February Brave

Focusing on BRAVE is interesting.  February has been no different than before.
I have come to the understanding that there are many ways in which BRAVE shows up.

• Vulnerability - this is brave
• Fear - pushing it aside is brave
• Open-mind - having one and using one is brave
• Challenging - this is always brave
• Silence - letting the quiet speak or be is brave
• Listening - can be brave, because you may not hear what you want
• Patience - instead of running ahead blindly is very brave - it also takes the rest of the words above.

What is your BRAVE?

What Comes Next?

It is the middle of February and the blues are setting in....at home, at work...everywhere.
The Olympics are wrapped and we are onto Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.  Change is everywhere, except we are still stuck in the doldrums of winter!

What comes next? Usually companies are focused on performance appraisals, year end reviews and looking in the rear-view mirror.  Needless to say, this can cause angst, anxiety and stress to our teams, our own workload and frustration about getting things done over the next year, while we still looking back.

How do we tackle this?  Here are 3 small ideas that can help get you & the team refreshed until the weather warms up.

1. Stay focused on the forward thought and building momentum for the rest of the year
• by using last year's successes, help your team understand how they can capitalize on them this year...example:  use it as a blueprint for the next project
2. Stuck with the same excuses?  have everyone write their excuses/reasons down on a piece of paper, brainstorm through each one.  As you complete one, have the team member take the piece of paper, crumple it up and throw it into the garbage.  It's DONE!  You have now dealt with it.
3. Tackle the worst item or most challenging piece together as a team - brainstorm solutions to the root cause of an issue and put only 1 thing into practice until it is mastered and see if it changes the outcome.  Key to this is to have someone on the team responsible for reporting the progress, new obstacles and resolutions as well as new results.  (Make this one fun, it can be very energy-sapping!)
• Example:  The team is not closing enough deals per week.  Look at the situation, how many appointments do they have booked that are ready to close, that are in the pipeline, that are strictly intro sessions, or is there a lack of booking at all.  Each stage in the pipeline needs to be full - find the gap and start there. 

I completely didn't mention some stretching exercises, meditation or even better eating habits as a key to lifting some of this fog.....that will definitely make a difference as well.

So - I am always willing to bounce ideas around here.  The first chat is always complimentary - if you would like to brainstorm, feel free to reach out  to lora@loracrestan.com and we can set up a call or chat by email.

I Thought I Had an Open Mind

Here is the scenario - simple and straight forward. 

I have worked, in the past 3 months with 2 different groups of bankers. Thinking that, by the stereotype and I know that is wrong, but I am human and have my faults (for those keeping track, I am sure my husband would appreciate you sending this acknowledgement in writing) and I thought that this would be a tough crowd.

Well, the first group was out if their chairs and engaging in seconds. It was an excellent session with great participation and collaboration, sharing and learning. I leave thinking "this is cool - perhaps an anomaly but cool"

This week, head off to a different area to facilitate a similar session with   The same type of people - more bankers! Guess what?  They were just as much fun - engaged, loud and learning, strategizing in a whole new way.

I had to pause on the drive home and mull this over.  First, I was a little nervous entering the second group - not my usual space, never met my client in person before - this was a strictly word-of-mouth referral.  Secondly, I have been working on getting comfortable with being uncomfortable - read:  vulnerable & open minded - well, this was easily recognized and I had to gather myself together a little more than usual before I started.  

I had watched a great Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy with a client the previous week & decided to put this into action - do the power stance. It worked.  I became more calm.  I opened my mind more to expect the unexpected and it happened.

Here is the lesson as a leader - thinking you know what you are getting into allows you to accept stereotypes, closing the mind.  Going forward, my focus will be to set my intention for presence and an open-mind so that I can fully experience each interaction from either side of the facilitation or discussion or connection.

Do You Have a BHAG?

What is a BHAG?
It is a
Big
Hairy
Audacious
Goal!

As Jim Collins says - it is truly big!

And the thing about a BHAG is that sometimes it is unfathomable.  It will stretch you.  It will make you think.

a BHAG looks like this.

Do you have one?

If not, why not?

What are you waiting for?

There has to be something that has been percolating in that head of yours, that just needs to come out.

This is the stuff that moves you to act.

This is the idea that starts out so small and with more thought and discussion grows.

It is that one thing that could put you on the map of your choice, or it could be the one thing that you know will make you feel whole or complete.

It may not even be about your work - it may be personal....something you want to conquer.

What is it?

Articulate it.  

Then start planning what it will take to get there.

ROI on Executive Coaching Explained

On a call last week with an HR Director from a large company, I discovered that the focus they have on 'coaching' is really about remedial action.  Fixing a 'broken' leader or manager.

We got into the discussion detailing how coaching is about building forward momentum - examining what's working and duplicating it; looking at obstacles and determining how to overcome them and most importantly, understanding the leader's impact on the business and bottom-line - focused productivity and accountability.

The leadership position can be a difficult space to be in.  Part of this discussion stemmed from the fact that they mentioned a specific leader would require a 'hard-hitting' coach.  I was surprised that this and started to think hard about that word.  Coaches are by nature somewhat 'hard-hitting' - we work hard to be objective, provide different perspectives and give the truth, not allowing our coachee to back away and hide or lay blame elsewhere.  We are in fact, doing our job, when we are being truthful and honest, sometimes blunt and asking the questions that need to be asked...this is what the coachee is really looking for - an accountability partner, a nay-sayer that will push them further, make them think, do things differently, reach deep-down and find their authentic responses and turn them into actions.

Here are some figures from the Manchester Consulting Group Study of 100 Fortune 100 executives (as posted on the Kaizen Leadership Coaching website):

A Manchester Consulting Group study of Fortune 100 executives found thatexecutive coaching was effective for all participants, including women and ethnic minorities, and resulted in ROI, averaging $100,000 or 5.7 times the initial investment. The following organizational benefits of coaching were cited:

• Improved Relationships 77%
• Improved Teamwork 67%
• Improved Job Satisfaction 61%
• Improved Productivity 53%
• Improved Quality 48%
• Improved Organizational Strength 48%

Pretty simple to see that executives and leaders need to have a safe place to discuss and sound off, vent and reflect out loud, sometimes to simply think things through and dream about the future.  ROI goes beyond what the client gets every time - the organization gets a great pay off through retention, engagement and much more.

Looking to discover how coaching can change your business and your leadership?  I am always ready to talk!

An Invisible Thread

I am so grateful to work with Leadercast each year.  It is a super event that helps connect the community and build leaders worth following. (I know that's their line, but it is totally true!)

This year, one of our speakers is Laura Schroff - I had never heard of her or her story until October of last year.  And, much to my delight, I was sent a copy of her book 'an Invisible Thread'.  I read it over the weekend.  I could not put it down.

The story is remarkable.  It is a story of connection.  A story of change and of family...of community and growth.  It impressed me with the truth about the threads in our lives - that we are meant to be connected.  That there are threads that lead us to others, as long as we are open to following them.

I strongly urge you to read this story.  It is not about rich girl giving hand outs. This is a story about a broken heart and how it learns to live and love through another.

I cannot wait to hear her speak at Leadercast in May.  Until then, I will look at my relationships differently - what invisible thread is leading me from one to the next?  What invisible thread is connecting me to the work that I do with and through others?  Am I truly appreciating what each person is bringing to my life in the form of lessons - good or bad; success or failure; mine or my perception of theirs?

After Leadercast I will write again and let you know what new focuses I will bring to my relationships and the threads that bring us together.

Do you recognize the threads that connect you to others?

An RFP for Your In-Box

Getting back to basics is always a challenge.  I found the best success in sharing information when I published a very small 'Notes to Self' newsletter.  I have decided to tackle this again.

It will be very short - 3 images, 3 points.

All intended to move you and your business forward.

If you would like to subscribe - here is the link:  Biz Momentum List

I promise I will not share your information with any other party.

So - key point - lesson learned...use what works, re-invent along the way!