Begin With the End in Mind

the end

“Begin with the end in mind” is a well-known Stephen Covey quote you want to keep in mind when hiring a coach. Does that surprise you, coming from a coach?  How will you know when it is time to move forward from a coaching relationship?  How long is a coaching relationship and does it have to end? As referenced in How to be a Great Client and the e-book What to Consider When Hiring A …

How to be a Great Client

great client

Just as there are questions to be asked of a coach in the hiring process, there are also questions a professional coach will consider when deciding to take on a client.  Do you have the potential to be a great client?  Here is what you need to know about how you will be evaluated. 1. Why Why do you seek the services of a coach?  You may be crystal-clear that “in order to grow your …

Are You Ready to Chart Your Path Forward?

path forward

New Year, new goals, new dreams.  Or is it that you are simply determined that this year the goals and dreams from last year will become reality? We all get stuck.  Whether it is a lack of knowledge about what we are trying to accomplish or a naiveté around the size, complexity and grit required to make it happen.  Life also gets in the way.  Family changes, health issues and business adjustments can shift our …

How Do You Want the Coaching Relationship to Work?

coaching relationship

How do you find the right coach for you? Considering that you have: identified the type of challenge you are trying to solve, determined that you are ready for outside input, change, and forward movement, narrowed the field to professionally trained coaches – Start here Now it is about fit.   Here are some things you will want to consider. Is it important that the coach have experience in your field or industry?   There is not …

Begin Your Coach Search With a Focus

coach search

Specialization is essential in our wired world today.  We “google” to discover if something exists and to remember those facts that escape our memory.  Searching for a coach can be accomplished in the same way.  But googling leaves us at the mercy of search algorithms, paid advertising and word confusion.  Did you want a sports coach, a financial coach, a coach for weight loss, a coach for personal and professional growth or a Coach handbag?  …

Do You Know What to Expect From a Professional Coach?

professional coach

A professional coach is more than just a description on a business card.  For those who have invested in the process it represents a reputation and a set of standards that clients can expect.  Not everyone who claims the moniker of coach will go through the process to earn a credential.  As a consumer, you should know what to expect.  With or without the credential, here are the standards and where the bar has been …

Who is Best Positioned to Help You?

help you

As I sat across the desk from a new acquaintance, he shared that he meets coaches all the time in his networking activities. As I sat across the table from a prospective client, she shared that their firm had worked with coaches for several years and appreciated the value they brought to the employees. As we sat in the coffee shop, he shared that he had a coach previously, a mentor that had helped him …

What Type of Challenge Are You Trying to Solve?

challenge

How I came to work with a coach is how it happens for many people, IF they feel comfortable asking.  Sharing with a friend, colleague or perhaps a boss that you would like some support around life or business decisions takes trust in the other person and guts on your part. Eight years after my initial search, coaching has continued to grow as a profession and more and more people are at least familiar with …

What to Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

what to do

You’ve come to a point where you are just simply stuck.  Things aren’t working for you and a vague sense of dissatisfaction creeps in during those few quiet moments when you have time to reflect.  Too big and nebulous of an issue to deal with, you change the subject in your head and move on. This is exactly where I was in early 2008, happy and successful in my career until I said out loud …

It is Not Just the Millennials

millennials

We wonder what has changed with the world.  This new generation, those Millennials, are shaking up the workforce and the way we live in a way not seen since the Baby Boomer generation. But it is not just the Millennials.  Plenty of us belonging to “other” generations have long held the same desire for work that was more than just a paycheck; for purpose and meaning for the time and energy we invest 8 plus …

Purpose in the Workforce

workforce

How do you move from paycheck takers and role fillers to building a team of contributors?  Teammates and colleagues who are just as driven as you, the owner or leader, in the purpose and focus of the organization. This is a point of frustration we see with many clients and it sounds something like this: Isn’t it enough that I’ve built an organization and am providing employment? Do I have to offer unlimited PTO, a …

Why Does the Great Divide Occur?

divide

It happens in groups large and small.  The great divide between leadership and the rest of the organization.  In my work with clients I have the opportunity to observe this divide and would like to share a few thoughts on why I think it occurs. The relationship between boss and team member, owner and employee is fraught with tension.  In an employment at will state such as Texas, the employee is just two words away …

3 Reasons You Are Unaware of Your Superpowers

superpowers

It is quite possible and happens more often than not, that you are walking around completely unaware of the superpowers you possess.  Yes you!  Take a look under that shirt.  Is there a big red “S” underneath? Unlike Superman, we do not have a superhero outfit indicating the presence of superpowers.  Many people go through an entire lifetime unaware of the strength that lies within them.  Sometimes by choice, oftentimes by circumstance, the ability to …

Find Your Talent in the ‘Easy Activities’

easy

“Wow!  That’s amazing.  You have a real talent for that.”  Have you ever heard those words?  Most of us have at some point in our lives.  The usual acknowledgement is “oh, it was easy” and a clue to a superpower is dismissed and forgotten. When things are easy for us to do, we disregard the value they provide.  It is easy for us thus it must be easy for everyone else.  And that is why …

Are Your Talents Disguised as a Weakness?

talents

There are a couple of reliable reactions when someone takes the CliftonStrengths® Assessment.  The first is “oh, I knew that about myself.”  It is an easy first reaction and the one I hear most often when I ask about the assessment. The second reaction takes time for people to share and understandably so.  “I thought this was a weakness” comes later in a workshop or private coaching session as individuals grapple with the realization that …

How to Play in the Big Leagues Despite Your Weakness

weakness

Headed for the Big Leagues! Addressing the maintenance issues in our lives frees us up to move to the big leagues, to tackle the real issues that get in our way.  No longer majoring in minors, we can focus on areas that have the greatest impact on our future. Let’s get a few things clear before we tackle these bigger issues.  If you are not sure what the minors are, those basic maintenance items that …

Majoring in Minors

majoring

Are you majoring in minors? We all have them; those things we aren’t so great at.  Often referred to as weaknesses, they can keep us from getting what we want, performing as expected or showing up as we would like.  They get in our way or in the way of others.  But do you own your weaknesses?  Or do they own you?  Are they a major or minor part of your life? Consider the commonly …

Do Your Strengths Impact Your Day? Find Out.

why strengths

Why Strengths? Why Accelus? For as long as I can remember, I have been able to spot signs of strengths in others. Yet I couldn’t see how to make that what I did in my everyday life. Role models for sparking excellence and achievement in the 1980’s and 1990’s were motivational speakers. While I read and listened to them every chance I got, how could that be a viable career? Restless and growing dissatisfied after …

Do You Want to Find Where You Belong?

belong

Seeking to understand one’s place in life is a noble endeavor.  Yet it is not a project to be defined by action plans and steps. It comes from focused effort yet is not the direct product.  Let me explain. Many of us desire to understand our purpose in life or a stage of our life.  What is the meaning of what we do?  What does it matter in the end?  Stepping away from our daily …

Falling in Love With Includer

includer

As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, we learn to love all 34 of the CliftonStrengths® themes. Considering that most of how we think, feel and behave is driven by our Top 5 Strengths Themes, it takes extra effort to become intimate with all 34. What better place to learn about the “other” themes than at the Clifton Strengths Summit, held July 18-20, 2016. As with any journey, the experience began before I even arrived in Omaha, …