A shift has occurred—a shift that’s giving already successful senior leaders a huge edge…
From a study of 11,000 senior leaders across six continents we learned that 95% of leaders who consistently involve their stakeholders measurably improved their effectiveness.
Stop and think about that—95% measurably improved their effectiveness! That’s a huge deal if you’re an already successful senior leader who has their sights set on being even more effective.
What Does Stakeholder Involvement Look Like?
Here’s how it works…
- It’s those who work alongside you, your stakeholders, whose perceptions are going to be most useful to you if you want to enhance your leadership practices.
- Firstly, you’ll lay a solid foundation with your stakeholders when you have a carefully constructed conversation with them about their perceptions of what behaviours, if enhanced in the future, would give your leadership a real edge.
- Having selected the one or two behaviours that will have the most impact on your heightened success as a leader, you then check your stakeholders’ perceptions about what you could do in the future in those selected areas to measurably further enhance your leadership effectiveness—and you do that each month. (Notice the focus is on future behaviours, not past behaviours.)
- Importantly, because of the consistent stakeholder involvement, your selected leadership behaviours and your stakeholders’ perceptions of those behaviours will change in parallel.
This Is Senior Leadership Refinement At Its Best!
Let me describe the structured approach that was used in the 11,000 senior leader study…
Stakeholder Centered Coaching (SCC) is a practical methodology based on the researched premise that most successful executives have a good intellectual understanding of the various tools and skills required to successfully lead.
The major leadership challenge for successful executives is not understanding the practice of leadership—but practicing their understanding of leadership.
And SCC enables that.
Marshall Goldsmith, whom many in the human resources discipline will already know, developed the framework. He was recently recognised as the #1 leadership thinker in the world at the Thinkers 50 ceremony sponsored by the Harvard Business Review. He’s also a bestselling author and known as the world’s leading executive coach. (Now that’s not to be scoffed at 
.)
What Outcomes Have Successful Leaders Experienced With SCC?
We know that when the SCC process is followed:
- The leader will experience long-term enhancements to their leadership behaviours—guaranteed!
- Although the method uses a disciplined approach, it’s neither time consuming nor difficult to understand.
- Because of consistent stakeholder involvement, stakeholders’ perceptions alter as the leader’s behaviour alters. (Let’s remember, it’s not a-piece-of-cake to alter others’ perceptions—even when your behaviours have altered!)
- Stakeholders feel respected, valued and appreciated, during and after the process.
- The quality of conversations in the organisation is seriously boosted—from which superior quality relationships and teamwork flow.
Be warned though, it’s not a quick fix—but the commitment the senior leader makes has a massive pay-off as stakeholders’ perceptions of the leader are reshaped and the leader’s leadership reinvigorated.
Why The SCC Process?
You could attempt to construct a similar program to SCC—but it’s the specific framework of SCC and its precise structure that sets it apart from copycat programs.
This framework and structure enables me (a certified SCC coach) to personally guarantee that suitable senior leaders will measurably evolve and strengthen their leadership.
If you choose, I’m prepared to demonstrate that commitment by having a substantial portion of my fee subject to the leader’s measurable change—as assessed by their stakeholders.
That’s how strong the evidence is that the SCC approach works.
Your Leadership Call To Action
If you’re an already successful senior leader who’s ready to further heighten the effectiveness of your leadership (or if you have an associate who is, or if you head HR in your organisation), I’d be pleased to have a chat with you so we can determine if this program is right for you, and if not, what could be a good alternative for you.
Send me an email to arrange a time to speak.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carolyn Stevens has worked with leaders for more than 25-years—hundreds of them.
She’s supported leader after leader (including those who previously struggled to confront the difficult, let alone persuasively deal with the it) flourish—and become confident, courageous and impressively influential.
Carolyn is authentic and results-oriented. She draws on an eclectic array of approaches, tools and techniques to suit the situation.
