focus on those. We can’t be great at everything (believe me I have tried!). The key to focusing on what makes you rock is to know what makes you rock. Simple. Maybe not so much.
When I ask my leaders at events or conferences, and in my coaching or leadership programs, to write down what makes them different and unique, most people struggle. I bet they wouldn’t if I asked them to write down their weaknesses. ARGH!
So how do you find out what makes you different and unique? Why are you special? (Be assured, we all are!) What are your strengths, talents and passions?
Simple. It takes some work and self-discovery time though.
Find some tools to give you insight into what makes you tick and how people perceive you. This is a short list of possible strengths assessment tools available to you. Please note that it is important to have an expert debrief these to you if you complete them:
- 360 assessments –we have some brilliant ones!
- DISC – www.discpersonalitytesting.com
- Myers Briggs – www.mbtionline.com
- LSI – man-synergistics.com.au
- Talent Dynamics – www.talent-dynamics.com/profile-test
- Gallup Strengths Finder – gallupstrengthscenter.com
Ask your peers, family, friends, and work associates what they think your strengths and talents are.
Discover your values; what’s important to you and why? I am really aligned with my values as it drives my behaviour. It helps with my confidence and focus.
Write down a list of achievements, successes, what you love doing when you are at your best and when you are in the flow.
And finally surround yourself with people who have different strengths to you. They rock for a reason too! The more aware and the more you know what makes you rock; the more aware you will be to help those around you rock too.
You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous. Gabby Douglas
Tell me 5 things that rock about you:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Author – Sonia McDonald, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach and CEO of LeadershipHQ
Sonia McDonald is one of Globe’s leading leadership executive coaches and keynote speakers, as well as an advisor, thought leader, and author. She’s also CEO and founder of LeadershipHQ, and through this, she empowers people to discover their own innate talent and strengths.
Named as one of the Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs and Top 250 Influential Women in the world, Sonia is shaking up the traditional view of leadership, and along the way she has uncovered some outstanding leadership talent which had previously gone unnoticed.
Sonia is internationally recognised as an expert in leadership and strategy, organisational development, workplace diversity and the neuroscience of leadership.
Sonia has also coached people around the world, encouraging them to succeed by reaching their full potential. She has helped hundreds of people build their brands, grow their leadership and business strategies, increase their confidence, build awareness, increase their business revenue, connect to the right people, build exceptional skills and achieve brilliant businesses and careers.
Sonia has written several books on leadership: Leadership Attitude, Just Rock IT! and Neuroscience of Leadership, and she writes regularly for publications such as The Australian, HRD Magazine, Smart Healthy Women and Women’s Business Media. She has been published in BBC Capital, The Australian, HRD Magazine, Business Insider and Richtopia
Her academic achievements include:
- Bachelor of Business (HRM)
- Diploma of Neuroscience of Leadership
- Certified in Prism Brain Mapping Assessment
- Certified Leadership Architect
- Certified in The Extraordinary Coach program.
Phone 1300 719 665 or +61 424 447 616
