Coaching – Nathan Magnuson

When to Coach… and When Not To

“How can I get my leaders to do a better job coaching their teams?” That’s a question I frequently field from the executives and HR partners I support. I hope you’ve asked that question for yourself as well, because it means developing your team is high on your radar. I’ve…

How Leaders Learn to Lead

June 5, 2017 Coaching Leadership Learning Personal Effectiveness Resilience

How do people learn to be leaders? That’s the question leadership consultant and thought leader Robert J. Thomas answered at a leadership academy event I recently helped organize. Speaking from his book Crucibles of Leadership, Thomas demonstrated that simply taking a course on leadership would do little to transform leadership abilities.…

Becoming a Coaching Leader

December 5, 2016 Coaching Leadership Management Organizational Effectiveness

We hear so much about coaching these days. Leaders need to coach more. Employees need more coaching. High performers need coaching. Low performers need coaching. As leaders, how can we know we’ve done enough? And what does a quality coaching conversation actually look like in action? Over the years, I’ve…

What Should I Get Mentoring For?

July 20, 2015 Coaching Learning Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

Congratulations – you’ve just been selected to participate in a corporate mentoring program. Or maybe you took the initiative and enlisted a mentor yourself. Or perhaps, a seasoned pro has begun to formally or informally take you under his wing. Whatever the case, way to go! Now comes the tricky part:…

Coach K: Mike Krzyzewski on Teamwork

February 2, 2015 Coaching Core Values Inspiration Leadership Teamwork

As a University of Kansas basketball fan, I’ve never rooted for Duke. But there is a Duke moment that stands out in my memory. It occurred probably 10 or 15 years ago. Duke was in the process of getting upset in the NCAA Tournament. They were playing hard that day…

What Coaching Leaders Do Differently

September 15, 2014 Coaching Influence Leadership Personal Effectiveness Questions

“Coaching” has been trending corporate buzzword in organizational leadership for well over a decade. We’re all familiar with athletics coaches. But when someone asks us to coach someone to learn a new skill or solve problem, it’s usually in a professional work context. What do coaches actually do – or…

How to Ask Great Questions

August 18, 2014 Coaching Communication Influence Leadership Learning Personal Effectiveness Questions

This post is excerpted from Nathan’s book Ignite Your Leadership Expertise. What if I told you you don’t need to have a solution for every single problem that comes your way in order to be a competent and mature leader? That’s exactly what I’m about to propose. Hopefully it’s as…

How SMART Are Your Goals?

November 11, 2013 Coaching Leadership Personal Effectiveness planning Strategic Thinking

Zig Ziglar once said that “a goal properly set is halfway reached.” I don’t know about you, but I always figured if I could get a 50% head start in anything, I’d take it! Of course it can take a lot of effort to slug through the dog days of…

Leadership Profile: Coach Dick Burton

May 6, 2013 Coaching Courage Inspiration Leadership Profiles

Have you ever had a coach, teacher, or mentor in your formative years who pushed you to be more than you thought you could become on your own? If so, you’ll strongly appreciate this month’s leadership profile featuring my high school football coach, Dick Burton – even if you’ve never…

What a Leadership Coach Won’t Do For You

March 11, 2013 Coaching Human Resources Leadership Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

Have you ever considered hiring a leadership coach? Do you know someone who has a coach? Contrary to popular opinion, coaches are not just a luxury service for the rich and famous (as one of my past clients once believed). Writers hire writing coaches, speakers hire speaking coaches, actors hire…

Listen Your Way to the Top

February 25, 2013 Coaching Communication Influence Personal Effectiveness

This post is excerpted from Nathan’s book Ignite Your Leadership Expertise. In recent years, we’ve seen a new emphasis placed on the art of listening. It can’t be because listening is all of a sudden more important than it ever was before. Maybe the nature of work in the information…