I view the transition to a new year as a time for new possibilities. Instead of asking you to embrace new initiatives, I invite you to bring a fresh perspective to your current way of thinking. There is a term for this that comes from Zen Buddhism – “shoshin” or “beginner’s mind.” It means having an…
A new year is a natural time to reflect on what you are leaving behind and what you are moving toward. January 2021 marks an even more powerful inflection point for all of us. A year of abrupt change and uncertainty during Pandemic Life will be followed by the hope and promise of vaccines and…
What used to be a topic of interest to some organizations now seems to have nearly universal relevancy. Isolation, risk, and uncertainty all contribute to our stress levels and the challenge of staying mentally focused and healthy during the pandemic. Here is the guidance I have been giving leaders on how you and your team…
Today I had a close-up view of a glacier. I’m still awestruck and amazed to see something that beautiful and thousands of years old, in the magnificent country of New Zealand. Accordingly, this seemed like the perfect time to write about living your life with more passion and energy. I realize that my experience today is not…
In my May blog post, I explained what executive coaching is. But before people choose to participate in executive coaching, they often want to know what they would gain. It’s a good question. Coachees must spend additional time and energy on an effort that is not their “day job,” and they often already have jam-packed…
With potential new coaching clients, one of the most important conversations we have is my explaining what coaching is, and distinguishing what it is not. I have found that there is not one simple, easily-Googled definition of what executive coaching entails. But after having this discussion numerous times, here’s a summary of what you can…
No matter your position in an organization, you cannot always depend on your title to give you the authority to make decisions and move a vision forward. Even CEOs form partnerships and collaborations and must exert influence outside their spheres of direct control. Other leaders find that they must influence sideways or up in order…
One of my coaching clients was promoted earlier this year. In her new position, one of her priorities has been developing her ability to influence. So what exactly is influence, and why is it an important skill for leaders? Influence is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the power to change or affect someone or something.” Dr….
I am working with a client who wants to develop his emotional intelligence (EI). Since EI entails a broad range of attributes, I encouraged him to focus on specific areas. We started with the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0) framework, one of the models of emotional intelligence. From the framework, he decided he wanted to work…