Blog

Coaching: What is it and why should I do it?

I recently sent out a survey to do some research on challenges that leaders have so I could build some coaching programs. Some of the responses included some questions about coaching and how it works. I thought it might be helpful to answer those questions here in this post. What is coaching? The International Coaching Federation who is the governing body of certification for coaches defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them…
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Connect now before it is too late.

I attended a family anniversary party over the weekend. It was great to see everyone and celebrate the momentous occasion. There were people there that represented the different parts of the couple’s lives. People they had met in high school, at work, their neighbors, their family and children. Over a lifetime you meet so many people. Some that you continue to connect with throughout your life and others that may come into your life for a very short time. Seeing…
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The 24-Hour Rule

I have been lucky enough to have some new opportunities come my way. I was obviously pretty excited about each of them. My first impulse was to just say yes immediately. If these were things that I had been working towards, then saying yes would have been absolutely the right thing to do. But these opportunities came out of the blue. How do I decide whether or not to take them? I have a rule that I use…
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Who Cares What Other People Think!

I have a confession to make. I absolutely love to collect quotes. I have them saved in my One Note and in my Pinterest account. There are thousands of quotes that people save and re-pin on Pinterest every single day. Quotes are used in so many ways. They may be used for motivation, inspiration, reflection and as a way to help people move forward in their lives. Have you heard a quote as you are going throughout your day that…
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What will your leadership legacy look like?

As I read the article, The Leaders Imprint by Scott Mabry, it struck me how much every decision and action we take as a leader can leave in Scott’s words, an “Imprint” on others who work for us. Being critical of our team members on a regular basis has a lasting impact on them. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, people don’t leave organizations, they leave managers. Being too critical causes people to doubt themselves, shut down, become disengaged or…
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Why is being a leader important?

What is interesting about the title “leader” is that you don’t get that title unless you are leading a team, an organization or a company. By definition, it means that you have others who are following you. Although there are some companies out there trying the concept of not having formal leaders in place, this is still evolving and it may only work for certain types of companies. In my opinion, being a leader is really one of the greatest…
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Are you living your values?

I was reviewing my list of values from an assessment I took about a year ago. I always find it interesting to go back and look at what the results were at that time and if they still resonate with me. Here are my top 5 values: Helping Others Succeed, Learning/Knowledge, Coaching, Customer Service and Problem Solving. Anyone who knows me should not be surprised by this list at all. It is absolutely who I am and how I live…
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Are you ready to flex?

The beauty of having a diverse team is that each person brings different experiences to their unique roles. They also have different perspectives and leadership styles. As the leader, you need to find the best way to motivate the team to accomplish the goals. So how do you do that? This was my dilemma about 16 years ago. I had a team that was made up of internal employees, external contractors, differing levels of expertise and different leadership styles. Did…
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Chicago Cubs Win!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Chicago Cubs on winning the National League Division Series! Four very exciting baseball games occurred against the San Francisco Giants which led to the win. I was thinking about all the work that the Chicago Cubs Organization put in place to get to this point. Tough decisions about who to keep on the team and negotiations to identify other players who would bring the team together to give them the chance to win. It is exciting to…
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3 Keys to Success in a New Role

You just started working in a new role or at a new company. You are excited about the possibilities of your new role and meeting new people. Based on your experience you can see a lot of opportunities that need to be addressed. Where do you begin? Here are three steps to take in order to set yourself up for success. Listen, Observe and Ask Questions. Meet with your staff, key stakeholders, and management to understand the current state of…
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Did You Know That You Have a Choice?

Change is happening for everyone at such a rapid pace now. You may be focused on one thing and then get pulled into some other urgent request. It may feel like you are firefighting every day putting out the biggest fires first before you even can get to the smaller ones. That takes a lot of energy away from your priorities and forces you to be reactive all the time. Although many people will struggle with change, the people who like to have…
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What Do You Need to Know About Leading Change for Yourself?

I have posted articles this month on helping leaders understand what they have to do to help their team go through change. Today’s focus will be on helping the leader as they navigate the change for themselves. I talked about the stress of change on people going through a workforce reduction or reorganization, but for the leader of a team, it is even more stressful. Here are some of the reasons why and what they can do to help themselves….
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Can You See Change as a New Beginning?

Change can be scary because it is full of unknowns. You want to keep things the way they are even if they aren’t the best, because you already know what you are dealing with. It is natural to feel that way. What if you could shift the way you think about change and not see it as scary, but exciting? I found this quote from Joyce Meyer that made me think about how change could be perceived differently. She said, “Don’t be afraid…
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