Executive Coach and Executive Coaching Articles

Did you know that the number one desired outcome of communication skills coaching is to increase self-confidence speaking? Whether the situation is to speak to the boss, a roomful of people or a large massive crowd, having the self-confidence to deliver the message in a way that resonates is priority. Leaders know ...

When I first started road biking in 2016, I loved the feeling of freedom when the air passed my wet skin and became a natural air conditioner. I also loved to ride downhills at a very fast speed. It was an incredible thrill to let go and fly down those hills. It was truly exhilarating!

Do you get up from bed each morning with dread and anxiety about what faces you at work? • Do you feel like you have to make “through” each day? • Are you completely exhausted by the time you get home each night? • Do you see life as a merry go round over which you have no control? • Do you find yourself wishing you had a clone or more time to get everything you need done? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, its very likely you have a work life in-balance.

Do you realize that first impressions are important? I’d like to tell you that, important or not, you make them and you receive them every single day of your life. Impressions have become habitual and you are no longer conscious of those you get when observing new people in your experience, like the person in the office next to yours. You see them, you form an opinion, and you rapidly forget about them, unless their appearance or their smell or their words impress themselves on you. You’re on auto-pilot when you meet a new co-worker or a new manager. They make an impression.

Writing and delivering invitations to customers, potential customers, or colleagues to attend your important business-related occasions requires careful attention: While great opportunities lie therein, if done improperly, it can cause undesired results that it’s wise to avoid.nnWhen you plan a launch, a professional conference, or even an Open Day at the office, naturally you want to make it special; you also know that its success and effectiveness depend on how many of yo

As a real estate agent, it is important to know your value. Your value is determined by what you have to offer the consumer. It is important to remember that consumer perception is consumer reality. Every agent on the path of success must be able to answer the following question from a consumers point of view. (We all need to answer a version of this very basic question and answer it very, very well.) The question is: Why should a consumer work with you instead of another age

Have you thrown anyone away recently? Someone who works for you, someone in your family, a friend…someone you’re dating or even married to? Did you need to read this to realise you might have? Relationships can be defined as “a state of connectedness between people”. One ...

You gain many benefits from having a healthy work life balance. It enables you to experience personal satisfaction and professional fulfillment. It also makes you more confident and effective at work. Let’s explore all the benefits you can gain from having a healthy work life balance. Benefits of Work Life Balance in your Personal Life

We hear everywhere that there is only one constant: change. If that is true, why do so many people find it so very difficult? One would think that if it is so common we would all be change agent experts… chameleons if you will; but such is not the case. The majority of humans tend toward ...

Conducting a good strategic planning session is critical to the success of a solid strategic plan; one that includes specific and measurable goals and objectives, providing a clear direction for the organization. To ensure that the actual planning retreat is as productive as it can be, ground rules should be established and discussed prior to commencement. This article provides a list of 11 ground rules I believe are imperative in managing a successful planning retreat. 1. Present the written agenda or schedule for the day so everyone is aware of the day’s activities.

Bob Sheppard, the announcer for the New York Yankees, for more than almost six decades, applied three simple principles to his extraordinary delivery. Surely his beautiful baritone made him highly listenable and memorable; however, it was his discipline that made him a lifetime member of the team and a much loved part of the game for spectators. To become a good communicator Bob Sheppard believed you had to abide by three simple, but important, rules—be clear, concise, and correct.

Over the years, I have observed people who are real friends and people who claim to be friends. As I get older, I truly believe the old saying that you can count your real friends on one hand. So, you may be asking what makes a person a real friend. I have identified my top eight characteristics of what I feel constitutes a true friend, or what I feel I need most in a friendship. In observing your relationships with other people, whether they are family members, people you went to school with, coworkers, or colleagues, how many of them are real friends?

In contemporary psychological terms, “extrovert” is used to describe a individuals whose temperament type or preference directs and receives their energy from exte al sources. In the practical sense, they are action people who plug into others for their juice. They’re not generally drawn to reflection, they are “doers.” Talking things out is an extrovert’s way of understanding, solving problems, reducing stress, sharing, and communicating. I am less likely to say to myself, “what are they really thinking?” when working with an extrovert.

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

When setting goals to get us to where we want to be in life it is so important that we always honor our core values in all we do. WHAT ARE CORE VALUES? Firstly values are the things in life which are most important to you but core values go even deeper still. These are the qualities and characteristics that you hold dear to you. The characteristics and qualities you wish to embody in everything you do e.g. honesty, compassion, integrity, courage, loving, sincerity,caring. Eve

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.

How motivated are your employees? Are they fully engaged and passionate about their work? In challenging economic times it is natural for most people to lose some level of enthusiasm. When we cut costs and people around us lose jobs and even their homes, our desire to take on the "biggest and baddest" challenge at work can falter. But in these times, the last thing we need is lost productivity and less passion. In fact, what we really need is to raise the bar and get more productivity and creativity from our people. Can you motivate your employees to do more?

"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.

No matter how positive you are, there is probably at least one negative feeling or thought that creeps into your mind on a daily basis. Negative thoughts have many origins. They can develop from not feeling well, experiencing low self-esteem, or doubting one's self. Considering the fact that this happens to everyone, how do some people appear to be more successful at turning negative thoughts into positive ones before the negativity grows and becomes counterproductive? This article provides some tips on squelching negative thoughts before they have a chance to fester and erupt. 1.

Nonprofit organizations are always looking for ways in which to raise money to support their respective operation. The following list provides some traditional methods for generating revenue but it also includes some ideas you may not have previously thought about or considered.

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.