Your Leadership Coach

The phrase for the week is "Play to Your Strengths” Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of feedback, but no one ever focuses on the good feedback, just the negative.   The term” plan for improvement” annoys me too.   We are hard-wired to focus on the negative.   Our brains respond so differently to compliments and praise.   It energizes us in a way improvement plans don’t. What inevitably happens is that the employee abandons their strengths to focus only on their weaknesses.   If the news is a surprise, they wonder, does everyone know I have this weakness and aren’t telling me?   Are they having secret meetings where this is discussed?   It’s like getting to the end of the day and finding out that you had spinach stuck in your front tooth all day. I’m not suggesting that you ignore negative feedback.   Not at all.   We can all grow and become better humans when we are made aware of our behaviors or work product that are not meeting the mark.   What I am su

The phrase for the week is "Prepare for the Inevitable” This week’s affirmation is for the optimist!  This blog is for the o ne who always expects the best in themselves and in the world. This is a chance to press the pause button and reflect on what’s to come and what, if anything we can do to prepare when it isn't a question of if, but when. The idea here is to make this personal. Develop a list this week of things in your life that are inevitable and that require you to have an action plan. Set deadline dates to outline your plan of action.   Here’s my partial list: ·          Retirement ·          Marriage of a child ·          Restricted mobility, due to bad knees ·          Death of a parent ·          Closing consulting practice I embrace the unknown,  I prepare for the inevitable.

The word for the week is "Declutter.” An organized mind, office and house helps one reach personal and professional goals as planned.    Set three priorities this week and don’t allow someone else’s crisis to derail you from you plan to declutter . It takes about 4 to 8 hours to declutter an office.   According to professional organizer Barbara Reich, it takes 20 to 30 hours to organize a house.   So plan accordingly.   Resources you will need for the job:   File folders Label maker Trash bags File boxes Storage boxes or bins Packing tape, dispenser is helpful A cheerleader A positive attitude loaded with  perseverance I declutter for clarity and to reach my goals.

The word for the week is "Trust.” Trust is critical to your success. Having both people and communication skills can impact how quickly you are able to establish trust.   Ineffective communications can result in misunderstandings that can lead to missed opportunities, actions that don’t match with expectations and other issues.   Those with great people and communication skills help build their credibility as a leader, friend, spouse and parent.  When you are communicating effectively for outcomes, you get what you want. Know your own triggers that impact your communications effectiveness and address them. Work on your listening skills . Additional tips to build trust: ·          Practice What You Preach to Others ·          Honor Your Promises ·          Keep Confidences ·          Be Honest ·          Be Transparent I am building trust through effective communications.