Design Thinking Leadership

Design Thinking Leadership begins with fully empathizing with what your people, customers, investors, vendors and community are wanting and needing most from you to motivate them to take action on behalf of the mission of your organization or company.

Have you ever noticed how hungry the world is for leaders and leadership that result in trust, confidence, hope and enthusiasm? Could such a leader be you?

Design Thinking Leadership Coaching is developmental and transformational, believing in a leader’s desire to become the best version of themselves and someone who engenders in anyone and everyone they interact with:

1. Trust
2. Confidence
3. Safety
4. Respect
5. Admiration
6. Liking
7. Inspiration

And become that by manifesting these behavioral attributes:

1. Unflappable
2. Present
3. Takes charge
4. Knowledgeable
5. Wise
6. Gracious
7. Humble

By coaching leaders to develop that “unicorn” attribute of aplomb, they handle any challenging situation with poise, confidence and calm. Furthermore they become someone their people want to honor, seek esteem from and give their best effort for (think Coach John Wooden from UCLA).

And BTW if you think the above ideas are too soft, how effective as a leader do you think you’ll be if instead of engendering trust, you triggered distrust; instead of confidence, doubt; instead of safety, fear; instead of respect, disappointment; instead of admiration, embarrassment; instead of liking, disliking; instead of inspiration, nothing.

And with regard to your behavior, instead of unflappable, thin-skinned; instead of present, unapproachable; instead of taking charge, deflecting responsibility; instead of knowledgeable, shooting from the hip; instead of wise, impetuous; instead of gracious, self-aggrandizing; instead of humble, arrogant.

I honed my leadership coaching skills being mentored by Warren Bennis and as a former FBI/police hostage negotiation trainer, corporate conflict resolution specialist, clinical psychiatrist and UCLA professor.

Leaders and mentors are liked and appreciated for how they make you feel; they are beloved for who they help you to become.

Warren, I loved and miss you.