A critical component of an insightful leader is coaching. Motivating and inspiring those on your team to make decisions that help make a difference is a wonderful gift.

It’s valuable to gather team members or peers to see the bigger picture so they are working together to understand multiple viewpoints. Asking appropriate questions that answer who, what, when and where is the first thing. The next coaching skill is critically listening to words and intent. It’s rewarding to observe and help people think a situation through and gently guide them to a decision they can own.

Recently, I was asked why communication skills matter when you only have five minutes to meet with senior leaders to discuss a project. Quite frankly, when I was asked, I was taken aback. Five minutes is a long time— a lifetime in some arenas!

You want to make an impression that says I am the person you want  in your world. To do that, how you sound, look and speak is critical. Given that you look, dress and act the part, the next step is to determine what point you want to get across in your five minutes of exposure.

Consider something like this: “This project meets the needs of this research or… this project tells us what we need to do to move forward.”  Bring your best self to the table. When you can do this – it shows you are a leader.

• Look the part
• Be confident
• Know what you are going to say in one complete sentence. Then wait for a response

Number two is a lesson from an expert who should know better from the countless times I helped men and women pack for business and pleasure. When it came to packing for myself, my own advice took a trip to forgotten land! Bringing us to lesson two- remember the do’s and don’ts of packing.

Don’ts
Don’t pack with the idea that you will be attending similar events during the entire trip
Don’t pack for one-season weather
Don’t pack a wardrobe you have not tried on

Do’s
Do pack for multiple different events, whether they include hiking, dining at a five-star restaurant or eating at seaside café
Do pack for different temperatures, from the very cold, to the very warm and for precipitation, rain and possibly snow
Do pack only things you have recently tried on to ensure they fit
Do pack outfits and multiple colors that coordinate with each other

Do these things and you will not be traveling fashion disaster!

Recently, I was traveling on a combination of work and vacation time. Several parts of the trip went well. The travel itself was easy and many resources were available to help navigate between work and pleasure. However, when the weather did not cooperate it became challenging leading to lesson number one.

Lesson number one is to never make a decision in haste. For example, take my hasty haircut adventure. The weather plays tricks on my hair. It causes it to lose body resulting in a very flat and straight appearance. So, instead of investing more in products, like a Paul Mitchell Daily Body Boost, I went and got a haircut.

Never go to a salon thinking you will get lucky on a haircut! In my case, what was supposed to be a slight trim turned out as a very bad cut. It took my own hair stylist, who used her magic scissors, to make the cut work. Even with her skills, it will still take a few months, if I am lucky, to get my hair style back to normal. Sub-lesson one…never get an out-of-town haircut unless it’s from a stylist you know or received a reliable recommendation on.

Recently I had a program that could have gone a lot smoother. Though some of what happened was out of my control, following is what I learned from the experience in the form of dos and don’ts:

Don’ts
– Commit to cutting a presentation to 45 minutes when it is originally set at 60 minutes (requested because the organizers ran out of time)
– Shoehorn 65 people in a room built to hold 50
– Allow the room temperature to get so hot you can see participants sweating

Dos
– Always have easy access to your laptop or make sure an audio technician can help by sitting next to the projection equipment and / or computer
– Leave the plug in cords in an open space so you can remove items quickly
– Give the folks a chance to remove their jackets (and try to get an engineer to lower the temperature!)

It is easy to get caught up in issues not related to team objectives. Often, in teams, we get caught up in differences of opinions between members. People then begin to separate because folks are taking sides. As the leader, you must stay out of the drama and let the parties involved resolve their differences. It is natural for team members to expect you to solve the problem, instead, insist they resolve it themselves. They may or may not come to a resolution but if they don’t, they may just agree to disagree which is fine.

It is easy to select peers for a team because they possess similarities to you in thoughts and in backgrounds. However, the most productive teams and best work situations are ones where everyone comes from different backgrounds and even processes information differently. For example, it’s good for those who like to socialize to team with task-driven folks. It encourages different points of view. Too many companies reorganize by numbers and by what appears good on paper instead of really communicating with all affected parties. Working with different thoughts from disparate viewpoints creates more dynamic and productive outcomes and that’s beneficial for all stakeholders.

In a recent New York Times article, the President of International Markets at MasterCard, Ann Carins, suggested that team chemistry was not about everyone being the same type but to ensure that every team member understands what each other brings to the table. If they can challenge each other, be respectful and maintain a safe environment, it will bring out the best in each of them as well as in the team results.

Many companies go through changes which may mean laid off co-workers or staff with changed assignments which can leave long-term team members anxious. The best thing to do is to wish them well. Let them know how much you have enjoyed working together and if you are close to the person, give contact permission. Always maintain a positive dialog. Someday, it could be you who is affected by company changes.

It can be challenging when you are on the phone with someone who struggle to get to the point. It is important to let the person finish before you ask any questions.  However, if you sense the person is rambling, give them at least a minute and a half to finish or when there is a pause, step in with a specific question. Take notes when they are talking and really listen. Ask a question that will hopefully steer the conversation toward the point. It is ultimately up to you to help ramblers be more succinct by using their words to ask specific questions.