Solution Seeker Coaching

Want Clarity? Write It Down…

How many times has your workload been increased by a hallway conversation or casual encounter with someone higher in the organization? How successful were those efforts? Were they recognized? Were they completed in lieu of something you considered more important?

As a seasoned project manager, I now ask requestors to send an email with background detail and criteria for success. I found that asking for something in writing forces the requestor to more fully consider both effort and priority. As important, I found that more than 50% of these requests “disappeared”, typically because the need or value could not be clearly articulated.

Similarly when working with clients, I encourage “writing down” important points using a stream of consciousness approach – let it flow without critique. Now step back, see the big picture, organize ideas, set priorities and see how much easier clarity is achieved. Some ideas thought important are not, but other less emotionally charged ideas critical to success come to the forefront. It’s your plan – take time to write it down…

Success is Personal I spend a lot of time on college campuses as part of my job. I’m there to recruit, which means I’m there to listen. I hear from students – each of whom has huge ambitions, has already accomplished a

Do you know who you want to be when you grow up?

When I started my career as an engineer, I knew that I loved working on technology puzzles. I worked in an R&D lab on bleeding edge technology, where we all believed that we could do what had never been done before. The environment was contagious, energizing and fun.

However, as we all know, things change. I had a family, moved to different cities, and changed jobs. While I had plenty to keep me busy (distract me), I knew deep down that there had to be more. When asked about my career plans, I would answer "I'm still deciding on what I want to be when I grow up."

I finally took the time to explore who I am, what really excited me. I realized that being a Leadership and Life Coach was what energized me. Helping others reach clarity about who they are, and toward realizing their dreams, is what I *want* to do. I help professionals reenergize and pursue their dreams...

What to Do When You Want to Leave Your Job, But You Don’t Know Where to Go “When did you decide to go from being a lawyer to a full-time writer?” I asked Gretchen Rubin. She wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller, “The Happiness Project.” She worked for The Supreme Court. “I

Spelling Does Count...

The higher you rise (or desire to rise) in leadership, the more important communications becomes. In addition to strong verbal messages, written communications are extremely important, not just documents you author, but your emails. When you send or reply to an email, you know the immediate audience (the direct recipients and those CC'd). However, you don't know how far your emails will travel beyond them, and further. Are you clear, succinct and organized in the way your audience (recipients) expects communications, or do they need to concentrate to decipher your point?

Your emails represent you -- they reflect your skills, integrity, analytical skills, attention to detail, knowledge, compassion and leadership capability. They may be the first or only impression you make. I coached a project manager who was struggling to get management support for some tough decisions. Working through her frustration, we identified that spelling errors and rambling style had raised a question in senior management's mind whether she was capable of handling a project which required attention to detail. While she was viewed as capable by the immediate team, she had no contact with senior management who had only seen forwarded emails. This awareness led to communication changes, which led to the support she requested.

Does your communication style reflect who you are? Support the position you aspire to or the support you need? It all counts...

Here's why you should avoid sending important emails on Mondays Mondays are rough for everyone. An analysis from Boomerang shows they're hard on your emails, too.

Strong Leaders Are Motivators…

Effective leaders have a vision, are able to communicate it, and know how to motivate others to achieve it. Similar to Situational Leadership (see my earlier post), motivation requires that leaders understand what inspires the individual members, as well as the overall team, and adjust the incentives accordingly.

Individual motivators are personal, something the person desires – e.g. recognition, challenge, being part of a team, opportunity toward promotion – enabling high performance and resulting in personal satisfaction. Team motivators also tap into the personal side – e.g. bonuses, time off, celebrations, catered lunches – but focus the interaction and performance of the entire group to achieve business objectives and a feeling of success.

Get to know your team (see MWBA post below) and what motivates them!

Motivation: Energizing Your People to Achieve Good Things Use these strategies and tools to inspire and motivate your people.

The “Positive No”…

Many of us have the tendency to accept tasks from managers, peers, friends or family even though we know that the task and/or timeline are unreasonable given our present circumstances. Our desire to please them causes added stress when we don’t need or want it, and may eventually lead to resentment if it becomes a recurring theme.

It’s tough for us to say “no”. Our emotions can make us feel as though we’re rejecting the person, not playing nice, or being perceived as uncooperative. However, “no” can be a powerful positive word, and improve both relationships and the situation. This is what I call the “Positive No”, a skill I work with many clients to develop.

The Positive No structure allows us to communicate with the other party that we are willing to assist them, but cannot accept their request given our present constraints. It acknowledges them, their request and our desire to assist, but it respectfully communicates that our situation also needs to be considered. Do you need to improve your skills to say (positive) “No”?

Yes to the Person, No to the Task - Negotiation Skills from Mind Tools Learn how to negotiate successfully and meet everyone's needs - without creating bad feelings.

Eliminating Tolerations Frees Up Time…

Eliminating tolerations (those things you are putting up with) frees up time and reduces stress. We all have a “to-do list”, written or not, that occupies our attention. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, to the point that we don’t know where to start, or even have the desire to start. We knock-off the easy items to feel some level of accomplishment, but the big ones just seem to hang around. As time goes on, the big ones become even more burdensome to carry.

One activity that I work on with my coaching clients is the Clean Sweep program. We explore what is on their “to-do list” and the impact on their life. We also explore solutions, prioritization and accountability. In the end, eliminating their “tolerations” has resulted in more free time and less stress!

How to Only Do Things You Actually Want to Do Christine Carter explains how to shorten your to-do list and feel more motivated to tackle it, all at once.

Goals Need a Plan...

The year-end holidays are upon us, a time to truly appreciate family and friends, and to be grateful for all that we have. It's also a time to reflect: What were my goals for the year? Did it go as I planned? Did I achieve what I wanted?

Dr. Bradberry’s caption “A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish” is so simple and profound. We intrinsically know what we would like to have (our goal), and typically an idea in our head on how to get there. Often, however, upon year end reflection we wonder “what happened, where did the time go?”. Sometimes it’s unexpected events, but many times it’s not having a clear plan.

As a seasoned project manager I know that having a clear plan with completion dates is what leads to success. The plan needs to be visible, with tasks on your daily calendar. Develop the habits to plan your day and week, and celebrate the successes. It begins with the first step, to plan for 2017, so you can look back next holiday season and smile even more!

These Habits Will Dramatically Improve Your Life In Hans Christian Andersen's fable The Red Shoes, a young girl longs for a pair of pretty red shoes. She ultimately tricks the blind woman who cares for her into buying her a pair. Her love for the

Are You Listening or Hearing?...

When you interact with people do you engage by hearing, listening or mindful listening? There is a difference.

Hearing involves the conversation, along with other noises and distractions - we don't remember much. Listening is more focused on the conversation, but with a tendency to be thinking about our responses, i.e. what are we going to say next - we can miss their point. Mindful listening is truly focused on the conversation, setting aside the distractions and our response, truly being in the moment - we acknowledge what is being said and felt.

People feel most valued when we engage in mindful listening - but it takes practice and awareness. This MindTools article is a great summary.

Mindful Listening: Developing Awareness to Listen Fully Practice mindful listening to eliminate internal and external distractions, so you can absorb and understand fully what is being communicated to you.

MBWA - It Still Applies! ...

Effective managers must learn to balance business demands with leading their team. It's easy to get trapped in email, meetings or other business demands, and not have (make) time to connect with the team. People want to be connected and do meaningful work to achieve a goal, but can become disheartened when their leader seems out of touch. (Perception is reality.)

I learned about MBWA as a new manager, and routinely make time to connect. This activity greatly improves team and business results. MindTools' article is a nice refresher of a powerful habit.

Management by Wandering Around (MBWA): Keeping Your Finger on the Pulse Cross the team/manager divide to be better engaged and connected with your people.

Coaching - Its Value Is Showing...

Coaching is a relatively new profession, but gaining momentum as the value becomes more apparent. PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted an independent study for the ICF on the benefits realized.

Benefits of Using a Coach - Need Coaching - ICF Professional coaching brings many wonderful benefits: fresh perspectives on personal challenges, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence. And, the list does not end there. Those who undertake coaching also can expect appreciable improvement in p...

What Are Your Leadership Styles? ...

When I think about all the classes I've taken in my career, one in particular stands out - Situational Leadership. I took this at IBM's New Manager school in the 1980s and have used this skill ever since. When I run into conflict situations, this model has helped me move forward.

Solution Seeker Coaching - Does Your Leadership Style Match Your Team's Readiness? New page

The Value In Identifying Your Values...

Taking the time to identify and prioritize my values has made a significant difference in my life. It helped me re-ignite my passion and pursue a new career direction.

Solution Seeker Coaching - Are Your Values Aligned with Your Actions? New page