Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro As a reforming workaholic, I sometimes forget about my well-being. This week’s Tip by Michael Neill introduces the concept of standards and how they can help determine your behavior at work and in life. Quote of the Week My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass. – Terri Guillemets A Question of Standards By Michael Neill I had a particularly interesting conversation with a coaching client this week. We were speaking about his ongoing sense that no matter how much progress he was making, it was still with a sense of six steps forward, five steps back. As he [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro This is the second of our two-part series about assumptions. When you assume something, you’re drawing a conclusion without concrete evidence to back it up. In Part One, we explored where assumptions come from and how they limit our success. In today’s post, we’ll take a look at how you can challenge your assumptions and keep them from getting in your way. Quote of the Week “If you hear a voice within you saying, “You are not a painter,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ~ Malcolm Forbes   5 Ways To Overcome Your Assumptions By Andrea Novakowski Whenever you find [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro Creativity – one of those areas that “some” of us assume we’re not good at.  In this week’s Tip, Michael Bungay Stanier shares his very simple understanding of creativity. Quote of the Week “Creativity makes a leap, then looks to see where it is.” ~ Mason Cooley   The Rhythm of Creativity By Michael Bungay Stanier There’s a basic pattern, a rhythm, to the creative process, a backbeat driving the emergence of ideas: Out. In. Expand. Contract. Diverge. Converge. Create. Select.   You open up, expand possibilities and have ideas (out, expand, diverge, create).  Then you narrow your focus, close down the options, and make a choice [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro This is the first part of a two-part series about assumptions. What’s an assumption? It’s a belief that’s based on incomplete, unexamined, or outdated evidence. Today we’ll take a look at where assumptions come from and how they can limit your success. In part two, we’ll discuss how to challenge your assumptions and stop them from getting in your way. Quote of the Week “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~ Henry Ford   3 Types of Assumptions That Could Be Holding You Back By Andrea Novakowski “I can’t possibly do this. It’s too hard.” “This isn’t worth my [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro I’m always looking for ways to make my life more enjoyable and fun.  Sometimes that means getting through obstacles more quickly. This week’s Tip by Steve Straus helps you look at one of life’s little snags in a new way. Quote of the Week “Don’t fear change – embrace it.” ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo  Why Me? By Steve Straus “Why me?” Coaching Point:  Wait just a minute! ‘Why me?’ is a Great Question? Isn’t it the plea of every whiny, it’s- not-my-fault, victim? How, then, can this be a Great Question? Simple. Because everyone, when nobody’s looking, every once in a while, slips up and says [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro There’s so much negative press about meetings and how they are a waste of time.   I was intrigued when I read this week’s Tip by Jill Geisler about when meetings are beneficial. Quote of the Week “A great strategy meeting is a meeting of minds.” ~ Max McKeown Six Good Reasons to Call a Meeting By Jill Geisler To provide timely information.  These meetings involve announcement or status reports shared among colleagues. To give direction. This is the huddle before the play; the review of roles, responsibilities and goals. To make group decisions. These confabs give people a voice in a pending matter. To produce [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? You take one step forward and two steps back?  Even during those times when everything feels out of control, you can choose to be in control of one thing – your attitude.  Read this week’s Tip by Chris Widener with thoughts about choosing your attitude. Quote of the Week “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~ Winston Churchill Your Attitude – You Choose! By Chris Widener There are lots of things in this life that we don’t get to choose. On the other hand, there are lots of thing in [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro It dawned on me recently that I’m no longer having conversations with my clients about perfectionism.  This week’s Tip focuses on the current ideals my clients are talking about that lead to business success. Quote of the Week “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” ~ Woody Allen 6 Secrets to Business Success (Plus 1!) By Andrea Novakowski Have you noticed that no one talks much about perfectionism anymore? My business coaching clients used to tell me their compulsion to do everything perfectly was getting in the way of their success. But these days, with the fast pace of life, the constant stream of information, and [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro What’s the best way to acknowledge someone?  This week’s Tip by Loren Ekroth provides suggestions on the use of praise to reward people. Quote of the Week “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia How to Reward People with Words By Loren Ekroth What gets rewarded (like good work) will continue, even increase. Where? In the workplace, in the classroom, and in the home. Although people like to be lauded with general words [...]

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Tweet Coach Andrea’s Intro I love a good story!  Don’t you?  I agree with what Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch share in this week’s Tip about using storytelling to share your leadership vision. Quote of the Week “Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best – and change – from hearing stories that strike a chord within us … Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies and for themselves.” ~ John Kotter Become an Inspiration Broker By Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch In the day-to-day hustle and bustle of executing our roles, it’s easy to [...]

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