Being an expert, you can be so rigid or certain about things that you miss some obvious things or don’t remain open to learning. What does it mean to be an expert AND a student? Sometimes, if you are too open about being a student, people start to question your expertise. It seems to me there is a delicate balance. No matter how experienced ... [Read more]
Leadership Insights From The Big Chill
No, I’m not talking about the movie. I am referring to my “polar bear” dip in the video above. I was at a weekend intensive training class being held at a retreat house on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The air temperature was about 50 degrees and the water was colder. This class was a second level training for teachers of Kundalini Yoga on ... [Read more]
What is Coaching?
Coaching can be a powerful tool for developing leaders. If you are thinking about coaching and want to know what it is, check out this short video that gives you a quick overview on what takes place in the process. Coaching is about creating a partnership with a coach to help you articulate your vision. The coach gives you support and tools ... [Read more]
Everything I Need to Know About Leadership and Business, I Learned in the Strawberry Patch
Well, maybe not EVERYTHING - but a lot! I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share. This means I take on some of the farmer’s risk. I pay for the promise of so many fruits and vegetables for the season. Sometimes it’s a bumper crop and sometimes bust. If s/he is a good farmer (leader/manager) with consistent methods (tools ... [Read more]
Magic Monday: Over-Promoted or Lucky for The Challenge?
Words of Manic Monday by The Bangles and modified by Susan Shaner. Musician: Dan Brodax. Where can you find the magic at work today? One of my clients was recently promoted into a job much larger than the one she had – in terms of breadth, depth and number of direct reports. Everything about the job feels huge to her. She said initially she was ... [Read more]
Follow up Friday: Happy New Year – Have a Deeply Satisfying New Year!
This week’s question: What is one thing that helped you navigate change this past year that you want to take with you into 2016? Or where do you need more support? One thing that helped me navigate change last year is that I committed to a mastermind group. I’ve dabbled with different groups like this before. This time it’s different because I’m ... [Read more]
Change is the result of 4Cs + FAA.
4Cs + FAA = Change. To create true, sustained change in your life you need: Courage, Competency, Compassion, Commitment + Focused Attentioned Action. Courage: Take a stand for or against something that you want to be different - whether it's losing weight, being a nicer person, being a stronger leader. These all require you to think about ... [Read more]
Why is Change So Hard? Realistic Strategies and Compassion Required
Dan Heath quotes a psychological study where two group of people are given different kinds of foods - one cookies, the other radishes. They are then asked to solve an insolvable puzzle. The high sugar group lasts 2 1/2 times longer than the vegetable group. I am a leadership/change consultant and a trained holistic health counselor/therapist so - I ... [Read more]
Distinguishing Between Positive Psychology and Coaching
I’m hard pressed to find a difference. Both are focused on what is good and positive and building on this for positive results. “Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive…This field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to ... [Read more]
Coaching: What Distinguishes It From Therapy?
The field of coaching as a structured profession is new and loosely defined. I’m an experienced business and leadership coach. I am also a trained therapist. I left the field of therapy at 27 to go into business. At that time, one of my clients who had schizophrenia said to me, “Well you are an okay therapist but you are too young. Go out in the ... [Read more]
How Do You Find a Good Coach?
If an executive coach is what you seek, first make sure the person has experience working in a business context on business and leadership issues and not selling life coaching experience. If a life coach is what you seek, the clearer and more narrow you can be on what you want to work on, the more successful you’ll be in finding a coach who can ... [Read more]
Coaching: Should a Life Coach Have a Life First?
Here is an interesting New York Times article on the controversial topic of what makes a good life coach - and does age matter? I do executive coaching, focused on a very specific population: Organizational leaders. All work is done within the context of conducting extensive assessments and creating a development plan, which involves the leader’s ... [Read more]