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Why We Care About Defining “Coach”
Why We Care About Defining “Coach”

The definition of the term “coaching” matters because it’s the substance of the engagement. Inherent in the definition is an understanding of the desired outcome, and a notion of why an executive coach is the right partner to get you there.

At Wolf & Heron, we think of coaching the same way The International Coaching Federation (ICF) does. The ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

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ArticleKara Davidsoninfluence, coach, coaching, define coach, one-on-one coach, one-on-one, coaching definition, definition of a coachComment
The W&H Way to Craft an Influential Story
The W&H Way to Craft an Influential Story

Crafting an influential story is tough. Where do you start? What do you do along the way? How do you know if and when you’re ready to share your story? We thought it would be fun to try to lay out our process from beginning to end. During our  Influential Storytelling program, we take participants through the entire process of crafting an influential story, but it’s something else to see it laid out on a page. Let’s see if we can do it!

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ArticleKara Davidsoninfluential storytelling, story, storytelling, influenceComment
A Provocative Recommendation: Stop Presenting!
A Provocative Recommendation: Stop Presenting!

Presentations aren’t always the best idea. Unless a presenter is phenomenally dynamic and engaging in her own right, audience members are going to have to consciously choose to pay attention and process the information. This takes effort, and it’s almost guaranteed that more interesting distractions will find their way into the space. If the presenter is presenting information that is remotely complex, dry, or worse, poorly organized, the audience is surely checked out.

Most of the time, when working with clients, the belief is that “net new” information needs to be presented first, and the only opportunity for interactivity is in the application of that knowledge. This is simply not true.

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ArticleStephanie Juddworkshop, breakout, presentation, engagement, inspireComment
Scripts that Unlock Potential
Scripts that Unlock Potential

As executive coaches, we’re trained in conversation strategies that can unlock our client’s potential. What’s interesting in our coaching conversations is that we’re often talking to leaders about how THEY can unlock the potential of their employees or team members. 

Here are a few scripts that can get you started if you’re also trying to achieve the same thing.

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ArticleStephanie Juddleadership, managers, potentialComment
Guiding Principles of a Storytelling Learning Journey
Guiding Principles of a Storytelling Learning Journey

We are firm believers in the value of empowering leaders (and people) to be compelling communicators who can inspire and persuade others with stories. Now that we’re almost a decade into delivering our flagship program, Influential Storytelling, we’ve partnered with clients ranging from Google to the University of Michigan, Uber to McGraw Hill. In that time, we have developed a strong point of view about what it takes to create an effective storytelling learning journey.

If you’re designing a storytelling learning journey for your employees, here are a few guiding principles we recommend you keep in mind…

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ArticleKara Davidsonstorytelling, storytelling culture, influential storytelling, storytelling for business, learning journeyComment
Manager Hacks for Building a Sense of Belonging within a Virtual Team
Manager Hacks for Building a Sense of Belonging within a Virtual Team

Feeling a sense of belonging as part of a team at work has become a bit of a hot topic in the past few years. This is no surprise given the rapid globalization and distributed nature of teams. Managers used to be able to rely on the office and the daily proximity of team members as a relationship-building accelerator. Now that many teams are almost exclusively virtual, the approach has to be different. It’s still possible to create a sense of belonging in a virtual and distributed workplace, but it requires more intentionality; with fewer ad hoc moments of connection, relationship-building has to become a workstream rather than something that just happens by itself. The benefit is that the focused effort can lead to even stronger and purposeful connections.

Here are some ideas you can leverage to create a sense of belonging for your virtual team members…

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ArticleKara Davidsonvirtual, managers, leaders, meetings, belongingComment
Rethinking the Status Update Meeting
Rethinking the Status Update Meeting

All too often, weekly (or monthly) status updates end up being a verbal report-out by team members to the team lead. The team members feel like the time is wasted and the information could have been better communicated in an email. The team leader struggles to get anyone to participate outside of their own report. Now that many of these calls are happening in the virtual space, it’s no wonder that everyone on these calls is multitasking and disengaged.

But what can you do? As a manager or project lead, you need to get updates from the team to make sure all the work streams are on track. How can you rethink—and hopefully reinvigorate—the status update meeting?

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ArticleStephanie Juddmeetings, meeting design, check-ins, manager check-ins, conversations, status updateComment
Guiding Principles of Public Speaking Masters
Guiding Principles of Public Speaking Masters

After coaching many individuals as they prepare for a talk, keynote, panel, interview, etc, we think we have figured out why it’s hard to see your own strengths and opportunities in this space; public speaking is not just about the moment on the stage. Great public speaking begins weeks before the actual event, when you figure out what you’re going to say. Then, in the moment, it’s about knowing how to say it just right.

Check out these guiding principles to prepare and deliver a masterful presentation.

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ArticleKara Davidsonpublic speaking, presentationsComment
Managing up: Leveraging one-on-one check-ins for your professional development
Managing up: Leveraging one-on-one check-ins for your professional development

Most managers are well-intentioned, but for one reason or another, people are left feeling like they are lost and alone in career development. If you’re one of these people, the empowered way to navigate a situation like that is to focus on what you can control. One way to own your development is to take the reins with your manager check-ins.

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Media Mentions, ArticleStephanie JuddMind the ProductComment
Unlocking The Power of Process Conversations
Unlocking The Power of Process Conversations

Process Conversations focus on alignment around HOW work gets accomplished. This is different from the typical conversations at work about WHAT needs doing. Often, HOW work will get done is rarely discussed. And if it is considered with any kind of intention, it’s usually considered by a leader in isolation, who believes that how the work is done should be a decision they make unilaterally.

Process Conversations are great opportunities for leaders to inspire others, generate buy-in, and drive engagement. AND they’re an access point through which to engage and inspire UP the chain of command as well.

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ArticleStephanie Juddmeetings, leadership, alignment, engagementComment
4 Things that Go Wrong with One-on-One  Check-ins (and How to Avoid Them)
4 Things that Go Wrong with One-on-One  Check-ins (and How to Avoid Them)

Manager check-ins, one-on-ones, touchpoints… Whatever you may call them, they are the foundation of a strong manager-employee relationship and the lynchpin for supporting your employees in many ways. This 30-minute-or-so recurring meeting between manager and employee seems so simple that it’s often taken for granted and therefore underutilized. They are used as opportunities to get project updates or chat about anything, when they could be so much more supportive of the employee’s professional growth and development. More often than not, we hear about employees or managers who simply put them off, postpone them indefinitely, or end up using the time as status report opportunities rather than truly leveraging their power. 

It’s time to go back to the basics. Here are 4 things that go wrong with your manager check-ins and how to avoid them.

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ArticleStephanie Juddmeetings, leadership, alignment, engagementComment
Capitalizing on Your Conference: What to do next
Capitalizing on Your Conference: What to do next

Fall is conference season. For many professionals, at some point in the fall, they’ll pack their bags, head to a hotel and mix with industry peers. There’s a lot to gain at conferences—knowledge, skills, relationships—but it can be hard to capitalize on all that conferences have to offer in the moment. Here’s a step by step approach to maximize the conference value when you’re back at your desk the following Monday and have a chance to take a breath.

Process Conversations are great opportunities for leaders to inspire others, generate buy-in, and drive engagement. AND they’re an access point through which to engage and inspire UP the chain of command as well.

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ArticleKara Davidsonmeetings, leadership, conference, conferences, keynote, presentation, speakerComment
Three Common Mistakes When Developing a Learning Experience
Three Common Mistakes When Developing a Learning Experience

Just as not every individual contributor will be a fantastic manager, not every leader will be a fantastic teacher. Fortunately, these are skills that can be developed and there are rules of thumb that can be applied to ensure that content experts can jump into the role of inspiring and engaging a new generation of folks in their area of expertise. 

Here are a few of the common mistakes we see leaders fall into when creating learning experiences.

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ArticleStephanie Juddpresentation, meetings, learning and development, learning designComment