Cohen Leadership Group

09/12/2022

If you had a case of the “Sunday Scaries” 👻 yesterday and today is a “Manic Monday” 🎶 — we have good news: ⁣
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Tomorrow can be the day EVERYTHING CHANGES. ⁣
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Tomorrow (9/13), my partners in Level Up Legal and I will host a Masterclass: Manage Your Energy, Reclaim Your Time.

You’ll learn why traditional time management techniques miss the mark and get a taste of the life-changing potential of energy management. This is a FREE, limited-time opportunity.

Click here to reserve your spot: https://lnkd.in/gT79KZUh. 🔗💥⁣

(There will be two more opportunities - 9/14 and 9/20. Same registration link).
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We'll also open the registration doors to our signature course: The Leveled Up Lawyer, designed to take you from stressed, depleted, and unfulfilled — to energized and in control of your life and career. ⁣🔔 You’ll have a limited time to decide if you’d like to join us before the journey begins, on September 22nd. 🗓⁣
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We’re on a mission to fuel an energetic movement in the law and we’re just getting started — let’s co-create some magic.✨⁣

08/11/2022

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people." — Mahatma Gandhi

I love great quotes, and this is a truly great quote. 🙌

Ever wonder why I talk so much about others (i.e. the team) while discussing your leadership? THIS IS WHY. Great leadership is a people skill, and to expand your potential we have to focus on other people. From developing their talents and overcoming their weaknesses, to understanding their emotions and navigating their obstacles, how you get along with your team defines your leadership success.

Are you a quote lover like me? This list of leadership quotes provides some serious inspiration: https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/the-100-best-leadership-quotes-of-all-time.html

08/11/2022

My series on the Six Conditions for Team Effectiveness continues with installment No. 4! We've finished up the essential conditions and are moving on to the enabling conditions.

Up first: Sound structure.

When assessing whether your team is supported by a sound structure, start with these questions.

➡️ Does your team have more than 10 people? (If so, it may be too big).
➡️ Does the team actually perform tasks that make sense to be done by THIS team?
➡️ Are there clear norms of conduct in place that guide HOW the team works together?

Why is this important? Think of it as a blueprint — if it doesn't add up on paper, how can the team prosper IRL?

While there's not an overnight fix, you can build a sound structure if you don't already have one. Cementing the goals and expectations is the first step.

08/09/2022

Is expanding your tech literacy on your to-do list? As HBR explains, learning a new digital skill may not be required for strong leadership, but leaders do need a certain level of digital know-how.

"The good news is that most leaders don't need to learn to code. Instead, they need to learn how to work with people who code. This means becoming a digital collaborator and learning how to work with developers, data scientists, user experience designers, and product managers — not completely retraining."

Although I wish the premise of this article was not true, even as a small business owner, I've realized a certain digital fluency is essential. The first time I had trouble with my website, I called my domain provider and they were talking to me in what seemed like a different language. I wanted to bang my head against the wall. I couldn't figure out how to fix the issue because I didn't know what questions to ask or how to translate what they were telling me. So I started learning — not because I wanted to, but by necessity.

How does this show up for you in your work?

While most leaders now know that tech is a vital part of business, many are wondering what they really need to know about technology to succeed in the digital age. Coding bootcamps may appeal to some, but for many leaders, learning to code is simply not the best investment. It takes a long time to b...

08/05/2022

Yesterday's post is the perfect segue into the next of the 6 Team Conditions: The Right People.

Wondering if your senior leadership team has the right people? There are the obvious qualifiers — Can they do the job? Do they have the right leadership acumen and skills? Do they have the desire? — and other factors that are more nuanced. For instance, does the team include a healthy and diverse balance of perspectives, talents, and strengths?

Every person on the leadership team should contribute value in moving the team purpose and organizational objectives forward. If anyone is just "along for the ride," it's time to reassess. If you're not sure, a team diagnostic survey can help. Reach out to learn more.

Source: 6 Team Conditions.

08/04/2022

Your senior leadership team has never been more important.

This quote from "Senior Leadership Teams: What It Takes to Make Them Great" by Ruth Wageman, Debra A. Nunes, James A. Burruss, and J. Richard Hackman says it all. It explains that as a result of the complexities of modern business, the days of the heroic leader are over. C-suite executives are depending more on their senior leadership teams to move forward to objectives of the business.

As you depend more and more on your senior leadership teams, it's important to remember that they're only as successful as you set them up to be. Teams do not miraculously work well together. It takes careful thought, intentionality, team buy-in, and effort to create the conditions that will enable a healthy and high-performing team.

08/03/2022

Last week we talked about above-the-line and below-the-line responses. Now let's apply the concept to leadership as a whole.

I asked attendees of a recent workshop to brainstorm the characteristics of an above- and below-the-line-leader. Here are a few of the big ones...

Above the line: Empowering, approachable, empathetic, accountable

Below the line: Fake, micromanaging, combative, lack of communication, stubborn

Let's try some examples:

Above the line — In general, you make a point to know all of your people — not just what they do, but who they are. One of your people is ready for a new challenge. You go out of your way to create a new opportunity for her. You support her from behind the scenes, creating space for her to learn and grow along the way. And when she kills it, you let her take all of the credit.

Below the line — You get into a disagreement and prioritize being right no matter what (below the line). Your team finds you combative and stubborn (also below the line). Your continued behavior perpetuates the notion that below-the-line behavior is accepted on your team and hinders growth for all. And with each below-the-line action, your ability to lead your people effectively diminishes a little too.

At a time when every leader in every industry needs to retain their people, you can't afford to be a below-the-line leader.

Look, there's no judgment here. We all fall below the line sometimes. The key is being aware when you fall below the line so that you can make a choice to change something.

08/02/2022

This author suggests that only the people at the top of organization have true flexibility. That feels like a bit of an overstatement. I think it's fair to expect that flexibility will not be totally equalized across all layers of an organization.

What do you think — is asynchronous work out of sync?

While three-quarters of C-suite execs set their own hours, less than a quarter of workers at the admin or analyst level do.

08/01/2022

I scrolled past this the other day and it made me pause. I hear people talk a lot about the value of loyalty, but we often mistake the meaning of that word. Loyalty does not mean silencing or sacrificing yourself — your thoughts, opinions, happiness, comfort — for the sake of someone else. In fact, loyalty demands the opposite. What does loyalty mean to you?

07/29/2022

Is your team clear on its purpose?

Each week I'm breaking down the 6 conditions necessary for high team performance, and condition #2 is COMPELLING PURPOSE.

The existence of a compelling purpose is an essential prerequisite to unlocking exponential team results.

A compelling purpose is:
📍 clear;
📍 challenging; and
📍 consequential.

(and distinct from your organization's purpose).

Believe it or not, most teams have a purpose that is challenging and consequential, but not clear. How could that be? They know what they're there to do is challenging and important, but they're not totally sure what it is they're supposed to be doing TOGETHER. As a result, they don't know how to work interdependently to accomplish that purpose. Instead, members of the team work then in their functional silos and spend meeting time reporting in to one another. They get by, but they don't get ahead.

Getting clarity on purpose isn't a heavy lift — it's just a conversation most teams never have. If this is your team, set aside three hours to workshop this question as a team. And if you'd like support, reach out!

07/28/2022

If you've ever been in a hybrid meeting with inadequate technology, you know it makes for a lousy experience (think: someone pointing a laptop we**am around the room so the people attending virtually can [sort of] hear/see what's going on).

In general, I advise against a hybrid meeting; however, sometimes it's unavoidable. For instance, several of the senior leadership teams I work with have members who travel frequently. In that case, a hybrid meeting is better than no meeting.

The best hybrid meeting equalizes the experience for everyone, regardless of whether they attend live or virtually. I've been recommending these hybrid meeting tools to create a more inclusive energy (in no particular order):

- Poly Studio: http://ow.ly/IjI350K576l

- Neat Meetings: http://ow.ly/Atap50K576o

- Meeting Owl 3: http://ow.ly/168a50K576k

Have you tried any of these tools? If so, please share your review! And if you have another must-have meeting tech recommendation, drop it in the comments.

07/27/2022

We all know those leaders who suck all the energy out of a room. But low energy leadership is more subtle than that.

It comes down to this: are you above the line or below the line?

Above the line leaders are open, curious, and committed to learning.
Below the line leaders are closed, defensive and committed to being right.

Let's break down some examples:

➡️ You're on the receiving end of a hard conversation...

Below line reaction: "No, you're wrong."
Above the line response: "What can this teach me?"

➡️ You hear about an unexpected change at work...

Below the line reaction: "Not another change, I'm out of here."
Above the line response: "What's the opportunity in this?"

➡️ Someone on your team suggests a new approach to a process you crafted...

Below the line reaction: "I'm the boss — who do you think you are to challenge me?"
Above the line response: "Great, we're all about continuous improvement here."

When you're below the line, you hinder growth, learning and relationships. But there's no judgment. We all fall below the line sometimes. Being aware that you're below the line is more important than being below the line. With that awareness, you can choose to make a change.



Credit for above/below the line model: 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership