Executive Coach and Executive Coaching Articles

If you basically don’t want to do something, no one or no thing can motivate you to do it. Your motivation comes from inside you only. In our society today, we have developed the habit of deferring the blame for what happens in our lives to another: She made me do it. My boss didn’t provide the right tools. That truck was going too fast and slammed into me. I can’t because my childhood was a mess. I was raised in a poor neighborhood. I’m not smart enough. I’m too fat. Nobody gives me a break.

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. ~ Leo Buscaglia On New Year's day, a dear friend of mine reminded me about a technique she uses to let go of worry and fear. She lives in the United States where they celebrate New Year's Day each year with the Rose Bowl college football game and the Tou ament of Roses parade.

Many people are asking themselves this question. Whether it is because the industry you know has lost its purpose (CD anyone?), your lifestyle demands your increased presence (twins!), or you are unmotivated, disenchanted, burned-out, under-stimulated, or just can’t face looking at that guy in one more meeting, the thought of making a radical change probably has occurred to you.

I often wonder about whether attitude is gratitude, or if gratitude is attitude. Actually, I think it is both. If your attitude is positive, more than likely you are thankful for everything that you have. And, if you are grateful for what you have, that says a great deal about your attitude. In either case, being grateful is positive, and it can have a huge influence on how you approach life and deal with daily issues.

Letting go of the cheese I am asked, “Can companies keep the annual review while they move to a coaching process and culture?” For those of you who have read “Who Moved my Cheese?” you can’t get your new cheese until you let go of your old cheese, so that answer is – no. This is true for many reasons. As part of my research I interviewed managers, directors and execs. Some of the questions I asked were, “What do you get from doing an annual review? Why do you do them? What value do they provide?”

Throughout my life, I've encountered scores of people who don't appear to love themselves. They say negative things about their appearance, their lack of success at work, not being a good parent or child, or not making the right choices in life. While it is true that we all grapple with issues related to any of these items, we should spend more time on itemizing and being grateful for our positive attributes and successes, and less time on what we feel is wrong with us, negative experiences, or perceived failures.

I highly recommend Berkshire-Hathaway's annual report for your pleasure, amusement and education, even for those of you who don't enjoy reading business publications. More specifically, I recommend chairman Warren Buffet's annual message to shareholders.rn rnBuffet always educates and illuminates. He doesn't offer excuses for performance shortfalls. There is only the brutal truth – good, bad, and in-between. If you have ever read his complete message, you've been impressed

You may have already starting planning for your life with a certain ending in mind and you didn’t even realize it. If you start to think about it, this is an incredibly smart way to look to the future, by looking at the end first and then working your way backwards. Just as with any type of goal setting, you want to raise the bar to a certain level. Then you start working your way slowly toward the end goal until you achieve it or even surpass it. Because this is your destiny, then you are able to mold it any way that you would like.

Lessons from the Drive Thru Window. The Power of Asking Eli Davidson, M.A. I have an admission to make. I just polished off every molecule of a McDonalds Big N Tasty Meal. (That’s a #6 for you Mickey D’s wanna be’s.) Ahh, I loved each bite of burger and salty, soggy fry. Every mouthful ...

My new client, Tony, had some "issues." (Don’t we all?) A superb thinker and analytical problem-solver who astounded his co-workers with his intellect, he also got periodically derailed. When his boss (the CEO) criticized his work, Tony would "shut down" for prolonged periods of time. Additionally, when his boss interceded on projects Tony managed or sponsored, which didn't happen very often, Tony would interpret the intervention as a lack of trust. During our first session

I believe 100% in the importance of "mindset" in successfully accomplishing goals. If you believe in your heart of hearts that you either don't deserve success or lack confidence, you simply will not. All of your efforts will be in vain because you are programmed to fail. How can you tell if your mindset is productive or not? Listen … REALLY LISTEN … to your internal conversation. If you blame others, create excuses or talk about yourself, TO YOURSELF, in a negative way,

About eight years into my first career (as many of you know I’ve had a few), I ranked high enough to have access to files. As any good snooping executive would do, I looked at my folder. To my surprise there was almost nothing in it. Okay, yes, there was the usual tax forms, my original applications, and some outdated references but what was obviously not present was all but a very few performance evaluations. For a moment, I thought it was some kind of trick or joke, and then it dawned on me that I hadn’t had a written evaluation in years. Why?

Watching the presidential election coverage I wondered, how the two candidates felt as the returns streamed in? How would the "loser" prepare himself for his final speech? And how would the "winner" present himself as he delivered that all-important acceptance speech to the American public?

My vacation strategy! I can hear the cries already, “I have to have a strategy for vacation as well? Isn’t a career strategy, a life plan and an investment direction enough?” I’ll say “maybe” but mea “no.” While I have written much about the value and importance of work, I am a devout believe in taking time away from the office, in fact, away from almost everything. I also subscribe to the idea that if you don’t plan it, someone else will get the long weekends, prime weeks, and extended holiday breaks. And guess who is left holding down the fort?

In an ideal world, people are hired and promoted because of their abilities, competence, attitudes and interpersonal skills--right? Maybe not. Despite how far we've come in the areas of recruiting, selecting and developing people in organizations, there's evidence that we still judge people based on what some would consider superficial criteria.

Are you frustrated with the results you’ve been seeing from traditional live networking events? Well, did you know if you run a strong online campaign that will help you convert more prospects who you meet offline? That way, the people you do meet face to face at live networking events have many ways to stay connected with you and to learn more about your area of expertise. Here are 5 key ways to help you double your networking results: 1.) Make sure you’re networking with your target market or referral partners

Leadership demands that we make tough choices. ~ Alan Autry We have exercised the right to choose for many, many years. If you reminisce backwards, you’ll recognize at just how early of an age you were making choices. We become wiser in making choices as we mature, oftentimes because we made mistakes in earlier choices. You’ll want to help your children to make good choices in your role as their parent. How can you teach them right from wrong and help them to make wise choices? Here are some tips. Learning Right from Wrong

The other night I was watching an interview of two major players at Google Ventures. Google Ventures is the in-house “radical” venture group of the organization, the people who hunt for new ideas and people with ideas, and then invests time and skills with them with the hope of finding the next big thing.

We know from the experiences of our lives that what we need comes to us at the most critical times and what we need appears, why is that? Usually what we need comes because we have finally reached that place where we are completely focused and completely relaxed at the same time. Often the ...

Do you have the life you want? Are you fulfilling all that you have in your heart? If not, how is your attitude? Do you have a positive, uplifting attitude or do you have a negative, pessimistic attitude? Your attitude in life is a critical key to pursuing Your Purpose in life. If you have a positive attitude, your world is bright and happy people are attracted to you. You expect the best in Your Vision of your life. As a result of your expectation, you receive that which you want to receive.

Have you ever thought of your alumni relations activities as the preeminent part of your school’s advancement effort? Or do your colleague have an “I-suppose-it’s-important-but-I’m-not-really-sure-what-they-do” mentality about your staff? Far too often, alumni relations is seen as a second-class ...

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. ~ Napoleon Hill In the era of “big data,” we will be called upon to retrieve information frequently. Having a computer filing system can be a big help. Keeping it as simple as possible also helps. You can always use the “search and retrieve” function on your computer, but knowing where things are is a lot faster.r

The start of the New Year is often the perfect time to turn a new page in your life, which is why so many people make New Year's resolutions. Researchers have looked at success rates of peoples' resolutions: the first two weeks usually go along beautifully, but by February, people are backsliding and by the following December, most people are back where they started, often even further behind.

Whether you are a small business owner generating a modest half a million dollars a year or the President of a $50 Million company or the CEO of a $500 Million company you probably at one time or another throughout the year have suffered from feeling inadequate. No matter what level of success you have already accomplished your eye is always aimed at the next level of success you are striving to conquer. As Marshall Goldsmith’s popular book has so well articulated — What Got Your Here, Won’t Get You There.

Atul Gawande is an accomplished scholar (Mac Arthur Fellow), a staff writer for The New Yorker, and a Harvard professor, in addition to being a well-respected surgeon. He is also an astute observer with a curious mind. In the world of surgery, infection kills more people than the operations. Gawande thought there must be a way to increase survival rates. He stumbled on the effectiveness of the checklist, not a to-do list, but a step-by step form that is brief and effective even under the most critical situations.

In the business world, it’s only a matter of time before you start finding ideas being thrown at you like ‘change your mindset’, Think big’, ‘Rid yourself of limiting thoughts’ and other such mantras. So probably for the first time in your life, you are entering the wonderful world of ‘personal development’ in an attempt to arm yourself with the mindset of a successful entreprenuer. Have you been doing your affirmations? Of course you have. Have you seen any results yet?…….We

I recently did a poll, posted a blog and asked clients "What would you do if you had an extra 15 minutes on top of the 24 hours in a day? (click here to read that post) and got screamed at from all parts of the globe. "WHAT? 15 MINUTES? What's 15 minutes? What can anyone do in just 15 ...

With today’s pressure to outperform, grow and provide value to shareholders, organizations struggle to meet and exceed expectations. Many companies invest significant resources in annual planning and articulating yearly strategic initiatives… and then don’t deliver on them. Despite all of the work and best intentions of everyone involved, these companies can’t seem to gain any “traction” on their objectives. It’s very frustrating to work so hard and then wonder why you cannot deliver on the issues that really matter.

This is the 2nd post in my series to give you the Keys to Unlocking Your Power and Presence as a Woman Leader. What’s needed to create better work-life balance and well-being so you can shine more brightly? Here is step one that you need to know in order to expand your power and presence as a leader:

All of us make mistakes, say things we didn’t mean, forget, or are rude when we may not have intended to be. Experience has taught me most people don’t intentionally harm others but once they do, they’re reluctant, or find it difficult, to take responsibility for the damage.

Last week, while I was considering subjects for this article, I found myself thinking about a tip my daughter-in-law, Mary, gave me. Since she was trained by the military as a truck mechanic, I take her automotive advice seriously. Then, I had to laugh. I think this is the third Competitive Edge Report I’ve written where I talked about cars. It’s a bit bizarre, since I drive only about 1,000 miles a year and have had the same vehicle for more than a decade. Hmmm.

The typical path in a sales career goes something like this; start out in customer service, then get “promoted” to inside sales, outside sales, and if you’re still doing well, onto sales management. This is a track to failure for the company, employee, and their customers. The employer can’t understand why their employee becomes unhappy, unproductive, and probably unemployed. Hit and miss hiring and promotion becomes very costly when, at the end of that path, the employee is pulling in a high five or six figure salary, and sales are in the tank.

Congratulations! You’re a new salesperson. You have no contacts, little…if any…industry experience, and the clock is ticking. You’ll have a grace period for awhile while you are being trained, but at the end of the day you’ll have a number to hit. You better start filling that pipeline…and fast. The only problem is that you hate cold calling, whether it be on the phone or in person. You search for alte atives.

Reveal the “Why" Behind These days, almost every company is scouring the balance sheet, looking for savings. The value of business meetings, for example, is seriously scrutinized and presenters are asking themselves: “How can I create a presentation that delivers real bottom-line results?” For an answer, first imagine a presenter who says the following: “We need to develop an optimum contract agreement with our South American distributor in support of our 2016 subsidiary conversion plan.” Would that motivate you to get the job done?

I’ve helped people advance their careers, switch jobs, and change employers most of my work life. It is over a year since my husband passed away and recently I’ve decided to test the dating waters. Within weeks of navigating the dating scene it occurred to me that looking for a date and searching for a job have more in common tha I could have ever imagine or thought could apply. When looking for a career or your soul mate, follow these simple suggestions.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street journal reports that 58% HR professionals give their own performance management systems a grade of C or below. Some go as far as saying performance reviews are hurting companies and should stop. So why do we keep doing them? Because it’s easier than the alte ative. Feedback needs to be authentic, consistent and delivered in real time. With “real time” defined as once a situation has come to the managers attention and with emotions enough in check to have a fruitful conversation.

Some people think they can do everything . Well, many executives keep doing things themselves because "it's a lot easier to just do it than take the time to train someone and then have to check the work anyway". These same people start coming in a little bit earlier and leaving a little later to ...

Do you want to be an amazing human being; in all relationships, with everyone? Then take the tools of great debaters and get the whole picture. Get in the habit of seeing all sides of disputes, all sides of situations. Even if you are committed to one point of view, you can grab it back after you become an advocate for your adversary’s perspective.

It’s great news if your business is growing quickly! But will things move so fast that you’ll struggle to keep pace? It’s a real possibility – so we better give it some thought. Knowing the potential pitfalls in advance and understanding how to mitigate them can go a long way in writing a successful growth story. Pitfall #1: You may hire too many bad employees or misfits

There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. ~ Wm. Shakespeare When you understand that life is one of the most luscious learning experiences, that all you experience comes from how you think, that you can improve the level of what you think about and improve this experience, at this point you become relaxed, in a harmonious state, peaceful about your life and happy with everything because of your conscious recognition about what is really happening. This is something controlling personalities need to learn.

"When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels" ~ Anonymous It's been said that there is no such thing as a good person or a bad person. Well, I'd like to say that I think there are only good people, and that some of those good people make bad choices and lead them off the path of what is good. There is a dynamic way of thinking that will help you in making better choices.

Here’s an interesting questio I received on Linkedin from Richard Sink who asked: “What lessons can you share with us about strategies when trying to turn your ideas (be it for social good or professional gain) into a reality?” Hi Richard, Great question. I work with start up’s on launching new ideas as well as established companies on re-inventing themselves in the marketplace. I’d like to offer you a great format I use with my clients through this process. It’s the 8 stages of a start up which should be followed in this order: Stage 1: Identify the Who, What and Why?

Does happiness bring you financial success? Well, actually, the evidence suggests it does. There is a growing body of research now that supports the connections among happiness, effectiveness, productivity and success. Sonja Lyubamirsky, a University of Califo ia author of The How of ...

What does it feel like when you really trust someone? There is a sense of calm. Of peace. A Knowing if you will. It’s the feeling you get when you know that someone has your back. Trust is something that is earned. Earned day after day through your consistent behaviors, words, actions and deeds. It gets at the heart of our need as human beings to feel SAFE. Conversely, when lack of trust is present, how does that feel? There is always a question mark in the back of your mind. An uneasy feeling, A lack of safety,

Ever wonder why just at the time you are making big changes or going through some amazing expansion, something comes up that slows you down or makes you want to put on the breaks on your amazing new life. It's the old you with the disbelief that your life could possibly get any better or the naysayers in your head and the doubting Thomas that are trying to keep you small instead of grand and the excellent being that you are inside.

When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied. ~ Herophilus Do you realize that a Super Mom’s life is a life of giving? While you’re taking care of them, who’s taking care of you? Can you begin to factor yourself into the equation? What would you like to add to your life that would support and nurture you? What is Good Mental Health?

I usually look back when my birthday happens and tell you what I've learned that previous year and the character strengths they have created. This year isn't any different and I hope you enjoy this year's list of strengths I've experienced. I have learned that no matter what odds seem to be pressing you down, you can (and I think must) stand for what you believe in and withstand the pressures in your life. This means courage.

Twitter is a great free tool that can transform your approach to fundraising. And in a time of economic uncertainty, a free tool is a welcome help! Twitter: A Brief Introduction At its most basic level, Twitter is called "microblogging." You get 140 characters to get your message across. It's sort of like text messaging but on the web. 140 characters to answer the main question on the Twitter home page: "What are you doing now?" When you first start to tweet, it feels really odd.

We will discuss, exclusively, chronological resumes. They are the most common, generally preferred by HR pros, and if you know how to create them, the easiest to write. They’re not well-suited to career changers, people with gaps in work, and possibly recent grads. We all need to remember a basic tenet. Your resume is your marketing piece; your cover letter is a sales pitch. Keeping that in mind sets the tone of each document and helps you decide where to put what.

All of us make mistakes, say things we didn’t mean, forget, or are rude when we may not have intended to be. Experience has taught me most people don’t intentionally harm others but once they do, they’re reluctant, or find it difficult, to take responsibility for the damage.