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Articles from Andrea Novakowski | Selfgrowth.com
- The 6 Stages to Plan on When You Want to Change - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2015 from Andrea NovakowskiWay back in 1977, while I was graduating from Simmons College (and wondering how the heck I was going to get a job using what I’d learned), James Prochaska and his colleagues at the University of Rhode Island were developing a revolutionary new theory about how people change. It was called the ...
Views: 1342 - What is Your Word-of-the-Year for 2015? - by Submitted on Mar 04, 2015 from Andrea NovakowskiIf you’re a longtime reader of my Tip of the Week (thank you!), then you know that every January I ask my clients to pick a word to guide them throughout the year: a word summarizing their intentions for the year to come. I do the same exercise myself using Christine Kane’s powerful workbook, ...
Views: 1244 - Clear the Decks and Deck the Halls! - by Submitted on Dec 31, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiIt’s that time again. Time to look back at your business during the past year and put together a plan for the upcoming year. How can you let go of what’s not working and make room for what you really want: a different approach to your work, more emphasis on areas that are the most profitable, ...
Views: 1541 - The Introverted Business Owner’s Guide to Thriving (and Wowing Others) at Holiday Parties - by Submitted on Dec 18, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAs introverts know all too well, the holidays can be a challenging time of year. All the parties and gatherings that make this season so enjoyable for some people make it stressful for others, particularly for those of us who find large crowds exhausting, rather than energizing. Still, if ...
Views: 1109 - 5 Ways Business Owners Can Overcome Their Fears - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiFear is a powerful instinct, one that colors many of our decisions whether we’re aware of it or not. Think about it: how often are you influenced, or even paralyzed, by your fears of what could go wrong? Yet some people have figured out how to use fear to their advantage, to harness fear’s ...
Views: 1302 - Experts Share 5 Networking Tips for Business Owners - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAs the calendar changes from summer to fall, it’s time to refocus your energy on your fourth-quarter objectives. One great way to do this is to build – or rebuild – your pipeline of prospects. As I’ve said many times, it doesn’t pay to go solo, even if you’re a “solopreneur.” One proven way ...
Views: 1068 - Own a Business? 6 Challenges to Watch Out For - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiYou might not think the owner of a computer services firm would face the same day-to-day problems as someone who runs a childcare center. But in reality, no matter what type of company you own, certain universal challenges are almost guaranteed to crop up. In my 17 years as a business coach, ...
Views: 2068(1 vote) - 6 Ways To Beat the Distractions That Keep You From Getting Work Done - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiNot long ago, a client emailed me begging for advice on time management. “I’m too easily sidetracked by all my to-do lists, non-work activities, and sunny weather,” she wrote. “Help!” I’ve been hearing this lament a lot lately. So many things clamor for our attention, both at our jobs and in ...
Views: 1728 - Give yourself credit! - by Submitted on Jul 19, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAt the start of every coaching session, I ask my client: what’s gone well for you since the last time we sat down together? It’s a chance for them to pause, recognize their achievements, and celebrate their progress. But for some reason, people often have a hard time with this question. My ...
Views: 1166 - How do you know you’ve made the right decision? - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAre you familiar with that good feeling you get when you know you’ve made the right choice? When faced with difficult decisions, how do you find your way to that good feeling? While you are in the process of making that decision, how can you tell if you’re on the right path to making a ...
Views: 1396 - Slowing Down: A Smart Strategy in a Fast-paced World - by Submitted on May 26, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAs I write this week’s Tip, my to-do list is growing, my heart is racing, and I’m overwhelmed by everything in my in-box. I know I should pause for a moment, breathe, and figure out what to tackle next. But it feels too risky to slow down.And I’m far from alone in my panic. Countless business ...
Views: 1207 - A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiWant a way to keep your yearly goals at the top of your mind? Create a vision board. A vision board is a collection of words and/or pictures that represent what you desire in your business and in your life – but it’s also much more than that. As you look for and assemble images that ...
Views: 2175(2 votes) - What’s Your Word for 2014? - by Submitted on Mar 11, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAt the beginning of each of the past two years, I’ve come up with a word using Christine Kane’s powerful workbook, “Your Word of the Year Discovery Tool.” Last year, I chose the word spaciousness. It became an impetus for doing things differently, and it led to me making five changes in my ...
Views: 1042 - Did You Live Your Intentions in 2013? - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiEach year at this time, I ask my clients to take a look back at the past year, acknowledge their accomplishments, and assess what worked and what didn’t. This year, I’d like to share my own results. When I wrote about my intentions last January, I declared that 2013 would be about doing it my ...
Views: 1107 - Are You Patient – or Are You Procrastinating? - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2014 from Andrea NovakowskiAs my scheduled time for writing this Tip drew closer and closer, I noticed myself getting very busy. I needed to check my email. Clean out a file. Do a load of laundry. Water the plants. Trim the plants. Check my email again. I didn’t feel confident about my topic, and a small voice in my head ...
Views: 1082(1 vote) - Reframe and Conquer Office Politics - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiKyle began our phone call by sharing his frustration. “I hate the politics at my company,” he said. “The only projects that get done are the ones sponsored by the company president’s ‘pets.’ The worth of the project doesn’t matter; it’s all about who you know. I do great work, and that should be ...
Views: 1279(1 vote) - How to Transform your Business Problems into Opportunities - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2013 from Andrea Novakowski“The market is changing, and not for the better,” Grant said, at the start of our coaching session. “We used to get a ton of leads from our website, and now we’re lucky if we get one a week.” The business world is in the midst of a revolution – and lately I’ve been hearing a lot of anxiety ...
Views: 1336 - How to Bring More Energy to Your Work This Fall - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiSummer is a great time to slow down, relax, and dream up new ideas for your business. But all good things must come to an end. As we wind up our vacations and head toward Labor Day, many of my clients are asking: How do I keep that calm, thoughtful energy alive when I get back to work? Of ...
Views: 2578 - How to Solve Business Problems by Listening to Your Inner Voice - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiWhat if you’ve done all of the right things for yourself and your business, but you still feel uninspired? What do you do? Christina, a business owner, was getting ready to start her day at the office. She’d been doing a great job this year setting goals and achieving them, based on her ...
Views: 3063 - Are You Doing It Because You Want To? Or Just Because You Think You Should? - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiSomewhere along the line, back when you were working your way up the corporate ladder, someone probably gave you advice.The advice made sense at the time, you followed it, and today you’re the owner, leader, or manager of your organization. Congratulations! Now is the perfect time to take a ...
Views: 1079 - 5 Ways To Overcome Your Assumptions - by Submitted on May 27, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiWhenever you find yourself saying, “I can’t possibly…”, that’s a good indication you’re making an assumption. Are you truly incapable of doing that thing? Or are you merely imagining all the complications that might interfere with your goal? Here are five ways to challenge this self-defeating ...
Views: 1530 - 3 Types of Assumptions That Could Be Holding You Back - by Submitted on May 27, 2013 from Andrea Novakowski“I can’t possibly do this. It’s too hard.” “This isn’t worth my time. It’s too easy.” Do you frequently find yourself making judgments like these? If so, you may be a victim of your assumptions. Imagine if Thomas Edison had said, “Inventing the light bulb is too hard!” Or if Michael Jordan ...
Views: 1166 - 6 Secrets to Business Success (Plus 1!) - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiHave you noticed that no one talks much about perfectionism anymore? My business coaching clients used to tell me their compulsion to do everything perfectly was getting in the way of their success. But these days, with the fast pace of life, the constant stream of information, and the ...
Views: 1268 - 4 Things That Can Get in the Way of Your Professional Success - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiDo you ever feel like something is keeping you from moving ahead in your business, but you can’t pinpoint exactly what it is? As I look back at conversations I’ve had with clients over the years, I see four common obstacles that tend to hold people back. Do any of these ring true for ...
Views: 2011 - 5 Business Changes I’m Making in 2013 - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiOne good thing about being in business as long as I have is that you no longer need to do something just because everyone else is doing it. At some point, you have to choose what truly fits you. No more trying to put a round peg in a square hole. Working on my 2013 business plan over the last ...
Views: 1266 - Evaluate Your Performance This Year to Increase Next Year’s Success - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiWilliam, the owner of a health care consulting business, emailed me last week in preparation for our upcoming call. Should we discuss his goals for next year, he wondered, or should we reflect first on the year that just passed? We can do both at the same time, I replied. Back in January, ...
Views: 1025 - Risky Business: How to Be More of a Risk Taker - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiAre you a thrill seeker? Or do you like to play it safe? There’s some evidence to suggest that your level of risk tolerance affects your potential for success. My clients who are business leaders, those senior executives in the C-suite, are almost always risk takers. Big risks can reap big ...
Views: 1430 - Don’t Be A Hero! Why It’s All Right To Ask For Help - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiI’ve been the case manager and caregiver for my 91-year-old mother for a while now. If you’ve ever had the role of caring for an elderly parent, you know how exhausting it can be. This past summer, I hit my limit. I found myself getting to a place I didn’t want to be. I wasn’t looking forward to ...
Views: 1112 - What Does Your Brand Mean To Your Customers? - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2013 from Andrea NovakowskiWhat do you think of when you picture fall in New England? For me, it’s kids walking to school in their jackets. Cooler nights and cold mornings. Leaves starting to turn. Yellow mums. The smell of apples. A new TV season. I bet you have your own clear mental images. Fall is a very strong ...
Views: 1323(1 vote) - How to Find Your Creative Spark - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2012 from Andrea NovakowskiI recently read an article about two young women, engineering students, who came up with an amazing invention. It’s a soccer ball that stores the gyroscopic energy it gets from being kicked around and converts it into power for an LED lamp. The women had these balls and lamps produced and gave ...
Views: 1938(2 votes) - You’ve Come A Long Way – Even If You Don’t Think So - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2012 from Andrea NovakowskiCan it be we’re halfway through the year already? My business coaching clients always like it when we pause at this point to assess how far they’ve come since January. It’s a chance for us to acknowledge all the good work they’ve been doing. Yes, it’s easy to focus on what you haven’t ...
Views: 1310 - Eight Reasons Why You Need a Business Coach - by Submitted on May 10, 2012 from Andrea NovakowskiWhen I started my coaching business, one of the first things I did was get a coach of my own. I purposely chose someone who had built a successful coaching business herself. After all, why reinvent the wheel? I wanted to benefit from the expertise and support of someone who had already done what ...
Views: 1199 - How to Have a Successful Business Partnership - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2012 from Andrea NovakowskiYou and your friend have a great idea for a business. Your business plan is already half done. You can’t wait to get started: what could be better than working with a friend every day? To launch a successful business with another person, you need more than a business plan. You have to plan ...
Views: 1147 - Business Coaching and the Power of the Pause - by Submitted on Apr 20, 2012 from Andrea NovakowskiCara was a manager at a Providence, RI consulting firm who could always be counted on to get the job done. She had a hard-driving style that got results, and her boss recognized how valuable she was to the company. Then one day Cara walked in and discovered she had a new manager, one who didn’t ...
Views: 1160 - Truly Accomplishing Goals that Matter - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2012 from Andrea NovakowskiMatthew, the owner of a computer services company, greeted me at his office door with a big smile. It was the first week of January and he'd completed his 2012 goals worksheet. He was excited to share with me the vision he'd created for himself and his business. But three weeks later, when I ...
Views: 1336 - What Are Your Priorities for Your Business? - by Submitted on Dec 30, 2011 from Andrea NovakowskiMolly wanted to take her business to the next level, but she knew she couldn’t reach her sales goals with her present staff. It was time to build her sales force. So she invested time in hiring and training a promising new salesperson. Then, at the last minute, he received a better offer from ...
Views: 1326(1 vote) - Five Ways to Have Fun with Finances this Fall - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2011 from Andrea NovakowskiGetting there isn’t half the fun – it’s all the fun. ~ Robert Townsend Labor Day has passed and it’s time to GET SERIOUS! Only 4 months left to hit your numbers for the year. But first, I digress: the thought of working in a focused, driven way when the temperature is in the 90’s, ...
Views: 1395 - Thoughts Become Things - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2011 from Andrea Novakowski“The joy of a spirit is the measure of its power.” ~Ninon de Lenclos As you first open your eyes in the morning, where does your mind go? Are you thinking about what “they” are saying in the news? Are you thinking about why you can’t do or have? Are you wondering why you have to ...
Views: 1144 - Prosperity: From Striving to Thriving - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2011 from Andrea Novakowski“Lasting happiness can and needs to be independent of our circumstances.” Marci Shimoff In preparing to write this article, I wondered – what does prosperity even mean? I pulled out my trusty Thesaurus and my eyes were opened. Prosperity ranges from abundance to well-being, and, there were ...
Views: 1272 - 5 Mistakes That Can Sink a Good Boss - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2011 from Andrea NovakowskiIf you own a company or manage a department, part of the reason you’ve come this far is because you’re good at what you do. But inspiring the people who work for you to give their best efforts is another skill altogether. It’s hard to complete tasks well and on time if your staff isn’t on the ...
Views: 1765(2 votes) - Three Steps to Creating Space Financially - by Submitted on May 12, 2011 from Andrea NovakowskiOrder is a lovely thing; On disarray it lays its wing, Teaching simplicity to sing. - Anna Hempstead Branch All of the organization gurus recommend choosing a small space first, setting a timer and beginning. From a financial perspective, that small space is your purse or ...
Views: 1216(1 vote) - Serenity by Freezing - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2011 from Andrea NovakowskiWisdom comes with winters. ~ Oscar Wilde In this season of deep freeze outside (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), I wonder what would happen if I put a freeze on my spending? I close my eyes and listen to my body’s response. I feel relief. I feel relief washing all over my body. ...
Views: 1277 - I Can Do It! - by Submitted on Apr 08, 2010 from Andrea Novakowski“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet Imagine a soft, cool breeze blowing through your window and gently, gently touching your face. The gauzy curtain flutters. You hear ...
Views: 1691(4 votes) - Managing Up in a Down Economy - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2009 from Andrea NovakowskiThe days of flitting from company to company in search of the best compensation package are fading fast into history. With the economy on a downslide and pink slips in the forecast, it’s more important than ever to secure sound footing at your current job. A survey by ivillage.com found that ...
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