Coach Andrea

Coach Andrea’s Intro

In 50% of my coaching calls and meetings last week, we discussed teams and how to make them even more successful.  Whether you are the leader or the follower in a team, this week’s Tip by Chris Widener provides key principles that if applied will take your team to the next level. They are simple and easy to understand.  An evaluation checklist is provided at the end of the Tip.

Quote of the Week

“Players win games, teams win championships.”

~ Bill Taylor

Secrets of Successful Teams

By Chris Widener

To be a success is not always to be a success individually. In fact, most of the time, we achieve our successes as part of a team.

We are all part of teams. Our family is a team. Our place of work is a team. The community groups we belong to are teams. Sometimes we are the team leader or “coach,” while other times we fulfill the role of follower or “player.” It is so important, then, for us to understand teams and how they work, especially those who achieve success-the achievement of their desired goal.

In my life, I have been on some successful teams, and some not-so-successful teams. This includes both athletically as well as professionally. When I was growing up, I worked for seven years with the Seattle Supersonics, our local National Basketball Association team, which now plays in Oklahoma City as the Thunder. They were at times unsuccessful and, in 1979, my second year working there, the most successful team in the league, winning the World Championship. I have been able to see firsthand what makes the difference between the unsuccessful teams and the successful ones.

Here are some principles I know that, when implemented on a regular basis, can turn any lackluster team into an outstanding one! These principles can be applied to your family, your business, your organization and, yes, your sports team.

Communication/Leader
The leader needs to communicate the vision. If they are setting the pace, they need to let people know where they are going so that the team can follow. The coach always does a pre-game talk, laying out the vision.

The leader communicates the vision frequently, so as to always be updating the team as to where they are at and what changes need to be made. The coach doesn’t relegate the direction he gives to the pre-game; he coaches and communicates all the way through the game.

Team
Watch a good basketball team. They are talking to each other all of the time. Helping one another out, encouraging one another, praising one another, and telling each other how they can make changes so the same mistakes aren’t made again. The same is true of successful teams in the professional world, and in life in general.

Excellence
The truly great teams are teams that are committed to excellence. In everything they do, their goal is to achieve at the highest level. And this commitment is held throughout the team and at every level. A successful team cannot have members who are not committed to excellence, because in the end, they will become the weak link.

Followership
If you want a fascinating read, pick up The Power of Followership by Robert Kelley. The author basically makes the point that the secret to getting things done lies not only in great leadership, but in how well everyone else, 99 percent of the team, follows the leadership. Good teams are filled with people who are committed to following and getting the job done.

Understanding Roles
Pardon the Chicago Bulls analogy, but it is so clear. In the team’s championship years, when the game was on the line, with only one shot left, everyone-the coaches, the players, the 20,000 people watching in the stadium and millions watching on TV-knew who would shoot the last shot. That was Michael Jordan’s role.

Every team works best when the members of the team have clearly defined and understood roles. Some do one thing, others do another. One isn’t better or more important than the other, just different. When teams operate out of their strengths and their roles, they win.

Strengths and Weaknesses
This brings me to strengths and weaknesses. Every team member has strengths and weaknesses. The successful teams are those who on a regular and consistent basis enable the members to operate out of their strengths and not out of their weaknesses. And one person’s strength will cover another’s weakness. This is teamwork, enabling all of the bases to be covered.

Fun
The team that plays together stays together. Is your team all work and no play? If you’re smart, that will change. Get your team out of the office once a month and go have some fun. Enjoy one another. Enjoy life. It will bring a sense of bonding that can’t be made even in “winning.”

Common Goals and Vision
I have found that these need to have three aspects: short, simple and clear. Can you say it in less than 30 seconds? Is it simple? Can you and others understand it? Does the team all know what they are working together for?

Appreciation
All through the “game,” successful teams appreciate one another and show it in a variety of ways. The coach shows it to the players, the players show it to the coach, and the players show it to one another.

Here is a “Successful Teams” checklist you can use for evaluation:

• Is there communication between coach and players and from player to player?
• Is your team committed to excellence?
• Do those on the team know what it means to follow?
• Does everyone on my team know their specific role?
• Do the individuals on our team regularly operate out of their strengths as opposed to their weaknesses?
• Does our team take a break from time to time to just have fun together?
• Do we understand our common goals and vision? Can we all state it (them)?
• Is there a sense of and communication of genuine appreciation among my team?

Chris Widener is the President of Chris Widener International. www.ChrisWidener.com Chris can be reached at Chris@MadeForSuccess.com

Coaching Call To Action

This week use Chris’s checklist to rate one of your teams.  What change would make the biggest difference to your team?  Share this with them!

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

During this holiday season, I’d like you to be thinking about what you can do to take care of the people in your organization.  How can you show your appreciation for a job well done and keep people moving forward with the mission and vision of the company? This week’s tip by Jon Gordon provides just such a recipe.

Quote of the Week

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

~ Andrew Carnegie

A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

By Jon Gordon

• Stir the pot with love
• Lead with optimism
• Share the vision
• Build trust
• Fill the void with positive communication
• Add a big dose of transparency and authenticity
• Create engaged relationships
• Combine inspiration, encouragement, empowerment and coaching
• Fill up with appreciation
• Heat with passion
• Bring it all together with unity (Gordon, p. 162).

From: Gordon, J (2010).  Soup: a recipe to nourish your team and culture.  Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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

Coaching Call To Action

This week consider what your team needs from you to be the best they can be.  What will you continue doing, start doing and stop doing?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

The PaperRoom Process that I offer to my clients is about gaining access to your perceptions, beliefs, habits, expectations and assumptions, which leads to greater awareness. This week’s Tip by John McGuire and Gary Rhodes reminds us what is possible when we “get a bigger mind”.

Quote of the Week

“Let us not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around us in awareness.”
~James Thurber

Getting a Bigger Mind

by John McGuire and Gary Rhodes

By increasingly opening up your awareness and beliefs, you can be more conscious of and about the decisions you are making and the impact of those decisions on your behaviors and practices. We call this process “getting a bigger mind.” It expands your awareness of what’s really going on and enables you to perceive more complex interconnections and respond with both long-term strategic acuity and elevated knowledge of how your next decision brings the environment you want to create more fully into existence (McGuire & Rhodes, p. 48).

McGuire, J. B. & Rhodes, G. B. (2009). Transforming Your Leadership Culture. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

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

Coaching Call To Action

What process do you use to step back and “get a bigger mind”? Do you brainstorm with your business partner, go for a run, sleep on it?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

My work with clients focuses on helping them sift through their conflicting priorities and demands, determining what’s most important and taking action.  The skill that I bring to the coaching is the ability to simplify.  I liked Chris Widener’s article this week because it gave a very simple idea about leadership that can have an enormous impact.  No matter what your role is in an organization, consider how you can inspire people on to greater things.

Quote of the Week

“Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you are alive, it isn’t.”
~ Richard Bach

The Inspiration Factor

The first thing that an aspiring leader must realize is that they must be inspiring! That is, they must be capable of inspiring people on to greater things than if the leader were not in their lives.

So, is this too grandiose an ideal for the average local business owner? Absolutely not. The people who work at your business, school or organization need to be inspired by you on a regular basis. It is what keeps them from giving up.

Remind them of the big picture.

They aren’t just serving food; they are helping families spend time together, so make it enjoyable.

They aren’t just changing oil; they are helping make sure a woman and her children don’t break down on the side of the road at night.

They aren’t just teaching reading; they are helping open a mind to the mysteries of the world.

They aren’t just selling gifts; they are helping people show their appreciation to others in a tangible way.

This week: INSPIRE!

Chris Widener is the President of Made for Success. www.ChrisWidener.com. Chris can be reached at Chris@MadeForSuccess.com.

Coaching Call to Action

Take some time this week to think about the big picture that you see?  How can you best share this with the world around you?  Develop a plan to make this a part of your regular communication with others.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Many times, business owners are ready to jump into action, without a vision for their business.  That’s why when I first start working with clients, we talk about the vision of their future -  for their business and for themself. This week’s article by Tony Alessandra explains why it’s important, how to get it if you don’t have it, and how to develop it if you do have it.

Quote of the Week

“The difference between visionaries and dreamers is that visionaries make the dreams come true.”
~ Walter R. Mueller

Vision

by Dr. Tony Alessandra

What is it?

Vison provides an entrepreneur with a clear, distinctive, and specific insight into the future. Vision is the ability to see the results that may come to exist through the efforts of an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur’s vision allows him or her to foresee future demands for products and services and then begin to fulfill those needs. A vision identifies the company’s purpose and values.

Why is it important?

Many successes obtained by entrepreneurs begin with a vision. An entrepreneur with vision is able to visualize the business at the final stage–even before the business has been formed. The entrepreneur will visualize him or herself achieving the results and the feelings of success. A visionary entrepreneur will often be more energetic and will often face any challenge that he or she encounters. Vision allows the entrepreneur to stay focused to reach his or her goal, and make the vision a reality.

Although an entrepreneur employs vision to drive business, the vision must be supported by information and data in order to produce the desired effects. A vision does not provide the plans to accomplish your goals but, rather, provides the motivation to accomplish them.

How to get it if you don’t have it?

Vision comes through thought and meditation of your basic principles and ideals. Although a vision for a company is generally discovered rather than created, you first have to prepare yourself to find it. The preparation generally begins by expressing the purpose of your business under ideal circumstances. In other words, consider how you would create and run your business if money were not a consideration. Once you define your ideal business, identify avenues in which you can create your business in that way. Be very specific and include as many details as possible.

How to develop it if you have it?

Once a vision has been discovered it must be fleshed out and improved. Often the initial vision does not contain the detail and depth that is possible. Improving your vision may often take as much time as discovering it. As you seek to improve your vision, consider what your business should stand for. Continually ask yourself why you want your business to be the way it appears in your vision. Consider the reasons that customers will choose your business instead of your competitors. Once you can identify and clearly convey your ideas on paper you are well on your way to creating a strong vision.

Copyright (c) 1996-2010 Alessandra & Associates, Inc. Dr. Tony Alessandra can be reached at http://www.PlatinumRule.com or at 1-858-456-0028.

Coaching Call to Action

Do you have a vision for your business?  Does it motivate you?  Does it make you jump out of bed in the morning?  If not, take some time this week to ask the question:  If money were not a consideration, how would I create and run my business?

If your vision does make you jump out of bed in the morning, take some time this week to flesh it out even more:  Why do you want your business to be the way it appears in your vision?  What’s in it for you and the world?

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Quote of the Week

“Stubbornness is also determination. It’s simply a matter of shifting from “won’t power” to “will power.”
Peter McWilliams

Determination

by Tony Alessandra

What is it?

Determination is the deep and burning passion to see a project through the end. Determination is the epitome of entrepreneurial desire and ambition. The ability to work on, in, or at business obstacles until a satisfactory solution is derived or the problem ceases to be a hindrance to the business.

Why is it important?

Determination is fundamental to the entrepreneur’s repertoire of skills to master. In the beginning stages of business, a fledging enterprise must face a diverse array of market dilemmas. Many faint-hearted entrepreneurs lose faith and clarity, soon to see their business vision blurred by the adversity of setback.

Determination is the metaphorical compass during the dark, unclear stages of business. It is the ‘reserve’ tank that fuels many struggling entrepreneurial ventures during times of difficulty–lack of funding, lack of strategy, and lack of differentiation.

How to get it if you don’t have it?

Determination can be instilled in an entrepreneur. One of the first things you need to do is be passionate about something in your life. Thus, one of the primary steps you must take on your journey to finding determination is establishing a business vision to which you can direct and focus your passion.

Start small. You can be determined with many things outside of your entrepreneurial venture. Start a self-betterment program, challenge yourself, and set goals–financial, social, physical, intellectual, and spiritual. Keep track of your advancement and improvement.

Find and set intermediate and long-term goals for both your personal and professional life. It can be both motivational and inspirational to become a student of individuals who have exhibited determination. Study and learn from others’ examples of determination.

How to develop it if you have it?

Setting, tracking, and measuring goals can contribute to the development of determination. One of the most gratifying things for new entrepreneurs is the accomplishment of short-term goals and victories. Through small successes an entrepreneur can obtain newfound motivation and a bolstered level of determination.

Determination is also developed through clarity of your business vision. The more clear and tangible your idea is to becoming a reality, the more determined you may be to see it come into fruition. To develop determination, clarify your vision, set short-term goals, and celebrate all business victories.

Copyright © 1996-2009 Alessandra & Associates, Inc. Dr. Tony Alessandra can be reached at http://www.PlatinumRule.com or at 1-858-456-0028.

Coaching Call to Action

Determination + Action + Visual Reminder = Success

I have found that determination, in conjunction with action, and a visual reminder of what I want to accomplish leads me to success. Visual reminders include: my To Do List, Vision Board, and Annual, Monthly and Weekly Goals. What’s your formula for success?

Community Involvement

October 29, 2009
Pounce on a Project VII – 2009

Last month we worked on website reviews, book sorting and office clean up. What project would you like to get on top of and accomplish this month? Come to Pounce on a Project VII – 2009. Join Coach Andrea on Thursday, October 29th, 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: preparing your marketing plan for Q4, writing your newsletter for the month, written performance reviews, or making cold calls.

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 e-mail Andrea by noon on Wednesday, October 28th. 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.)

November 4, 2009
Being Resourceful at Holliston High School

If you are like most people, you already have more than enough resources (people, places, things) in your life that can be used for support or help when needed. But, are you using them effectively to increase your productivity and profitability?

Your ability to systematically identify these assets and use them is an important key to your success. Coach Andrea’s interactive session will provide the tools to show you how to capitalize on your resources to achieve the results taht are most important to you. Through exercises, pairings, group sharing and handouts, you’ll learn how to identify your resources, use them to the fullest and handle resource roadblocks.

Coach Andrea’s interactive session will provide tools to show you how to capitalize on your resources to achieve the results that are most important to you. This seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th from 7 – 9 PM at Holliston High School in Holliston, MA. To learn more.

Ideas and Information

Headshot Special – November 4, 2009, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

So many of you have commented on my new picture, I’d like to share this special offer from the team who did it.

You’ve always meant to have a professional headshot done or updated, and now’s your chance! For a one-date only special pricing package, you will enjoy a relaxing photography session in the comfort of Gretje Ferguson’s home studio in Dedham. Professional stylist Lori Johnson will be there to dramatically enhance your photo with her makeup application. The fee is $300 and includes makeup application, photo shoot, online web gallery, and one high-resolution retouched file for unlimited use. To schedule your appointment time, call Gretje at 781.461.9202 or email her at gretje@gfergphoto.com. Space is limited, so call early.

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