Uncertain Situations

TWO IN THREE LEADERS LOST IN UNCERTAIN SITUATION

MINNEAPOLIS  --  When faced with an uncertain situation, two in three leaders fail to first ask, “What is the goal?” This insight is based on a live audience survey by CO2 Partners, a Minnesota leadership development and executive coaching firm.

Exceptional leaders know they must begin with the goal and mitigate all the situational and solutions until they have a clear handle on where they want to go, said CO2 Partners President Gary Cohen. “Managers tend to stay preoccupied on the problem or the solution because they are responsible for the work the leader has set out.”

“When faced with an uncertain situation, what order would you ask the following?”

What is the problem?                                                  21%
What will deliver the best result to this situation?      46.67%
What is the goal?                                                       31.85%

“The transition from leader to manager is a difficult one and it is not surprising what we are finding with this ongoing research,” Cohen said.  “Despite the recognition that leadership needs to be developed by many corporations today, it’s disturbing that we are finding so many leaders still focusing on the trees rather than the forest.  After all, leaders are key sources of direction to keep the organization focused.”

Cohen encourages leaders to remember the acronym his organization coined, GPSing to keep the goal front of mind. It stands for asking Goal Questions, Position Questions, and Strategy Questions and in that order, not unlike your Global Positioning System in your car or boat.

Based in the Twin Cities metro area, CO2 Partners provides leadership development and executive coaching to organizations and individuals throughout the U.S.  Gary Cohen is author of “Just Ask,” to be published in 2008.

The survey of 135 leaders was conducted in June and Sept, 2007 by using TurningPoint Technology Audience Response System to live Audiences.

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