Did you ever regret how you reacted to a certain situation at work or home and wonder why you consistently react that way? If you knew how to react differently, would you change it? These are the people with whom that I work: business leaders who recognize the need to change and who seek increased business success and personal fulfillment. I thrive working with those individuals who truly want to be challenged.
As a Vistage Chair, I lead four full groups of non-competing business executives: two groups of CEO’s, Presidents and Business Owners, and two groups of Senior Executives who report directly to them. In these peer groups, I facilitate the process of my members challenging each other and giving honest, caring feedback in all aspects of their lives. Between the monthly meetings, I also provide executive coaching.
My 30-year plus career includes several leadership positions ranging from a hands-on Manager to President and Board Member. By leading difficult and complex projects, such as start-ups and mergers, I honed my unique combination of technical and people skills, and I discovered my love for working with people to accomplish change. Others describe me as having an ability to uncover hidden issues and succinctly summarize their essence.
Real personal change requires becoming aware before habitual reactions occur. The Vistage program and my executive coaching help leaders become more conscious and less reactionary which leads to better results in business while living a happier personal life.
Recent Posts by Cheryl
“From now on, we WILL have a culture of accountability!” says Fred, the CEO of ABC Company at his monthly Executive Team meeting. His team looks at each other and they roll their eyes. They know something that Fred doesn’t: accountability starts with him, and he doesn’t have a clue…
"How productive was your day, today?" I asked a member. "Very!" he said. “Great! What made it so productive?” "I spent the day with my Executive Team. It felt good to resolve some important business issues with my key leadership." What a unique view of productivity!. Why don't I hear…
Elvis Costello keeps singing in my head. “What so hard about peace, love and understanding?” It starts me thinking about today’s topic: What’s so hard about asking a question? Why Is Question Asking Important? In my practice as a Vistage Chair, I use a Socratic approach with my members, asking…
One vital function of the role of CEO is eliminating barriers. Since the CEO holds THE position of power within the organization, only he/she can remove the major barriers that impede execution and employee engagement. Here is a Checklist list of common barriers to help you identify them in your…
A Blinding Flash of the Not So Obvious Frank, is the founder and owner of WidgetsRUs which is 20 years old and in perpetual growth mode. Frank is a typical entrepreneur; optimistic and full of ideas. To finance growth, Widgets needs cash; lots of it. Before the last recession, Frank…
For many reasons, CEO’s find themselves doing work that others can and should be doing. That’s not the mistake that I will discuss here, though. This blog will focus on mistakes leaders make when they attempt to delegate work but actually abdicate it. Most Common Scenario: Over his morning…
I believe that the health of company is directly related to the health of it’s leader. Therefore, my primary strategy, as a Vistage Chair, is to help my members learn and grow so that they can become better leaders. I became a Vistage Chair, I wanted to supplement my business…
During a meeting with a couple of other Vistage Chairs, we were discussing the most common mistakes we see CEO’s make. This is the first, in a series, about them. Avoiding Difficult People Issues “If I didn’t have to deal with people, my job would be easy!” My members and…
Empathic Listening When I first became a Vistage Chair several years ago, I thought I already had good listening skills. I was wrong. Since then, I have become convinced that if everyone knew how to truly listen, relationships and businesses would vastly improve. Let’s briefly explore listening. Understanding others would…
Tactical Planning-Annual Goals Empirical evidence shows that the most successfully attained goals are visible, written and motivating. Once you have designed your "Big Picture", your next step is to break it down into smaller components that can be easily communicated and tracked. For each strategic initiative, identify what you specifically…
What are Self-Observation and the Inner Observer? August 14, 2017 The Enneagram personality system has changed my life. Not only…
Organizational Context = Culture March 5, 2018 We began this series with an invitation to think about…
The Art of Question Asking: The Other Half of… July 12, 2011 Elvis Costello keeps singing in my head. “What so hard…
What is Individual Context and Why You Should Care January 8, 2018 In my work, I have the privilege of working with…
Why Context in Relationships Matters February 5, 2018 Part 1 of this series covered individual (personal) context. This…
