SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

How to Make Anabolic Choices

We all make choices, some 30,000 choices every waking hour.

How are you choosing to respond?

Consider the realities:  our world is a hostile place with unemployment, terrorists, the Iraq war, Afghanistan war, Iran/Israel conflict, earthquakes, volcanoes, oil spills, stock market crashes, lack of personal savings as 401Ks become 201Ks, obesity, heart disease, cancer, expensive health insurance, home mortgages turned upside down, the rising U.S. national debt… add your examples.  We are living in turbulent times.

So what do you do?

(more…)

Chance Meetings

What are the odds that:

  1. The prospect you just called and left a message for at his work number is there at the airport when you are?
  2. That you each look up and see each other?
  3. That you are flying at about the same time from the same terminal and have enough time for a beer and dinner?
  4. That you chat for over an hour about careers, consulting, family, business opportunities together?  In a breathless, gushing exchange of optimism.
  5. That his direct report replied earlier in the day saying “we are not moving forward because we have selected another consultant” and he says “the meetings this afternoon did not go well and we are not sure how to proceed”?  Those doors remain open…
  6. That he misses his flight and you have to say, “I am so sad…”

Some Hollywood script?  No, a true snapshot of last week’s chance meeting with a good friend and a great prospect.  Life beckons, and we either dance or not.  We had a great dinner.  He missed his flight.  There are always consequences.  He was able to spend another night at home with his young family, and still make his meetings the next day in Dallas.  And they upgraded his ticket to first class.

(more…)

How do I make money and do what I want to do?

Have you ever asked yourself this question?

Then come to Tuesday’s Career Lunch & Learn featuring Doug Gray, author of Passionate Action: How You Can Turn Life’s Challenges Into Life’s Adventures and owner of Action Learning Associates, Inc., an executive coaching business.

That was the advertisement last week.  My daughter asked me to speak, so of course I said “Yes!”

(more…)

Coaching Newly Re-assigned Managers

Have you heard these comments?

  • “I have always wanted a chance to do this job!”
  • “If I do not get a promotion soon, with more challenges, then I will have to look elsewhere.”
  • “Frankly, I am not sure that I am ready for the demands of this job.”
  • Thanks for the promotion offer, however…”

I have heard these comments, almost every week, from managers and leaders who want to do a good job but are not sure HOW to do great work.

You may have heard that one measure of corporate success is agility.  HR professionals cite studies that describe “learning agility” as a key determinant of corporate success.  In fact, just yesterday a coaching client stated, “My core competency is my flexibility and willingness to take on any challenge.” He is representative of any high potential manager.  He was recently re-assigned to manage a new group.

(more…)

The Real Story of Business Value

The 2 KEY Drivers for success for any Small Business Owner (SBO) are:

  1. a. What do I love to do?
  2. b. What will someone pay me to do?

Imagine a see saw.  If I love to do it but no one will pay me, then I have a hobby.  If I love to do it and someone pays me less than I need, then my business is dying.  If I love to do it and someone pays me well, then I have a thriving business.  Where are you on this see saw?

Today I am thinking about how limiting that perspective is.

Not everything that we do has a direct business value.  Here are some examples:

(more…)