Coach Andrea

Coach Andrea’s Intro

Want to be more productive? In this week’s Tip, a new contributor, Natalie M. Houston, shares a great idea on how to protect your focus and attention during your “always on” day.

Quote of the Week

“The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence.”

~ Robert J. Shiller

Are you Leaving the Door Open?

By Natalie M. Houston

Would you leave the front door of your home wide open all day? Would you allow strangers, colleagues, and friends to walk in that open door at any time, and start asking you for directions, assistance, a snack, or a hug? Would you welcome the squirrels, racoons, and stray cats that might stroll in the door? What about the raindrops, dead leaves, or litter that drift in?

If your answer is no (or even a more strongly-worded negation), then I have another important question for you:

Are you leaving the door of your focus and attention wide open all day?

Each time you check email, each time you respond to your phone’s buzz or flashing light that announces the arrival of a new text, each time you jump to read your direct messages on Twitter, you’re opening the door of your attention. No matter what else you were doing, if someone suddenly walked into your home and asked for your assistance, you would probably respond right away, by either helping, redirecting, or rebuffing them.

Just as you protect your family and your belongings by choosing when to open the door of your home and when to leave it shut, you can choose to protect your focus and attention by choosing when to open yourself up to other people’s demands.

Every time you read your email, you’re putting someone else’s priorities before your own. Even if you don’t immediately respond or act on their request, you’re giving their message your attention. Sometimes, of course, that’s exactly what you want to do: we all need to engage with other people, to respond to their requests, and to communicate our ideas and decisions. But you can choose when to do this.

Decide Now When You’ll Check Your Messages Tomorrow

One way to maximize your focus and attention is to define a few set times during your day when you will read and process your incoming emails and messages. Put these blocks of time on your calendar like you would any other appointment. During those set times, bring your full attention to reading and responding to other people. At all other times, bring your full attention to your own priority work or relaxation.

If you’re accustomed to leaving your email open on your computer all day, or picking up your phone whenever it buzzes, it will feel awkward to retrain yourself into a new habit. As a good starting point, try checking your messages for just 20 minutes every two hours. Try it for a full three days before adjusting the length or frequency of your message sessions.

When you get the urge to check your email or messages and it’s not your predefined time, ask yourself:

In wanting to check email right now, what am I pulled towards?
In wanting to check email right now, what am I avoiding?

Just pay attention to what comes up for you in the process. You may decide that given your professional obligations and personal temperament, checking email all the time is what you choose to do. Or you may discover that checking email only a few times per day frees up energy and attention that you can direct towards other things. Either way, just make sure you’re making a conscious choice and not just leaving the door open out of habit.

Natalie M. Houston is a personal productivity coach who works with academics, writers, and entrepreneurs who want to stop procrastinating, gain more control over their time, and move forward on the projects and goals that matter most to them. To find out more, visit: http://nmhouston.com

Coaching Call To Action

What is your habit on email checking today? Minute by minute? Hourly? Twice a day?  Does this strategy increase your focus and attention or decrease it? Will you try a different strategy next week per Natalie’s suggestion to improve your focus?  Who do you need to share your new strategy with to keep to your commitment to yourself?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Adrenaline is robbing us of our health. If you run on adrenaline, please consider other ways to get energized.  In this week’s Tip, Steve Straus provides healthy alternatives to adrenaline.

Quote of the Week

“This art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of energy in our great men.”

~ Captain J. A. Hadfield

Beyond Adrenaline

By Steve Straus

Adrenaline has its benefits. And its costs.

Great outcomes have been accomplished using the adrenaline tool. It is one of the most popular drugs-of-choice for driven achievers. A source of ready energy, it provides focus, is cheap to acquire, and easy to use. Also, you don’t need to do deals in dark back alleys, you’re your own drug dealer!

Need some? Leave late for an important meeting.

Need more? Under-prepare for that meeting.

A little more? Fear not getting what you want.

Your ability to create the adrenaline you need, when you need it, is huge. But at what cost?

Like any stimulant, the use of adrenaline requires a balancing of the scales. Your physical system experiences a crash and needs recovery time.

The focusing which adrenaline can provide may act as blinders and cause you to miss available resources. And someone hyped-up on adrenaline attracts similar people. Adrenaline is expensive.

Rather than suggest that you simply give up adrenaline, how about replacing it with healthier forms of energy? Such as passion. Such as clarity of purpose. Look for the joy in situations rather than possible negative consequences.

An often overlooked resource is to pause and revel in your intermediate wins. Adrenaline junkies tend to focus only on the big payoff at the end, but there is plenty of healthy energy available from the incremental victories along the way.

Copyright 2012 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. Steve Straus can be contacted at http://www.StrausUSA.com.

Coaching Call To Action

Who can help you remove the adrenaline needle and move beyond it, permanently?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

After many years of being prompted to write my own Tip, I am sticking my toe in the water this week.  Periodically, I will be sharing my thoughts and learnings with you. Last week’s Tip was from the perspective of a person who has a boss and improving the working relationship with that boss.  This week’s Tip focuses on your behavior, beliefs and assumptions as the boss and how they can get you in trouble.

Quote of the Week

“Contrary to what I believed as a little girl, being the boss almost never involves marching around, waving your arms, and chanting, ‘I am the boss! I am the boss!’”

~ Tina Fey

5 Mistakes That Can Sink a Good Boss

By Andrea Novakowski

If you own a company or manage a department, part of the reason you’ve come this far is because you’re good at what you do. But inspiring the people who work for you to give their best efforts is another skill altogether. It’s hard to complete tasks well and on time if your staff isn’t on the same page with you, or if they don’t share your commitment to success.

Are you frustrated by employees who don’t perform as well as expected? It may be time to take a look at your leadership style. Here are five common mistaken beliefs that may be interfering with your effectiveness as a boss.

1. Good new hires will know how to do the job right out of the blocks.
Hiring a competent person is only the first step. Even if the new person arrives already accomplished in his field, spend time with him so he can get to know your approach and share your vision. No matter what position he occupies, help him become attuned to your strategic plan. It takes time, but the payoff is huge.

2. No one else can do the job as well as I can.
As your organization grows, you’ll be adding people below you. Why did you hire them if not to help lighten your load, so you can focus on what’s most important? (What’s important may even include your own improved quality of life.) Surround yourself with good people, then give them a chance to show they can handle the responsibility. Step back and let them take some of the weight off your shoulders.

3. If I tell them once, they should be good to go.
Not necessarily. Part of the job of a manager is to provide ongoing feedback. Don’t limit this to just once a year during performance reviews: help your people understand how they can do a better job now. Helping them grow and develop increases their value in the workplace, and more important, to your company.

4. I’m too busy to plan – I need to do!
Do you ever feel as if you spend your whole day at work just responding to the biggest crisis? Take time to sit down and map out a strategy for the future. Planning may seem like a luxury when you have so much on your plate already, but if you don’t invest time now, you’ll find yourself operating in perpetual crisis mode later – which, as everyone knows, is a sure recipe for burnout. Don’t try to muscle your way through every issue that faces you. Think before you execute (or delegate the execution to others).

5. My people know they are doing a good job. I don’t have to tell them.
One of the biggest mistakes managers make is failing to recognize their employees’ successes and only pointing out their faults. Think about it – do you perform better when you know you’re appreciated, or when you’re only chastised for your shortcomings? Letting people know you’re pleased with their achievements will encourage them to continue striving to do good work. It’s human nature!

Coaching Call To Action

Would you rate yourself as an inspiring leader with your people giving their best?  If not, choose one or two changes from the above list that will free you and your employees to do the job each of you is supposed to be doing.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

“I want more confidence!” These are the words of many of my clients when they first start coaching with me.  As Natalie Manor describes in this week’s Tip, sometimes you have to “fake it ‘til you make it.”

Quote of the Week

” I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time.“

~ Anna Freud

Confidence Can Be Yours At Each Moment

by Natalie Manor

Think of all the confident people you know. Isn’t there something just different about them? The way they walk, talk, hold themselves, how they get involved.

The characteristics of confident people are numerous. The difference between you and them may be that they are acting in a confident way and you are not.

Take one of the confident characteristics you think a confident person has and act that way all day today. Stride into a room. Sit easily and with grace. Speak with emphasis. Shake hands firmly.  By the end of the day you will feel differently. You will be feeling like a confident person.

Confidence is a practice. Each day add another characteristic. Pretty soon you will be striding confidently through your life and you will wonder what took you so long to catch on!

Natalie R. Manor, CEO is an author, business consultant, speaker and executive coach. Her company, Natalie Manor & Associates, is the ultimate resource for business leaders, executives, owners and managers who want to master their life and their business by Getting Clear, Getting Confident and Being Effective faster than ever before. You can register for her free bi-weekly articles at: http://www.nataliemanor.com/newsletter/subscribe.html

Coaching Call To Action

What characteristic of a confident person will you add to your repertoire this week?  I’d love to hear how it feels initially and after a day or two.

What’s New

Sunday, May 8, 2011
Moms, Happy Mother’s Day!

“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world.  It knows no law, no pity, it dates all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”

This Sunday is Mother’s Day.  Take some time to appreciate the woman who brought you into this life.

Mom, thank you for your guidance, love and wisdom!

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

This week’s Tip by Jon Gordon provides tools for reframing the way you look at work situations. If you have been following my Tips and doing the homework, you aren’t a person who complains about work, however those around you may not have evolved to this point. Feel free to share this week’s Tip with them. What’s the point in complaining? It drags down your energy (and the energy of those around you) and doesn’t provide solutions. It would be more productive to use this energy to create solutions (see 3. below).

Quote of the Week

“Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems.”
~Anthony J. D’Angelo

Three No Complaining Tools

by Jon Gordon

1. The But – Positive Technique. This simple strategy helps you turn your complaints into positive thoughts, solutions, and actions. When you realize that you are complaining, you simply add the word but and then add a positive thought or positive action.
2. Focus on “Get To” instead of “Have To.” Too often we complain and focus on what we have to do. Instead, shift your perspective and realize it’s not about having to do anything. You get to do things. You get to go to work while so many are unemployed. Focus on what you get to do.
3. Turn Complaints into Solutions. The goal is not to eliminate all complaining. The intent is to eliminate the kind of mindless complaining that doesn’t serve a greater purpose and allow complaining that is justified and worthwhile. Every complaint represents an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive (Gordon, p. 49).

From: Gordon, J. (2008). The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Reprinted with permission from the OSU Leadership Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-3114, http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu.

What’s New

March 23, 2011 – 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Keefe Continuing Education

Empowering Yourself!

Do you feel like you need to make a significant change in your business or personal life and would like some support to address these issues? I will provide my 5-step program for gaining control of your life.

This seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Keefe Tech, Framingham, MA. To reserve your place, please call 508-935-0202 or go to www.ktconed.org/health_and_lifestyle.htm.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

This week, Resource Development Company provides Jack Zenger’s top 10 Rules for becoming a great leader.  I liked this summary because it seems so achievable! Most of the rules are about people skills, interacting with others and treating people well.  Great reminder to put your people first.

Quote of the Week

“A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities.”

~Jules Ormont

Become a Great Leader

Jack Zenger is an expert in leadership development who has authored several books on the topic. From his writings, here are his top 10 rules for becoming a great leader:

1. Ask instead of answer. Don’t immediately give people the answer when they come to you with a question. Instead, ask them what they think. It’s the leader’s job to develop people. To just give them the answer is to have missed a real opportunity to show that you respect them and their ideas.
2. Give positive feedback. It’s important to have positive interactions between you and your employees. If you don’t agree with an idea, ask the idea generator to think about it and talk about how it would play out. This will force your team to think through their suggestions and see where their failings are. Remember, as a leader, you may not always be right.
3. Engage. When you come into your office in the morning, don’t turn on your computer until you have walked around and connected with people first. Leadership is all about motivating people, and motivating people is all about having a connection with them.
4. Put employees first. In every organization, there are four different constituencies: shareholders, senior managers, customers and employees. There are examples of organizations who have consciously put employees first, customers second, shareholders third and managers last. If you treat the employee with great dignity and respect, they in turn will treat customers the same way.
5. Seek feedback. Periodically, a manager should wander around and meet with employees and ask, “Tell me something you think I don’t want to know and don’t want to hear.” It may take people a while to figure out that you are serious, but then, they will tell you. One thing managers and leaders have in short supply is truth. Things get filtered as they go up in the organization. You have to work to get accurate data. People will tell you if you ask.
6. Be an example. As a leader you are the role model and people are watching you 24/7; you are never off-stage. If you want the organization to be responsive to customers, you have to be responsive to customers. If you want your people to maintain good working hours, you need to maintain good working hours.
7. Practice self-development. If you want your organization to perform at a high level and improve over time, you have to improve over time. You need to have a personal plan of development for yourself. Doing this will provide a great example to everyone in the organization and says no matter who you are, we all can get better.
8. Delegate with purpose. Make sure your people know that you are not only concerned about them getting their work done, but you are also concerned about them as a human being — about them growing in their career. One way to do that is to delegate an assignment and tell them the reason you’ve asked them to do the task is because it will help them and their professional development.
9. Set stretch goals. Nothing unites a group more than pursuing a lofty target. Try setting a stretch goal for your team, but make sure it’s reasonable. If the goal is unreasonable, it can be de-motivating.
10. Listen. The ability to listen well is at the heart of being a good leader. Try removing distractions when you are speaking with someone, start making notes when they talk and pay attention to body language to get a real sense of their feelings. Try not to just listen to the words said, but really think about the message someone is trying to convey.

Resource Development Company, Inc. (RDC) is a human resources management consulting firm specializing in retained search, pre-employment screening, and career assistance services. For information on how RDC can help you achieve your goals, please visit our website at www.rdcinc.com, email rdc@rdcinc.com, or call Christopher Bilotta, President, toll free at 888-628-2293.

Coaching Call To Action

Many of my clients are going through performance reviews at this time of year.  Which of these rules will you incorporate into your performance reviews this week to be a great leader?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Ah, December! The time of holiday cheer and forecasting, budgeting, assessing, and completing your year end goals. The pressure is on. This week’s Tip by Simon Tyler reminds us of the benefit of taking time for a simple meditation and the steps to do it. Deep breath in and out and count 1…

Quote of the Week

“If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

Simple Meditation for the Busy Leader

by Simon Tyler

Living in Coachland, as I do, meditation is a much talked about technique for relaxing the mind and accessing more of one’s hidden potential. For years, I resisted the concept of meditation as requiring incense, a cross legged posture and Tibetan bowls, to which I was skeptical and under-resourced.

What I have learnt though is the power of simply STOPPING for even the shortest period of time. Brain research suggests body time to be 1/16th the speed of mind time, so it is absolutely not surprising that we can get utterly entangled in multiple thinking, loosing focus and, often serious fatigue.

Simple meditation is just that. It doesn’t have to have all the associated articles, although they will of course enhance the experience. It is about stopping the conscious activity for as little as 2 minutes.

Here’s a way to introduce simple meditation into your schedule this week:

• Breathe in and out naturally but slowly. Count up to 10 (sets of an inhale and an exhale), then count back down to 1.

• Just concentrate on your breathing, nothing else, let the thoughts come and go (go back to counting the breathing).

That’s it!

The busier you are the more difficult this challenge will be, but the greater the impact you will experience.

To astound yourself with what this stopping process can cause, repeat at the same time each day for a week (get your mind and body used to the time and place).

Keep it simple,
Simon

PS – I now love incense, still can’t sit cross legged and haven’t bought Tibetan bowls yet.

Simon Tyler is one of the world’s leading business coaches. His work simplifies the lives of business leaders and owners. He is an incisive consultant, inspirational writer, provocative public speaker and master facilitator. To learn more about Simon, visit http://simontyler.com.

Coaching Call To Action

Today, my morning pace was starting to get frenetic. So, I thought, what the heck, I’ll try Simon’s suggestion for two minutes. I caught myself before I set my timer and just closed my eyes and started breathing. It was a lovely gift to myself. Calming. I easily was able to pick up where I left off and with more energy. Will you try taking breathing breaks (simple meditation) this week? What difference does it make for you?

Gift Certificates Available

Looking for a unique gift for a friend, colleague or family member? Giving the gift of coaching partners the recipient with a professional coach with real world experience.  Your gift provides one-on-one coaching to help them sift through their conflicting priorities and demands, determine what’s most important and take action.  The coaching will help them focus, gain clarity, problem solve, and get results.  What better gift is there to give someone you care about!

Customized coaching packages available. Please email Andrea@CoachAndrea.com for additional information.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Whatever your business title is, being present to people (employees, managers, clients, prospects, vendors) can have a significant positive impact. In this week’s Tip, the image Steve Straus creates with the example of a waiter clearly illustrates the power of this simple tool.

Quote of the Week

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. “
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Be At The Table

Coaching Call To Action

How is it when you are At The Table?

What’s New

Thursday, October 28, 2010 – 9 am to noon ET
Pounce on a Project

You have 2 more months to complete the goals you created for 2010. What project would you like to get on top of and accomplish this month that will help you hit those goals? Come to Pounce on a Project VII – - 2010.

Join Coach Andrea on Thursday, October 28th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Eastern. We will join as a group by phone and declare what you want to accomplish: marketing calls to hit your numbers, adding a shopping cart to your website, or cleaning your office so you can find the goals you created in January.

During the morning, the group will gather by phone a few times to check progress and get any support needed to finish with a bang. At noon, the group will celebrate their accomplishments. Who says projects have to be boring and tedious? Bring your lightness and fun and join us for the energization.

To sign up or learn more, call or email me me by noon on Wednesday, October 27th. Feel free to share this with friends and co-workers, the more the merrier. (Cost of the program is only the cost of long distance phone calls.)

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