Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, and Personal Development
It’s common at this time of year to take stock of where you are and set new challenges for ourselves, with the goal of leaving behind what we don’t want – or what hasn’t worked – and heading into the final months of the year with renewed vigor and strategies for achieving what we want.
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Not too long ago I was working with a client who was dealing with a “pesky” colleague. Pesky means “causing trouble” or “annoying.” And, from one perspective it appeared that the colleague was indeed being pesky.
However, there is always another way of looking at the difficult people and circumstances in our lives. More often than not, they are our best teachers. As I reflect back on my own experience, I know this. Hindsight is often like that, and not all that helpful when you are dealing with the pest (or troubling event) in the moment.
Recently, I was asked if it was possible to build the capacity for empathy and strengthen one’s emotional intelligence (EIQ). The short answer is–Yes!
The longer answer is a bit more nuanced. Many leaders today are conditioned by the educational industrial complex and other societal forces to favor left-brain, rational, analytical thinking. While that approach is useful, such conditioning tends to atrophy the right-brain capacity for empathy and EIQ. And, what we know now is that successful organizations in the modern economy require leaders to access their rational/analytical, AND emotional capabilities.
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Within the past couple of weeks, I helped my parents clean out and sell their condo in Southwest Florida. Mom and Pop are now in their 80’s and have chosen to move to an excellent assisted living facility nearby.
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We all dream, and it’s fun to dream big. What are your dreams? Write them down on a piece of paper and read them over as many times as you want, to really make them yours. We all set big goals for ourselves, to give more meaning to our lives. I wonder: do we actually achieve those big goals, or do we abandon them along the way? If you’re one of those people who leave their goals half-finished, or never even start them, I can imagine you feel frustrated, tired and fed up. What would it be like to celebrate each time you accomplished one of those easy-to-achieve resolutions? How would you feel? I suggest you put pen to paper and make a commitment to yourself to achieve the 4 easy-to-accomplish resolutions listed below:
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This week marks International Coaching Week, a global celebration of the coaching profession. Last night in Toronto, I attended an event that celebrated the impact of coaching at Up With Women, a charity that helps recently homeless women to rebuild their careers faster. The evening featured stories of tremendous transformation.
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Many professionals with whom I work lead teams in the nonprofit world. They are attracted to the nonprofit sector because of the opportunity to have an impact beyond financial return for themselves and shareholders.
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I just finished Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge and Build Confidence by Andy Molinsky, Ph.D.
We can all think of moments, big and small, when we have gone outside our comfort zone – going after a promotion, presenting to a large crowd, or just being the dissenting voice in a meeting.
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Recently I was preparing to facilitate a strategic planning session for a not-for-profit board. This had me reflecting on my past board experiences, which have ranged from a large international association to a local chapter.
As diverse as these experiences can be, one commonality remains. To be an effective board member you need to devote a significant amount of time and energy. And you need to decide where to best place your attention. The same is true in the workplace.
This is where a simple and powerful coaching concept can help: Saying Yes, Saying No.
Right now I am exploring what Carl Jung called “synchronicity,” or the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.
You know the sensation. One moment you are thinking of a friend, and then all of a sudden your cell phone rings and there she is. According to Jung (and many who followed him) synchronous circumstances while not related through casualty, are connected by intuition, meaning, or purpose.
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