Connecting Archives - Page 6 of 11

Ask questions.

"The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions," Claude Levi-Strauss. In developing and coaching people, we must cultivate the habit of curiosity. At times this can be challenging, we are busy and want to get to the bottom line. Nurturing curiosity requires creativity and intentionality--this can take time. Questions are critical to curiosity. Asking questions keeps you informed, in touch, and aware. In reality, how many of us invest time in developing good questions prior to a one-on-one meeting? Here is an idea to consider: set aside ten minutes prior to your one-on-one's and jot down critical questions. Make sure they are open-ended to inspire dialogue. During your meeting STAY CURIOUS, ask more questions as [...]

By Bob Fashano|2021-06-15T18:47:19+00:00June 15th, 2021|Connecting, Development, Leadership, Listening|0 Comments

The essentials of mentorship.

Building upon last week’s message of mentorship, I wanted to dive a little deeper. Fred Manske Jr. author of the Secrets of Effective Leadership nailed it when he said, “The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point they surpass him or her in knowledge or ability.” There are several characteristics of an effective mentor. Wisdom: there is no substitution for experience. Your past successes and failures are your bank account for an effective mentor. Empathy: chances are you were mentored and can relate to the place the mentee is in. Patience: growing and developing people takes time. If you are not willing to invest the time needed, you simply cannot be effective at mentoring. [...]

By Bob Fashano|2021-06-01T17:44:44+00:00June 2nd, 2021|Coaching, Connecting, Development, Leadership|0 Comments

Serve and lead — really?

As you may be aware, there are volumes written on the topic of being a servant leader. Perhaps one of the first works came from Robert Greenleaf's book "Servant Leadership: a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness." I must confess for quite a while when I thought about servanthood, I had a vision of an activity performed by a relatively low-skilled person. My "old school mindset" assumed that if we serve, people will have a lesser view of us. Over the years I have come to learn that couldn't be further from the truth. To prove the point, think about a mother. They naturally serve their family members. Mother's are typically the one person in our life [...]

By Bob Fashano|2021-05-05T11:51:30+00:00May 5th, 2021|Connecting, Leadership|0 Comments

Stay curious and seek connection.

My friend and mentor John Maxwell said it best with this quote, "Good leaders ask great questions that inspire others to dream more, think more, learn more, do more and become more." What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word conversation? The answer typically is talking. Guess what? Did you know that 80% of a successful conversation involves listening? Great conversationalists have one thing in common. They ask questions that draws others out. Why is that? Well, it is a simple truth: people like to talk about their favorite subject, which is themselves. In order to have a great conversation, I've come up with an easy technique called the 2C's: curiosity and connection. Be curious: [...]

By Bob Fashano|2021-03-17T12:14:36+00:00March 17th, 2021|Coaching, Connecting, Development, Listening|0 Comments

Make the other person feel “felt.”

Over the years I have learned a powerful truth I would like to share with you. Inside every person, regardless of importance, fame, or future is a real person who needs to feel "felt." As leaders, when we satisfy that need we are well on our way to connecting in meaningful ways. Making someone feel "felt" simply means putting yourself in the other person's shoes. I know that is so basic, well folks, it is sticking to the basics that usually wins championships and grows businesses. So many times in our busy day-to-day lives we are too fragmented to take the time to connect and make them feel "felt." Psychologists refer to a concept called mirror neurons. This when you [...]

By Bob Fashano|2021-03-10T13:16:42+00:00March 10th, 2021|Coaching, Connecting, Leadership, Listening|0 Comments