power of coaching: ability to offer different perspective, unaffected by being “in the game.”
simple practices add up to a strong operation
being an executive is all about creating operational excellence (and vision)
have long-term success by instilling strong operational discipline in short term
CEO manages the board and board meetings, not the other way around;
first agenda item are operational updates: the board needs to know how the company is doing
Bill usually did not take compensation for his work as a coach
mentors vs. coaches: mentors dole out words of wisdom, coaches get their hands dirty
effective coach works with entire team; only coach the coachable
best coach for any team is team manager
order of coaching sessions
(not so) small talk; performance (what are you working on? how can I help?); peer relationships;
teams (are we setting a clear direction for them?); innovation (are we making space for it?
how are we balancing tension between innovation and execution?); Bill was well prepared
coaching principles
listen, observe, fill communication/understanding gaps between people
identify the biggest problem ("elephant in the room") and tackle it first
elephant spotter: team can’t have honest conversation about a topic
an important component of providing candid feedback is not to wait
be a doer: show up, work hard, have an impact every day
protect people with most vision and passion
peer relationships and feedback are critical and often overlooked
never put up with people who cross ethical lines: lying, lapses of integrity or ethics, harassing or mistreating colleagues
if you’re in, be in - don't have one foot in and one out
be the shadow - be heard but not the one in front
things we all care about and that are factors in any business situation: love, family, money, attention, power, meaning, purpose
2012 study showed that in video game industry strong middle management accounted for 22 percent of revenue variance,
game creative design 7 percent
when things are getting "political", it often means problems have arisen because data or process hasn’t led to best decision