Recently I had the opportunity to volunteer as a mentor/coach to a group of business women. The event provided that various coaches address different topics and the women could choose three of the 30 minute topic discussions to join. My topic was “Accelerate Performance”; a topic that could be defined in many ways leaving the conversation to be shaped by the needs of the participants. Of the nine women I had the pleasure to meet …
As a financial advisor I learned technical concepts and developed knowledge and skill around the fundamentals of financial planning. What are the payoffs of investing in the stock market, real estate or other ventures? What level of risk is required to generate the return? Will the return be sufficient for the client’s needs? How much will the client earn and how much can be saved? What I learned in twenty-plus years of financial advising is …
Are you too close to your vision to see it clearly? Have you ever held something close to your face in order to see it clearly only to discover that it comes into focus when you hold it farther away? Or am I just revealing my age here?? At a recent client retreat we filled pages and pages of those giant sticky notes with ideas, thoughts and suggestions that poured forth from the team members. …
Now that vision is out of your head and onto paper or its technological equivalent, what do you do with it? That grand exercise you undertook has yielded fruit and your excitement is palpable. Purpose and mission as well as action steps are the obvious next place to go. But let’s keep this at the 30,000 foot level and recognize the importance and power the vision statement brings. For a solo-prenuer, the next step is …
Creating a vision that you are able to communicate requires space and effort. I find it helpful to have a few tools to get the creative juices flowing. These tools help coax that internal picture (vision) out of my head and become something specific that I move toward every day (purpose). Recently I enjoyed a pleasant reminder of how powerful a written vision can be and it came because of technology. I purchased a Surface …
My work with clients, both personally and professionally, often centers around vision. Some people know exactly what theirs is while many struggle to even define vision. Perhaps that is because we use other words to attempt to describe what is an internal picture. Consider these definitions, courtesy of Merriam Webster: Vision is something that you imagine: a picture that you see in your mind. Purpose is the reason why something is done or used: the …
“What time is it?” “Do you have the time?” “May I take just a moment of your time?” These are some of the many phrases we hear associated with the ticking of the clock. Most cause us some level of anxiety and a reACTION of “Oh, my goodness, look at the time!” or “I don’t have time for that (or anything else!).” What is it about time that causes so much angst? Time is simply a …
I am often asked if my coaching client base is predominantly women. I am not sure what prompts this question but the answer is usually surprising to the asker. It is no. I have coached more men than women by a small but meaningful margin. The sobering statistic that I have noticed from my unscientific, but based on real-life observations research, is that women fail to take the steps necessary to prepare and promote themselves. …
“It depends” is an answer we don’t like to hear and is usually one we don’t like to give. Yet it is often the best answer we can get. Early in my career as a financial advisor, “the answer” is what I thought I needed to give. With my study and knowledge of the technical ins and outs of financial planning, I thought the answer was the value I provided. It didn’t take long to …
I’ve been writing a lot about confidence over the past few months. There is a reason for that. I believe it is the key to success for anyone for anything they want to achieve. For most of my life, that is the gift I have wanted to give people, the gift of confidence. The thing is, that is not a gift I can give anyone. It is a gift you give yourself. The closest I can …
It takes a lot of courage and confidence to pick yourself. Most of us don’t do it. Comfortable where we are, it is too much to risk to put our hand up or poke our head out. We wait for someone else to say you are ready, step up, you can do it. While it is great to have supporters, or the buzzword today, a sponsor, it still only comes down to one person…you. So …
That requires confidence doesn’t it? To raise your hand and say “I can,” “I want to,” “I will” is risky business. You just might fail and how embarrassing would that be. Think about all those times when inspiration or a great idea struck or a commitment was requested of you and you almost said yes. What stopped you from following through? Perhaps you considered the other obligations and commitments you have and recognized that your …
Let’s play a game! I am thinking of a four-letter word that begins with “F.” No, not that one! The word I am thinking of is “fail” and its commonly used counterpart “failure.” What does it mean to fail? We typically think of failure as being unsuccessful in our efforts to be or do something. In last week’s message, we recalled our first unsuccessful attempts on the bicycle. Mastering the art of riding a bike …
How can you increase your confidence? Is there a book or course “How to Increase Confidence in 30 Days?” More than likely there is, yet I challenge you to set your own course for increasing confidence. As a young person, and still to this day, I would love to have the ability to give the gift of confidence to people. Yet that is not possible. I cannot bestow on anyone that level of faith in …
This question came from a participant in one of my strengths workshops. “Are certain strengths or characteristics common in leaders?” Many questions along this same line have been asked about leadership over the years. What do you think the answer is? Are leaders born or made? What are the characteristics of great leaders? Can you learn to become a better leader? These are all versions of the same question and a natural one to ask. …
We admire them from afar and close-up, wondering how they have mastered this ability. Calmly and powerfully their influence touches us and so many others. Yet this influence is not controlling, dominating or belittling. It is refreshing, inspiring, and uplifting. And we wonder how did they become so great? What does it take to be a leader of that caliber? Definitions give us a place to start. To lead is to guide on a way …
Have you ever had one of those dreams (nightmares!) where you show up for class only to discover there is a test that day that you either did not know about or completely forgot? Fear and panic set in as you realize you are far from prepared. What you need most at this moment, besides a wake-up call, is sorely missing. That’s the funny thing about confidence, we usually only notice it when it is …
The final key to mastery from George Leonard’s book Mastery is The Edge. Thus far we have reviewed the following: Instruction – the coach and other forms, reading, video, etc. Practice – the verb and the noun Surrender – to the instruction and demands of the discipline and of your own proficiency at times Intentionality – visualization and holding the vision The Edge is a willingness, a boldness to challenge previous limits and take a …
Continuing with George Leonard’s book Mastery, the fourth key is intentionality. In the book, Mr. Leonard defines intentionality with words such as character, willpower, attitude, imaging, the mental game. He goes on to describe the power of visualization in performance with many examples coming from the world of sports. If you have ever practiced visualization you know the power and impact it can have. Visualization is not simply mental rehearsal, it is feeling and experiencing …
We continue to work through the 5 Keys of Mastery. Last week was about Practice and it involves more than you think. So what role does Surrender play in Mastery? Waving white flags or your dog’ s underbelly is not what is being referenced here, rather it is to yield to the instruction and the demands of your discipline. Are you willing to look the part of the fool as you try something new? To …