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About Denise Corcoran
Denise Corcoran works with CEOs and executive teams seeking rapid growth yet are challenged by the “invisible barriers” that keep them stuck, overwhelmed or in crisis mode. Her company —The Empowered Business — is one of the few companies providing whole brain, strategic solutions for unleashing leadership and organizational potential. Her secret sauce is assisting CEOs and executive teams develop the “X factor” – i.e., the mindset, attitudes and game-changing thinking -- that drives double and triple digit growth … by design.
Here are my most recent posts
… And The Secrets to Avoiding Them
One costly hiring mistake that I have observed with leaders is the unconscious avoidance, denial and/or toleration of under-performing employees.
Shocking costs of hiring mistakes
More commonly known as the cost of a mis-hire.
According to Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos, hiring mistakes have cost his company as much as $100 million! That’s alot of dollars immediately subtracted from the bottomline.
For many companies, that one mistake can make the difference between surviving and thriving, between mediocrity and high performance. Mis-hires and under-performing employees are the #1 profit leak in companies today.
Why Does This Issue Perpetuate Unknowingly in Many Companies?
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on October 30, 2013 in Hiring Practices, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Top Talent.
When was the last time you heard employees taking “ownership” and responsibility for the success and sustainability of the company?
The likelihood is, maybe, 1 in a million.
While I have always been a strong proponent of the concept of employee engagement, few authors rarely go into any specific nuts and bolts about how to achieve it. Not only do I love the fact that this book is based on actual case studies of companies who have achieved a high level of employee engagement.
The authors take engagement to a whole new level — calling it employee entanglement — with a philosophy and system for cultivating employee responsibility, accountability and a leadership mindset that drives exceptional company performance.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on October 1, 2013 in Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.
Photo Credit: David Niblack
This final part of our accountable leader series addresses my top 10 leadership and culture practices for a strong accountability organization.
Keep in mind that the 6 internal drivers, addressed in parts 1 and parts 2, account for as much as 90% of your performance and results, including accountability. Practices by themselves, can’t drive accountability. They can only reinforce and support a healthy accountability mindset.
From Accountability to High Performance: Top 10 Leadership and Culture Practices To Make That Giant Leap
To build a high performance organization, a strong accountability mindset and practices must be embedded into your company’s DNA.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on in Accountability, Alignment, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.
This past week I have been preparing for a business trip in which I will be working with their leadership team on 4 core areas to drive their compelling future: purpose, vision, identity and culture.
Purpose — different than a company’s mission — is the single most important factor driving intrinsic motivation in companies. When your employees understand and align with THE reason why your business exists … your rallying cause … your contribution to the world that — above all else including salary, bonuses and perks — will catalyze top performance.
One of the best exercises I have seen for uncovering purpose, comes from Daniel Pink’s book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” called “What’s Your One Sentence?” Watch this 2 minute video from Daniel Pink himself, offering sample “one sentence” purpose statements from grammar school kids to adults.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on September 4, 2013 in Alignment, Company Culture, Daniel Pink, Employee Engagement, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation, Vision.
In this second part of a 3 part article series, you will learn the last 3 critical internal factors that either strengthen or prevent you, as a leader, in developing a strong accountability mindset. Namely, your identity, motivation and attitudinal patterns and emotional state.
Let’s first summarize what you learned in Part 1. Part 1 addressed:
- The top 3 reasons why your leaders are struggling with accountability and under-performing teams
- Why and how your “mindset” drives as much as 90% of your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, communications and, ultimately, results… in all areas of your leadership role, including accountability.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on August 23, 2013 in Accountability, Company Culture, Emotional Mastery, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation.
Are you a business leader who …
• Aspires to accomplish great things?
• Is always seeking to raise your bar higher?
• Continually searches for an edge in personal performance?
• Gets diminishing returns from your efforts?
• Is fired up to take things to the next level, but doesn’t know how?
For a moment, put aside the stresses of your day and shift your focus from what is to what can be. It’s time to enter a world of new possibilities for yourself and your future. It’s time to play a new Leadership Game.
Imagine …
Photo Credit: David Niblack
• You could be at the top of your mental game with volition
• Instantly elevate yourself into a peak emotional and mental state within minutes
• Fuel your confidence, passion and motivation on a daily basis that moves you to action
What would that do to your leadership performance, success and results in the future?
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on February 15, 2013 in Emotional Mastery, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.
- Are your leaders struggling to get strong performance from your people?
- Are your leaders driving results through their own efforts, not their team?
- Is your company suffering from operational breakdowns, late deliveries, low employee motivation and more?
Accountable Leader
Today’s most successful companies all have one trait in common. Their high performance organizations are driven by a strong accountability culture. Yet despite many companies’ well-intentioned efforts to create strong accountability, leaders still struggle to make it a reality. Mediocrity, lack of execution and operational breakdowns are hallmarks of poor accountability and an out of control, under-performing organization.
The REAL Truth Why Your Leaders are Struggling with Accountability and Under-performing Teams:
- As a leader, you can’t develop strong results-driven accountability with your team unless you have strong personal accountability with YOURSELF.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on December 7, 2012 in Accountability, Alignment, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Organizational Performance.
Otherwise, They Will Run Your Business Into the Ground
Fear is activated in the most primitive part of the brain – the reptilian brain. It signals danger. In life and death situations, fear is an important survival mechanism to act quickly, mobilizing strength, courage and power we never thought we had.
In most situations, however, fear is a serious liability. When fear runs you, you can’t see its control over you. It impairs thinking, paralyzes decision-making and drives reactionary behavior.
To shift from fear to fearlessness, you must first get rigorously honest about how fear may be running you right now.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on September 26, 2012 in Emotional Mastery, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset.
