Take Advice from the Bottom of the Pyramid

Take Advice from the Bottom of the Pyramid: Executive Coaching Services from the Ranks of the Low Office Dwellers

I am certainly no executive and I would wager $50 and a hot dog (if I were the gambling type) that I will never be one. However, I do have an idea of what good executive coaching services professionals would teach a budding executive. How? Because I worked for Charlie (name has been changed).

Because of Charlie, the "crooked businessman stereotype" has been smashed into a thousand very small pieces. Even from my humble position at the bottom of the corporate food chain, I could see that Charlie had direction, motivation and knew how to have a good time--even at the office. Charlie laid himself out on a silver platter and was ours for the taking. Isn’t that what a CEO should do?

I know I was impressed.

My Executive Coaching Services: Offering 6 Ways to be More Like Charlie

Executive Coaching Services Tip #1: Approach Me Everyone! I’m friendly but I’m not a pushover!

If I were providing executive coaching services,1 I would come into your office and take a good look around. I would notice what you were wearing, the expression on your face when you greeted me, and your office décor. I would ask myself, "Is this person approachable?" and "Is this person’s environment attractive and personal?"

Approachability is essential for any employee but especially so for an executive whose decisions and actions affect and influence a great amount of people, which naturally deems upon him or her a great amount of responsibility towards those people.

As a part of my executive coaching services "menu" I found a great online series of tips2 that is actually geared towards helping girls becoming more approachable during their school years. DON’T BE STEERED AWAY FROM THE ARTICLE JUST BECAUSE IT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOUNG GIRLS! Most of the tips included in the article are applicable to everyone. Some of the tips from the article (I have paraphrased them) include:

• Being friendly
• Smiling
• Having good hygiene and fresh smelling breath
• Spending time (not too much time) on your appearance
• Not folding your arms
• Doing Your Homework (in other words being an effective executive)
• NOT getting stressed out (i.e. don’t let yourself become busy enough that you have to become stressed)
• Being a generous person in both thought and deed
• Being a good worker
• NOT teasing
• NOT burping, telling foul jokes (I added this tip in) or participating in other disgusting behavior (me again)
• Get involved with people and with good causes

As a part of my executive coaching services I would also provide applicable anecdotes such as the following:

Charlie’s demeanor and office space seemed to say, "I’m approachable." Charlie would often wear casual clothing (clean and modest respectable clothing) such as jeans and a button down shirt. Charlie’s demeanor was energetic, positive, and he was almost always ready to return a smile or some friendly office banter. Charlie wasn’t a fake. When he expected results, he let us know, but he also let us know by his actions that he trusted us to figure out how we could achieve the direction that he had laid out for us.

Charlie’s office was also approachable. He decorated it according to his interests and hobbies and it included fishing memorabilia, trinkets from Mexico and a nice office chair. My executive coaching services would recommend decorating an office in an attractive, yet very personal manner. You don’t have to hire an interior decorator (although it would be great if you have the funds) but it wouldn’t hurt to get the advice of someone who has talent in the realm of the decorative arts.

Executive Coaching Services Tip #2: I’m a Smart, Respectful Professional
After the issue of approachability, my executive coaching services would address the issue of professionalism. I would watch the way that you interacted with other employees because according to me, and from the way that I saw Charlie act, professionalism is the ability to be good at what you do, maintain your character and be good at working with others.

Being good at what you do isn’t something that executive coaching services can always improve. Mostly an executive has to have the skills that are necessary to running a large business.

Character, despite what many people might say, is not subjective. Character is an objective, measurable ability to be honest, respectful and positive. Executive coaching services should probably always address some form of character development.

Working well with others can be improved through executive coaching services (and other processes) in a variety of ways. As I read through another online article3 about working well with others, I noticed a reoccurring theme: thinking of others. The article mentioned many tips to work well with others and all or most of them required the process of thinking of others. Some of the tips from the article included:

• "Be friendly, supportive and cooperative."
• "Be a responsible member of the team."
• "Focus on people’s good points."
• "Be complimentary to others when they deserve it."

It may sound cheesy, but caring about the needs of others is the whipped cream topping on the executive sundae. Take the executive coaching services advice from the bottom of the pyramid and start working on your own approachability and professional demeanor.

Read Part II of Take Advice from the Bottom of the Pyramid and learn more about executive coaching services tips 3-6.

About the Author: Marci Crane is a web content specialist for Innuity, a company based in Redmond, Washington. Marci is interested in all forms of improvement and suggests contacting CMOE in order to learn more about possible options for executive coaching services.

1 Remember! I may not be an executive coaching services expert but sometimes the motivation that encourages improvement is simply a second pair of eyes and a very honest mouth!
2 http://www.wikihow.com/Be-an-Approachable-Girl-in-School
3 http://www.wordscapes.net/working_well.htm