I’ve been collecting some gems from people who’ve been tackling email management. There is no magic answer. The emails just keep coming, and truthfully, many contain good information and show the dedication and commitment of the people within your organizations.

Here are a few points that may help as you create the system that works for you. The last two points, 7 & 8, are one’s that have the potential to dramatically reduce unnecessary email. Pay attention to what you send, you might be the creator of an unnecessary flurry of emails. While convenient, email isn’t always the best method of communication. Have conversations with your team and in your organization around how email is used and handled. Make the time to take the time to manage email. Don’t let it take more of your time and energy than necessary.

1. If you can say it all in the subject line, do it. If you are simply giving someone permission to go ahead with something, or you are telling them you got something from them, and you don’t need to go into any more detail, the message would be: Go ahead with XX. Some find it useful to respond in all CAPS in the subject line or to separate their response from the subject with a colon. You and your team can decide what works best.

2. Do not mix information, discussion, and instruction emails – and use appropriate acronyms in the subject line.
• If urgent and you want their immediate attention, label URGENT
• If it is a “for your information, label FYI
• If you’re starting a discussion thread, put DISC
• If the decisions have been made and it’s time to give instructions, put TO DO

Distinguishing the messages allow people to quickly focus on what is most important and leave the FYI messages for later. This is also an opportunity to establish agreements and guidelines on how the organization manages email.

3. Do not use email as a venting opportunity about a person or a situation. When you are close to a situation and invested in the outcome, it’s easy to become more emotionally entrenched than you realize, and it’s easy to rant. It’s also a very dangerous practice. Keep in mind this email can end up places you did not originally expect. Emails can be seized in the case of a legal dispute, and an unedited venting email is not something you want to see in court. Think about what you would say if you knew that the person you were writing about was going to see this message. Or as one of my dear colleagues Neil Scotton says, “Think about how your message would be on the front page of a newspaper or on the evening news.” Decide to have difficult discussions on the phone or in person, not via email. Let the person or group know you’d prefer taking the discussion offline.

4. Recognize when it is important to stop the email thread and call a meeting or make the phone call. Email is great for sending information and giving instructions, but there are times when it is important to stop the email thread and have a conversation. Also, remember we all have different ways of processing information. Some people write, while others need to talk things over.

5. Don’t think out loud to your staff, customers, board members or others via email. Thinking out loud causes people to interpret instructions or assignments that you may not be intending. If you are thinking something through, and want participation, call a meeting. If you have thought it through and come to a conclusion, write a “TO DO” email that tells them the conclusion/decision, explains why the decision was made and then assigns responsibilities.

6. Make subject lines consistent. Subject line might start with the name of the project, then the actual subject describing what’s in the email. Consistency in how subjects are labeled allows for easier sorting.

7. Do not use “reply all” unless they really do all need to know. This can be intentional as a cover your butt practice or unintentional with not thinking before selecting reply all. Either way, this results in busy people to spend time reading emails that can be perceived as urgent and requiring action as simply FYI and more often than not, unnecessary for the majority on the list.

8. Think about the real message a person will get, before you send the message you think you’re sending. If you are forwarding an email article or link to someone because you think it is interesting, label it as FYI. Before you even forward, think about whether this is going to enhance someone’s work or distract them.

It seemed executive presence was the buzz word that encompassed what people were seeing as a polished, knowledgeable and successful executive – Someone who inspires you, who listens, is confident. Someone you want to follow.

Because most of what I heard when I asked what people meant by executive presence was something to the effect of, “You know it when you see it,” I did some research to try to succinctly and simply identify the characteristics and behaviors that make up executive presence.

I looked at traditional sources on leadership and goggled the term. I found several articles that went back to about 2002 when it seemed executive presence started to emerge as a term important to successful leaders and organizations. One of the articles I found was by Paul Aldo, PhD, www.executivepresence.com. Dr. Aldo defines executive presence by “nine expressive dimensions.” He categorizes these into the Personal Dimensions, Communications Dimensions and Relational Dimensions. His article is on the executivepresence.com website and definitely worth reading.

I took Dr. Aldo’s article and studied the dimensions along with what I know and have observed about leaders over the years and formulated my own list of characteristics. Over the past few years, I’ve asked clients as well as several of their bosses, executives, leaders and human resources professionals to review the list to verify if these are the characteristics they imagine when they speak of executive presence, and I’ve modified them slightly in attempt to more clearly describe. You will find my list below. Take a look and let me know what you think. Do these capture what’s meant by executive presence? Is anything missing?

EXECUTIVE PRESENCE
A leader projects a presence that demonstrates:
SELF-CONFIDENCE: Calm, steady approach projecting confidence & professionalism
INTEGRITY: Trustworthy, honest, follows through and doesn’t step over issues
OPENNESS: Listens and engages in open, honest conversations
THOUGHTFULNESS: Thoughtful approach thinking before speaking – responds rather than reacts
APPRECIATION: Appreciates, listens and engages with others in a way that is warm and caring
PASSION AND CLARITY: Clear compelling vision and skill in inspiring others
EFFECTIVENESS: Decisive, Efficient, Prepared and strategic
POLITICAL AWARENESS: Knows how and who to network with and how to communicate/navigate the environment to accomplish the goal.

When:  Thursday, July 28- Saturday, July 30, 2011

Faculty: Diane Brennan, MCC and Anne Choquette, PCC, experienced leadership, executive and 4-D Coaches and coach training leaders

Fee: Early registration: $1,595 through June 30, 2011; $1,795 after July 1, 2011 (Includes training, the book How NASA Builds Teams, additional materials, individual assessment, lunch and coffee breaks)

To Register: http://events.linkedin.com/events/672932/clickthru

For more information contact: diane@coachdiane.com or 520-797-6645

ICF accredited for 24 hours of Continuing Coaching Education*

Join Diane Brennan, MCC and Anne Choquette, PCC for an interactive experience with the 4-Dimensions (4-D) Model of Leadership, a proven system to enhance individual and team development and performance.  Using an evidence-based approach measuring 8-behaviors and benchmarking performance, 4-D has provided to NASA and corporate teams assessments, workshops and coaching to individuals and teams since 2003. This 3-day intensive training includes:

1)      Mastering the 8 key behaviors: experience and learn the background and application of the 4-D model of leadership for personal and professional use

2)      Individual coaching with 4-D: learn to use the dashboard to launch individual assessments, experience briefing individual assessment reports and learn when and how to use the Context Shifting Worksheet the most efficient way

3)      Team coaching with 4-D: learn how to introduce 4-D to teams, explore the dashboard to launch team assessments, prepare team leader briefings, use the Context Shifting Worksheet to process a team issue and explore strategies to coach high or low performing teams

 Whether you are an executive, leadership or business coach, internal coach, or a professional trainer this is a program that will add a new tool to your toolbox and enhance your work and life. Do not miss this highly interactive training filled with concrete examples from two of the seven 4-D coaches working with Dr. Pellerin, author of How NASA Builds Teams.  Completing the training you will: 

• Gain understanding of the personality style assessment and one’s innate preference
• Understand how to apply the 4-D learning within a coaching engagement
• Be able to utilize the 4-D model for work with individuals and teams
• Learn advanced 4-D skills for working through challenging personal or organizational situations
• Learn how to introduce 4-D to your clients
• Earn the 4-D Coach certification and 24 hours of ICF Coach Continuing Education Credits directly applicable to earning or renewing an ICF credential

Should these dates not be convenient for you, please let us know when and we will do our very best to accommodate you (minimum participation: 10 participants).

*ICF CCE Breakdown: ICF Core Competencies  9.50; Personal Development  5.00; Business Development  1.00; Other Skills and Tools  8.50

 If the leader holds a mindset that giving feedback will result in an individual becoming upset or angry, the leader might avoid taking action. The problem is that avoiding action causes unintended reactions in others and ultimately confrontation and conflict within the team and for the leader, which is really what,  the leader wanted to avoid.

 When someone is not performing as necessary for the job, others do notice – even if we think they don’t – and there are consequences. The individual who isn’t performing as expected might not realize there is a problem or if he does, he’ll begin to learn that it’s OK to keep doing what he has been doing because no one has told him otherwise and performing poorly can become his norm. Others who work with him label the leader’s inaction as ‘special treatment’ because they see nothing change. In addition, the leader ends up taking more on to compensate for lack of performance or asks others to compensate which over time undermines authority, accountability and respect.

 The Context Shifting Worksheet (CSW), a tool developed by Dr. Charlie Pellerin, former director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, founder of 4-D Systems www.4dsystems.com and author of How NASA Builds Teams: Mission Critical Soft Skills for Scientists, Engineers, and Project Teams www.nasateambuilding.com , is excellent for use in this type of situation. Working through the CSW allows one to consider the conversation or situation separate from the emotion, stories and drama that cloud perspective.  The CSW guides an individual through a four-dimensional framework represented by leadership styles termed Cultivating, Including, Visioning and Directing.  Stories or story-lines, as we refer to these in 4-D terms, are “Red” (thoughts or expressions that seem true but are arguable and limit our behavior) or “Green” (thoughts or expressions that empower and allow for possibility thinking and action).  

 What I see most often when a leader complains about someone who is underperforming, is the realization there are unclear agreements, even if the leader thought these were clear, and poorly defined roles, accountability and authority resulting in inconsistent understanding of expectations among the leader and direct reports. Clarifying agreements and roles, accountability and authority are a great place for focus as you work to help someone more clearly understand performance expectations.

 Adopting a green story line such as:

• Providing feedback is my responsibility as a supervisor,
• Having a conversation with the individual allows him the opportunity to improve, or
• If I don’t tell him what is not working and what I expect, how will he know

allows the leader to engage in an open and honest exchange. The key is to stay in the conversation and stay committed to your desired outcome. More often than not clients report that when they engage directly with a troublesome individual listening to understand and appreciating their perspective, they find opportunity to clarify agreements, come to mutual understanding and clear accountability for both parties that sets a strong foundation for success. If performance issues continue, the leader has the opportunity (given the agreements and expectations set in the previous conversation) and the responsibility (as a leader) to check in and depending on the findings take further action according to the organization’s process for performance and disciplinary concerns. 

 For more information and resources on 4-D and How NASA Builds Teams, visit www.nasateambuilding.com

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (1997) ISBN 978-1-878424-31-0

I heard Don Miguel Ruiz speak in Tucson somewhere around 2002.  I had not read the book yet but attended the talk with a friend who had.  Ruiz was not your typical motivational speaker.  He was very quiet and a bit boring – until something he said struck a chord and I thought, “Pay attention!”  These 4 Agreements – so simple and so profound.  They are agreements I continue to practice and strive to live by.

Good to Great by Jim Collins (2001) ISBN 0-06-662099-6

Great work!  Collins uses simple terms and clear writing to give insight into his research and findings of what it takes to be a “level 5 leader.”  My copy of this book is quite worn from my frequent review, reference and recommendation.  I love this stuff!

Leadership on the Line by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky (2002) ISBN 1-57851-437-1

One of my clients recommended this book and each time I recommend it, I am reminded of a great leader.  I am especially fond of Chapter 3 – Get on the Balcony. It is so easy to be caught up in the chaos of our daily lives.  It is critical to find perspective. 

The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge (1990) ISBN 0-385-26094

I moved to Tucson in 1991 and to join a new organization.  As part of our formation as a team, our CEO assigned the leadership to present “team building” activities or concepts to the group.  I had recently read Senge’s “The Fifth Discipline” and was hooked.  I vividly recall my presentation, which was about enrollment and commitment.  This work continues to resonate and serve as a guide in my own work with individuals and organizations.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (1999) ISBN 0-439-06486-4

 I really enjoyed all of the Harry Potter books.  My daughter was quite young when the first book came out and I remember reading it with her.  We have enjoyed the series as a family that really extended to a community of her friends and their families.  I especially like Albus Dumbledore’s message to Harry in Chamber of Secrets (p. 333) when he says, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

(Original post Jan. 21, 2010)

I vividly recall experiencing healthcare from the patient’s perspective as I had some outpatient surgery.  Happy to report all is well and I was sent home a few hours after the surgery.  I’ve had a few surgeries over the course of my life experience and all have ended well though the experience and interaction with the hospital staff has not always been very pleasant.  Most of the time I had the “let me out of here before they hurt me” experience.  Some of my own anxiety and fear, knowing enough to be dangerous of course.  Along with this though, I found interactions a few years back with the nursing and support staff that were uncomfortable and left me wondering why these people were working in healthcare.

Fast forward to this experience – I found people working in the hospital this time who really seemed to care about the patient and there were systems to support their work.  I checked in at 7am and was given a pager – the kind you get at a restaurant when you have to wait awhile.  Rather than call your name into the crowded waiting room, your pager lights up.  My husband kept the pager while he waited so he could be located even if he was not in the immediate area.  My nurse was equipped with a portable telephone that allowed her to call directly to the waiting area when she needed additional information or to let the staff know to send my husband back to wait with me.  As a patient, I was happy to know he could wander a little bit and still be found so as not to miss being available when needed. 

I especially appreciate the nursing staff.  They were pleasant and supportive in their work and seemed to care not only about me, but about each patient in the area from what I could hear and see.  There were several nurses who took care of me that day who I learned had been at the bedside as a nurse for 25 – 30 years and this is where they wanted to stay.  One nurse told me of her mother who recently retired from nursing at the age of 70 after 50 years at the bedside.  How exciting!

Certainly it’s not easy working at the bedside for 20, 30 or 50 years.  My nurse mentioned that while she’d been tapped for management positions along the way, she never had a desire to get into that arena.  And there should not be a reason why anyone would think they have to move into management.  It’s a whole other area of expertise and experience that some enjoy and others do not.  Each is valued in its own right.

Johnson and Johnson launced a campaign a few years back in conjunction with the nursing associations for education and attention about nursing to encourage recruitment and retention into the profession  http://www.discovernursing.com/ .  The videos and stories are inspiring and acknowledge the value and contribution nurses make as professionals.  Worth watching if you’ve never seen and make sure you have some tissues handy.

It wasn’t so hard to be a patient this past week.  While I certainly don’t want to do this again, I very much appreciate and acknowledge the expertise, care and commitment of the nurses I met during this experience.  It is one experience and one hospital though my hope is that the work occurring here is occurring elsewhere and while we have a long way to go in improving healthcare in the US, committed, qualified and caring nurses provides a great foundation.

Florence Nightingale said it so eloquently:

“Nursing is an art; and if it is to be made an art,it requires as exclusive devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work;

for what is the having to do with dead canvas or cold marble,compared with having to do with the living body – the temple of God’s spirit?

It is one of the Fine Arts:I had almost said,The finest of the Fine Arts.” – Florence Nightingale

(From Nursing: The Finest Art, An Illustrated History by M. Patricia Donahue, Ph.D., R.N.)

(Original post 2008)

- The chair takes responsibility
- Keep in mind the reason and purpose for the meeting
- Articulate the problem – what are we doing here?
Having a clear task/something to accomplish
Sharing a Common Vision/Goal
- Everyone is Equal
- Everyone is focused
- The Agenda is clear and distributed – at least 1 week ahead
Includes task/actions for follow up and items
States if an item requires a decision point or if it is a discussion point
Gives items time limits
- Chair is prepared and allows and expects others to be prepared
- Chair does some planning in advance thinking about what might be accomplished, but doesn’t over plan or complete the decision before the discussion
- Think about and ask – Should we be having this meeting?

Less effective meetings:
- Have Interruptions and stop ideas from flowing
- Never end
- Seem to never get anything resolved
- Don’t have a common goal or clear task
- Are often big meetings where people don’t know each other
- Have an unfocused chair who can be easily distracted and follow the tangents
- Have participants who don’t understand the issues or are overcommitted and not prepared
- Don’t have minutes so there is no record of what was accomplished
- Are sometimes regularly occurring meetings with no point (We’ve always had this meeting and it’s a place we’re used to gathering.

A few other points to consider when facilitating meetings
- If you are the facilitator of a meeting and not the group’s leader, you are more focused on the process
- If you are the leader facilitating a meeting you are always in both roles invested in the context and the process. Be conscious to step out of the facilitator role if you need to give your opinion and be conscious of how this impacts the group. Ask for assistance /allow someone to take over facilitating if the item is something that you need to present.
- The good qualities listed above are part of the process you want to ensure to make the meeting meaningful
- Remember you set the tone for the meeting the minute you walk into the room
Be fully present – arrange for backup if needed to reduce distractions
Be calm and respect all individuals and all ideas
Bring a non-judgmental approach to the room
If you are the group’s leader, you can overwhelm people intentionally or unintentionally; some people sit back and wait for the leader to talk
Start and end meetings on time. If you see an item needs more time, determine if a sub-group can handle the task and bring it back to the group next time or renegotiate the agenda or time to handle now. Don’t be afraid to table, assign to a small sub-group or to put it on a “parking lot” to revisit later. If you use a parking lot, it is important to track and make sure there is follow up.
- Consider ground rules to establish the group’s operating process and norms
Define how meetings will be run, how you will move through the agenda, how decisions will be made, how notes will be captured or summarized, how actions will be noted and reported
Engage them in helping you manage the process/how we behave and work together
- Engage the entire group.
Ask questions to get people involved
Don’t bring something already decided to the meeting if you are asking for input
You may need to reinforce that asking for input means you value everyone’s perspective and it is considered in the decision-making process. However, it may not mean every individual’s input will be reflected in the final decision.
Getting everyone engaged may mean building relationships outside of the meeting.
Appreciate people’s participation

A meeting is about doing something collectively that wouldn’t happen as individuals.

I started this blog quite awhile ago and haven’t really gotten into the process.  As I consider what stopped me from taking the plunge, I realize it’s all about me.  Imagine that, I’m in my own way!  I have lots of excuses – don’t have the time, don’t know enough about how this all works, might not be worthwhile or of interest to anyone.  I suspect some of you can identify and continue to fill a page of why nots.

Resistance is a funny thing, and our own resistance which is usually about fear or doubt, keeps us from doing what we want and being our best self.  So, in the spirit of coaching, where we break through the barrier, which in this case is self-imposed, I’m committing to action.  I’m going to experiment with the blog for the next month.  You’ll see some info from me at least weekly.  Hmmm, when I look at this action from an objective perspective – stepping out of my own personal perspective where I have that knot in my gut about blogging – posting at least once a week during the next month is only 4 times!  Funny how something that seems big to us can be broken down into something manageable.  I am actually getting excited about this.  I think it’s possible and I suspect I’ll learn in the process.

Question for your consideration:  What have you been avoiding?  Notice what comes to mind immediately.  Don’t look deep into the ‘why’ you’re not doing something.  Decide what you’d like to do about this.  Perhaps it’s no longer important and it can be off your plate.

If it is still something you’d like to see complete, determine the action you want to take.  If it feels overwhelming, look at how you might break the action into small steps.  Make the commitment to take action – even if it is a small step each day.  Notice where you are at the end of the week.  Remember rule #1 – no judging or blaming allowed.  Notice if/when you find yourself judging or blaming and replace this with learning.  Ask yourself, “What am I learning here or what might I learn from this experience?”  There is always a learning and it is a lot more fun!

Best regards,
Diane