Executive Coach and Executive Coaching Articles

You must have heard of the phrase, 'It is lonely at the top'. Well, this phrase holds so true for CEOs and other top ranking people of an organization. When you own a business it is highly unlikely that you will share your fears or challenges in front of your employees. And even if you do so, it is unlikely that your employees will provide you with genuine suggestions. This leads to frustration where you desperately search for guidance over your business strategies and decision making process.

I have recruited potential applicants for a variety of staff positions over the past 20 years. In the nonprofit field, organizations generally have limited budgets. This can result in lower salaries and a high turnover in staff members. If you want to attract qualified individuals whose primary focus is on people and human service oriented work versus a higher salary, I have found there are certain steps supervisors should take prior to beginning their recruitment efforts.

Have you ever noticed how you are drawn to beautifully packaged and branded products? I wondered at this phenomenon recently, and questioned myself as to the real reason behind why companies are always re-branding and re-packaging their products. And upon reflection, there were several things that occurred to me: 1. Quality: the reason why most people choose branded products are because of the ‘inferred’ superior quality of the product. 2. The ability to stand out from the r

In my Financial Post article, “In the Future, No One is Going To Pay You Just to Show Up,” I argued technology, for the most part, has not allowed us to retire to a life of leisure as predicted decades ago. The current reality is that we may see many people resigned to an extensive period of unemployment or temporary work.

Once you make the decision to hire a new staff member, you’ll want to ensure that a personnel file is developed for him/her, and that it contains all required documentation and other pertinent materials. Including the appropriate paperwork in a personnel file can protect both the employer and employee, legally and otherwise.

When you think about having a performance evaluation or review, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For many people, however skilled and good they may be at doing their job, the thought of an upcoming performance evaluation creates anxiety. Expecting the worse, people tend to focus on the negative feedback, never hearing the positive feedback.

The word civility is surely not new to the language, yet it is not a term you hear spoken every day. It took a “shellacking,” a tea party, and a deadly shooting for a few people to step back and ask “is this really the way ‘we’ want to treat one another?” Of course, most of us, myself included, are quick to blame others before we monitor our own boorishness, but there is something that rings true, at this time, in this world, which says maybe there is a lesson to be learned. Since the workplace is often an arena for change, a microcosm of the bigger community, I would start there.

It’s important to network, but it’s critical to do it in a productive way. Networking takes time…and it’s important that you be productive, not simply busy running from event to event or online group to online group. Here’s some tips to bear in mind:

"Winners never quit and quitters never win." ~ Vince Lombardi On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best, how motivated are you to be a winner? Somewhere inside your mind, is there lurking a concept called "I might not succeed at this?" We need to address this up front, and right now.

"My Power Lies in My Vulnerability" may not be something we would think up as a campaign slogan for a political candidate. However, as increasing value is placed on collaborative leadership, it is a key factor differentiating outstanding leaders as they take on the challenge of actively practicing vulnerability.

You can never, ever, use weight loss to solve problems that are not related to your weight. At your goal weight or not, you still have to live with yourself and deal with your problems. You will still have the same husband, the same job, the same kids, and the same life. Losing weight is not a cure for life. ~Phillip C. McGraw, The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom

Is it possible to overthink what could be a career-defining presentation?... In a word, yes. If you’re in the midst of preparing for your next presentation and suspect you might be overthinking it, try this quick test. Are you… • Obsessing rather than progressing? • Feeling as if you’ve hit a wall? • Frantically looking for that magic bullet to get back on track?

The Key to Becoming Unstuck: How to create healthy habits, and achieve great things Have you ever had times when it just felt like you are STUCK! No matter what you do to move forward, you can’t! No matter what we’d like to achieve, we just can’t get to a place of developing better habits. Ever wanted to eat healthier? Exercise more often? How about be more organised? Show more creativity in your job? Or even change your negative attitude into a more positive one? Maybe even

The Appalachian Trail runs for 2,160 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Katahdin, Maine. It was originally laid out in 1937 by an idealist named Benton MacKaye with the idea of creating a continuously marked trail that would stress land preservation and community. It is estimated that it takes 5 million steps to walk the entire length of the trail. Most thru-hikers walk north, starting in Georgia in spring and finishing in Maine in fall, taking an average of 6 months. Two thousand people attempt to accomplish that goal every year. Fewer than 1 in 4 make it the entire length.

Goal Setting - A Template for Success Convert your “ wish list “ to an action plan following this simple but effective template . Why bother ? As with all relationship therapy and training my goal is to give you the skills that will make you independent. A lot of your friends have the same ambitions for wealth , success and personal growth – but they will NEVER achieve even a small portion of the success you are going to achieve because unlike you – they will not move to a written action plan.

Alte ative Stress Solutions #2 Why I Meditate

Determining your level of commitment and compliance is essential to achieving the results you want in business and life. The following article will shed some light on this subject. When evaluating your commitment, consider whether you focus on authentic commitment or compliance. Here is how they compare: Commitment -Personally investing in a process or toward a desired future -Personally pledging oneself to put intention and honor into supporting itrn-Inte al ownership to d

Today, I’m feeling profound sadness and intense self-reflection as I heard the words of Harmon Killebrew telling the world his cancer is no longer treatable. Here are the Hall of Famer’s wise and precious words shared through the media: Harmon Killebrew: hero for how he lives his lifer

Whether you are developing goals and objectives for a grant application, during a strategic planning process, or for your staff members or team, there are four items you need to remember to ensure your goals and objectives are easy to understand and implement. To illustrate these items below, I will use the example of developing a new program brochure. Your goals should be broad. They are the end goal; the result you want to achieve. Objectives are more specific; they are the action steps you take to achieve your goal.

I see it over and over again, a client goes on an interview, makes it past HR (in my book the highest hurdle), is sent up to meet the department head, onto the hiring manager with a stop by the top person, and then no offer. What happened? Ruling out the circumstances beyond your control, such as they were going to hire from within from the get go, a hiring freeze was put in place, or they chose not to fill the position, what can you do to make sure you get the offer, promotion, or key project?

The tone and stiff upper lip image the phrase “Keep Calm and Carry On” portrays tells a lot about its origins. It’s 1939 and Hitler’s forces are bombing England day and night. The government prints motivational posters telling the people “Keep Calm and Carry On.” And they did.

Greed is out. Empathy is in. That's how Frans de Waal begins his book, The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons For A Kinder Society. De Waal is a biologist, professor of psychology and director of the Living Link Center at Emory University. In 2007, Time magazine selected him as one of the world's most influential people. The global financial crisis of 2008, together with the election of a new American President representing a vastly different political and social perspective, has produced a "seismic shift in society," argues de Waal.

1. LISTEN ACTIVELY : SHOW CARE AND CONCERN, OBSERVE BODY LANGUAGE, NOTICE FEELING TONE, REFLECT UNDERSTANDING 2. GIVE EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONS : MOTIVATE, TELL & SHOW, TEST, CHECK, ENSURE UNDERSTANDING 3. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY : AVOID WITCH HUNTS, SHOULDER YOUR SHARE, USE PROBLEM SOLVING STYLE 4. IDENTIFY REAL PROBLEMS : SEARCH BEYOND SYMPTOMS, ANALYZE PERFORMANCE OBSTACLES, EXAMINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 5. MANAGE TIME : ESTABLISH POLICIES : SET PRIORITIES, ORGANIZE, DELEGATE, APPL

People often tell me that they don't know what to say when someone experiences a loss. I explain that often times the person experiencing the loss simply needs to talk. You don't need to say anything; just be there to listen and support the individual. However, most people are still uncomfortable with helping family members, friends, and colleagues cope with loss. This article provides information on understanding loss and tips to be in a better position to help yourself and others work through their own loss. 1. Recognize that we all experience loss and grief at some point in our lives.

Planning ahead can help your child enjoy a successful school year. Advocating through your participation will add to the health, well-being and success of your children, and will help their transition back to school that much more harmonious. Remember: you didn’t want summertime to end, and neither do they! So doing the proper back to school preparation will make it all go smoothly. Purchase the back to school supplies your child will needr

We’ve all had our share of poor or mediocre bosses, but what qualities do most great supervisors seem to have? I would argue three of the essentials are transparency, flexibility, and leadership. Here’s what they look like in action.

Let’s say you’re preparing to speak to your board of directors, present a budget for approval, launch a new initiative or rally the troops in the office. And let’s assume that each of these endeavors requires a persuasive conversation. Like most business people, you approach this task as a straightforward process, consisting of:rnï§ A clear statement of what needs to be accomplishedrnï§ A strong statement of a solution with data based supporting argumentsrnï§ An assumption that the audience will readily agree with an understanding of “the facts”rnï§ A confident and engaging delivery

I’ve never understood why it is so difficult for some people to say “thank you.” It begs the question, “Are we really grateful?” and, “For what and whom?” And most important, “Can we admit it to ourselves and share it with others?”

"Maturity includes the recognition that no one is going to see anything in us that we don't see in ourselves. Stop waiting for a producer. Produce yourself." ~ Marianne Williamson

The title of this article assumes you have actually created a business plan at some point. Though truth be told, many small business owners never do. And even in large organizations where strategic plans are an annual tradition, leaders often put them on the shelf once it’s done. Why do we fail to create one or get a divorce when we do? 1.You’re too busy. You once created a business plan… and it was a torturously long and draining process. Let’s start out with a recommended resource for creating a business plan: The One Page Business Plan.

Although the most acute judges of the witches and even the witches themselves, were convinced of the guilt of witchery, the guilt nevertheless was non-existent. It is thus with all guilt.~ Friedrich Nietzsche

I recently got an email from the president of a fast growing IT company seeking some marketing counsel on business from me. He asked if I would evaluate the sales letter they have been using to schedule information meetings with contacts they meet at various networking events. The letter I read was the typical “WWD” (what-we-do) type of letter, very lengthy, full of industry jargon and certainly comprehensive with all of his company’s service features.

Trembling hands. Dry mouth. Weak legs. Your mind is racing and so is your heart. Sound familiar? Welcome to the very popular “glossophobia” club, more commonly known as stage fright. If you suffer from speaker’s anxiety, you’re in excellent company. Fear of speaking in public still ranks as one of the top — if not the number one fear — in the western world.

"Start a Profitable Global International Trade Import Export Business". Become licensed as a Customs Broker. What is a Customs Broker? Glad you asked. Customs Brokers are private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated, and empowered by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assist importers and exporter i meeting Federal requirements governing imports and exports. Brokers submit necessary information and appropriate payments to CBP on behalf of their clients and charge them a fee for this service.

Do you find yourself approaching retirement age and worrying if you’ll have enough money to last? Many seniors who have retired have gone back to work in order to supplement their retirement income. Some work for minimum wage while others continue at their current job. Many seniors watched as their 401K Plans and other retirement plans were decimated in the economic crisis. A lifetime of savings and investments simply evaporated with the economic meltdown in 2008. Others were victims of fraud with corporate collapses like Enron or schemes like Be ie Madoff.

One of the items board members are responsible for is to monitor the financial situation of the organization. As such, board members should be familiar with the types of financial reports the organization uses to demonstrate its financial standing. This article identifies the types of financial reports most commonly used by nonprofits, and stresses the importance of training board members to read and understand financial reports. Some common financial reports include: 1.

I feel a responsibility to my backyard. I want it to be taken care of and protected. ~ Annie Leibovitz It’s nearly summertime and if you’d like to give your backyard an interesting facelift, here are some great backyard design ideas to make that happen and give a new twist to enjoyment during our hottest months.

We’ve read it all before. Exercise is good for us. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, three times a week will increase our energy levels and change our life. If we want to have a long and enjoyable life, we need to be intentional about our physical fitness. If we want to lose weight, we need to ...

Hi I’m Asara Lovejoy, the number one problem solver in the world who guarantees results. I can make this promise because I have discovered something quite amazing about who we are as human beings – that within our brain and our mind we have the capacity to change any idea, limitation doubt or ...

"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before." ~ Steve Young The sense of striving and competition must surely be inbred or part of our survival mechanism because each of us does it from the earliest days of our lives. I think that moderate competition is an okay idea; severe competition may not be. But what if you only compete with yourself?

Considering making some changes here at the end of one year and the start of a brand spanking new one? Gonna lose weight? Stick to your budget? Change jobs? Travel to Bali? Find yourself that elusive soul mate? Sure every year you make resolutions; but this year, by golly, you're really gonna ...

When I went into business for myself over a dozen years ago after spending decades as a corporate executive, I knew pretty quickly that I needed help building my business. I needed some "rules of the road." I also needed perspective and equanimity that I simply did not have. I knew how to do what I had done, but I wasn't sure how to do what I was about to do. In 2003, I attended a workshop in New York City conducted by business coach Chris Barrow. Chris was making a name for

We are told that Christmas, for Christians, should be the happiest time of year, an opportunity to be joyful and grateful with family, friends and colleagues. Yet, according to the National Institute of Health, Christmas is the time of year that people experience the highest incidence of depression. Hospitals and police forces report the highest incidences of suicide and attempted suicide. Psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals report a significant increase in patients complaining about depression.

Many years ago, I learned an interesting way to look at recruiting new board members. Although an organization’s bylaws may require consumers, specific types of professionals (e.g., doctors, service providers), or professionals who have certain credentials (e.g., a licensed social worker, certified occupational therapist) to be on its board, examining the three W’s may also be a concept worth incorporating into your recruitment efforts. The three W’s to remember when recruiting potential board members are to seek the wise, the workers, and the wealthy.

There’s no arguing that email use is on the rise. Every day, people tell me how overwhelming it is to address their email backlog and how just opening up their inbox stresses them out. To help remedy this crisis, here are ten surefire ways to manage your outgoing email to reduce the number of emails coming back your way. 1. Be very clear. By making sure that the content of your emails is very understandable, you can avoid people emailing you with questions for clarification. 2. Make the subject line detailed.

We started our Project Management Lifecycle with Phase One - Concept and Feasibility where we did our homework and we secured agreement with our Project Customer. Next came Phase Two - Organization/Schedule where we created our Work Breakdown Structure and Critical Path Analysis to get all of our stakeholders to buy-in to the upcoming executable tasks.

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.” Ronald Reagan An entrepreneurial CEO is responsible for ensuring smooth progress of everything from the marketing to finance, along with creating the end product. For achieving this Herculean task, he has to make choices about delegating the work to a right set of employees.

There are three mistakes that an organization should avoid in relation to the strategic planning process. This article describes what these three mistakes are and what you should do in order to ensure you will avoid them. The first mistake to avoid in relation to strategic planning is not preparing for the actual strategic planning session. If an organization doesn't adequately prepare for the planning event, it will most likely hinder its ability to develop a meaningful strategic plan.

I was walking in the Times Square area the other day when I spotted a person wearing a very graphic tee shirt. It read, “No such thing as off-season.” While I'm sure he was thinking NFL, NBA, or MLB, my wheels turned toward the workplace. I can't tell you how many times people have told me, “Let's wait ‘til after (name the holiday)” or “I can't network now, no one is in their offices.” As a person with a perch that must overlook the offices of thousands of people, I can tell you with certainty — people are at work.

Over this past weekend, I had my annual “lunch on the lawn” party, big long tables in the garden laden with fresh food from the local farms and the ocean. It is an event people look forward to, so no one ever turns down the invitation. Note to readers — invite people to lunch on weekends. They are rarely booked, more relaxed, eat less, drink little, and stay for no more than three hours. It's also memorable because no one else does it.