Leaders Acknowledge Needs

There are somethings that could be missing from your leadership toolbox.  And the puzzle piece - while seen as not quite fitting, when investigated and tested, actually does.

I am talking about coaching.  Especially leadership coaching for executives and senior leaders.  While most leaders at that level would believe they could benefit from coaching, at the same time coaching is perceived as a 'remedial' tool that fixes people.  This is completely NOT the case.

Coaching - for athletes as well as leaders - is about getting better, building momentum and focusing on course/habit changes that can help athletes/leaders be better at what they do every day.

Athletes become more in tune with their bodies.  Leaders become more self-aware.

Athletes become more connected to their teams.  Leaders become more connected to their teams.

Athletes develop instinct to listen to the voice in their heads, or not.  

Leaders develop skills that help them make decisions, clue into the needs of others.

Athletes learn to cope with failure as an indicator of oncoming success.  So do leaders.

Athletes put mechanisms in place to overcome obstacles.  So do leaders.

Athletes surround themselves with a variety of advisors, caregivers & coaches.  So should leaders.

By acknowledging their needs, leaders can make great strides in new directions.  What leaders need to do to start, is get out of their own way!

Living Your Dream

Why do you do what you do?

When I ask my clients that, the answers are quite mixed.
Throughout this discussion, our focus gets narrowed to 'are you living your dream?'
When the response comes back as I am working for my dreams, my spidey-senses start to tingle.

Working to get to your dreams sounds like a good idea - but what happens when you attain them?  And wouldn't you be better off living your dream?
Think about this:  if you are living your dream.....

• you love what you do
• you are challenged and seeking new opportunities
• you come home happy & energetic
• you can fulfil those 'dream list' items as time goes along
• that list is actually a goal list as opposed to a 'dream list'
• you know when you are off on a tangent, because it doesn't feel so good

Sharing this is great fun, and puts a new perspective or what 'work' & 'dream' really mean.

When Leaders Play

When you give leaders the opportunity to play amazing things can happen.

Through a great experience this week, I witnessed what develops when leaders are allowed to play.
Here are the ah-ha's I observed:

• increased energy
• focus on listening to each other
• kindness, openness and willingness to step 'out of the box'
• some leaders need a little push to be playful
• alignment for purpose without any hierarchy
• discussions carried on after the session

When was the last time you played?  When was the last time you let your team play?

Get this on the agenda this week!!

Get Your Groove On

What do you do when your team is 'in the groove'?  

The deadline is right around the corner.  You can feel the momentum building, you know work is getting done, you understand that results are imminent, you may even observe that they are getting somewhere but not in the way you would have done it....and what do you do?

Options:

• offer encouragement
• ask why they are not doing it another way
• check in to see if you can help
• walk away and let the groove continue
• prepare for a debrief after the results appear

Disrupting a groove is just like disrupting a problem-solver who is deep in thought..it will take them a good deal of time to get back on track and perhaps never to the same level as before.

Take a pause & observe the work occurring.  Let it happen.  Leaders need to learn that controlling the process is not helpful - allowing the team to deliver certainly is.

Let the groove continue.

Words Change Us

There have been many WOW moments in the last 267 days of 2014.

1. having a website review & seeing that I am always evolving and it needs to too
2. you don't have to spend a lot of money to be well presented online
3. client feedback makes you better every time, even if you don't want to hear it
4. books mean everything to change - be well-read
5. sharing is required for connection - words, thoughts, hugs, ideas, stuff...

and lastly, what you hear, can never be unheard.  This is what starts to change you.  And as you reflect on & contemplate the meaning of words said, you become new.

What words have changed you this year?

Starting Off Easy

The easiest thing to tell you is this....
I have changed.
Just like Summer has quickly shifted to Autumn, so have I.
This is not easy to admit.   Or maybe it is.

See change happens gradually, and when it is a change that you want - and you are participating in preparing for and creating that change, then Active Change occurs.

How have I changed?
I realized that my work & what I do with leadership strategy + coaching for my clients is not for everyone.  Admitting that to myself has lifted a burden.  Not only that, it has crystallized the vocabulary of my work; the clients I seek; the network I develop; the personal development on which I focus.

What shift or change are you creating?  Or is it being created for you?

100 Days Left in 2014

There are 100 days left in 2014.  Are you ready for that?

I am.

To challenge myself, I decided that I wanted to post 100 quick posts on my blog.

Why would you do that, you ask?

Well, I have been remiss in posting the last few months, struggling with gaining discipline as life has changed on me.  I also want to share some thoughts and try something new.  I sat with my coffee on Sunday morning and came up with a list of 100 words.  As we travel thorough this journey together, you will see 100 (& multiples of 10) features in my life a lot these days.

Changes are coming to my website and social media pages as well.  Wrapping up the year really made me evaluate where I am and where I want to be in 2015. That said....the only way to get there (to 2015) is to reflect on the last 9 months, review my MapQ (shhh...coming soon to the public!) to see where I am, and where I thought I would get to.....and update that too!

So, for 100 days...here it comes.  Feel free to participate with me.  Comments, posts & reposts are most welcome.