FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We are here to help you…

Does Annie and her coaching team have one piece of advice they give most every entrepreneur?

Yes, you have to work to become skilled in the game to win it, right? It might be fun to run around on a basketball court, but ultimately, the player has to score to win.

Likewise, as inspiring and exciting as a business vision is, vision alone does not ensure success. Your vision needs definition so that your team can take effective action and help you achieve it. And winning in the game of business takes a team! It is not a solo sport. Execution is what it’s all about in all types of games—which for a company includes execution of both the “business part” (systems and processes) and the “people part” (human behaviors).

My company has had quick success, and I have good people, but I'm embarrassed to tell you, our work environment is a roller coaster! I know I need some help, but I don’t even know what to even ask you. Where would you start?

Entrepreneurial CEOs/Owners are great action takers. I bet you are no exception, but a chaotic work culture has symptoms of team confusion and frustration, overload, always working to catch up; conditions that create a toxic work environment, one where eventually all good people quit.

Most often we see these stem from many things: lack of role clarity, lack of collaboration among the team, communication and behavioral distractions, and missing structure and processes. We would begin by identifying and defining roles and responsibilities, including yours. We discuss your vision, mindset, and the outcomes you are going for—and to name a few other priorities—we would coach you and your team in the skills of leadership and teamwork, delegation and agreement.

I'm a CEO of a midsize company, and I've always assumed I was a good boss, but I feel distant from my team. Morale seems to be down, and I'm not sure what’s wrong or how to fix it. Can you help me?

Yes, for sure we can help! Annie has likely been exactly where you are in her years as CEO of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf—where a distant or dissatisfied team is a symptom of a CEO functioning in the outdated model of top-down authority. If you feel you’re in the habit of “wearing all the hats,” carrying too much responsibility for the actual work and reaching burnout, this might be you.

 

We develop professional leaders for entrepreneurial companies, which includes a greater understanding of the CEO role, mindset and action. CEOs are the visionaries who bring their critical thinking into planning annual goals and projects. Formulating the master plan, knowing the external drivers, understanding industry competition, creating a team, and communicating the roadmap to achieve company outcomes are the CEO’s highest priorities.

 

Our Executive Coaching defines and clarifies your CEO role, and simultaneously develops and aligns a cross-functional team of self-leaders. This not only frees you from burnout but takes you to operating excellence. Our program identifies team roles, behaviors and functions, and teaches people how to collaborate and make conscious agreements, so that they can confidently make decisions and take action.

 

When your people/team are able to contribute their thinking and unique abilities freely, productivity and collaboration for outcomes increases. At the end of the day, they know they are respected as a person and for their work, which naturally boosts morale. Our program is refined and proven. It works!

There are so many buzzwords in our country, that as a growing entrepreneurial business, I’m just trying to keep up. (Words like new normal, synergy, deep dive, psychological safety, etc.) With this in mind, how can you help me create an environment that is aware of all these things (and more), so that I can hire and keep the best employees?

You have likely read about us, or been told, that we are business coaches who emphasize humans, the people part,” as being the most difficult part of building and operating a business. People are extraordinary when performing well, but accomplishing this is more difficult and complex when operating in a team environment. It’s interesting, because even when efficient systems and processes are in place in the “business part,” people still tend to do their own thing, their own way, if they haven’t been taught how to do it differently to achieve results. That negatively impacts the business as well as its culture.

The key to being a work environment that attracts the best employees, is awareness about human behavior, and addressing and shifting behavior that is detrimental to your business success. Our teaching emphasizes Self-Leadership for every employee; no matter their role, with the goal of choosing intentional behavior that has conscious thinking behind it, while making every effort to rein in problematic reactive behavior and self-protective habits that are learned or lifelong. Our method is well established; our CCORETM Empowerment Process is taught to every employee, including owners and CEOs.

When we work with companies, the goal is to see the business grow and the team of people align. The short answer to your question is that our method of teaching and coaching the people part creates an environment that earns a good reputation as a safe, advancing, energetic company that adjusts to change when needed, while at the same time teaches efficient systems and processes that propel the business forward.

People talk, we all know that, so it doesn’t take long for people to hear about a culture that recognizes and takes actions that demonstrate people are their greatest asset. For sure, that’s how you hire and retain the best, but as I said in the beginning, it’s easier said than done. That’s where we come in!

On your website, I see there are different ways you work with executives, companies and teams. How do you determine what I need most from you to be successful in my business?

We, of course, encourage you to begin by learning more about our program from the information in our blog postings on our website. Also, download our free guide, How to Hire A-Players; you will begin to receive tips via email, as well as periodic information about Masterclasses and more. 

 

Next, schedule a Complimentary Discovery Call  with our Lead Executive Coach, Barbara Schindler.

 

Whomever you are in the company, YOU are invited to schedule a call with Barbara, and this is the best time to do so. She will answer your questions and discuss any concerns you may have about your business or team. Barbara has limited times available, so we encourage you to schedule now. She looks forward to getting to know you!

 

To streamline and guide your learning, and to move to the next level of success, we recommend that CEOs consider signing up key leaders for our ‘A+’ Leader Program, which consists of 12 virtual classes, Masterminds, working sessions, and summits personally facilitated and taught by us.

 

APL (as we call it) begins with “Year One” with the continuation into the “Year Two” curriculum. Because our coaches in this program work so closely with APL members, giving one-on-one coaching, this continuous step-by-step support keeps business development from being complicated or hard to figure out.

The “people part” impacts your business more than you know!
Remember, we are humans doing business together, not robots.
Leading Edge Teams helps you discover how the human element of your business is your most important asset.
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“To have the culture you desire, you have to build good leadership habits!”

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