What is Coaching?

Filed in Executive Coaching | 28 August, 2008

There are no rules, but you do have to know them \r (Myles Downie - Author, \”Effective Coaching\”)

I am somewhat puzzled by the sense that coaching has a value, yet we don\’t know what that value is and we don\’t know how to measure it.

Is this is a bad thing or not?

Style has no value and cannot be measured but it makes the owner more attractive.

Are we trying to make our organisations more attractive by providing coaching or are we trying to make our organisations more effective.

If the latter we have to be able to demonstrate a return on investment, if the former we don\’t.

I am just a little uncomfortable with the idea that we appear to be using coaching without any sense of why we are doing it. There is a vague feeling that it adds value to an individual\’s performance but at the same time not enough value to make a measurable difference.

From an aesthetic point of view this may mean that the value, like style, cannot be measured in the conventional sense, but from the point of view of the accountant or engineer, if the added value cannot be measured there can be only one conclusion.

There has been no value added.

If this is the case then it becomes difficult to justify the investment of resources into something that provides no return.

Since most businesses are not run by aesthetes we have to ask why we persist with a strategy that provides no measurable return.

Coaching is a familiar word which we accept without further qualification because we believe we know what it means.

The context in which this word is familiar is the sports pavilion, not the business arena in which we are now using it.

So what is coaching?

We have a fairly sophisticated idea already of the work of the sports coach.

The Coach takes a naive athlete and allows that athlete to realise the full potential of his or her body. \r The athlete is already fit and strong, the Coach provides the focus, technique and energy to an already prepared body which allows the Athlete to improve.

This idea translates very effectively to the business arena in which the business Leader / Manager, with Coaching, is guided and supported to a new focus, a new understanding of personal effectiveness and real power.

The above repeats the familiar analogy of the Athlete who with Coaching is able to reach his full potential.

The model however falls short of the needs of the professional tradesman who finds himself in a position of authority with no Management or Leadership tools.

All of his working life he has been using his skill with familiar tools, (that he was introduced to during his apprenticeship), to produce results for which he is paid. \r His promotion to a Managerial position now puts him in a place where he is not allowed to use his old familiar tools. \r He is placed in this position and expected to produce results in terms of performance, without the training or experience to indicate how he might go about it.

The equivalent situation is the man on the street who finds himself being Coached by an athlete. He doesn\’t even speak the same language. \r \”What has diet got to do with it, what do you mean go for a run? what\’s wrong with the bus, cross training? do you mean learn how to get angry, don\’t call me overweight!\”

There is no reason why the second man cannot become as motivated and effective as the first but it is apparent that some extra work is required to get to the same level.

In terms of the Athletic relationship the sports Coach would not normally entertain the man who came off the street. \r Before he could get into a pure Coaching scenario there would have to be an enormous investment in time and effort to get John Doe to a level where his performance could be attributed to Coaching rather than an increased fitness level.

Business Coaches on the other hand don\’t often find themselves with the luxury of being able to pick and choose the people or the level to which they are pre-trained before they meet them.

The Business Coach accepts whomsoever is encountered and is prepared to take on the man in the street with the same enthusiasm and the same end in mind as the Business Athlete.

For the Business Athlete the coach is starting with a person already trained and fit, he has the tools he requires and the value added comes from the softer, guidance, facilative and support skills of the Coach.

The man in the street, at the opposite end of the spectrum cannot respond to the softer skills because he has not even begun to learn the language that would allow him to appreciate the concepts.

At the base level there is a man who first wants to know what empowerment means before he can consider the relevance of the concept and begin to think about a strategy to implement it in the workplace.

The word Coaching and the initial narrow definition of the word does not cover the teaching, training and mentoring which has to occur first to prepare John Doe for the one to one Coaching relationship.

Without the groundwork, the preparation and education, we cannot get to that one to one relationship.

The Business Coach expands his offer to the client by including these hard skills.

By transferring those (Hard) skills to the clients, through teaching or training, the coach adds immediate value, at the same time preparing the coachee for the subsequent one to one coaching relationship (The Softer Skills) that will aid the clients progress to the next level of performance.

The two groups of skills;

The Harder Skills :
\r Predominantly for the man without a formal business education (Non Athlete)
\r Teaching,
\r Training,
\r Mentoring.

The Soft Skills :
\r Predominantly for the business athlete
\r Guiding.
\r Facilitation.
\r Support.

In a practical situation there will always be an overlap between the two groups but by ensuring that the hard skills are in place first the Business Coach can fine tune their use and measure the return created by the coaching intervention.

Where these hard skills are not in place, or have been neglected, it will be very difficult for the coach or the client to discern a return on their investment.

Peter A Hunter.
\r Author-Breaking the Mould
\r http://www.breakingthemould.co.uk

If you have ever experienced or learned something which you then knew was instinctively right - you will never have forgotten it.\r Peter Hunter learned something years ago which, regrettably, most of us have still yet to learn.\r When we do - once we have understood the simplicity of his book \’Breaking the Mould\’ - it will transform our lives forever! \r Vic Baxter Business Workout.

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Making Changes in Your Personal Life

Filed in Executive Coaching | 28 August, 2008

Making changes in your personal life can be a tough process. Change starts with a thought. It cannot begin without one. However, what we think and dream is not always what those around us choose to envision for us.

Why do I bring this up? Because I know first hand that when people try to make changes there are often nay-sayers hanging around. There will always be people expressing their negative responses as reasons why you cant do something that you dream. BUT this is never a reason to not try!

Here are some questions to ask yourself– and hold dearly to!!! :

What is my new goal?

Why do I want this?

How will it alter my life for the better?

How will it benefit those around me?

How will I become a better person through this change?

Is that a result I desire?

Is this goal attainable?

Is this goal reasonable?

How can this goal be broken down into tiny steps?

Can I accomplish the first of these steps?

Is that a reasonable thing to choose to do?

Am I hurting anyone in this process (directly or indirectly)?

You never need to turn the power of your life over to another human being. You are created to be a unique individual. You were not put here to fulfill anyone elses plans, dreams, or goals. No one has the right to design your life unless you turn over and abdicate your own power to another person.

Dare to dream.

Risk to follow the dream.

And find your true authentic self along the way.

Until next time - all the best,

Kate

About The Author

Kate Hufstetler is a well established business & personal coach who has helped many individuals like yourself to beat \”the blues\” and gain control over their lives. Her clients come from both the United States and overseas. She offers coaching services via email and phone consultations at flexible timing and financing to meet your every need. Through personal, business, spiritual mentorship, she could help you too! Please visit for available packages within your range: http://www.comedreamwithme.com/start_today.html

Kate@comedreamwithme.com

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The Most Useful Coaching Models to Use

Filed in Executive Coaching | 28 August, 2008

A life coach uses many models to meet the needs of his/her client. Depending on the type of life coaching course you attend the number of models and the type of models that can be used by a life coach varies. Some of the models are the six levels of coaching, the CLEAR model, Solution focused coaching, the story telling coach, transformational coaching, the GROW model etc. Among these models nothing is as useful as the GROW model. The GROW model was developed in the U.K and used extensively in coaching during the late 1980s and 1990s. The GROW Model enables you to break down an issue into its constituent parts.

It is one of the best known and widely used models. The reason for its popularity is that it provides a simple but powerful framework for navigating a route through a coaching session. It also provides a means of finding your way when you are lost. Lots of coaches have used it and it is described in number of life coaching manuals and books. GROW stands for Goal, current Reality, Options and Will. These are the four elements of a coaching session. The GROW model can be applied to individual sessions, group sessions, a part of a session or to series of sessions. Whatever type of session you apply it to the principle remains the same. This is how it works.

Any life coach knows that a goal is necessary for a person to work for. Similarly, each session must have a goal or an outcome to be reached or achieved. Make this goal as specific as possible. It should be such that it should be easy for a person to make out whether the goal has been achieved or not. Once the goal is identified, you can ask questions like How will you know that you have achieved the goal?

Setting the goal is good but how can you set a goal without being aware of your current reality. It is important to know where you are going but it is equally important to know where you are right now. You have to know your starting point to reach your finishing point. This is a key part of any life coaching session. By clearly seeing the situation you are in you can make the resolving of the issues that much easier.

Now you know your starting point (current reality) and your finishing point (goal), you have to next know how to get from the starting point to the finishing point. So, you have to explore the options to get from the starting point to finishing point. Using the GROW model is like using the map. Once you know where you are going and from where you are going then you can explore the possible routes. Then, you can decide which is the best possible route (option) to reach the goal.

But, knowing the starting point (current reality), finishing point (goal), and route (options) is not enough to make the journey. You should have the means to make the journey. How can you do it? By having the will to make the journey. If there is a will there is a way. So, if you have the will you can start from your current reality and reach your goal through the best option possible.

Having described the GROW model, it would seem as if it is a sequential process. But in reality it is not so. In practice each process has to be revisited a number of times before the final outcome. The best thing about this model is that it is easily understood, straightforward to apply and very thorough. In addition, once you have an understanding of how it works, it is possible to apply it to an amazing variety of issues in a very effective way. The GROW model will stop you struggling, or making so many mistakes. It will help you recoup quickly should you fall. GROW can get you going again when you pause. With GROW you can create a support framework to motivate you and encourage you. GROW can make success easier, faster and more fun than you think possible.

Sean McPheat provides life coaching and training for people all around the globe. He is the owner of the Life Coaching Studio and he designs and delivers life coach, programmers and mentoring across the UK, Europe, US and the Middle East.

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The Dirty Little Secret Of "The Secret"

Filed in Executive Coaching | 27 August, 2008

Are you practicing the Law of Attraction, and not having the best of results?

Are there barriers you just cant seem to break through? Things you cant get yourself to do, or things that just never seem to turn out right? Maybe you always attract the wrong guy or the wrong woman. Or maybe your talents and hard work are never recognized, no matter where you work. Or you always get a horror of a boss. Or money regularly slips through your fingers. Or maybe you just cant get yourself do what you need to do to succeed.

The reason the Law of Attraction seems not to work for you is that theres a dirty little secret to The Secret.

Heres what no one is telling you:

You create your reality through your beliefs. The problem with that is, most of our beliefs are unconscious! The Law of Attraction is working — you are attracting what you want at a very deep, that is, unconscious, level. And maybe you dont like what you are attracting. How do you change something youre not even aware of?

And no two peoples beliefs are alike, so no mass market product tape, CD, DVD, mass training will ever find YOUR beliefs!

But I can help you find and shift your unconscious beliefs! In 20 years of counseling people, using my clairvoyance as well as hypnotherapy and neurolinguistic techniques, Ive come up with a unique process that not only identifies the unconscious beliefs blocking what you consciously want, it changes them — permanently often in under an hour. Then you will automatically and easily take the right action — and attract what you want! Call me now at 888-4-hollis (888-446-5547) or check out my website, www.hollispolk.com to learn more.

Maybe youre like Lacey — just about to succeed as an actor — making contacts in the industry, people who can get her seen by the right casting directors, and get her parts. (Shes been training for 10 years, and has rave reviews from the few jobs shes had.) All she has to do is send out her resume to her new contacts and she cant get herself to do it! Whats going on? She makes up excuse after excuse its too hard to get it off the old floppy disk (she could just type it again), she has to end some legal issues, she has to clean the kitchen. Whats really going on?

Whats really going on for Lacey, as I discovered in under 10 minutes, is that she equates success with being a horrible person an alcoholic and an abuser of other people, because her successful father was not only a workaholic, but also an alcoholic who abused her and her mother. So unconsciously, success is a massive double bind. She can either struggle and be a good person, or succeed professionally and be a monster! Is she going to succeed? Not without changing her unconscious programming!

The good news is, she can change that programming. And so can you!

Over 20 years of working with clients, Hollis Polk has seen so many people facing obstacles that could be overcome easily with the right tools (including hypnotherapy, neurolinguistics, and decision science), that she incorporated additional skills into her original clairvoyant practice. She mastered these skills in her rational education (a Harvard MBA and an engineering Bachelors degree from Princeton, where I specialized in decision science), 20+ years of business experience, and specialized training, including hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistics. Her practice now specializes in coaching to change beliefs, based on psychic information.

This will work for you to change your beliefs and your life!

See http://www.888-4-hollis.com or call 888-4-hollis (888-446-5547) to learn more!

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Life On The Receiving End Of Coaching

Filed in Executive Coaching | 26 August, 2008

What is it like to be on the receiving end of mentoring to improve your performance in pocket billiards and at the same time, participate in life changing coaching?

You are the reason for all of the things you are going through. Once you accept that, you are then ready to make the changes that will take you to the next level and far beyond.

Many billiards players find themselves blocked from moving to the next level. They seem to stay in the same place year after year. Do you find yourself at one of these stagnation points? I recently took part in the Monk 101 Four Points To Power program and found it was

Professionally personalized programs for success

Structure to keep me focused, on track, clear, accountable and successful

Support to sharpen skills, clarity and awareness

Direction on material and technology to support top quality growth

Opportunity to hone critical thinking skills, analyze situations and co-create strategies to effectively deal with them on the table and off.

It did not require face-to-face meetings, it did not rely upon judgment of my performance before beginning the program and it did not require an exorbitant investment of time and money. Working with The Monk I learned many things about myself and was able to make some positive changes. I now find I can:

Accept Criticism–If given with respect, offered in private, critique could change your game.

Submit To Correction–You know you did wrong and you are sorry, but until you are shown how to correct the problem, it is subject repetition.

Learn By Following–Learning can be defined as the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skills. But you only gain understanding when you follow someone\’s example.

Get Yourself Free–Learn to deal with the bad habits you keep dragging around. Be accountable to your master.

Gain Consistency–Make Your game more reliable and uniform in a variety of circumstances and varying degrees of distraction.

Increase Confidence–Learn the Four Strokes of Pool, how to shoot them and how to use them to win. Win More Games–When you can get your attitude in line with your skills, you will find more often then not you will be in the winners\’ circle.

Gain Recognition–\”From our perceptions we turn in our performance. If with faulty perceptions we act, we think, and we perform, calamity comes upon us. If from right perceptions we act, we think, we perform, success is ours.\”

Improve Your Life–The Enlightenment Stage is the goal of true champions. Those who reach this level are truly free from the ruling forces of the senses and can live life to the fullest. You won\’t know the true meaning of your life until you connect to that which gave you meaning.

Truly, if you can become one with the nine precepts outlined above, we can change our world. The Monk 101 Four Points to Power program is your chance to change the mind set that holds you back in this great game. Our perceptions build our mindset. From our mindset we act, think and perform.

The true value of this program goes far beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge; you can do that with a book. The Monk 101 Four Points To Power is designed to help you reach the stage of true enlightenment, and real understanding.

Even in pocket billiards, you can\’t sink a shot with knowledge, you\’ll never gain good position if your shot is based on what you know — understanding gives you great power, both on the table and off.

Reg Hardy writes mostly on billiards topics, primarily for http://www.billiardscrossing.com Where Good Players Get Better .. His Billiards Crossing website features over 170 billiards resources.
\r A 7-day Trial Membership is $4.95.

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The Power of Intention: Do Your Thoughts Shape Reality?

Filed in Executive Coaching | 26 August, 2008

Being a practical girl, I haven\’t always believed in the power of intention. Yet, extraordinary stories always capture my attention, and there is no question in my mind that it is more practical to apply intention than to write it off as mumbo-jumbo.

The word intention is used in many ways. The dictionary definition that fits most closely says, \”intention is conception of a thing formed FIRST by the direct application of the mind to the individual object, idea or image. It is a stretching or bending of the mind toward an object.\”

Other words often used interchangeably with intention are \”prayer\”, \”positive thinking\” or \”manifesting\”.

Fundamental to INTENTION is that \”thoughts shape reality\”. What we focus on in our minds, is ultimately reflected in our reality. If we intend on attracting the ideal employee in our minds first, and BELIEVE the person will show up, will they? Well, yes. I\’ve seen clients do this again and again. The reverse is also true. If someone believes the ideal employee is going to be HARD or impossible to find…it\’s more likely that person will experience difficulty in their search. Your patterns of thought shape your reality.

Another fundamental assumption is that \”everything in the Universe is somehow connected\”. This is true even though we can\’t SEE that connection.

The best visual that scientifically validates the notion of intention is the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto. Dr. Emoto did a series of studies where pictures of tap water were taken before and after people held positive or negative intentions. Water that received thoughts of love or gratitude morphed into beautiful crystalline structures. Taping the words \”thank you\” or \”you fool\” also resulted in two radically different jars of water structures, demonstrating the positive affect of thought on water.

See the pictures for yourself. It\’s remarkable. http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/nov1/cwater.htm. The interview goes into more detail about his findings, and substantiates the effects of intention.

As paraphrased from \”What the BLEEP do we Know?\”, \”If our thoughts can do this to water, imagine what the impact of thoughts are on our lives.\” We are 70% water.

Maximizing the Power of Intention: If you would like to increase the effectiveness of intention in your life, the tips below offer some guidance.

1. Become SPECIFICALLY CLEAR about your desires. Would you like to receive an extra $5000 next month? Are you looking for the perfect new employee? Do you want to heal a pain in your body? Do you want to attract your ideal relationship? Whatever your desire, intention can accelerate the results. The more CLARITY you have, the better.

2. Get Connected. Realize that you are not separate from your desire. Imagine and experience yourself receiving your intention now. How does it feel? The more fully you associate with your intention, the better. When we say, \”I want a new car\” and we remain very disassociated with it because we don\’t really believe it will really happen.

3. BELIEVE. Your thoughts shape your reality. If you don\’t think \”intention\” can work, it probably won\’t. If you don\’t believe that you\’ll be able to attract your desire, you probably won\’t.

4. Let go of the HOW. Once you\’ve set an intention, it\’s time for trust and faith to set in. When you put a cake in the oven, you don\’t question that it will bake. You also don\’t have to understand how the dough is transformed into a dessert. Have faith in the process, and KNOW that the field of consciousness is working its magic.

5. Be UNATTACHED to the Outcome. Allow your desires to unfold in the perfect time and manner. When we are ATTACHED to a specific outcome, the energy becomes restricted and we cut off the natural flow of energy. It\’s also useful to not be attached to a timeline. Everything unfolds in its perfect order. Often times you will receive something BETTER than what you imagined in your mind. One of my clients wanted to sell his car dealership, and he almost instantaneously attracted several buyers. When the first \”perfect\” buyer flaked out at the last minute, instead of becoming discouraged, he reviewed all the options again and simply surrendered even more to the process. While he wanted to sell the dealership, he was also open to keeping it. A couple days later, an even more perfect buyer appeared.

6. Be OPEN to Receiving. Often an intention may be blocked energetically by an underlying belief. Do you feel you are truly worthy and deserving of RECEIVING your intention? This isn\’t a question to answer too quickly. If the \”something\” hasn\’t shown up in your life, there may be a block to clear. Some people view material things as \”not spiritual\”, thus instinctually repelling desired objects from their life. Do you have space energetically to RECEIVE your desire? Sometimes receiving your intention may disrupt your life, and subconsciously a part of you could be repelling it. Everyone gets tested on expanding their ability to receive. Experience yourself receiving your intention, KNOW that you are indeed deserving, and create space for your desire to come into your life.

A FINAL NOTE: Does every thought we have manifest in reality? Are we really controlling our own lives? While many teachers talk about the power of intention, know this isn\’t the whole story. There are many, many, many thoughts that will NEVER happen in reality. Both David Hawkins and Byron Katie chuckle at people for believing we are 100% in control of our reality. We ARE each co-creating our realities. Our intentions and thoughts do have an affect on the field of consciousness. We can either set empowering and positive intentions, or let the negative influences of the world shape it for us.

As I wrote this article, I have become even more conscious about my intentions and thoughts this past week. The more attention is placed on intention, my experience is — the more magic shows up. I encourage this practice.

SOULFUL CHALLENGE: Set intentions every day and throughout the day for the coming week. Play with intention as though you are discovering it for the first time. Apply the principles above. You may even buy Wayne Dyer\’s \”Getting in the Gap\” and use his CD to guide you in Japa as you set intentions daily. Notice what happens.

Mary Allen, Master Certified Coach, has earned a reputation as a results oriented coach, trainer and speaker. She is the author of \”The Power of Inner Choice: 12 Weeks to Living a Life YOU Love\”. For tips, strategies, ideas and reminders for creating a more fulfilling life, sign up for Mary\’s email newsletter, SoulFULLY Living at http://www.powerofinnerchoice.com.

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The Business of Business Manners at Meetings

Filed in Executive Coaching | 26 August, 2008

In addition to a lack of business ethics today, there is also a lack of business manners. I have chosen to focus on business manners at meetings for this article. Business manners are essential to build relationships in todays business world. People, who present themselves very favorably, will maximize their business potential. I must tell you that I am very passionate about business manners and believe very strongly in the results that follow the use of good business manners.

I always stress to my clients the importance of business manners and to seeking advice on that issue and others. Well, I followed my own advice some time ago and one of the most gracious and well-mannered professionals I ever met is Pamela Hillings of Hillings Enterprises in Pasadena, California. Pamela and her mother wrote a book entitled \”Manners in a Minute,\” which is a practical guide for proper conduct and good manners when dining in or out. Pamela has been the official Royal Court Protocol Consultant to the Tournament of Roses Queen and Court and has been referred to as the \”Miss Manners of the Internet,\” as she has taught \”How to Have Great Business Manners\” through an Internet class. And I had the privilege of being one of her guest \”speakers\” during the course to talk about business manners. Pamela Hillings has been my guide for business manners ever since our first contact.

The potential for negative impacts is considerable in business meetings. Improve your business meeting etiquette and you will witness positive results in such forms as attentiveness, comfort, clear communications, and trust. Lets look at a few tips to ensure good business manners at your meetings, both the informal and the formal meetings.

For your informal meetings:

+ The person calling the meeting should be the most senior or the person with the most direct or urgent need in the topical area.

+ The meeting chairperson decides the time, place and agenda. The agenda and details should be confirmed with attendees in advance.

+ The person chairing the meeting must clearly state to all attendees the purpose of the meeting, the planned length of the meeting, and what the expected outcomes will be.

+ The chairperson must always start meetings on time and always respect the value of everyones time.

+ The chairperson must keep the meeting on the agenda.

+ The chair must pre-appoint someone to record minutes of the meeting so major decisions and action points are recorded accurately.

+ The chairperson must inform those not at the meeting of any results of the meeting that will impact them.

For your formal meetings:

+ Be prepared for the meeting. Review materials received prior to the meeting.

+ Dress appropriately and arrive before the start of the meeting.

+ Turn off all mobile phones and other personal electronic devices.

+ If appropriate, have attendees introduce themselves as an agenda item.

+ Do not interrupt anyone while they are speaking, even if you disagree strongly. Wait until the proper time and be acknowledged by the chairperson to speak.

+ Sit in an assigned seat if that is the custom and if you are unsure about seating arrangements, ask.

+ Be clear and concise when speaking and be sure what you are saying is relevant to the topic being discussed.

+ Honor all requested confidences relative to the meeting.

Never underestimate the value of good business manners. My experience over more than 35 years in professional life has time and time again confirmed the great value of business manners. The highest compliment I ever received on business manners came from the person I listen to the most about business manners, Pamela Hillings. Here is what she said in a testimonial:

I have been in the business of \’Business Manners\’ for over twenty years and I have never worked with anyone who is the perfect example of professionalism except for Glenn Ebersole. I have been engaged in several business dealings with him and every single time he has been detailed, punctual, polite, follows up and is extremely professional. He could easily consult my clients on an appropriate business image. ??Glenn is also excellent at communication and public relations. We worked on a national survey together and he was on top of the project at all times in terms of national exposure and contacting me. I would highly recommend him to anyone; you won\’t be disappointed.\”?Pamela Hillings, Hillings Enterprises Pasadena, California.

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, Glenns Guiding Lines Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach and has published more than 250 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or jgecoach@aol.com

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3 Steps to Preparing Yourself for Help

Filed in Executive Coaching | 25 August, 2008

As an entrepreneur, youve decided its time to hire some help so you can lead your business into the future and project growth. Youre excited about the decision and can\’t wait to start your search. A sense of fear begins to set in as you try to decide what type of help you need and, more importantly, where youll find the right person who will share your vision.

Most all of my clients have faced this same fear when they began their search for assistance. As we began our relationship, there was some initial hesitation and it took a few weeks before that trust factor was established.

Here are three steps to help prepare you for receiving assistance with your business and give you a sense of empowerment about your decision:

1. Emotionally, you have to completely let go. I produce a newsletter for most of my clients. Two of them worry each month — not about my ability to produce their newsletter, but the fear of rejection when it goes public. It never seems to fail that something goes wrong during production, which further fuels their fears. We are our own worst critics, but we need to learn to give ourselves some slack. In order for you to be successful in your business, you need to believe in yourself.

2. You should have some idea of why you want to hire an assistant and what youd like to delegate to him or her. Don\’t just say, \”I need help\” and then immediately hire someone. Youll need to do some homework first to maximize the value of your relationship.

3. Put processes in place now to avoid overworking later. In one of my recent articles, I proposed the idea of what would happen if someone wanted to buy your business today. Could you clearly define your day-to-day operations? If your answer is no, then how can you expect your assistant to understand what to do? You need to document the tasks you perform. Putting steps in place now will make delegating tasks that much easier in the future. If you need help mapping out your steps, be sure to visit the Tools section below.

It takes some time to build a relationship with someone new, but following these steps should make your relationship stronger and provide you with much needed relief for your business.

Copyright 2005, Angee Robertson

What would happen to your business if you were not there to take care of it? If you do not have any systems in place, no one else will know how your business operates. Visit http://www.diymicropreneur.com to learn how Angee can help you address this issue and better prepare and organize your business.

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The Death of the OD Practitioner

Filed in Executive Coaching | 24 August, 2008

In my recent book, Strategic Organizational Learning, I made some controversial remarks about the continuing decline in the field of OD. Let me be blunt here: OD is dead.

My comments and the comments of others, such as those of Jerry Harvey, have enflamed the passions of the few remaining adherents to the faith known as OD. David Bradford and Warner Burke have published a new book, entitled Reinventing Organization Development, which appears to be a last stand to defend the faith. (I received a complimentary copy of the book this week. Considering my views of OD, it is quite a compliment indeed.)

For the uninitiated, let me briefly discuss what OD practitioners believe and why OD practitioners have failed to convert others to their beliefs.

Organization Development (OD) practitioners (note, if you use the word organizational instead of organization you will not be accepted as one of them), claim to represent the applied behavioral sciences approach to the fields of organizational change and change management.

While various approaches in any professional practice are welcomed and healthy, OD practitioners have never been completely forthright and honest about their beliefs. OD practitioners are staunch believers in humanistic philosophy, and they practice their faith with cult-like devotion. OD practitioners stand together against strategic approaches, economic approaches, and capitalistic approaches to organizational change, change management, or doing business.

While other organizational consultants, such as trainers, organizational learning consultants, HR consultants, and management consultants in general are seeking to become strategic business partners, OD practitioners still refuse to partner with their clients to produce business results.

Christopher Worley, one of the defenders of OD, has said OD is concerned with learning and growth [not] performance. Clearly, management is, and should be, concerned with performance. Management is responsible to multiple stakeholder groups. Businesses are not founded to make employees happy; businesses are founded to serve the needs of all their stakeholders (customers, stockholders, and the community in general, not just employees).

OD practitioners look at business executives (their clients) with disdain. They see business people as bourgeois money-seekers who dont care about the worker. They look down their noses at the capitalists, who incidentally happen to be their clients. Bradford and Burke complain about OD and its marginal position. Is there any wonder why? Why should anti-business, anti-capitalism, anti-management rhetoric be appreciated in the boardroom? OD practitioners do not want the responsibility for performance, but they do want the right to criticize the hard decisions management must make.

I believe there are two reasons why the OD practitioner has declined in importance and is now dead: 1) OD practitioners have not adopted a strategic partnering approach with management, and 2) many OD practices have already been adopted by mainstream corporations. Let me comment briefing about how OD has marginalized itself by not partnering with its client, and then I want to comment about the positive contributions of OD practitioners.

First, OD practitioners have marginalized themselves with cult-like vocabulary designed to separate themselves from the clients they serve. In his article, entitled The Future of OD: Or, Why Dont They Take the Tubes Out of Grandma? Jerry Harvey included a list of this off-putting verbiage: deconflicting, leadershiping, gridding, sensitizing, feedbacking, spiritualizing, T-grouping, rolfing, deep sensing, cheese chasing, renewing, life balancing, energizing, story telling, holistic knowing, mind mapping, Enneagramming,

So am I saying OD has been worthless? Not at all. OD practitioners have contributed many ideas that are now common practice in corporate America. Even some of OD most hated enemies (such as Jack Welsh) adopted many OD practices.

The second reason I believe OD is dead is the fact that the OD movement succeeded! Many OD practices, such as empowerment and participative management, are now part of organizational culture and practice in mainstream American business. Even if the initial intentions of OD were anti-business, anti-capitalism, and anti-management, the result of adopting OD practices has been higher productivity of profits. But, in addition to higher productivity and profits, I believe we also have happier empowered workers.

Yes, I believe OD is dead. But, I believe OD should be buried with honor. ODs contributions were ultimately significant for all stakeholders in American business.

Whats next? OD practitioners should drop the anti-business, anti-capitalism, anti-management rhetoric and the OD practitioner banner that it represents. Its time to become consultants who serve clients as strategic partners.

Dr. Mike Beitler is the author of \”Strategic Organizational Learning\” and \”Strategic Organizational Change.\” He has many free articles on organizational effectiveness available on his website at http://www.mikebeitler.com/

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No Buts!

Filed in Executive Coaching | 24 August, 2008

For some people it is easier for them to decide what they do not want than it is to decide what they do want. \r For example, I have a client who is a bank teller. She wants to leave the stress of her financial institution. She cannot bear the thought of doing a job she no longer enjoys for another twenty-five years. She recognises the symptoms of stress and she is de-motivated and unhappy. Her job is not particularly well paid and promotion is slow. She knows she wants to leave the bank. Her desire is to avoid a painful process. She also fears job insecurity. It was easier for to identify what she did not want rather than what she did want.

In my opinion, people can often be motivated more by what they do not want than by what they do want. \r Negative reinforcement is powerful. And they can hold you back. Key words and phrases to avoid are:

Negative, hesitant or cynical statements:\r I cant e.g. Id really like to lose weight but I cant. I have been attending Weight Watchers for 15 years and still not achieved my goal weight.

Couldnt e.g. I wish I could earn more money but I couldnt get through the interview. Ive failed twice already.

Shouldnt e.g. I shouldnt jump these traffic lights, Ive already got points on my licence but I am so late for work.

Wont e.g. I wont get this assignment in on time and I dont think I am doing very well.

Ought to e.g. I really ought to spend more time with the kids but I am just so exhausted when I get home from work.

Need to e.g. I really need to be more organised. I seem to spend half my life looking for things.

I could e.g. I could walk that half-marathon with Gill in April, but I cant find time and Im lazy.

I should e.g. I should call home tonight and I can at 8pm after the seminar, but I need to do some networking after dinner

But e.g. Id like things to work out better, but I know they wont

I challenge you to eradicate the above words from your vocabulary whenever possible. \r Start with but. Replace but with and and be amazed at the difference. \r Develop a but radar and do an instant translation.

Here is a quotation from my desktop, Cool Beans which shows clearly what I mean.

Dave is a nice guy but he is a police officer. Versus \r Dave is a nice guy and he is a police officer.

Take up my challenge! No buts! No Buts for a day! Come on you can do anything for 24 hours!\r And let me know how you get on just enter my name in Google.

Its cool to be Googled\’

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