Your Leadership Coach

The phrase for the week is "Invest in Your Network” Thought I'd keep the investment theme going another week. On this day when taxes are due, I'd like to remind you that investments in your network are also due! Too often I speak with young and senior professionals who invest little or no time in building and expanding their network. It is usually during a personal or professional crisis when the alarm sounds and they realize they have no network.   They are all alone. When you have built a thriving network, you’ll know. You are privy to information that hasn’t gone public yet or perhaps, never will.   You are smarter than your peers because you have a body of knowledge and expertise that you can tap into with a quick phone call or email.   You are the go-to person for counsel and information.   People want you on the team. How do you build or expand your network?   Begin with securing a mentor (see March 11, 2019 blog post).   It doesn’t...

The phrase for the week is "Check Your Toolbox" Never attempt to climb a mountain without the right gear, support & mental toughness. Failure to do so can leave a scar on your soul. I will make a list of tools I need for my leadership toolbox. Share your progress here!

The word for the week is "Mentor." Betsy Plank was a mentor to so many in public relations, including me! When she donated significant funds to her alma mater, University of Alabama, she helped to establish the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. It ensured her legacy of mentoring would be passed down for generations. Having a mentor is one of the foundational blocks for a successful career and successful life.  If you don’t have a mentor, this is the week to research and identify potential confidants.  If you already have a mentor, this is the week to connect and review your goals and aspirations. Knowing what you want from a mentoring relationship is critical. Before you sit down with your mentor for the first time, decide what you hope to learn. Ask yourself what you want in work and life. What assets will help you get there? Identify the strengths that will best serve you. Then, honestly examine the roadblocks, challenges, or weaknesses t...

The word for the week is "Compromise." Pick your battles. I mean really, you can’t win all the time.   Find an opportunity to compromise at work and home this week. Please note: never compromise your ethics and values. When you find yourself in a situation where you are being asked to give up an idea, position or some ground on a matter, press the pause button.   Tap into what is really at stake for you here.   Compromise is not surrender.   You aren’t weak when you yield some ground, you are establishing a truce for the betterment of all. What are you willing to give up?   Determine this before going into the discussions.   If you’re already in the midst of the struggle, again, press the pause button and ask yourself, 'what can I give up to gain something more significant'? Viewing the other person as the enemy is asking for failure.   And since failure isn’t an option for you, approach this as a negotiation and manage a smile to ...

The word for the week is "Silly." Connect with your youth!  Do or say something silly each day this week--not obnoxious or inappropriate, just silly.  Each morning, be purposeful and plan the perfect time to be silly, to be amused.  If you’re on a first date, go for it!  The point of being silly is to create laughter.  Did you know that you don’t have to laugh out loud to reap the benefits of laughter? You can just sit there and think of something totally funny and improve your mood.   Just smiling makes a difference. Of course, I know that laughter makes you feel good.   It can cut the tension in a room.   It can certainly reduce stress.   But I’m probably the only one on the planet that didn’t know that laughter reduces pain and stress overall.   I had no clue that it increases creativity and your problem-solving ability.   The family or team that laughs together, stays together.   That translates to happie...

The phrase for the week is "Don’t Wing It” Design your career path by first developing a written plan.   The process I recommend couldn’t be easier.    I take the basic elements of a business plan and apply those to brand “You.”       Be clear on your strengths and how they align with your passion for the profession you’ve chosen.   Knowing your values will help you seek employers or clients that are a comfortable fit.   Do your research and perform your own SWOT analysis (strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats). In the planning phase, spend an adequate amount of time using the research to support your plan.   Consider all possible outcomes and how you will respond. Hold yourself accountable by creating an action plan with deadlines. Tap into your passions and signal to the world you are here and ready to realize your destiny.  I use all my resources to develop a career plan that aligns with my values. Sh...

The phrase for the week is "Seek Balance." Ever been to someone’s home and they make an incredible dish?   You ask for the recipe and get home and it never tastes quite the same?   I’ll tell you why—they leave out a key ingredient, an important ingredient. Well, I’m not going to do that… I’ll let you in on a little secret—unless you are extremely organized, work, life balance is just a pipe dream!!!   I’m not telling you what I’ve heard, I’m telling you what I know!   Early in my career I just couldn’t seem to keep up!   I would come in early and stay late.   My health suffered, my personal relationships suffered, and eventually, my work suffered.   I just wasn’t organized! (You can see me here at 21 years old at the desk of my first PR job) I worked really hard on my organizational skills, I failed often—but I never gave up.   There are countless books and seminars on time management techniques and organizational skills. ...

The word for the week is "Focus." Distractions!!!   Abolish them. Eliminate them.   Send them to their rooms.   Easy for me to say!   Are you sitting down? I recently read a study that shows that people are most able to truly  focus best for an average of only six hours each week.   No wonder we aren’t getting anything done!   And all this time I thought it was too many meetings and not enough sleep. In the book, “Eat That Frog”, Brian Tracy states: I figured out long ago I do my best work early morning.   Anything I’ve done late night requires a note from home asking for a do over.   If you haven’t settled in on what time of day and where you do your best work, note it and file it for future use when focus is required.   I focus on the things that really matter at my high productive time of day. Share your progress: https://www.facebook.com/AStepAheadPR.Coaching

I don’t have to tell you that thinking outside the box is critical to success in today’s bustling world.   As busy leaders, it is a daunting task to find the time to strengthen our leadership skills, attend to our family and contribute in a meaningful way to our community.   Often we feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to set priorities when, so it seems, everything is a priority.   Yet, we suck it up and move ahead, not sure if the problem is “us” or “them.” Certainly, we can all agree that working harder doesn’t always get the desired results.   Throughout my 38 years as a public relations and business strategist and executive coach, I’ve observed that sometimes it is “us” and sometimes, it is “them.”   Recently, I reflected on all I learned over the years as a student of human behavior and was compelled to write the blog I wish I could have read 30 years ago.   I have a personal library filled with books on leadership, emotional intelli...