Posts by Jeffrey Boersma
What Makes a Powerful Question?
Hello Leaders, One of the most common questions I am asked as a coach is this: what makes for a powerful question? I’m glad it comes up so often. After all, asking good questions is key to so many other important things: giving and receiving feedback, leaning in to healthy conflict, developing a team and…
Read MoreHow To Help Your Organization Be an IFZ
Change is hard. Innovation requires change, but change is scary. So I feel I can serve you best today by giving you a few suggestions to make sure your organization can stop innovation in its tracks. What are some easy ways you can head innovation off at the pass to make sure that your organizational…
Read MoreAre You a DHB?
Two years ago I attended a doctoral commencement as a guest of a graduate. It’s a great accomplishment to gain a doctorate. It represents a lot of work, and it usually represents a lot of potential for impact. And yes, you get certain letters and titles before or after your name. The main commencement address came…
Read MoreThe Four Quadrants of Public Speaking
When we think about public speaking, most of us tend to think of standing and speaking to other people while being physically in the same space, or maybe talking at or with just one or two other people we know, again, in person. Here’s the reality: Being physically together represents less and less of our…
Read MoreLeading Change Reprised
Suspense. Is it a bad thing or a good thing? Some people won’t watch a suspenseful movie or read a suspenseful book. Others won’t read or watch unless there IS suspense. Suspense is that sense of fear and excitement we feel when something is unknown. When we don’t know what’s next—but want to know—we have that…
Read MoreAre You Like Most People?
(A version of this post was originally published here on December 17, 2017.) Here is a little quiz for you: the phrase “seek first to understand, then to be understood” comes from which of the following? The LEAD 24/7 segment on high-impact listening. The LEAD 24/7 segment on leaning in to healthy conflict. Steven Covey’s…
Read MoreAnother Look at Leading Yourself
You’ve probably had the experience of going to sleep in some new place and then having that moment when you first wake up in the dark trying to answer the question “Where am I?”. Usually within a few seconds we have an ah-ha moment and reorient ourselves. We realize: I’m in that place, or that…
Read MoreHow Successful Are You Now?
In my post last month I referenced three different definitions of success. Here is the short version of the three definitions: The outcome-based definition The process-based definition The identity-based definition If you read that post, you know I applied these definitions to the half-marathon I was planning to run on April 25. I noted that many…
Read MoreThe Three Ears of Great Listening
A version of this post was first published here on July 15, 2018. Great listening is hard work. When done well, listening will yield huge dividends. If you are not fatigued after a period of focused listening, there’s a pretty good chance that you weren’t listening as well as you could have been. When we covered…
Read MoreHow Successful Are You?
How successful are you? Your answer to that question will be determined largely by how you choose define success. I’ve found it very helpful to use multiple definitions of success. In fact, I’ve found using the right definition for success in various situations absolutely essential. I’m going to start by naming the three definitions or…
Read More