Dr. Earl R. Smith II

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

Leaders are supposed to have a vision that will guide the team towards victory – at least that is what is taught in the post-Fordist focused classes in most MBA programs. This is particularly true in the entrepreneurial parts of those curriculums. However, one of the things that graduate business education tends to do less well is to prepare their graduates for real-world experiences where real people attempt to work together towards some sort of goal. A number of my leadership coaching engagements have been with relatively recent graduates and they all suffered from this blind spot. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

My leadership coaching engagements tend to focus initially on the habits and leadership style of the client. A first stop on this journey is often the way in which they gather and process information about their team members. Often executives – particularly CEOs – have developed insensitivity or blind spots that prevents them from achieving what I call ‘situational awareness’. The actual dynamics of any situation or relationship largely define what is possible. Lack of a sharply focused awareness of those dynamics is a primary reason why so many potentially powerful and inspirational leaders end up frustrated and ineffective. Improving situational awareness becomes one of the principal goals in leadership development. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

A successful manager is the one who is able to get the strongest performance from his team. Most high-performance managers have employed an executive coach during their rise to the top. One of reasons that this pattern is so prevalent is that a coach helps bring out the best in the manager – and that helps the manager bring out the best in their team. Qualities that a manager should have and be able to imbue in his team are those that enable his employees to prosper and perform productively. Through the assistance of an executive leadership coach, these skills are nurtured and refined. Here are some of the areas that I work on with clients in my coaching practice: Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

It is the dream of many executives in this world to become a great leader. Some are born leaders while others develop leadership qualities thorough perseverance and diligent work. In my long experience with leadership coaching, the later group is the larger by far – and the most productive. The ‘natural’ is often beaten out by the ‘self-made’ leader. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

Leadership coaching can help you to improve your leadership and personal growth dramatically. You can enhance your professional and personal relationships with the help of an efficient leadership coach. You can gain confidence and increase productivity. In today’s busy world, many people struggle to balance leadership skills and personal growth. This often results in work stress and family problems. They feel lack of support and a sense of isolation. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

Some of my organizational coaching engagements begin with a search for the right place to start. Most often, the initial contact comes from either the CEO or Chairman of the Board. “What can we do to shake things up? Where do we start and get a high-impact initial result?” Before I respond to questions like these, I insist that we do an organizational and management assessment. After all, responding before knowing is probably one of the reasons that the company is facing the challenges that it is. One of the most frequent results of the assessments is that the leadership within the company is simply not up to the task of running it and leading the team. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

Just as every ship needs a captain, every organization needs a leader. Every captain needs a support network of officers and every leader needs a senior team – leadership is an extended function. Organizations seldom choose a leader. Mostly leaders emerge, contend for supremacy and are selected from among competing candidates – much like the selection in the recent US presidential election. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

My leadership coaching engagements inevitably turn to the definition of leadership. Most of my clients think they have an idea what the term means but their attempts to lead seem to prove them a bit off base. Although I am convinced that leadership is not an intellectual understanding, it is often helpful to get them to think about the characteristics of a good leader. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

Leadership is easier to explain than to practice – but when you see it you know it intuitively. My leadership coaching engagements are with executives who have developed some leadership skill and are intent on improving. Many have discovered that, as they rise in an organization, it has become more and more difficult to achieve objectives or remain focused. My leadership coaching approach focuses on the necessary improvements to allow clients to master the challenges that they are facing and prepare for the new ones that an advancing career inevitably brings. Even top executives hire me to help them hone their leadership skills. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Earl R. Smith II
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
www.Dr-Smith.com

The first objective of leadership assessment is to discover the leadership qualities in you. A good assessment program will focus on qualities such as integrity, inspiration, enthusiasm, perseverance, judgment, collaboration, team building, courage, problem solving and self-renewal. A leadership assessment is helpful in discovering leadership characteristics hidden in you and for developing an action plan for bringing them out. Leadership development enables you to meet the challenges of the highly competitive business world and to significantly improve your career prospects. Read the rest of this entry »