We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Craig Evans, Edd. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Craig below.

Alright, Craig thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

I started working with a new client more than a year ago. They approached me to help coach them through what was becoming an untenable work situation for them. They were worried about keeping their job. With a micromanaging supervisor, underperforming employees on their team, a toxic culture, low morale, and a general lack of productivity of the unit weighed on my client, who was losing sleep over the stress,

As the client spoke, I realized that they were allowing the supervisor and the team members to “walk all over them.” It appeared that the clinet was confusing assertiveness with agression, and not wanting to offend people, the client gritted their teeth and allowed the behaviors to continue,

As I do with all of my new clients, I had them take the Emotional Intellidence Assessment (EQi 2.0). The clinets results bore about my theory–the clients score for Assertiveness, one of 15 domains of the EQI assessment, was very low. We began working together on how to build that muscle. The client now realizes that they can choose how to repond to a situaiton and is not at the mercy of it. My client has come very far and their collegaues have recoginzed the change. The team is more accoutable for their work and my client is more at ease.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a professional violinist who owns five cats and volunteers at the local animal shelter–a dream job called “Cat Socializer”. I travel near and far to attend world-class opera and other musical events. I’ve conducted an orchestra and have also sung Mozart in Carnegie Hall. I’m a cancer survivor.

I am a retired executive in the nonprofit world and a former middle school principal and school district leader. My passion is growing leaders and helping teams become more productive, engaged, and grow the bottom line. I coach to win!

I have led teams to success in increasing donor levels and attaining advancement initiatives, particularly within major gifts and planned giving programs. I have led middle school teams to increase student performance and staff engagement. I worked to grow the leadership skills of my team members to get them promoted and a higher salary!

Now, I am a team and individual leadership coach, working with teams and leaders become high-functioning and results-driven through mutual trust, acceptance, and clear communication.

My Expertise:

Emotional Intelligence
Intentional Leadership
New Leaders
Courageous Conversations
Executive Presence
Communication Skills
Team Coaching and Team Building
Organization & Productivity
Career development

I work with people involved in:

Education
Technology
Healthcare
Nonprofits
New leaders
Experienced leaders
Leaders in new roles
Aspiring Leaders
People who want to change careers
Anyone who wants to grow

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The most important thing a leader does is build trust. Trust is the foundation of a great team and great leadership. Leaders must be transparent. Leaders must hold people accoutable. Leaders must “walk the talk”. A team’s culture is defined by the worst behavior a leader tolerates. It is also defined by how team members feel on Sunday evening.

I always work wth my teams to set mutually-agreed upon ground rules. These rules define how wach member of the team, including the leader, will work to ensure that each team member has a voice, is held accoutable, and has what they need to be successful..

I also work with my teams to set up mutual expectations,. Here are the three questions:

What do team members expect of each other?
What do team members expect of the leader?
What does the leader expect of team members?

For the 2nd question, the leader leaves to room while the team discusses. When the leader returns, the group debriefs the leader who may ask clarifying quesitons,

These two exercise and resutling documents are the foundation of building trust on a team.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Lead Like it Matters: Because it Does! Roxi Hewertson
The Speed of Trust. Stephen M.R. Covey

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Evansleadershipcoach.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evansleadershipcoach/