Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Coaching Guide For Upward Mobility
Coaching Guide For Upward Mobility
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The Emergent Leader
The Emergent Leader (EL) Coaching Guide for Upward Mobility is a workbook that can help
uncover blind spots, strengthen leadership skills, and change behaviors that directly impact
your upward mobility. The workbook includes 18 comprehensive, self-pace activities designed
to catapult your upward progression in an organization. The workbook was specifically
developed for the minority business professional emerging leader.
Based on extensive research, the El coaching program is designed around the 5 prominent
behaviors and characteristics of executive leaders - Executive Presence, Emotional Intelligence,
Communication, Strategy Management, and Trust.
This guide includes activities that addresses the 5 barriers to upward mobility that EL run into in
an organization while preparing them for accelerated growth in Corporate America.
5 Problems
Most corporations do not fund or offer a results-driven leadership program to develop and
prepare minority business professionals for executive positions.
Most minority business professionals lack access to busy executive leaders to gain the
experience that is required to be promoted into an executive leadership position.
Most minority business professionals are offered less access to much-needed business and
management skills that are helpful when advancing in corporate.
Most minority business professionals spend years in management roles and never reach the
ranks of executive leadership.
Most minority business professionals lack the executive presence, communication, strategy
management, and emotional intelligence skills that are required for an executive leadership
position.
This guide can help you increase your capacity and experience in executive presence, enhance
clarity and awareness to make better business decisions, enhance their capacity in self-
awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, foster a culture
of trust, and enhance their knowledge of strategic management.
If you have any questions, email Dr. Mario D. Wallace at allthigsstrategic@gmail.com. He will
respond to you in 24 hours.
© Copyright 2020 by Mario D. Wallace, DBA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying,
recording, or electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher,
addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address. All Things Strategic PO Box
55661 Little Rock, Arkansas 72215 Allthingsstrategic.biz Allthingsstrategic@gmail.com
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Activity 1: Executive Leadership Assessment
Instructions: Please place a check mark in the appropriate box to indicate how much
you agree or disagree with the following statements.
4. I am an effective, positive
communicator who actively
listens and engages others.
5. I am confident in my ability to
lead, transform, and influence
my team.
6. I am self-aware of my
strengths and weaknesses, and
I know how to leverage them.
8. I am a powerful presenter
who engages and influence
others.
9. I know how to effectively
develop, executed, and manage
strategic plans that yields a high
return on investment.
10. I manage emotional reac-
tions well when pressured by
work-related politics and chal-
lenging circumstances.
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Activity 2: Emergent Leader Performance Gaps?
Instructions: Please transfer your assessment scores from the previous page to the
bar chart below to get a graphical representation of your readiness for an executive
leadership position. Please shade in the bars accordingly.
Example
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10
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Emergent Leader Performance Gaps?
Instructions: Please transfer your assessment scores from the previous page to the
bar chart below to get a graphical representation of your readiness for an executive
leadership position. Please shade in the bars accordingly.
Example
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10
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Activity 3: What Are Your Monthly Goals?
Instructions: Identify goals that will help you close the performance gap that you have
identified in the Executive Leadership Assessment. Choose S.M.A.R.T. goals. Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Sensitive.
What is my goal?
Why is this goal so critical for my upward mobility?
How can I achieve this goal?
What is my goal?
Why is this goal so critical for my upward mobility?
How can I achieve this goal?
What is my goal?
Why is this goal so critical for my upward mobility?
How can I achieve this goal?
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What Are Your Monthly Goals? – Continuation
Instructions: Identify goals that will help you close the performance gap that you have
identified in the Executive Leadership Assessment. Choose S.M.A.R.T. goals. Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Sensitive.
What is my goal?
Why is this goal so critical for my upward mobility?
How can I achieve this goal?
What is my goal?
Why is this goal so critical for my upward mobility?
How can I achieve this goal?
What is my goal?
Why is this goal so critical for my upward mobility?
How can I achieve this goal?
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Activity 6: Comparing Trust
Instructions: Use this goal tracking sheet to track the percent completion of your
S.M.A.R.T. goals.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Activity 5: Do you trust this person?
Why? Why Not?
Instructions: In this activity read the names in the list and determine whether you trust
them or not. Place a check mark in the “Yes” or “No” box and explain your reason for the
response.
Steve Jobs
Elon Musk
Oprah Winfrey
Elon Musk
Notes:
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Activity 6: Comparing Trust
Instructions: In this activity, think of one person whom you trust and another person
whom you do not trust. Write responses according to the questions.
Notes:
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Activity 7: Trust Tax Vs. Dividend
Instructions: The lack of trust in an organization can either tax the organization or add
dividends to the organization. In this activity, think of your current organization and
respond to each statement by placing a 1 for Trust Tax or a 1 for Trust Dividend. The
Trust Dividend gets an additional 2 points in the calculations. For example, if you get a
1 point for Trust Dividend, you need to add 2 more points to it which will equal 3 points
(1+2 = 3). Calculated your total score to determine whether there is a high Trust Tax or
Trust Dividend in your organization. If there is a higher Trust Tax than Trust Dividend, you
need to begin your improvements here.
Trust
Statements Trust Dividend
Tax
4. My staff is always given credit for the work they do. ______ + 2 =
Total Score
Notes:
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Activity 8: Building Trust in An Organization
Instructions: Think of a conversation that you have had or anticipate on having with
people in your organization, family, or community and draft how those conversation
should be or have been according to the formula for developing trust: Declare your
intent; 2) Signal your behavior; and 3) Do what you said you were going to do.
Supervisor
At weekly team
meeting
Direct report
Spouse / Child
Religious person
Notes:
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The Art of Positive Communication
The Art of Positive Communication (APC) is the theory by Dr. Mirivel. “Positive
communication refers to any verbal and nonverbal behaviors that function positively
during human interaction,” (Mirivel, 2006). According to Mirivel, the Art of Positive
Communication is both theory and practice. In theory, the APC identifies seven core
principles that exemplify positive seven behaviors.
The seven behaviors include create, discover, affect, deepen, give, transcend, and influence.
In practice, the objective of a positive conversation is to initiate the conversation with a greeting
and to close it with an inspiration. And make sure that all the elements in between are use in the
conversation
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Description of the 6 Behaviors
Communication has a way of affecting one’s development and growth.
Communication can be used to build or tear down the receiver of the ex-
Affect change. Thus, a good communicator has a social responsibility to use com-
munication for the greater good. Complimenting is an act of giving credit to
someone other than the speaker and is a great starring place.
Positive communication creates a contract, and this starts with a simple
Create greeting. Communication is a social exchange and pragmatic function be-
tween people.
The act of communication involves the act of disclosing information about
us to others which deepens the engagement. Self-disclosure is the act of
Deepen
exchanging private information which in turn influences the listener to recip-
rocate the same.
Positive communication involves asking questions and creating a ques-
Disclose tion-and-answer exchange which is intrinsic in application. Questions helps
us discover the unknown and solicit honest engagements.
Giving is advising and sharing information that helps others in the exchange.
Give
Social support empowers self and others and can aid during a time of need.
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Activity 9: The Art of Positive
Communication Scenarios
Instructions: Use each scenario in a role play activity. The role play involves impromptu acting
of you and a supervisor, a peer, or a colleague. Both of you will read a scenario and use the
Art of Positive Communication to guide the conversation. One person acts as the initiator, and
the other person acts as the receiver. The receiver responds to the initiator’s lead. Start the
conversation with a “greeting” and end it with an “inspiration”. Please review the definition of
the seven behaviors on the previous page before beginning.
Scenario 1 Scenario 2
A fellow employee, Richard, has not been contrib-
Sonji is an attractive female at a large company.
uting equally to complete the normal weekly work
Sonji has been promoted on a regular basis and is
at hand. Richard claims he is contributing, but that
making a large salary for her age. Lately, Curtis, a
he is swamped with other work and the emotional
senior manager, has been flirting more and more
aftermath of a bitter divorce. Some fellow workers
with Sonji and she knows from experience that the
are upset that he has been so lax and feel that they
situation is escalating. Sonji has thought of getting
should take their complaints about Mike to the
a new job. Sonji has mentioned this multiple times
supervisor. You are good friends with Richard and
to Tom, her senior executive, but the message
know he’s not lazy but feel that he may be over-
appears to fail on deaf ears. Cutis is Tom’s mentee.
dramatizing his problems a bit. Your brought up
Sonji has considered being direct and just letting
the topic with Richard over coffee last night, but
the senior manager know that she is not interested.
he was defensive and maintained his “innocence”.
Sonji is considering filing a formal complaint if the
You know that your fellow employees want to file a
situation goes too far but hope she can stop the
complaint with the supervisor that could damage
situation from getting too far ahead of time. Tom
Richard’s reputation. You ask your colleagues to
has been informed of Sonji’s intent to file a formal
give you one last time to talk with Richard before
complaint and wants to meet with her.
filing a complaint.
Scenario 3 Scenario 4
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Communication Clues and Timeline
Instructions: Think of the most challenging relationship you ever had to work that eventually
made a turn in the right direction. In relationships, a person’s level of commitment and intimacy
naturally overtime changes based on honest disclosures. In this activity, map out the trajectory
of your relationship with this person using dots and communication clues.
Relationship
building.
Amicable
Behavior
intent, signaling
Showing Change behavior, and
Getting to know Disagreement hold each other
each other. on a project’s accountable.
approach.
Meeting to discuss
project disagreement
and rumors.
Resistance based
Challenging
nonverified rumors
Initial introduction. regarding the project.
Low trust
Time
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Activity 10: Communication Clues and
Timeline – Most Challenging Relationship
Instructions: Think of the most challenging relationship you ever had to work that
eventually made a turn in the right direction. In relationships, a person’s level of
commitment and intimacy naturally overtime changes based on honest disclosures. In
this activity, map out the trajectory of your relationship with this person using dots and
communication clues.
Amicable
Behavior
Showing Change
Challenging
Time
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Activity 11: Communication Clues and
Timeline – Worse Relationship
Instructions: Think of the best relationship you ever had that took a turn for the worse.
In this activity, map out the trajectory of your relationship with this person using dots and
communication clues.
Challenging
Behavior
Showing Change
Amicable
Time
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Activity 12: The Art and Science of Presenting
Presenting is both an art and a science. As an art, you must use your voice as a tool to
persuade, engage, and dialogue with people. As a science, you must know when to
breath, pause, inflect your voice when presenting. Inhale and exhale after each sentence
and pause when appropriate. Whenever you are asking a question, you must inflect your
voice (raise). Whenever you are discussing a serious topic, you should lower your voice
and speak in a flat monotone. Whenever you are not asking a question or discussing a
dramatic topic, you should speak in your normal voice.
Instructions: Video record yourself reading all three passages and share them
with your immediate supervisor. Have him-her to grade you on your breathing,
pauses, and voice inflections.
Passage 1:
Passage 2:
Passage 3:
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Description of the 6 Behaviors
The bedrock of executive presence is storytelling. Executive storytelling is the act of
using personal or business experiences combined with current organizational situations
and data to tell engaging and inspiring stories. This is the ability to turn your personal
experiences into a compelling story to influence and inspire others to act. When we use
our own personal experiences to speak to executives, peers, and direct reports, we tend
to speak from a vulnerable place which in turn build trust with others.
Executive storytelling has four stages: the opening, the challenge, the solution, and the
transformation.
These four storytelling stages have been around since the renowned rhetoricians
Aristotle and Plato.
The opening of an executive story must include an anchor and a hook. The
anchor must create the setting, time, and place in an almost perfect situ-
The
ation. The hook must narrow the scope of the story and communicate a
Opening
specific event using data and possible empirical numbers that builds up to a
complication.
The challenge in the story must communicate the complicated event and
The
explain how the complication entered the perfect situation and changed
Challenge
everything.
The The solution must explain what did you, or someone else did to solve or
Solution work through the complication.
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Activity 13: Executive Storytelling
Instructions: Executive storytelling has four stages: the opening, the challenge, the
solution, and the transformation. Each stage acts as its own independent story yet
connects with the other stages to create a seamless story. In this mock activity, you will
present to a group of peer executives the following: the organization must right size the
ship by laying off 10% of the staff by December 2021 to save the company from closing.
Use the elements of storytelling to present the information.
The
Opening
The
Challenge
The
Solution
The Transformation
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Activity 14: Emotional Intelligence
(EI) - Good Vs. Bad Leader
E.I.
Self-Management: Manages Relationship Management:
positive and negative emotions Guides the emotional tone of a
and achievement orientation group, builds common bonds, seek
and acts with mental clarity and to coach, and develop others, and
concentration energy. manage conflict.
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Activity 15: Emotional Intelligence
(EI) – Learning Self.
Instructions: This activity is designed for you to learn about how your character aligns
with EI. Complete the activity and compare the responses about yourself to those of the
characteristics of a good and a bad leader.
E.I.
towards a shared goal?
Self-Management: Manages
positive and negative emotions and Relationship Management:
achievement orientation and acts Guides the emotional tone of a group,
with mental clarity and concentration builds common bonds, seek to coach,
energy. and develop others, and manage
conflict.
Describe your ability to
understand emotions, emotional Describe your ability to manage
language, and the signals relationships in the workplace?
conveyed by emotions?
Describe your ability to manage
Describe your ability to manage conflicts in the workplace while
emotions to attain specific goals? building trusting relationships?
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Activity 16: How do you lead? Sometimes we
underestimate or overlook our ability to lead.
Instructions: As a leader, you must be able to describe your relationship with each of
your direct reports, you must know what they expect from you, their knowledge of their
organization, and ways to grow and continue to improve your relationship with them.
IN this activity, you must identify with multiple of your direct reports and respond to the
questions accordingly.
Who are my direct Describe my What do my direct How socially aware I will improve my
reports? Please relationship with my reports expect from are my direct relationship with my
write their names. direct reports? me? reports? direct report by . . .
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Behavior Reversal Model
The ADEM Behavior Reversal Model for Leaders is designed to help leaders confront
the subtle, societal influences that affect the way they behave - from their leadership
style (e.g., transactional leader vs. transformational leader) to religion practice they have
chosen, to political party they support.
The practice of behavior reversal in leadership has a way of giving leaders a brand, new
perspective while breaking bad, old habits.
The ADEM Behavior Reversal Model for Leaders is a practical model that is applied
counterclockwise to help peel back the layers of bad habits, identify solutions for
breaking bad habits, executing a plan brand new perspectives, and learning from the
results to shape new behaviors.
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Behavior Reversal Model
Instructions: In this activity, read think of unwanted behaviors in your organization that
are negatively impacting your bottom-line (e.g., high absenteeism high turnover, low
engagement, low performance in R&D, etc.). Use Behavior Reversal Model to reverse the
behavior and advance the organization. See the example below.
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Activity 17: Behavior Reversal Model
Instructions: In this activity, read think of unwanted behaviors in your organization that
are negatively impacting your bottom-line (e.g., high absenteeism high turnover, low
engagement, low performance in R&D, etc.). Use Behavior Reversal Model to reverse the
behavior and advance the organization. See the example below.
A Analyze
D Develop
E Execute
M Manage
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ADEM Readiness Assessment – As-
sessing Strategy Management Skills
The ADEM Readiness Assessment is a self-assessment instrument that assesses competencies
associated with 16 key elements of the ADEM Strategy Management Cyclical Model. Leaders
who take this assessment are expected to be forthcoming in the assessment of themselves to
grow and develop. The competencies in the instrument range from knowing how to analyze
factors across multiple industries to conducting strategy review meetings. The assessment
assesses competencies based on the leader’s response to 16 declarations used in the
assessment.
The purpose of the declarations is not only to assess a leader’s strategy management skills,
but also to encourage leaders to think about their gaps. One of the declarations used in the
analysis section of the assessment is “purposefully analyze multiple industries to remain aware
of potential new entrants”. This declaration helps leaders to broaden their perspective of
environmental scanning.
The ADEM assessment is a must for all leaders who seek to enhance their strategy management
skills. Provided that leaders are expected to consistently scan the market to sustain a competitive
advantage, translate strategy into actionable steps for a firm, and add value by scrutinizing
outcomes, they must have enhanced strategic management competencies (Albright, 2004;
Chrusciel, 2011; Kaplan, & Norton (2001). The ADEM assessment was created to help leaders
enhance their strategic management skills to help them grow their firms. Your journey can start
today by assessing your strategy management skills by using this instrument.
ANALYZE DEVELOP
Market Analysis External PRE-RETREAT RETREAT Strategic Vision Change
Interviews Internal Agenda Objectives
Interviews Focus Groups Strategy Map Measures
Town Halls Pre-retreat & Targets Initiatives
Report Balanced Scorecard
A D
PHASE 1 PHASE 2
E M
PHASE 3 PHASE 4
EXECUTE MANAGE
Risk Mgmt. Governance Calendar
Alignment Cascading POST- RETREAT Initiative Review
Communication Change Strategy Review
Management Personal Strategy Refresh
Scorecard
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ADEM Readiness Assessment
Please complete the strategic readiness assessment by circling one of the five Likert
frequencies per item. The Likert frequencies are based on the following scale: 1= Never;
2= Rarely; 3= Sometimes; 4= Often; and 5= Consistently.
Benchmark competitors
to remain aware of their
4 efficiencies and performance
Never Rarely Sometimes Often Consistently
inputs/outputs/outcomes
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Items Likert Scale Score
Align internal resources
9 (technology, human capital, and Never Rarely Sometimes Often Consistently
cultural capital) to the strategy
Please transfer your assessment score to the bar chart on the next page to get a
graphical representation of your strategic readiness. Collectively add up the total Likert
frequencies per phase (i.e. Analyze, Develop, Execute, etc.) and transfer them to the bar
chart.
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Activity 17: ADEM Readiness Assessment
Instructions: Transfer your score from the ADEM Readiness Assessment to the bar chart.
Fill in the bar chat accordingly. See example below.
20
15
10
0
Analyze Develop Execute Manage
20
15
10
0
Analyze Develop Execute Manage
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Development Plan
Use the results from your assessment to create your development plan. The
development plan consists of a list of elements that you want to work on to build your
strategy management capabilities. The elements must be related to the elements in
ADEM model.
Analyze
Develop
Execute
Manage
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About the CEO
Dr. Mario D. Wallace, the founder of
the All-Things Strategic brand, has
more than 20 years of small business
consulting experience and 11 years
of healthcare consulting experience.
He has considerable expertise in the
areas of process improvement, change
management, leadership development,
medical education, program instructional
development, strategic management,
and product development. Recently, he
published the books Strategy Is Spelled
ADEM, The Unstoppable Leader, Strategy
Management, the Executive Performance
Journal, and DIVOC.
Dr. Wallace earned his bachelor’s
degrees in International Language and
Rhetoric and Writing and his master’s
degree in Education from the University
of Arkansas at Little Rock. He earned his
doctoral degree from Walden University
in Business Administration Leadership.
He has certifications in the Balanced Scorecard from Palladium Group, Lean Six Sigma
Black Belt from Villanova University, Change Management from PROSCI, Emotional
Intelligence from the Hay Group, Communication from the Wiley Everything DISC
Workplace, and Facilitation from Development Demission International (DDI). Dr.
Wallace also earned his COVID-19 Contract Tracing Certificate from Johns Hopkins
University.
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