Bill Flint Servant Leadership: Servant Leaders And Encouragement

Since I am a huge fan of Servant Leadership, I want to share this well written blog from an expert:

Bill Flint Servant Leadership: Servant Leaders And Encouragement: Do you know anyone who doesn’t like to be encouraged? Who doesn’t like to be told they are appreciated, doing a good job, or are important...

Managers Need Communication

I had the pleasure of working with a group of middle managers this past week inside of an organization. The organization has a new CEO who is making some positive, needed changes. Some old ways are falling by the wayside and as we all know, some people embrace change better than others.

It's good to know this when implementing change. Understanding the various personalities surrounding you as a leader; different generations, people from different cultures; men vs. women, etc. This mix shows up everywhere in our business and personal lives. The more we are aware of this, the easier it is to NOT get frustrated by the way people behave and act. We each have a history, belief systems, stories, life experiences, educational differences which affect how we show up as adults in life and business. It's therefore very important to allow clear communication to filter throughout the company or organization when you are in the midst of changing something. Managers especially need to be kep in the loop so they can distill down to the staff at every level. Managers keep the "stew" from boiling over or burning up. Remember this.

The sooner you can stop the fear and anxiety that can fester due to uncertainty, the better you will fare. People just want to be kept informed, even if the information being shared is minimal in scope. And, guess what, open communication allows Trust to be present and respect to live.

Gratitude HD - Moving Art Movie

Gratitude HD - Moving Art Movie: I just watched an inspiring video about gratitude that I just had to share with you today. It really made me think about all of the wonderful things we have to be grateful for.

CFPB Means Business

Below you will find the link to the latest article co-authored by Becky Walzak and me, in Progress in Lending magazine. The mortgage lending community has gotten by too often thinking "it's not going to impact me". Well, guess what, the CFPB is going into different companies in the mortgage space, big and small so it's good to be proactive in getting ready for their visits and audits. They mean business.

http://www.progressinlending.com/TME113/TME113FeelingLucky.pdf

I never wanted to be a co-active coach : Coaches Training Institute : Transforum

From a fellow CPCC - the power we have ingrained in us as coaches is life-changing.  I never wanted to be a co-active coach : Coaches Training Institute : Transforum

Reinventing Ones-Self, “Am I Relevant?”

Because I am an early Baby Boomer and having started a new career path about nine years ago into coaching, I am noticing that there are people in this same age bracket who are bumping up to “what’s going to happen to my life after I retire”?  I attended a networking event last week and struck up a conversation with an older gentleman who was retiring from being a senior partner in an accounting firm.  I asked him what he was going to miss about his profession and he responded that he wasn’t going to miss the 70-hour work weeks, but he was also feeling “I’ve lost my importance”.  That really struck me with sadness especially since he felt his significance was based on what he did for a living.  We talked some more about getting involved with non-profits and he had thought about doing that in some capacity.  I always ask people if getting involved with non-profits is something they have considered doing when they are a bit blocked, feeling stuck or lost.  Helping others opens up new opportunities for growth and self-discovery and it can be very gratifying to help someone else less fortunate.

I believe there is huge opportunity in the coaching community for working with Baby Boomers who are either reinventing themselves, thinking about retirement, and more importantly not thinking “How Am I Valued?”  There is a self-worth piece that needs to be explored around this profound question.  A significant portion of the population, (especially amongst Baby Boomers) value what they do for a living and how they contribute to the well-being of their families as more important than understanding who they are as an individual which would enhance the former beliefs.

If people are willing and interested in exploring what their values are, what their strengths are, what their passion is, what they can not NOT do in their lives; a whole new chapter could open up for them. The challenge is around engaging people to be open to this exploration.  Maybe it’s through story telling, asking open, simple but profound questions during a conversation.  We humans respond to acknowledgment, being heard and listened to, compassion and appreciation.  When a bond of trust is developed in the relationship, new areas can open up for exploration on the meaning of life and who we are as individual humans.  What gifts we bring to mankind and why we are here.

Trained coaches are guides for exploration, without judging.  We push you to step out of the comfort box, embrace who you are becoming, get curious about what makes you tick and we create a safe space for the exploration, knowing you have all the answers. The hardest part of this process is embracing the vulnerability that shows up.  Learning that it’s OK to not to be in charge or in control all of the time can be a real challenge to people.  But, once they cross over that threshold, they can feel how liberating it can be to just let it all go and be with who they are.  THEN the real work begins. 

Importance of Having a Circle of Influence

To be successful in life and business you need to have a circle of influential people in your life who are aligned with who you are and your values. Their talents and personalities will compliment you and you them. What made me think of sharing this is I am in the process of creating this with some fabulous, smart women in my circle. We are calling ourselves "Leading Ladies". The three of us have known each other professionally for about three years and I have introduced the other two to each other. One is a business consultant/tax expert, one is a financial advisor and I am the executive/business coach. We meet weekly to get our momentum going, creating our plans, and getting clear on each of our expectations of this relationship. We will be adding a few more influential women to our mix within the month. We need a female attorney and someone in the insurance industry.  The purpose of our group is to use each other as referral sources, helping each of us create success.

We are getting really clear in what each of us brings to the table and how we compliment each other. We have specific goals for 2013 and by creating this group, plan on utilizing our expertise and connections to help each other reach our goals. It's interesting that each of us is very different in how we lead our lives but we have deep respect for each other.

I bring the soft skills to the relationship through deep listening, asking though provoking powerful questions, acknowledging people, getting curious about what is being said, holding people accountable and  providing exercises to get some clarity on challenges we may face. One team member is really good with creating wealth and the other is a strategic thinker who knows how to grow a business quickly.

If you are trying to grow your business or freshen your perspectives by creating new ideas or change your business model, think seriously about creating a relationship with others who are in your circle of influence to help each other with this. It works especially if you get really clear of what everyone's expectations are. January 2013 is the perfect time to think about this valuable proposition. Who knows what coud become of this type of team.  You can't do it by yourself.  I am excited to see what evolves with "Leading Ladies".