Leadership Development

Harnessing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

David Milliken · Apr 7, 2016 · Leave a Comment

It’s been nearly 20 years since Daniel Goleman introduced the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to the business world, when his article on the subject first appeared in Harvard Business Review.

What was groundbreaking (and often dismissed as “touchy-feely”) then is fully embraced today – as organizations worldwide are seeing notable results from leaders who score high on their ability to manage their emotions as well as their relationships with others.

Knowledge is EQ power

The field of neuroscience has enhanced our knowledge of how and why the brain does what it does. We now have rich knowledge of the important role EQ skills play in producing business results and predicting individual success. We also have scientifically validated behavior assessments that help us understand our strengths and gaps in managing our emotions and our relationships.

It’s clear that EQ has found its legitimacy as a key business and leadership capability, with the power to deliver stunning business results. Consider these examples:

The Coca-Cola Company saw division leaders who developed their EQ skills outperform their targets by 15%.
The U.S. Air Force reduced recruiter turnover from 35% to 5% annually by selecting candidates high in emotional intelligence.
Fortune Brands had 100% of their leaders who went through EQ development exceed performance targets, compared with just 28% of leaders who failed to develop their EQ skills.
Salespeople at an insurance firm who scored high on an emotional intelligence test sold 37% more in their first two years than those who scored lower.

Yes, the results are convincing, and the power of EQ is clear. If your organization hasn’t yet tapped into that power, then now is a great time to do so. Blueline Simulations offers EQ-related learning opportunities that you can put to work right away.

In next week’s blog, we’ll share a project in which Blueline Simulations worked with a Fortune 120 pharmaceutical firm to assess the EQ skills of 80 of its leaders, including coaching around the assessment results and customized training to further develop EQ skills.

Bringing Out the Leadership Potential in High-Potential Candidates

David Milliken · Mar 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Your organization’s high potentials are tagged as such for a reason: They’ve been identified as demonstrating the potential to lead your organization successfully in the future.

Having the potential to be a great leader is one thing. Applying that potential in a way that creates outcomes consistent with your organization’s highest priorities is another.

It all comes down to experience

The saying that leaders are born, not made is only half true. The way we at Blueline Simulations see it, potential is the “born” part. Yet all of the potential in the world doesn’t mean a thing if it’s not used correctly. Only one thing can truly develop the skills and expertise necessary to be a great leader: experience.

A survey by global management consulting firm Booz & Co. shows that the majority of corporate leaders are not able to keep their priorities straight. They’re pursuing strategies they don’t believe in, and many of their own strategies fail to build on the things their companies are especially good at.

So how do you ensure your next generation of leaders develops the insights and skills that can only come from experience? And how do you help them gain the experience necessary to prioritize and make decisions consistent with your highest priorities?

Enter Executive Challenge™, the latest in a series of leadership simulations designed to give your high-potential leaders insight and simulated real-world experience in dealing with nearly every strategic challenge imaginable – from talent management to compliance, from ethics to defining and executing a global vision.

We invite you to watch our recorded 55-minute webinar led by Blueline’s Director of Leadership Innovations, Steve Mosley. During the session, you’ll see first-hand how Executive Challenge™ will change the way you groom your next generation of executives for success.

Simulation Develops Results Focused Leaders at Fortune 300 Company (Part 1)

Steve Mosley · Nov 7, 2014 · Leave a Comment

In my previous life as the head of Alltel University, and owner of its leadership development programs, I went in search of a capstone training event for the program we designed for 300 Directors and Vice Presidents across the organization. Having provided 360 assessments, external coaching, and internal workshops to this group on its Core Leadership Values, I wanted an immersive experience that would build strategic thinking skills and adaptable decision-making in a competitive and dynamic environment that would test participants behaviors against the Values, as much as their Executive acumen.

Extensive research went in to understanding the current market offerings in the simulation field, as I felt this would give us our best chance to provide a memorable, yet practical experience for our attendees. Participants in the program represented various organizational functions including customer service, sales, legal, marketing, engineering, products and finance.

My challenge was that there were dozens of providers to sort through! All touted their simulation solution as the “most advanced, “ “easiest to deploy,” “best immersion,” and so on. I simply did not have the time or experience to be able to sort out the best from among these providers.

Then, through a combination of circumstance, timing and a little luck in the evaluation process, I came across Blueline Simulations. What was intriguing about them is they had already done all of this research to identify the simulations and providers with the highest customer satisfaction. On top of this work, Blueline offered program and project management resources, so by working with Blueline, we could do everything from negotiating terms to planning our implementation to conducting the simulation itself.

While there were several companies that made the final cut of proposals, it was clear that for our needs, Blueline Simulations was the best choice for this initial opportunity, and had the capability and capacity to grow with us. Together with Dan Gregory at Blueline Simulations, we selected Executive Challenge™, a competitive, multiplayer simulation that puts participants on the leadership team of a virtual company.

In my next posting I will share the nature of the program, how we customized it for Alltel’s needs, and what the outcomes were in delivering the simulation. Stay tuned!

Give your next Generation of Executives the Experience they need to Lead

David Milliken · May 1, 2014 · Leave a Comment

One in four

… One in four CEOs said they were unable to pursue a market opportunity or have had to cancel or delay a strategic initiative because of talent challenges.

One in three

… CEOs are concerned that skill shortages will impact their company’s ability to innovate effectively.

Fast Track

Put your organization on the fast path to growth. Give your next generation of executives the experience they need to lead.

Discover our complete set of leadership development experiences first hand through a series on 50-minute webinars hosted by Blueline’s Managing Partner and Director of Leadership Innovations. These experiences are designed to enhance any leadership curriculum, can be deployed face-to-face or virtually, and are potent enough to capture the imagination of your most discerning leaders.

Click here to learn more.

Webinar: New Way to Groom High Potential Leaders

David Milliken · Apr 3, 2014 · Leave a Comment

A new survey conducted by global management consulting firm Booz & Co. shows that a striking majority of corporate leaders are not able to keep their priorities straight. They are also pursuing strategies they don’t believe in, and many of their strategies fail to build on the things their companies are especially good at, compared with competitors. It’s like everything that can go wrong already has gone wrong for them.

Closing the business strategy gap in your organization requires developing new insights and skills that can only come from experience. How will you ensure that your next generation of leaders will get the experience they need to prioritize and make decisions that are consistent with your business’ highest priorities?

Introducing Executive Challenge™ – the latest in a series of leadership simulations designed to give your high potential leaders insight into dealing with nearly every strategic challenge imaginable – from talent management to compliance and from ethics to defining and executing a global vision.

Please join us on April 9th for a live walk-through of Executive Challenge™ led by Blueline’s Director of Leadership Innovations: Steve Mosley.

During the info session and demonstration, you’ll get an exclusive sneak peek of Executive Challenge™ and get to see first-hand how this revolutionary new program will change the way you groom your next generation of Executives!

If you are unable to participate in one of our upcoming public webinars, contact us today to schedule a private demonstration for your company.