Last week I had the opportunity to the ATD Org Dev Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with my long-time client Aneika Joseph from CAA Club Group. The conference drew organizational development professionals from around the globe and represented companies of all shapes, sizes and sectors. Aneika and I had an opportunity to be on the podium to share the story of our twelve-year partnership and how organizations can accelerate leadership capability, capacity and commitment through group coaching.
Unlike many speakers who opt to pop in to do their ‘gig’ and then leave, I stuck around for the full conference and I’m so glad I did. Here are my five ‘little’ big ideas from people who spend their careers thinking about how to make workplaces better.
- Exit interviews are useless. Well, maybe not useless but if you REALLY want to know how engaged your employees are, the best time to survey them is at the end of their first 60 days with your company. This will give you the ‘first impression’ factor and is a greater predictor of long-term engagement than anything else.
- Culture comes through stories. If you want to ensure your company culture (or team culture) isn’t relegated to simply a bunch of ‘words on the wall’, then start channeling your inner Mother Goose and begin telling culture stories. Helping people understand what things look and feel like is key to creating alignment and getting culture indoctrinated into the organization.
- Even important things need to be prioritized. We’ve probably all heard the old chestnut that the word ‘priority’ was never meant to be plural. A priority is meant to stand alone and yet, how many of us juggle multiple priorities every day. One technique that can help you get clarity on what the real priority is, is to conduct a ‘this even over that’ exercise. For example, ‘progress, even over perfection’, ‘on time shipping even over profitability’. In a sea of all things being important, what’s more important? ‘Even over’ might help you find clarity.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. Anytime you’re introducing a change in ways of working, don’t underestimate the need to repeat yourself. To cover your bases repeat your message three times through three separate mediums. There will always be a gap in perception and our job, as leaders, is to close it.
- FOMO is more powerful than compliance. When I launched The Roundtable in 2007, group coaching programs for leaders was uncommon (unless you were a CEO). Today, more and more companies are recognizing the power that comes from integrating peer group coaching into their leadership programming. They’re also benefiting from the ‘pull’ that comes from leaders and managers asking for more. The shift away from mandated training is a welcome one.
There’s always something incredibly energizing about spending time with a like-minded group of professionals. Organizational Development people are my kind of people. I would highly recommend anyone in my network check out ATD’s 2025 Org Dev conference in Houston in 2025. I’ll be there and looking forward to more learning, conversations and growth.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can support a long-term talent strategy for your leaders, please reach out. We offer complimentary scoping sessions and a free analysis of where group coaching can support your existing leadership initiatives.
