The Happy Leader

Amy Sanchez
The Happy Leader

Hear stories and leadership tips from coaching some of the most innovative leaders and teams in Silicon Valley. Executive Coach Amy Sanchez will help you navigate the most common leadership challenges so you can amplify what matters most- happiness.

  1. Annual Planning

    29 ЖОВТ.

    Annual Planning

    Annual planning is a critical step in ensuring the success of your business and your effectiveness as a leader. It acts as the North Star that provides direction for the upcoming year, aligning your team’s efforts with the company's overarching goals. Without it, you risk disorganization, inefficient resource allocation, and missed opportunities. By setting clear goals, allocating resources wisely, and outlining strategic priorities, annual planning helps to streamline operations and keep everyone focused on what matters most. For leaders, it’s an opportunity to reflect on past successes and failures, improve team collaboration, and establish a clear vision for the future. This week I tell the story of a Silicon Valley company where I played a key role in guiding the annual planning process. Before implementing annual planning, the company was struggling with misaligned departments, frequent conflict, and wasted resources. By helping the leadership team introduce an effective annual planning structure, I was able to guide them toward greater alignment and efficiency. Over the course of two years, their annual planning process transformed the company. Collaboration improved, goals were clearly defined, and revenue grew as a direct result of this structured approach. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast How can annual planning help align your team and improve efficiency?What are the key steps to creating an effective annual plan for your business?How can leaders ensure their annual plan remains flexible and adaptable throughout the year? Resources: ·        Articles Performance through People, Transforming Human Capital into Competitive Advantage - by, McKinsey Global Institute, February 2023.  Annual Planning: Is it Worth It? - by Mykola Tymkiv Swim Against the Current

    18 хв
  2. How to Deliver Difficult Feedback

    8 ЖОВТ.

    How to Deliver Difficult Feedback

    Failing to give honest and constructive feedback can lead to a host of problems for your team. Without feedback, employees may continue to make the same mistakes or operate inefficiently without understanding how to improve. This lack of communication can cause misunderstandings, lower morale, and eventually lead to team dysfunction. Moreover, as a leader, withholding feedback means you miss the opportunity to help your team grow, which can result in missed performance goals, stagnation, and frustration for both you and your team. Providing clear, timely feedback is essential for cultivating a healthy and high-performing team. This week I tell the story of Monique, a highly successful CEO whose discomfort with conflict and difficult conversations undermined her leadership team. Because Monique avoided giving critical feedback, her leadership team became plagued with gossip, infighting, and an inability to collaborate. As a result, Monique found herself constantly stepping in to mediate and fix problems, which drained her time and energy. Her reluctance to address the issues head-on had a ripple effect, preventing her team from reaching their full potential and creating a toxic environment. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast What are the risks of not providing honest and constructive feedback to your team?How can leaders deliver difficult feedback effectively using the SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) model?How does constructive feedback contribute to building a more collaborative and high-performing team? Resources: Two-Thirds of Managers Are Uncomfortable Communicating with Employees - by Lou Solomon, Harvard Business Review, March 2016Optimizing Positive Feedback - by Dr. Joel M. Rothaizer, MCC, Forbes, Sept. 2023 --- Contact Amy to train your team on how to give constructive feedback: amy@swim-against.com

    15 хв
  3. How to Foster Better Team Collaboration

    17 ВЕР.

    How to Foster Better Team Collaboration

    Getting the most beneficial collaboration out of your team isn’t just good for the team—it’s good for you and your company as well. Effective collaboration helps team members share diverse ideas, pool knowledge, and work toward common goals, which leads to better problem-solving and improved outcomes. As a manager, fostering this collaboration creates a more efficient and harmonious environment, reducing the need for constant intervention. For your company, collaborative teams are more innovative, resilient, and productive, making the business stronger and more competitive in the long run. Collaboration can be undermined when a scarcity mindset and competition rear up. When resources like time, budget, or recognition feel limited, team members may become more competitive, holding back information to get ahead. This creates silos rather than fostering cooperation. In addition, when leaders or team members don’t show vulnerability or create a safe space for open dialogue, trust is eroded, making collaboration even more difficult. To build a truly collaborative team, leaders must model transparency and focus on creating an abundance mindset, where the emphasis is on what’s possible rather than what’s lacking. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast How can leaders foster a more collaborative and high-performing team?What role does scarcity mindset play in undermining collaboration, and how can it be overcome?How can showing vulnerability as a leader improve team communication and trust? Resources: Why Collaboration Yields Improved Productivity (And The Science Behind It) - by Kate Vitasek, Forbes March 8th, 2022Why Collaboration Is Critical in Uncertain Times - by Jenny Fernandez, Kathryn Landis, and Julie Lee, Harvard Business Review February 13th, 2024New Study Finds That Collaboration Drives Workplace Performance - by Adi Gaskell, Forbes December 10th, 2021Cues of working together fuel intrinsic motivation - by Priyanka B. Carr, Gregory M. Walton, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology July 2014 https://swim-against.com/contact/

    13 хв
  4. Mastering the One-on-One Meeting

    3 ВЕР.

    Mastering the One-on-One Meeting

    One-on-one meetings between leaders and their direct reports are essential for the success of both the team and the manager. These meetings create a dedicated space for meaningful communication, allowing managers to understand their employees' challenges, aspirations, and motivations. By investing time in these regular check-ins, leaders can build trust, foster engagement, and create a supportive environment where employees feel valued. This connection not only boosts team morale but also directly contributes to the overall effectiveness of the manager, as it enables them to stay in tune with the needs and progress of their team. To make the most out of one-on-one meetings, it's important to approach them with intention and structure. Best practices include setting a consistent schedule, allowing employees to build the agenda, and focusing on topics beyond just project updates. These meetings should be a time to check in on well-being, explore team dynamics, discuss professional development goals, and provide constructive feedback. They shouldn’t be a meeting to merely get updated on projects and deliverables.  When done right, one-on-one meetings can be uplifting for employees, giving them a sense of purpose and direction while reinforcing their connection to the organization. By creating a safe space for open dialogue, managers can inspire greater initiative and commitment from their team members. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast How can one-on-one meetings improve employee engagement and overall team success?What are the best practices for conducting effective one-on-one meetings with your direct reportsHow can leaders use one-on-one meetings to uncover and address potential issues before they escalate? Resources:   HBR Article: Make the Most of Your One-On-One Meetings  Research: https://www.gallup.com/services/182138/state-american-manager.aspx Reach out to Amy for the 1:1 Meeting Template: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-sanchez/

    24 хв
  5. Improve Leadership Team Performance

    20 СЕРП.

    Improve Leadership Team Performance

    In any organization, leadership behavior significantly influences the overall culture and effectiveness of the organization. But oftentimes, this predominant style can go unrecognized for years until the organization decides to tune in. When an organization is ready to take a hard and honest look at the strengths and weaknesses of the leadership team in an effort to improve the entire organization, levering a diagnostic tool can be helpful. One of the most effective tools for identifying and understanding leadership traits is the DiSC framework. DiSC categorizes leadership styles into four primary types: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). By learning the predominant DiSC style of the leadership team, organizations can gain valuable insights into the motivations and behaviors of their top leaders whose impact is trickling down throughout the company. This knowledge helps to identify strengths- which can then be amplified- and also blind spots—areas where a leadership team's predominant style may hinder progress or create challenges. Once these blind spots are recognized, strategies can be implemented to address them, leading to a more efficient and effective organization. This episode dives into exactly how to do that. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast How can understanding different leadership styles improve team dynamics and overall organizational performance?What are the key traits of each DISC style, and how do they influence decision-making and team management?How can identifying and addressing leadership blind spots through the DISC framework lead to more effective management and increased organizational success? Resources: What is Affinity Bias, and Why Does it Matter, Forbes, 2/21/2024Everything DiSCSwim Against The Current

    20 хв
  6. Boomer to Gen Z- Clashing Leadership Styles

    8 ЛИП.

    Boomer to Gen Z- Clashing Leadership Styles

    In today's diverse workplace, managing multiple generations effectively is crucial. Each generation brings unique experiences, values, and work styles, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts if not properly addressed. By recognizing and adapting to these differences, managers can foster a more inclusive and productive environment. Understanding that one-size-fits-all management approaches are outdated, and that flexibility and empathy can bridge generational gaps, is essential for modern leadership. This week I share my story of a personal encounter with a generational clash that highlights the importance of adapting management styles. After delivering a management training session on the importance of catering to different generational needs, I faced criticism from a senior leader on LinkedIn. His traditional view clashed with the modern, flexible approach I advocated for. This interaction reminded me of my own experiences in the corporate world, where rigid management styles stifled innovation and marginalized those who thought differently. It was a pivotal moment that reaffirmed my commitment to fostering inclusive leadership and ultimately led me to become an executive coach. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast How can managers adapt their management styles to meet the needs of different generations in the workplace?What are the common challenges faced by employees when their generational preferences clash with traditional management styles?What strategies can managers use to create a more inclusive and collaborative work environment that respects generational differences? Resources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roncarucci/2024/01/24/one-more-time-why-diversity-leads-to-better-team-performance/ Swim Against the Current

    10 хв
  7. Empower Your Team to Take Initiative

    18 ЧЕРВ.

    Empower Your Team to Take Initiative

    Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager requires a significant behavioral shift. As individual contributors, we are used to solving problems and handling tasks independently. However, as managers, our role shifts to empowering our team members to take initiative and perform effectively. This transition is crucial because it not only alleviates our own workload but also fosters a sense of ownership and growth within the team. By enabling our direct reports to contribute meaningfully, we create a more efficient and motivated team, which ultimately leads to better organizational outcomes. This week I share a story about Oscar, a rapidly promoted leader in Silicon Valley who faced a common challenge. Despite his success as an individual contributor, Oscar struggled with micromanaging his team, which stifled their growth and initiative. He realized that his hands-on approach was causing his team to rely too heavily on him. Through coaching, Oscar learned to set collaborative goals, use a coaching approach to problem-solving, and apply situational leadership techniques. These changes transformed his team dynamics, increased their ownership and efficiency, and allowed Oscar to focus on strategic planning. Key Questions Discussed In the Podcast How can setting collaborative goals with your team members foster better engagement and initiative?What are some effective coaching methods managers can use to empower their teams?How does situational leadership help in addressing the diverse needs of team members and improving overall performance? Resources Mentioned In the Podcast SMART GoalsThe Happy Leader Episode 13: How to Set Goals That Inspire Your TeamThe Four Leadership Styles of Situational LeadershipTake the Free Values Assessment Executive Coaching Discovery Session

    17 хв

Опис

Hear stories and leadership tips from coaching some of the most innovative leaders and teams in Silicon Valley. Executive Coach Amy Sanchez will help you navigate the most common leadership challenges so you can amplify what matters most- happiness.

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