Blueprint For Living Coaching

My architect clients often come to coaching calls flustered and worked-up about some event at work or some interaction with a colleague or client that went south. It's what I jokingly call the "drama du jour".

I gotta be honest, it's really seductive. It's so easy to get sucked into the story, the personalities, the he said/she said of it all. And I always allow space for my clients to blow off some steam when they need to.

Leaders, however, have to be able to distinguish patterns and see the larger picture in their business dealings. We need to pull ourselves out of the weeds, gain some altitude and take a hard look at what's REALLY going on.

More often than not, the drama is indicative of a larger issue that needs to be addressed. That's where coaching can be invaluable. Because rather than stomping out daily fires, we're removing the tinder and kindling so the fires never get a chance to start.

Yes, you have to deal with the circumstances in front of you. Absolutely. But those flare-ups point to deeper work that requires your attention.

The next time you find yourself embroiled in drama in your business, handle the scandal and then ask yourself, "If we weren't talking about [insert drama here], what would we be talking about?" It's a great way to get some elevation and guide yourself, your staff and your clients to a far more productive outcome.

How about a quick and easy time management tip?

More time is wasted in open-ended business conversations that have few or no boundaries. We get sucked into long, drawn out, meandering interactions that are poorly initiated, poorly defined, and poorly concluded.

The next time someone asks for "a minute of your time" or a "brief chat" try the following: define the parameters for the conversation at the outset.

"I've got 10 minutes to go over this with you. If we need more than that, let's put something in the calendar".

Being intentional with your time and sticking to the boundaries you set sends multiple messages to your colleagues. You're not only setting expectations for how to engage, but you're also training others to understand that your time is valuable and sending the message that they need to come to conversations prepared.

See how many "important" conversations this week can be pared down and reined in this way. How much time are you able to buy back for other things?

Do you choose your clients? Or do your clients choose you?

Ideally, it's a mutual decision that both parties empower.

Frequently, architects work with clients because they need the money and the work. NOT because the client is a good fit and aligned with the architects' principals and vision.

Imagine being secure enough to be picky about who you work with and under what conditions...

Imagine clients choosing to work with you because they share your values, appreciate your talent, and want what you have to bring to the relationship - regardless of the cost.

This sort of freedom starts at home. Knowing who you are, what you stand for, what you have to offer. Knowing what kind of work sources you and what kind of professional relationships you want to foster.

Once you've got that firm foundation of self-knowledge it becomes a lot easier to seek, find and attract clients who want the same thing.

What structures do you have in place to make that happen? How well do you know yourself...really? How often do you compromise on what you truly want?

I'd love to hear how you choose your clients intentionally!

I have a friend who, when faced with some difficult choices, kept saying to me "I'm so confused" - over and over. It made absolutely no sense to me. He's a brilliant coach and leader, so it was pretty out of character for him. And then I realized what was going on...

He was subconsciously using "confusion" to avoid making hard decisions.

Kind of brilliant, right? As long as he gets to "be confused" he doesn't have to CHOOSE and deal with the consequences. It's a great strategy his brain cooked up to hide and keep him safe.

Our language, patterns and behaviors reveal so much about what's going on inside us. The fears, the doubts, the uncertainty, the contexts. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and ask ourselves "what's really going on here?"

The answer can lead to clarity, action and forward momentum. Especially when you feel stuck. But it often takes someone looking in from the outside to see what's in our blind spot.

Need some help from someone with an outside perspective? Book an Arch-UP Strategy Session with me! Here's the link: https://BlueprintForLiving.Coach/Arch-UP-Strategy-Session

Firm owners and leaders need to keep any eye out for these things.

How does your firm measure up?

Kevin Ham on LinkedIn: ❗People don't quit jobs. There is no bad job, just bad leaders. When… | 177 comments ❗People don't quit jobs. There is no bad job, just bad leaders. When you feel like quitting, you’ve lost hope in your leaders, your work environment and… | 177 comments on LinkedIn

How often are you right? I mean, really, really right?

Check yourself. Some of the worst leaders I've worked with are right ALL the time.

Except they're not.

Their need to be right shuts down listening, learning, expansion, growth, curiosity, partnership, trust, and any number of other leadership opportunities.

Do you celebrate innovation and creative thinking? Allow others to occasionally take the reins? Embrace risk and the unknown?

How do you practice allowing for exploration of other ideas and approaches and fostering a culture of curiosity while still maintaining your leadership?

Most architects have highly honed design skills, born of years of study and practice.

Far fewer actively work on their speaking, communication, and leadership skills.

Whether you run your own practice or hold a leadership position in a firm, you need the full package.

I recently joined Toastmasters International to practice my presentation skills. It's my way of practicing, getting feedback and support and playing a next-level game.

What do YOU do to raise the bar in your professional life?

Need help? Let's chat! https://BlueprintForLiving.Coach/Arch-UP-Strategy-Session

Have you ever tried to conduct a PRE-MORTEM?

Organizations and leaders often run a post-mortem to assess performance, identify breakdowns and plan corrections for future endeavors.

Why wait?

Most of us KNOW in advance what obstacles we might face and what challenges might arise in pursuit of a goal. Armed with this knowledge it makes sense to build an action plan that takes these possibilities into account and makes accommodations for them.

There will always be unknowns in project ex*****on. A formal pre-mortem can help us leverage institutional wisdom and increase our chances of success!

Has anyone tried this? How did it work?

Who among us hasn't set a goal, jumped into action, and stopped before we get the result we want?

The issue is that we commit to the action, NOT the result. If we committed to the result we would keep going until we generated it.

There's a big difference between "I will call 20 people to get hired" and "I will get hired, and I will call as many people as it takes."

Declare your goal and commit to it. Then do WHATEVER IT TAKES to generate the result.

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Where have YOU stopped in pursuit of your goals? Share in the comments below!

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Friends and colleagues,

I'm trying something new to build my business.

I'm creating a PLC (Post-Like-Comment) group on WhatsApp. You share with the WhatsApp group links to your social media posts and members commit to liking and commenting on your posts.

The idea is to generate enough activity on the platform to alert the algorithm and get it to expand your audience with more impressions.

The group is limited to 10 members. I've got 4 spots left.

Requirements to participate:
- You're trying to grow your business, your audience, and your online presence.
- You're regularly posting quality content on social media (at least 3x a week on at least ONE platform)
- Your post engagement is low (few likes or comments)
- You're willing to make a six-month commitment to the group.

If you're looking to improve your presence and engagement on social media but your posts aren't getting the traction you want, please DM me and let's chat to see if this is a good fit.

Check out the conversation I had with Dennis Doran on his "Soft As Steel" podcast! We discussed the importance of soft skills in leadership, including empathy, integrity and effective communication.

Hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Soft As Steel Listen to Soft As Steel on RedCircle

Hey Facebook -

I need some website help to add membership, subscription, donation and merchandising functionality to a couple sites I'm creating.

Does anyone have someone in their network they could recommend? I'm looking for design aesthetic, creativity and partnership.