Executive Coach and Executive Coaching Articles

We often hear people talking about whether someone's glass is half full or half empty, which is really a metaphor for how someone views their life or the world around them. If someone is negative or pessimistic, people might regard them as seeing their glass half empty. When people view their glass as half empty, they are looking at what they don't have instead of what they do. If someone is positive and optimistic, people would say they see their glass as being half full. Half of their glass may be empty, but they choose to look at it as half full.

How many times have you seen a person and judged them strictly on their appearance? Or, how many times have you turned away or avoided someone simply because of their appearance? If you find yourself making judgments or avoiding people based on their appearance, you are missing out on opportunities to meet some potentially intelligent, interesting, and fascinating people. Below are some thoughts related to the advantages of looking beyond an individual’s outer or physical appearance.

If you find that you are on your way to burnout or already suffering from burnout symptoms, there are things you can do to work against it. One of the most effective things you can do to fight burnout is to create fulfillment at work. This has a very large effect on you because we spend many hours of our day at our jobs or business. The following list includes suggestions you can implement to find more fulfillment at work.

In my consultations with clients I hear many complaints about the challenge of getting teams to work together well. There is recognition that teamwork offers huge rewards but also frustration with the personal experience of working within teams. One of the ways to improve teamwork is to leverage the power of creativity.

If employees in your organization seem a little demotivated lately it is no wonder. Between budget cuts, salary cuts, and hiring freezes employees everywhere are feeling pressured to "work miracles". In addition, if they are still employed it is most likely that someone close to them is not so ...

How do you predict the outcome of a behavior, project, or idea? A few days ago, an executive career-coaching client came to a session with an interesting PowerPoint presentation. It was a proposal to a potential employer. My client hoped the company would gain a better appreciation of his expertise and ability to transfer his skills to their industry sector as well as demonstrate a talent for addressing their specific challenges and opportunities. It was very effective. His outline was based on the SWOT template.

“Love my work, hate my job” is the lament of too many people. Since layoffs appear to have reduced in numbers and the workplace seems to be settling into the new normal, people have the luxury of contemplating whether they're happy in the workplace.

"It's choice, not chance, that determines your destiny." ~ Jean Nidetch We sometimes forget how the choices we make carve out particular paths in our lives. Our first trip down a particular direction following a choice we male can be a brand new, innovative and exciting direction. If it's a choice of longstanding habit, it can be an old rut in the road. What Path Do You Prefer? Would you like to have a new direction? What would it look like and how would it feel?

I learned the W-A-I-T acronym in my graduate school training. I’ve always posted a small note on my wall, out of the client’s view, as a reminder. The letters stand for “Why Am I Talking?” Why do people talk too much in business situations? - They’re anxious. Maybe the gathering is about a difficult subject or has important leaders present. Most people don’t want to be the center of attention, yet they’re afraid they’ll be ignored or negated. So they talk and talk. This is the anxiety speaking and it often isn’t pretty or welcome.

The Importance of Dressing Appropriatelyrn (and you don’t have to be less feminine to do it) rnFirst impressions can be effective OR disastrous, BUT either way they are long lasting. If a woman is dressed inappropriately, regardless if she is an excellent candidate, you can nearly hear a death knell. Even when a woman dresses for success it does not necessarily guarantee a key to the executive’s washroom. Sadly, though not surprisingly, there are different standards for m

Wahoo(!) - You got the project! Congratulations are in order, but after the immediate euphoria, reality soon rears it's sometimes ugly head: * Time and cost of your project have been dictated for strategic reasons. * The objectives seem subjective and you are not sure what they truly mean. * The objectives seem subjective and you are not sure what they truly mean.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt Does your past really repeat itself or could something else be going on? If we look backwards into world history, we might see certain trends repeating themselves. If we examine these trends, we would see many, many individual differences. What makes differences inside the trends? We human beings - thinkers all - try to categorize everything we see, hear, smell, touch and taste.

In my last newsletter, “Five Must-Do Practices in Tough Times” I mentioned the importance of a good attitude, protecting business relationships, getting more creative, focusing on results and the importance of effective communication. I would like to continue discussion about leading in tough times as it looks like tough times might be around for a while.

An unconsidered (unexamined) life is not worth living- Socratesr Have you ever gotten into your car or an airplane, without knowing where you are going? Yet, we often do that with our lives; we start a career, relationship, business, etc and then forget to check where we are going, and what we want out of life! No wonder many have a mid life crisis! If we don’t know where we want to be, how we are ever going to get there! As Socrates said “an unconsidered life is not worth l

Do you smile because you're happy, or does smiling make you happy? In psychology, there is a theory called the "facial feedback hypothesis" which states, according to researchers D.A. Be stein and his colleagues, that involuntary facial movements provide sufficient peripheral information to drive emotional experiences. Psychologists S. F. Davis and J.J. Palladindo explain that feedback from facial expression affects emotional expression and behavior. In simple terms, if you smile, you can actually improve your emotional mood. R.B.

You can spend hours writing, checking, and rechecking a perfect business plan; however, no matter how good it sounds, no busy potential investor will bother reading it, at least not before reviewing your executive summary first. An appealing, professional executive summary dramatically increases your chances of grabbing the attention of a potential investor.nnLike it sounds, an executive summary is a document that summarizes your entire business plan into key points, so that

4 Tips Beyond customer service, which all successful business leaders measure, this top producer measures customer delight. You can too, with these 4 tips. Many successful financial advisors measure customer service, with traditional measures such as process time, customer satisfaction, or ...

The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states. ~ Mahatma Gandhi How would you define mental freedom? What does it feel like? What would it take to live your life with mental freedom as your foundation? Do you know what it takes to achieve such self-mastery? If you have not defined what mental freedom means to you, how it feels, what it's like to have it as your foundation - if you don't have full self-mastery, you are living a slave's existence. You can change.

Are you satisfied with your life right now? Are you content with your life right now? Is there a difference between the two? I would submit to you that there is a difference between satisfaction and contentment. The dictionary defines satisfaction as “the fulfillment or gratification of a desire, need, or appetite.” It defines contentment as “satisfied with things as they are.” The definitions sound very similar and many people would actually consider them the same and use them interchangeably. However, I view them in a slightly different light.

There are six steps to successfully delegating tasks. Most managers and leaders only do one of these steps, while some conduct two of the steps. When the task isn't completed to the manager's satisfaction, all too often the manager comes to his coach or boss complaining that his employees just don't get it, or he can't find employees who are good enough to “get the job done.”

What are the best books for coaching? I asked a number of coaches and they recommended a wide range of books - from those outlining coaching models and techniques, best practice in leadership and management , positive psychology, to books taking a spiritual approach to coaching and business. ...

Sensitizing yourself can lead to emotional surprises. It doesn't mean being more 'touchy-feely' or sensitive. It means being aware of all that's around you and inside of you. And yes, one can get hurt in the process but one can truly live and experience life to the fullest extent as well. That ...

Collaboration is a process where two or more parties get together to work on common goals. The advantages of collaboration are numerous, and they benefit all parties involved. This article lists what I feel are the major advantages of collaborating with your colleagues. 1. Collaboration is educational. It helps all participants learn about each other’s agencies, mission, programs, services, eligibility criteria, etc. In addition, when you collaborate with your peers, they often know about other resources with which you may not be familiar.

By Jodi Nicholson Success starts with desire, perpetuates through a positive attitude and belief, and is achieved by commitment to excellence and perseverance. “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” ~Aristotle

Do you know what's important for the success of small business owners and entrepreneurs? I submit that it is: Knowledge, Skills and Talent. I know that many of your competitors also have the same traits. The key to remaining viable and profitable must also include ATTITUDE and the following Top 7 Ways for Any Business to Remain Viable and Profitable.

Coaching is a method of directing, instructing and training a person or group of people, with the aim to achieve some goal or develop specific skills. There are many ways to coach, types of coaching and methods to coaching. Direction may include motivational speaking. Training may include seminars, workshops, and supervised practice. n Business coaching is the practice of providing support and occasional advice to an individual or group in order to help them recognize ways in

Asking people for money is one of the most exciting things in the world. Most of us aren’t fortunate enough to earn a living working on something we love. What we do as fundraisers is help show people ways they can take their hard earned money and invest it into something they value. I like to ...

If I could wave a magic wand, and change something about how human beings interact with each other, I would eliminate “gotcha” forever. What is “gotcha”? Before we talk about eliminating “gotcha”, it is important to clarify just what “gotcha” is! “Gotcha” can come in many forms. In the verbal form, we know it more commonly as “I told you so,” but “gotcha” can take on many other forms. “Gotcha” is not only noticing that someone makes an error, but using it against them.

Have you ever noticed a trend in the thinking patterns of successful people? Have you ever wondered why it seems like success comes so easily to some people and so difficult for others? It all has to do with your beliefs and self-talk. People that achieve success in a consistent basis have one thing in common. Whether they are successful athletes, executives, business owners, or artists, they all know that they will succeed. They know this before they even attempt to achieve the goal they set out for themselves.

When I was young, there was a girl who was a year younger and a foot taller than me. She bullied me for approximately two years. One day something inside of me snapped; I decided I wasn’t going to take her abuse any longer and stood up to her. Unfortunately, our confrontation ended in a fight, which I won. She never picked on me again. I learned at an early age that if you allow people to bully, harass, or cut you down, then they will do so.

Are you looking in a specific place? Expecting something to happen? What energises you.....makes you feel alive? Life is yours. It isn't what happens to someone else, it's what happens and how it happens to you. And, no matter good, bad or indifferent, it's how you process the experience and ...

Almost every day, I hear someone remark how fast the world is changing – and it’s true. It’s almost unrecognizable from our parents’ days, and even from the world we grew up in.

With all the buzz about personal branding these days, perceptions and definitions vary greatly … and misconceptions abound. Tom Peters’ coined the term "personal branding" in his 1997 article “The Brand Called You” (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html) at Fast Company, where he said: "You're every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop.

Every nonprofit organization should conduct strategic planning on a regular basis, as strategic plans outline what action steps the organization will take in the future to sustain and grow their operation, while adhering to their mission. Many organizations focus attention on conducting the strategic planning session and developing a plan, but don't allocate sufficient time to prepare for the planning retreat. Taking time to adequately prepare for a strategic planning session can help the actual event to run much more smoothly and efficiently, resulting in greater productivity.

Disciplining employees can be time consuming, difficult, and challenging. However, if you want the disciplinary action process to go as smoothly as possible, it is important to develop clear policies and procedures that will result in a strong disciplinary action program. By having a solid program in place, it will help to protect you and your organization.

These days, selling a business requires as much planning as starting it. After all, you spend a great deal of your precious money and time on setting up a business; and obviously, you would not like to sell it for a loss. Not surprisingly, experts say it takes a business owner a minimum of 5 years time to implement a successful exit plan strategy.

Does the use of social media in the workplace benefit organizations and educational institutions and help productivity or hamper productivity?

In modern behavioral terms, “introvert” is used to describe individuals who are most comfortable in the inner life of the mind, come across as more reserved, and are less likely to seek numerous or large interactions. They represent approximately half of the population. In the workplace their presence is less obvious and misunderstood, though their ability to actively listen at a very deep level makes them major idea contributors. There’s risk in confusing their self-containment with a lack of ambition.

The best advice Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google, ever got was to hire an executive coach. Initially when board member, John Doerr, suggested this, Schmidt resisted because as an experienced CEO he didn't think he needed a coach. But now he is a big fan of coaching and states in an interview with Fortune Magazine that "everyone needs a coach".

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinkingr So that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine, as children do. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the samer As we are liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others.r

They are hard to spot. They are the ones who look good, sound good and are bound to make you think you are crazy in a very short time. Do you know someone who offers to help with one hand and then pushes you away with the other? Or maybe someone who brings all the goodies to work, the sugar free donuts for example and then tells you they are being saved for a special invite only group at lunch?

Designers know how hard following the trends really are. If you still haven’t found a source of information you can trust your career with, MasterBundles is your #1 option. With the help of this highly informative website, keeping pace with the latest IT trends won’t be an issue. Top expert opinions, interviews, event retrospectives, and quality graphics resources - all of that can be found here! If you’re the one juggling multiple projects, you constantly need fresh re

In the nonprofit field, reference is often made to an organization’s core values, mission statement, and vision statement. I have found that there is some confusion regarding the difference between a mission and vision statement, and that some organizations have never identified their core values. This article will help you to understand these three items, and how important they are to your organization's overall operation, funding, and future. The first item to consider is the organization's vision statement. A nonprofit organization is formed for a specific purpose.

High Emotional Intelligence (EI) Translates to Big Bucks!! In a previous newsletter about energy management, I mentioned the tool of Emotional Intelligence and how it relates to profitability as well as to our credibility as leaders. Emotional Intelligence is being aware of our own emotions and ...

I really like "real time" strategy (RTS) games and i love massively multiplayer (MMO) games. Fuse them together straight into one free-to-play game also, you have Evony - some free MMORTS. Basically, you make your own kingdom and tackle other players, or non-player characters, for resources and esteem. You can horde means, expand into a multi-city empire, or run a large alliance of players. This is a consistent game, so this means when people log off your kingdom persists col

I'm a firm believer that if you treat your employees well - that is; trust them, offer them what they want, and treat them with respect, you will receive exactly that back from them. People radiate back exactly what they are given to them, so if you want a workforce who are going to cooperate and work hard, you need to ensure that they enjoy their work. If we break that down, one associates 'enjoying' work with whether they are satisfied, challenged, and feeling positive thou

We’ve all heard of the ‘touch it once’ rule – where smug associates with seemingly empty desks tell you they owe their serenity to never allowing paperwork to touch their desk more than once. Have you ever tried it for yourself and found yourself no better off, if not worse? Likewise, if you told everyone in your office that they could have one wish, how many of them would opt for ‘a 30-hour day’, an ‘8 day week’, or some other such device to cram everything they need to get done into the time available?

One of the things I work on with my clients is Defining Success. It's more than a personal mission statement....it's success as you know it according to your personal ethics, values and integrity, taking into account competencies, talents and strengths and when you see the results it's ...

Hopefully, you enjoyed some relaxing downtime with your family and friends during the holidays. For me, it was a welcome break to go to the movies with my daughter-in-law Jill and watch her all-time favorite story, Les Miserables — starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway.

Ever wonder exactly what you say that makes people take action? Ever wonder if there are key phrases and specific words that cause someone to engage with you, follow your advice, thank you for making a difference in their lives? Research into how the brain communicates with itself and with each other is super in vogue these days. And no wonder, that walnut shaped organ in the top of our heads wields a lot of power over what we think, do, and say.r