The Art of Asking the Right Questions
July 13, 2010 by Di
Filed under coaching, communicating change, performance management, questions
What makes a good question? Is it really that hard to ask a question that will open up discussions, create learning and sharing, and result in productive communications?
The truth is, most of us don’t know how to ask good questions, or when we do ask a really great question, it is by accident. There are several ways to ask questions. Some people seem really good at it, while others use a random, what-ever-pops-into-their-head approach.
Creating a Culture of Execution & Accountability
June 11, 2010 by Di
Filed under accountability, coaching, integrity, leadership, responsibility, values
“Execution is the great unaddressed issue in the business world today. Its absence is the single biggest obstacle to success and the cause of most of the disappointments that are mistakenly attributed to other causes.” ― Ram Charan, author of What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards that Work.
In the year 2000 alone, 40 CEOs of the top 200 companies on Fortune’s 500 list were fired or made to resign. When 20 percent of the most powerful business leaders lose their jobs, something is clearly wrong.
The Three Biggest Mistakes Executives Make When Leading Behavioural Change
June 2, 2010 by Di
Filed under accountability, coaching, leadership, performance management, trust
Why is it that leaders frequently fail to hold people in their organisations accountable for their behaviour? Implementing such recognised measures as performance management, job design, program evaluation, risk management, and planning to achieve better job performance, furthermore, consistently fails to deliver it. The basic problem is that it can be profoundly difficult for leaders to change their own behaviour, let alone influence sustained behavioural change in others. Three basic mistakes contribute to this problem.
Failure to Confront Problem Behaviour
Goal Setting That Works – Aligning Goals and Values
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“Begin with the end in mind,” encourages Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.1 When you look at your life, there are so many goals you could pursue. But before you can set meaningful goals for yourself, you need to know where you want to go. If you clearly understand where you want to be, you can make sure your actions bring you closer to that place each and every day.
Corporations spend billions every year on strategic planning. They align their business goals and operations with their mission and values – their core reasons for being in business. Corporations may complete this exercise in-house or engage the services of an external Consultant who has specialized skills in areas like values alignment, cultural and business analysis, and strategic planning. .
Think or Sink: The one choice that changes everything
January 19, 2010 by Di
Filed under change, change leadership, coaching, leadership, opportunity, resilience, success
What if you could get anything that you wanted without having to change your circumstances? What if you could master your mind so that it would actually alter your experience? What if you could be happy and stress-free regardless of what was going on around you? What if 2010 could be your greatest year ever because you discovered the ONE choice that changes everything?
Wouldn’t you be even the teeniest bit interested? 
Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail: Creating Goals That Last the Distance
January 10, 2010 by Di
Filed under Articles, change leadership, coaching, goal setting, goals
Are you enthusiastic about your plans for the new year? Perhaps you want to lose weight, get fit, study, earn more money, improve your relationships, invest in your personal development or uncover more business opportunities. Or maybe you’re a little more cynical about New Year, deciding instead not to waste your time with new “resolutions”, because, like most people, you’ll probably wind up breaking them.
How do you make New Year’s Resolutions and goals that last the distance?
Business Breakthrough for 2010 Coaching Update
November 9, 2009 by Di
Filed under change, coaching, goal setting, goals, leadership
Have you ever thought about securing the services of a good coach, but hesitated because you weren’t really sure what coaching could do for you or whether it was worth it?
I asked Paula Jandey of Renaissance Tiles, one of my current small business clients to describe her experience:
Leadership and Change – Are CEOs a roadblock to organisational change?
August 30, 2009 by Di
Filed under Teams, coaching, leadership, organisational restructuring, power
The esteemed position of corporate Chief Executive. With the right occupant, the traditional position of Chief Executive is generally regarded as essential to the continued prosperity and evolution of an organisation. Or is it?
Our leaders and educators, and those that came before them instructed us in how organisations work. The models and systems we put in place were largely designed for an age in which the orderly production of goods and services was the dominant economic model for an ever-growing consumer market. Centralised control and authority inside a hierarchy was the primary enabling structure, and the office of the Chief Executive naturally emerged at its apex.
My name is Di Worrall, and I'm an author, corporate change specialist and executive coach. I wrote the new release book - A Climate for Change - How to ride the wave of change into the 21st Century and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for you and your business. You might be a business leader or you might be in the business of coaching, consulting or training business leaders. I created this blog as a companion to the book and to help you and your clients navigate the current climate of change and uncertainty, and lay the foundations for a more sustainable future.
