Power of connection

This week I'm going to share something a bit more personal.  I've recently lost a classmate I had known for many years, and it has me thinking about the power of connection and friends. I had know this individual since grammar school and was shocked and saddened to learn he was no longer with us.  Two of the things I really appreciated about him was how he didn't seem to let anything bother him (even when we were teenagers – pretty unusual!) and how I often heard him offer to lend a helping hand.  He was quite handy with building and fixing things, and did this as a career.  He would offer to make a long drive and help friends on the weekends when he must have been tired, and perhaps would have preferred to stay home.  Actualy though, I believe he really would have preferred to be with and help his friends. 

You've probably found that one of the most powerful influencers of how much you enjoy work is how much you enjoy your colleagues and the boss for whom you work.  What is it about them that you really enjoy?  Their sense of humor?  How they add fun?  Don't let you take yourself too seriously when you get stressed out?  Or perhaps how they stretch your thinking?

I'd like to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on what the people in your life mean to you.  It's easy to take that for granted.  To enrich your relationships, share with that person one (or more!) of their attributes you really value and why. 

Of course sharing in the same way with friends can deepen those relationships too.

Enjoy the connection.

Sincerely,

Gwyneth Anne

Tags: career, coaching, connection, friends, influencers, personal journey coaching, relationships, success, tips
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maximize your weekend

Here we are on Friday evening, and have you ever returned to work Monday morning, not feeling quite as rejuvenated as you thought you would?

What activities help you to decompresss after a long week? 

What adds meaning and fulfillment?

What are the two things, that if you were to include them in your weekend routine would greatly add to your quality of life and sense of well being? 

Some possibilities may include:  getting out in nature – perhaps going to the beach or a lake; spending time with friends sharing deeply what's going on in your life; exercise – with the Tour de France as an inspiration, perhaps setting a triathalon goal. 

Personally I find that when I include variety and meaningful connections during the weekend, I can start the new week refreshed and energized.

Would love to hear the tips and tricks that work for you.

Tags: career, coaching, fulfillment, meaning, personal journey coaching, restoration, success, tips
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freedom

Having just celebrated Independence Day, I want to give a shout out of appreciation to all of our service people who protect our country and freedom, and their families who likewise make sacrifices on all of our behalves. 

With that freedom, we have the opportunity to pursue our dreams and careers while they stand watch, rain, shine, in the heat of the dessert and cold of the winter. 

Thank you.

Tags: appreciation, career, coach, freedom, military, personal journey coaching, service people
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Success Tips for second half of year

Here we are already at the end of the second quarter, which is a great time to step back and reflect on the past 6 months, and put some thought into what you’d like to accomplish during the second half of the year. 

Areas to consider are:

·         Your professional goals.  Are you are target with what you will be benchmarked against during your performance review?  What can you do to deserve an ‘exceeds’ or ‘far exceeds expectations’?

·         What additional structures could bring you closer to your longer term goals?  For example having lunch with someone whom you admire in your work place?  A former colleague with whom you’d like to stay in touch?  Attend one professional event a month/quarter to expand your network?

·         Skills.  What one or two additional skills would increase your marketability (including inside your current company)?  How can you best learn this skill?  For example from observing a mentor?  Building your leadership skills through volunteering?  Subscribing to a trade magazine?  Reading books on the subject?  Taking classes?

What will make you feel really great/proud/successful when you wrap up 2010? 

Now that you have that goal/intention, what strategy(ies) will get you there?  What are the steps to each strategy, that when written out will make it easy to follow through?

Mid-year is a great time to draw a line in the sand and not beat yourself up for what you haven’t yet accomplished, rather to reignite your passion and focus on what will bring you the greatest results and personal fulfillment.

To increase the probability of achieving these goals, make a promise to someone that you will achieve them, and identify what you will sacrifice if you don’t.  These two steps can work wonders for keeping you motivated!  

Which 1-2 strategies will make the difference for you? Are you willing to invest in your future and implement them?  Feel free to reach out if coaching would be the impetus to shift from considering the concept to implementation.

Would love to hear if you’d like to share.

To your success,

Gwyneth Anne

Tags: career, coach, goals, personal journey coaching, planning, skills, structures, success, tips
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Part 2–Becoming a Coach: Consider what it means to own a business

Part 2 – Are You Thinking of Becoming a Coach: Consider what it means to own a business

Looking at your current skills and background are also important (in addition to getting trained in coaching skills).  If you’ve always been in a job working for someone else, I highly recommend reading Michael Gerber’s book ‘E-Myth Revisited’.  In that book he talks about three areas of owning a business (the ‘technician’, ‘manager’ and ‘entrepreneur’ roles), and has the reader think about different aspects of owning a business that they may not have otherwise considered.  He also highlights the value of systematizing for consistency and for creating value for to ultimately being able to sell your business down the road. 

While there are some ‘in house’ coaches (meaning they work for a specific organization), most  coaches own their own businesses or partner with a few other coaches to form a company.  As a sole proprietor (meaning you own your own business), you will need to do a few things, including:

·         Determine if you need to have a business license (usually at the city level)

·         Perhaps file a fictitious business name (also known as a ‘dba’ meaning ‘doing business as’)

·         Set up your financial and record keeping systems

·         Learn how to market your business (generate prospects)

·         Close the business (have clients hire you for your services)

·         Purchase liability/E&O (errors & omissions) insurance

·         Create a Coach Agreement and business documents

·         Have a legal advisor review your business documents

·         Of course have a business phone line, computer, internet connection, etc.

And many other things. It can be helpful to conduct information interviews with successful coaches to learn ‘what a day in the life of’ is really like. 

Finally, hire a coach and experience the power of what it’s like to be coached!  How can you utlimately sell something you haven’t actually experienced?!

If you’re serious about coaching, email today to schedule a consultation at gaf@personaljourneycoaching.com.

Tags: career, coach, coaching business, own a business, personal journey coaching
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Thinking of becoming a life coach?

People often request to have an information interview me when they are considering becoming a life coach, since I’ve been in the business officially since 2002. They are wondering which training program I’d recommend, what it’s like to build a coaching business and for a glimpse of ‘a day in the life of’ a coach.

While these are great questions, I answer them by asking them some in return.  For example:

Regarding coach training programs, as Stephen Covey says, ‘begin with the end in mind.  Consider reflecting on:

·         Who would you like to coach?  (who would be your target market)

·         What would they want to be coached/help around?  (What would your target market ‘buy’?)

·         What skills do you need to develop, in addition to coaching skills?  Perhaps sales and marketing? 

·         Where do you live?  Would you want to attend training in person, or virtually (over phone / internet)?

·         Do you ultimately want to become certified?  If so, by the school or an organization such as IAC or ICF? 

·         What else do you want?  Such as an ongoing community with the school?  Ongoing training? 

How you answer these questions can play a large part in which training program would be best for you.  For example if you want to coach executives, a corporate training program would most likely be best for you.  If you are currently a therapist and want to add a coaching branch, another school would be better suited that is designed exactly for therapist-turn-coach students. 

Some schools (using ‘schools’ interchangeably with ‘coach training programs’) offer their programs in chunks, meaning you can take one class, then take a month off, then take another class, etc.  Others are set for a fixed 12 month period.  Some schools include the certification process as part of their program.  Others have it separate and may charge additional fees.  Some include mentor coaching, others expect you to hire your own. 

Most coach training programs offer a complimentary tele-class that would give you a taste of their program, philosophy and culture.  I strongly encourage you to take them up on their offer, to help determine which would be the best fit for your long term goals.

For a list of International Coach Federation’s (ICF) accredited coach training programs, and learn more about their credentialing process, visit http://coachfederation.org and click on ‘research and education’. 

International Association of Coaches (IAC) http://certifiedcoach.org is another credentialing organization. I don’t believe they offer or accredit any training programs, but do offer credentialing.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out by emailing me at gaf@personaljourneycoaching.com.

Tags: become a coach, career, coach, coach training, mentor coaching, personal journey coaching
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Great book for your mindset

I've been listening to a great audio book this past week by the Heath brothers called 'Switch' that illustrates nicely keeping your mind solution-oriented. 

Do you work in a high-tech company and sometimes feel that it's hard to connect with one of your colleagues?  One of the ideas in the book is to look for what's working, or as they call it 'the bright spots'.  Are there other people in your company who seem to get along well with this colleague? 

If so, observe how they engage with one another.  What is the focus of their conversations?  Strategic thinking?  Tactics of next steps to move forward?  What is their body language?  What specific words do they both use?  What is the tone, pitch, pace, level of enthusiasm? 

Once you've identified some specific behaviors, determine which ones you might naturally incorporate into your method engaging next time you have a reason to connect. 

Or are you struggling with a project, and know of someone else who seems to breeze through similar work?  See you can observe their approach and figure out what the 'bright spots' are that they are using, that you can similarly implement.

Looking forward to hearing about your success!

Gwyneth Anne Freedman, PCC

Tags: behavior, bright spots, career, coaching, personal journey coaching, Switch
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One thing to reduce stress in your career

Do you ever find yourself frustrated and feeling like your job isn't the best fit, yet don't have another position lined up?

It can be helpful to step back and regain focus and a sense of control in your current job.  Some questions to consider:

* What is your vision for your career, and how can your current position be a stepping-stone to that long term goal?

* What impact do you want to have in this current position?  

By focusing on what you can control, and seeing how you can leverage your current situation to your future goals can help alleviate frustration and increase job satisfaction, even as you're planning your exit strategy.  By taking these steps, you can serve your current company well, and leave a legacy of quality work.

Tags: career, frustration, legacy
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Communication – body language

I'm sure you've heard that when you communicate, your body language communicates more than your words.  If something is incongruent, people will believe what your body is saying over the words you speak.

Now that we have that awareness, what are you communicating?  Take a snapshot of yourself or look in the mirror.  What do you see?

Do you have open, friendly body language – relaxed, hands to side or arms crossed in front of you?

What expression are you making?  A friendly smile?  An annoyed frown? 

How is your posture?  Tall and confident or hunched over and small – as though you are trying to hide?

Small changes can make a huge difference in how you are perceived.  If you think there could be improvement in how you project yourself, trying practicing in front of the mirror and then into the real world.  Observe how people respond differently. 

Isn't the power of awareness empowering?!

Tags: awareness, body language, career, coaching, communication, confidence, personal journey coaching
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What’s your communication style?

Have you ever felt like your boss wasn't as enthused as you would like when you share an accomplishment?

Or were not able to capture an executives attention the way you'd like? 

Often times both of these situations can be improved if you think about what's most important to them, and deliver your message in a succinct, and business relevant manner. 

For example, how did your accomplishment impact the business bottom-line?

Action: Observe of how someone who does communicate effectively with that person communicate, and take notice of the communication style your colleague uses.

If you have a particular situation you'd like to brainstorm, feel free to email me at gaf@PersonalJourneyCoaching.com. 

To your success,

Gwyneth Anne Freedman, PCC

Tags: awareness, career, coaching, communication, confidence, personal journey coaching
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