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Susan M Barber Coaching & Consulting, LLC > Blog > Blog

How Can You Gain a New Perspective?

As I talk to leaders about how to be more visible, I notice that they choose ideas that are in their comfort zone. They haven’t had the exposure to something else or they have some fear that gets in the way. They will select ideas that will give them a little more visibility than they have now, but when I push them to think bigger, it is amazing to see what happens! My questions create thinking that generates bigger ideas. That allows them to create bigger…
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What Would You Do With Additional Time Each Day?

If I took a poll right now and asked leaders to share what their biggest challenge is, I bet lack of time would be near the top of the list. If I asked them what is taking up all of their time, I might hear too many meetings, bigger workload, less resources and very little time to think. Everyone gets the same 24 hours each day so how do some make it work, while others struggle? How do you want to be perceived?…
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The Power of Visibility Can Make All The Difference

Julie came out of another meeting without saying a word. She was beating herself up for missing out on another opportunity to speak up in front of her management. She walked slowly back to her desk and stared at her computer. Why don’t I speak up in these meetings? I know many of the answers, but I let other people say them instead. That doesn’t make any sense and it doesn’t help me.  This was the story that Julie relayed to me…
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Try This Simple Approach to Create Success for You and Your Team

show don't tell

My book editor taught me a concept that says “show don’t tell.” It is used to help readers understand the situation through the story or the information that you use to describe it, instead of telling them what happened. It is more impactful for people because they can remember the story and the lesson that you are teaching. It helps them visualize the setting and they can experience the moment that you went through. This can also be applied in the…
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Are You in Meeting Overload? Try These Tips to Help Your Work Day Improve!

I can tell you that I definitely suffered from meeting overload when I was in corporate. I have shared with you that there were often three meetings happening at the same that I was expected to attend. I had to determine which meeting I would attend and send some of my team to the other meetings or get the notes later. Not an ideal scenario for anyone to deal with as a leader.  Meetings seem to be a way of life that is…
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Is This a Conversation That Could Change Everything?

When people reach out to me for coaching, I spend the time to know who they are and understand what they are struggling with in that moment. We talk about what they want to accomplish so we both know the outcome that they want. This is a journey that they are about to go on as a leader and we are creating a partnership together.  As a part of the coaching programs that I attended, I was taught to meet people…
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Should you Stay or Should you Go?

People who leave companies do so for various reasons. They may be moving to a place that is further away from their job or they found a role that offers more opportunities for them. Everyone has their reasons, but many times they leave because of the leader that they work for. Leaders have a visible role in an organization. They are in meetings with senior leaders and they interact with others throughout the organization. What about their direct reports though? It…
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Look for Opportunities in Your Next Conversation

Visibility isn’t top of mind for many leaders. They perceive it to be extra work and hard to do. I assure you that it does not need to be hard to do or extra work. I want you to consider that you probably have multiple conversations with different people each day. Let me share a secret with you…Every conversation that you have is an opportunity for you to create visibility.  Look for opportunities to share information about what you did…
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Is It Time for A New Visibility Approach to Help Your Team?

Tom was overwhelmed by everything that he had to do. He needed additional resources, but he wasn’t able to convince his manager to move forward to hire anyone yet. We talked about the conversations that he had with his manager so far. He said, “I created a list of all the work that we have to do and how my current team is unable to handle it all. I asked for two more people and showed how the work would…
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How Do You Create Visibility for the Leaders on Your Staff?

As you progress to higher levels in an organization, you will inevitably not only be the leader of a team, but you will begin to lead other leaders.  While this may seem similar in scope, leading other leaders requires a different mindset to be effective.  These high potential leaders may already have strong skills, experience, and the respect of their teams. They are looking to be further developed and stretched even more. How will you set these leaders up for success? You will need to…
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