The gnashing and grinding of the gears of a business. We would all love a well-oiled machine, smoothly operating except for planned downtimes to retool and refresh. It’s not a reality for our machines and is certainly not an expectation we can have for the people in our organization. What we can do is provide resources to do the work, an energizing environment and great management. The vision and purpose for the organization is the …
Do you ever look at your team and wonder “What are they thinking?” The blank stares or distracted looks at the smartphone have you wondering if you speak a foreign language. With missed deadlines and broken communication you wonder how anything gets done. Oh yea…that’s right, you are the one picking up the pieces. Great leadership begins with you. But it takes willing team players to make you a leader of more than just yourself. …
Over the past few weeks, it has occurred to me over and over again, that a feeling of tiredness or fear may be something entirely different. Getting out of bed each morning is a very simple example. Even with 7 or more hours of sleep it is difficult to rouse the body from the prone position. “I’m so tired” or “Shouldn’t I sleep until I don’t feel tired” may be what we are inclined to …
What is the difference between proficiency and someone who loves their work? How do you move from mediocrity to mastery? The Masters golf tournament give us that opportunity to watch mastery in action. And watch I do! I begin playing at the game of golf in late 1998 after my husband Ed and I returned from 4 years of living in Asia. Ed had long wanted to play but Tokyo, Japan was not the place …
Writing about the need for creating your personal development plan, gave me greater appreciation for doing work that you love. When you look at the basic components that make us proficient at something, you’ll find that having a passion or purpose for what you do makes it interesting, exciting, intriguing and fun. Here’s how… Being proficient at something requires: Skills Knowledge Experience Take a basic example – bookkeeping. It requires skills in organization and the …
Recently I was reviewing the agenda for a conference deciding whether or not it was worth attending. I love to learn, so conferences have great appeal, plus I get to meet new people! Several presentations caught my eye and I explored them further. The one of greatest interest was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. That is early even if you are staying at the conference hotel. Reading further I saw that the presentation was categorized as …
Mark your calendars. March 20th is the “International Day of Happiness” as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly starting in 2012. Do we need a designated day to be joyful? Apparently so. We are blessed and many of us benefit from living in a country with an abundance of resources and the ability to earn more than a living wage. However, research has shown that above a certain level of income, $75,000, additional gains …
Spring Break is coming up and for many that may mean the opportunity for a road trip. A road trip on its own is great fun, a chance to see the landscape and get a feel for just where you are on this great earth. But there is something special about a road trip when you have the opportunity to travel with others. Imagine a group hitting the road for a get-away. You gather at …
Forward motion allows a heavy object to become more mobile. Consider this: In dressage, my sport of choice, a horse and rider attempt to become one unit, moving together in harmony with fluidity while executing impressive movements. The horse weighs between 900 to 1,200 pounds on average and has four legs and a long neck to coordinate. The rider, much to people’s surprise, does not remain on the horse’s back by gripping with the legs. …
Can execution or “getting things done” look different for each person? When you think about executing, what image comes to mind? A check box checked? A project completed? Clothes folded and put away? Trash emptied? How could executing look different? Gallup® in their work through the CliftonStrengths® assessment and the research behind it, has discovered certain similarities in talent themes and developed Leadership Domains to define these. One of those Domains is Executing and is …
Planning has its advantages but at what point do you stop planning and start executing? This is a time of year when we pause to take stock of our accomplishments and shortcomings over the past year and are laying the groundwork, the plans, for what we will accomplish in the coming years. How much forethought and planning is required? When do you know to move forward? The turning of the calendar to a new year is …
What if… What if you focused on fixing everything that is a deficiency for you? What if you vowed to overcome each area in your life where you are weak? What would the outcome be? At a recent conference, I had the opportunity to share what I do; help business owners maximize their teams and people power. One of the attendees shared a story with me about an acquaintance who took the opposite approach. Instead …
Working as a strengths coach I help leaders and teams understand what they do best and develop a game plan for driving performance. We start at the top, working with the Top 5 talent themes from the CliftonStrengths® assessment for each individual. Given the human tendency to focus on weaknesses, starting with the Top 5 ensures that the concept of doing what you do best is embraced and understood. In most workshops a participant will …
Engagement is the new buzzword. Not only for employees but you will hear it used for customers as well. What does it mean to engage? As defined by Merriam-Webster engagement is: an arrangement to meet or be present at a specified time and place a job or period of employment especially as a performer emotional involvement or commitment betrothal the state of being in gear a hostile encounter between military forces We will disregard the …
On a recent flight, I had the opportunity to visit with my indirect seatmate. We connected quickly, while the middle seat person took a personal break. This new acquaintance shared his excitement about the company he was launching. With 5 people already on board, he was quickly finding himself involved in the “people” side of things. Confessing that he is much more comfortable with the tactical side of the business, he wanted to make sure …
What does it take to have an engaged workforce? Is it a Ping-Pong table in the breakroom and unlimited vacation and sick pay? Is it a flexible work environment allowing employees to set their own schedules? If your eyes were rolling and you were wondering just how you were going to make that happen, worry no more. According to research conducted by Gallup®, these types of fringe benefits are not what make an engaged workforce. …
The experience of coaching and mentoring with the professional women’s group reinforced that mindset determines most of how our lives play out. It was a multitude of case studies that said “you are in control” and what you believe determines what comes your way. You may not believe that you have the ability to influence your career or professional trajectory. If you are waiting to be picked you will wait a long time. Instead, pick …
Recently I had the opportunity to volunteer as a mentor/coach to a group of business women. The event provided that various coaches address different topics and the women could choose three of the 30 minute topic discussions to join. My topic was “Accelerate Performance”; a topic that could be defined in many ways leaving the conversation to be shaped by the needs of the participants. Of the nine women I had the pleasure to meet …
As a financial advisor I learned technical concepts and developed knowledge and skill around the fundamentals of financial planning. What are the payoffs of investing in the stock market, real estate or other ventures? What level of risk is required to generate the return? Will the return be sufficient for the client’s needs? How much will the client earn and how much can be saved? What I learned in twenty-plus years of financial advising is …
Are you too close to your vision to see it clearly? Have you ever held something close to your face in order to see it clearly only to discover that it comes into focus when you hold it farther away? Or am I just revealing my age here?? At a recent client retreat we filled pages and pages of those giant sticky notes with ideas, thoughts and suggestions that poured forth from the team members. …