Dr. Earl R. Smith II

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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

Leadership coaching can make a huge difference in the career prospects of an up-and-coming executive. The delays and risks of learning by experience – by your mistakes and successes – can put you seriously behind your competitors. There is a sense of gambling about letting fate take the lead in determining how you will develop your leadership skills. Read the rest of this entry »

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

Leadership coaching is all about bringing out the potential in clients – whether they are executives or managers – entrepreneurs or consultants – at all levels. I have worked with all of these and more as a leadership coach. I help them change – develop leadership skills – by providing them essential space to reflect and grow. Leadership coaching is not only my favorite type of coaching – it can be the most powerful approach for developing a client’s capacity to be very good leaders. Read the rest of this entry »

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

Are you a Chairman of a company or a CEO? Are you finding it difficult to find solutions for the problems faced by your organization? Are you confused about what you should be doing? Maybe you could benefit from a bit of my leadership coaching. Read the rest of this entry »

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

My leadership coaching practice is the source of great satisfaction and great frustration. Leadership is always easier to explain leadership than to practice it. If it becomes difficult for an organization to achieve objectives and remain focused, a close examination of the leadership styles of the senior management team is imperative. Many times, it is these styles and their impact that lie at the root of many challenges that an organization is facing. Many companies are beginning to realize that and have been taking action to improve leadership before challenges become tsunamis. Many CEOs have appointed an advisory boards to help them shape their ideas and manifest them as reality. Programs that offer leadership coaching to a board range of the senior team are now ore and more common. Read the rest of this entry »

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

In my work with boards of directors, the issue of developing a reliable source of leadership comes up often. Boards need a combination of very high quality homegrown and off-site talent in order to meet their responsibilities to the shareholders and provide good governance. One of the most important functions of the board is to see to the succession of the current CEO. Directors must assure that the company has the right CEO and assure that there are candidates in development to take the role once the current CEO has been retired. Helping the board to organize and manage such a flow is one of the most important services that I render. Read the rest of this entry »