In my last article I discussed the three things that can hurt you in business if handled improperly. One of the solutions to the problem of newly promoted leaders was business coaching. Here I’m going to explain why business coaching and consulting is not only great for new leaders, but also for people caught in the middle of an evolving workplace.

Many times companies go through growth stages or layoffs, with little time for people to adjust to the trickle down effects these events have. Managers can be wearing too many hats, be ill-prepared, or worse yet – a poor leader to begin with. So if you’re faced with a changing workplace within your company, business consulting helps you get things back to running smoothly.

3 Reasons Why You Need a Business Consultant:

1. You have no idea what you’re doing – now of course I don’t mean this literally; after all you wouldn’t have gotten as far as you have with no knowledge or experience. But rather, what I mean is maybe you’ve been pushed into a role you had no intention of filling, or job creep has taken over and you’re overwhelmed. Business coaches know exactly how to help you through this transitional period into a place of confidence and understanding of how to manage your new role in the company. With assessments to determine your strengths and weakness, they can determine what may have been holding you back, and how to improve in those areas.

2. Your team members have no idea what they’re doing – if everyone doesn’t have a clear grasp of the chain of command, and what their role in that chain is, then things can go haywire. People assume authority or responsibly inappropriately, and people can feel lost in the shuffle. Realize that not everyone is a go-getter or as self-motivated as you or other leaders. Some people need a little guidance and direction to ensure they’re on track to being a success in the company. Whatever you do don’t just leave things alone hoping they’ll work themselves out; that’s almost always a recipe for disaster.

3. Your leaders aren’t respected – during the course of departmental and leadership changes it’s easy for people to go from friend to boss rather quickly. This can lead to tension between coworkers and supervisors, especially if the newly promoted leaders aren’t sure of themselves. Our consultants can train your leaders to ensure they not only know what they’re doing, but get the respect they deserve from their team. This is a desire of any leader in today’s society.

In conclusion, as you've probably noticed, not everyone adapts as quickly to the changing structures required to stay current in the business world. They may need a hand now and then to get up to speed, and you may want to know how you can improve yourself to be the best leader you can be for your team.

Contact us today for a consultation or for more information. We have over 35 years of experience in resolving all of the above issues and many more.

You’ve heard the phrase ignorance is bliss; but in business it’s a nightmare. You never want to be caught off guard by an employee’s behavior, but the truth is – it happens frequently.

So what can you do to prevent what you don’t know from hurting you? And what are the things that can creep up on your after you’ve hired a new group of people, or promoted someone to a management role?

3 things that can hurt you, and how to prevent them:

1. Newly promoted leaders – This happens all the time in organizations. Someone is promoted from within because they know their department like the back of their hand, but once promoted have no idea how to properly lead a team. Experts don’t always make the best leaders or bosses, and sometimes the things that made them successful as individual contributors are the same things that will keep them from being a good leader. They can’t explain to the people that report to them why things are a certain way, because if it makes sense to them, it should make sense to everybody. They’re not great at describing, teaching, or leading by example. This is a classic case of someone who is personally excellent, but can’t properly teach or lead.

Solution: Coaching - Our business coaching services for incumbent leaders and newly promoted leaders are key to your organization’s success. Our coaching model is based on learning about the needs of our client, and providing a practical, business-focused approach to help them meet current challenges, and tackle new ones.

2. Employee behavioral problems – Sometimes a person’s true colors don’t come out until months after you’ve hired them, or until they are in a high-stress, high-pressure situation. Personality clashes happen in every organization, but there is a way to learn how your employees will work within their assigned teams, and under their supervisors or managers.

Solution: Behavioral Assessments – The best way to prevent this bad surprise if by performing behavioral assessments on anyone you’re considering hiring, no matter which position it’s for. Why? Because even if they’re not in management, they will be working on a team with other people and managers, and you’ll want to be sure everyone’s strengths are personified and working in a cohesive way for the best results possible. You would be surprised the things you can learn from a simple assessment we provide for your potential new hires. Click here for more information.

3. Reduced morale – Sometimes in business employees can feel like they keep bumping their head against a glass ceiling. In today’s world of slower growth and running close to the edge on resources, chances for advancement, promotion, or even just increased skills can seem few and far between to employees. This may lead to reduced employee morale if the talent you have doesn’t realize that they are a valuable asset to your organization.

Solution: Succession Planning - One of the best strategies to prevent reduced morale is to employ a comprehensive succession planning process that is viewed as logical, fair and objective by your employees. If you make sure everyone is on the same page and understands their key role in your organization, and if you make them feel that they are a valuable asset, they will be far more likely to go along with any changes you make to the organization. We can assist you in forming a succession planning strategy, or enhancing the one you currently use. Retaining your talent remains the single best way to hit your business goals and objectives!

For more information on all of these services Upper Right Leadership provides, Contact Us today!