Leadership Deep Dive ™

Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, and Personal Development

Sleeping Your Way to the Top (Leaders Need Sleep)

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If you want to be your best – in literally anything – optimizing your sleep is your number one performance enhancer.   Leaders need sleep!  There is not one major organ within the body, or process within the brain, that isn’t enhanced by sleep (or impaired when you don’t get enough). Sleep makes you live longer. It enhances your memory and makes you more creative. It makes you look more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. Sleep improves both cognitive and motor learning. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and the flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks, stroke, and diabetes. You’ll feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious. In athletes, sleep improves physical performance and reduces the risk of injury.

These conclusions come from over 17,000 carefully examined scientific reports to date. I highlight some of the most interesting and useful facts for leaders in the sections below. [Read more…]

Refocus for 2020

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As the year 2020 approaches, it is such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the past year’s successes, what we learned and what we want to create in the year ahead. It’s so easy to just let life take us down the river and to end up in a place where we don’t want to be. Creating a system to check in with your team to make sure you are heading in the right direction is important. And it can be a fun and creative process that you all look forward to each year. [Read more…]

Leaders Listen Before They Speak

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When you think about leaders and managers who have brought out the best in you, what qualities come to mind? I remember those who listened, empowered me, demonstrated trust, offered support, and were dedicated to my growth.

Workplaces are starting to recognize and promote the idea of coach-like managers. Someone who asks more questions, acknowledges strengths, and empowers their team members to develop and grow as employees and human beings.  [Read more…]

Dealing with VUCA. Practice #1 – Acceptance and Compassion

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The world has gone mad. Or, so it seems.

Volatility. The world is constantly changing, and becoming more unstable each day.

Uncertainty. It’s becoming more difficult to anticipate events or predict how they’ll unfold.

Complexity. Problems and their repercussions are more multi-layered, harder to understand.

Ambiguity. Not everything is black and white.

[Read more…]

The Power of Play

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“Do you want to come out and play?” I have childhood memories of knocking on my neighbour’s door and issuing that invitation. Today I am more likely to be texting a friend to set up a “play date.” But play remains an important part of my life.

When I begin a new coaching engagement, I ask clients to rank their satisfaction in eight areas of their lives using a tool called the “Wheel of Life.” One of these categories is “fun and recreation.” As nonprofit professionals, we often focus on other areas of the wheel such as career, family, money or personal growth. And sometimes play gets lost. 

So I was excited to get some insights by reading Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of The National Institute for Play. Also reading is one of my favourite activities.  [Read more…]

Episode 36: Coaching Culture with Rickesh Lakhani and Nicole Thibideau

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Leadership Deep Dive
Leadership Deep Dive
Episode 36: Coaching Culture with Rickesh Lakhani and Nicole Thibideau
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In this episode, Janice Cunning and Michelle Maloy Dillon are joined by Rickesh Lakhani and Nicole Thibideau from Future Possibilities for Kids. They share their inspiring experience working at a nonprofit organization that has at its core a coaching culture.

We talk about the three pillars of listening, powerful questions and acknowledgements.

Rickesh and Nicole challenge our listeners to practice their listening skills with the W.A.I.T technique.

Connect with FPK for more information on getting involved!

Creating a Coaching Culture: Life at Future Possibilities for Kids

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Imagine walking into your workplace and…

  • You are greeted with genuine warmth and interest
  • You notice you are asked what you think rather than told what to do
  • You are given space to create and design, to express, reflect, and consider your thoughts
  • You set goals – personally and as an organization
  • You experience subtle and not-so-subtle forms of recognition and celebration of your successes – big and small
  • Your mistakes are framed as opportunities for further learning and are encouraged as part of “the process”

This is every day. Welcome to our coaching-based organization, Future Possibilities for Kids (FPK). [Read more…]

Why Some Frontline Professionals Struggle as Leaders

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This scenario plays out frequently at many nonprofit organizations: top-performing professionals gets promoted to lead a team but has never been trained to lead or manage. This is often a disaster—results suffer, people head for the door, and the new manager flames out (and may even get fired).

There are a few key reasons why some frontline professionals struggle as leaders and others do not.

[Read more…]

Episode 30: Harness Your Inner Guidance with Kathy Archer

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Leadership Deep Dive
Leadership Deep Dive
Episode 30: Harness Your Inner Guidance with Kathy Archer
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In this episode, Janice talks to Kathy Archer, Leadership Development Coach, about her inner guidance cycle and the four steps to help you regain control and build your confidence.

To learn more, read Kathy’s blog or join her Confident Women Leaders group on Facebook.

 

Regaining a sense of control gives you increased confidence

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Feeling out of control is a nasty feeling. When we are out of control, we are often reacting to what’s going on:

  • The tears are ready to come, and it is NOT the time to cry.
  • A sarcastic comment slips out, and we didn’t mean it to.
  • We bite someone’s head off…and then regret it.
  • Our voice quivers, telling the world how nervous we are.
  • That cuss word just tumbled out, when it shouldn’t have!

 All of these are examples of losing control. We feel powerless to hold onto our feelings and behaviours.

We simply react. [Read more…]