success

3 Common Coaching Traps To Avoid

 in Guest Post  tagged coaches / coaching / intervention / leadership / questions / success / Suzi McAlpine / technique

In this weeks guest post leadership development coach Suzi McAlpine shares some of her expertise and experience.

3 Common Coaching Traps To Avoid

By Suzi McAlpine

"3 Common Coaching Traps To Avoid" by Suzi McAlpine

Recently I was facilitating a workshop for an organisation that wanted its leadership team to become better coaches. And just FYI, big kudos to that company, for recognising the importance of developing coaching skills in their leaders.

But back to the workshop. As the day progressed, I noticed a common theme emerging. Cue, lightbulb moment…

The traps learner coaches fall into are the same traps I can fall into – even as an experienced coach.

Interestingly, when I spoke to other leadership coaches about it, they agreed to suffering from the same afflictions.

Whether you’re new to this coaching lark or a seasoned pro, here are 3 common coaching traps to avoid (and their antidotes):-

1. Over Intervention Syndrome (or OIS, as I’ve coined it). Symptoms include firing too many questions to your coaching client in machine gun-like fashion, resulting in them feeling like they are in a job interview (not a coaching session); an overwhelming urge to give advice or tell them what to do; and feeling uncomfortable about silent pauses in sessions.

Antidote: Recognise what beauty and power there is in silence. Your role as a coach is to hold a trusted and safe space for your client to explore their professional issues.

Some of the best coaching interventions I’ve ever had were the ones I never made.

Tuning into their body language can provide powerful cues. Notice when people are working it out on their own and let the magic of silence ‘do its thang’.

2. Fix it Funk. If you’re a perfectionist, this is one trap you should be extra careful of.

Symptoms include, a frustration they (and you) are not making progress on the issue quickly enough; a desire to move ahead and make progress, despite your coachee’s stance; and your ego getting tied up with the “right” outcome.

Antidote: My mentor, Anouk Grave, nailed it when she said to “work with what is, not what we would like it be.”

There’s a skill in meeting your coachee where they are now, not where you both want them to be.

The irony is, when I have deliberately been patient with the slow pace of progress, it has sped up! As we all know, deep change can be difficult. I’m talkin’ qualifying for the Olympics kinda difficult. Naming what you are noticing about the pace of change, in an honest and compassionate way, might be a good idea at times – but forcing people to change when they are not ready is usually counterproductive.

If you have Fix it Funk, your own coaching supervision could be a good idea.

3. Too Nice Nancy. Symptoms of this affliction? A conscious or unconscious desire to be liked…at all costs. Too Nice Nancy will miss opportunities to honestly challenge people, fail to raise awareness in her peeps and generally hold back communication that needs to happen.

Antidote: Think about it. Some of the most powerful feedback you’ve ever received was probably someone who gave you an honest truth, raised awareness to a blind spot, or challenged you in a compassionate and skilled way.

Like anything, if you’re experiencing resistance to giving challenging feedback, it probably has more to do with your own blocks.

Once again, that’s your cue to get some coaching. Ask yourself, am I challenging this person enough? Are there patterns in their behaviour I am noticing, but not naming? What is getting in the way of me raising them?

If you’re a leadership coach experiencing common themes emerging in your work, I’d love to hear from you. What ‘coaching traps’ can you add to the list above? And, what antidotes do you suggest?

About Suzi McAlpine 

Suzi McAlpineSuzi McAlpine is a leadership development coach and author of internationally acclaimed leadership blog, The Leader’s Digest. Suzi works alongside CEOs and senior executives in organisations throughout New Zealand to ignite better leadership. The services she provides include one-on-one coaching, peer coaching, workshop facilitation and keynote speaking.

.

Connect with Suzi:

Twitter: @suzimcalpine

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theleadersdigest

LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/suzimcalpine

Instagram: @theleadersdigest

Blog: www.theleadersdigest.me

 

 

Want more (and more) clients? 5 essential lessons for successful coaches

 in Guest Post  tagged business / client attraction / clients / coaching / coaching practice / serve / success / Susan Tomlinson

In this weeks guest post Susan Tomlinson shares some of her knowledge and experience.

Want more (and more) clients?

5 essential lessons for successful coaches

By Susan Tomlinson

"Want more (and more) clients? 5 essential lessons (or secrets) for successful coaches" by Susan Tomlinson

Twelve years’ ago when I escaped corporate life, and started my journey as a solo entrepreneur, coaching was a relatively new profession.  At that stage I didn’t even know whether anyone would hire me!

Fortunately individuals and organisations quickly embraced the value of coaching and readily signed up coaches, who could provide skilful challenge and support, to help them make changes in their work and life.

Today the coaching profession has exploded with many more people eager to embrace a career and lifestyle which offers not only an escape from the normal office routine but also a way to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

And for many of us it’s been an exciting and life changing opportunity.

However, with growth comes greater competition!

From what I’ve learned along the way to truly succeed as a coach today you must…

Be true to you.  We are naturally drawn to people who are genuine and authentic.   Living and sharing your own experiences, interests and values will build trust and attract more ideal clients

Be clear, confident and consistent.  You will be more memorable when you share a simple message about what you do, who you help and what outcomes your clients can expect.  As people have many more options to choose from they tend to act on the specific rather than the general.

Reach a wider audience and serve more clients.  Technology has enabled us to go global in our coaching practices and has opened up many more opportunities to work internationally. Experiment with different ways you can increase your visibility and engage people throughout the world, with creative, innovative and stylish marketing campaigns.

Be special.  How is your service different or unique compared with other coaching businesses? Perhaps for example you have developed your own system through your own hard won experience or you show others how to access their inner wisdom to build 6 figure businesses.

Capture attention.  The attention span of our audiences is getting ever shorter!  With dozens of things distracting us throughout the day the challenge for all of us is to grab and sustain attention.  Some of the ways you can achieve this is through the use of visual imagery, engaging emotions and establishing credibility

Ultimately, as a service based profession coaching is all about creating connections and developing relationships.  When you are in alignment with who you are, what you do and how you communicate with your audience then you’ll naturally attract more and more clients.

If you would like to learn more about being a Client Attractive Business Owner then click here (www.clientattractivebusiness.eventbrite.com ) for details of a new programme which starts on 12 March 2015.

About Susan Tomlinson

Susan Tomlinson, Business Coach and Mentor, is founder of Real Coaching Solutions a company dedicated to helping coaches, consultants and solo entrepreneurs attract more clients, make more money and build a business they love. To get your free ‘Boost Your Business Success’ report and to receive her ‘Highlights on Business Success’ newsletter visit www.realcoachingsolutions.co.uk

For many years Susan held senior roles in well known international businesses and industry sectors. It gave her a fascinating insight into how businesses work, as she was often involved in start up ventures.

Eventually, always being an entrepreneur at heart and feeling restless, she took the leap and set up her own coaching and consulting business winning large contracts and working with top names.

Even with all her previous experience Susan soon realised the challenges of being a solo entrepreneur, so early on she made the decision to make a significant investment of her time and money in hiring her own mentors and learning everything she could about marketing, sales and mindset to consistently grow her own business and continue to create the lifestyle of her choice.

Having coached and taught hundreds of people in business Susan now shares her hands on, real life experience and knowledge with other coaches, consultants and solo entrepreneurs, who know that the quickest route to success is working with a trusted business coach and mentor.

Connect with Susan via:

Her website: www.realcoachingsolutions.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SusanRTomlinson
Google+: https://plus.google.com/103685189595897269188
LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/realcoachingsolutions
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/susantomlinson/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/susantomlinson

Self-Confidence does play a role in your Success

 in Guest Post  tagged business / coaching / Diane Dutchin / self-confidence / success

In this week’s guest post coach Diane Dutchin shares some of her experience and knowledge:

"Self-Confidence does play a role in your Success" by Diane Dutchin

Self-Confidence does play a role in your Success

By Diane Dutchin

I believe to improve the effectiveness as a coach, it’s imperative to practice what we continually say to our clients.

There is a natural pull to admire and gravitate towards those who project self-confidence in how they show up in life, how they speak, what they do personal and professionally, and how they carry themselves. The opposite is also true for those who lacks confidence in themselves, and it works against you and the message you are hoping to convey.

A person who is successful in relationships, business, sports, life, is likely a person who has a level of self-confidence working for them. It is highly unlikely to meet someone who lacks confidence and is successful. Self-confidence is like a reliable partner, friend, parent or family member, like a muscle it is strengthened by use, intricately connected to our belief system, and accessible to everyone.  It is there to serve you if you would recognize its importance and value. It is a combination of heart, belief, attitude, thought and life experiences that feeds and nurtures its growth.

Self-confidence or a lack of it starts from childhood and carries into adult life and affects your life. It stems from your belief system about yourself, others, society and your life experience. It guides the shaping of how you feel, think, act, react to others and live your life.

Some areas that can have a positive or negative influence are:

  • Your upbringing impact your level of confidence
  • Life experiences shapes your confidence
  • Parent/role model affects your confidence
  • What you believe about yourself shows your confidence
  • Your self-worth affects your confidence
  • Finally your decisions mirrors your confidence.

Some people are more self-confident that others not because they are more special, had a better upbringing or more gifted. Like you they have had their struggles, faced the critics, ridiculed, bullied, questioned, lived with fear, and various forms of abuse, and had doors closed on their ideas, abilities and dreams. What caused those same individuals to be at their best today? A few things to consider – Their resilience and belief in themselves that they matter provides a stronger internal belief in themselves, a poise more powerful than the external forces that may have temporarily shaken them.  The external factors were used instead as fuel to boost their confidence.

Stories are told every day about people both famous and not so famous, privileged and not so privileged who despite the hand dealt to them, are displaying a level of self-confidence that matches the level of success in their lives. There are a number of things you can begin to do to take the level of your self-confidence to another level of success that will benefit your personal and professional life.

Here are a few points to consider:

  • Write down your past achievements and celebrate your wins
  • Reflect on your accomplishments, be proud and grateful
  • Move your body – the physical and physiological benefits of exercising is massive
  • Read a book that feeds your soul and spirit
  • Laugh/smile daily
  • Make it a habit to compliment yourself (we can be our worst enemy)
  • Do something that you have always wanted to do, but was afraid to – step into that moment and watch the fear disappear and your self-confidence rise.
  • Be honest with yourself and admit when you are wrong
  • Make self-improvement/learning a part of your life
  • Start focusing more on your strengths and less on your weaknesses
  • Stop comparing yourself to others and run your own race
  • Awake your expectancy and breathe into it what stimulates positive growth

As you use the suggestions to build your self-confidence you will begin to notice the positive changes in your personal and professional life. Being swayed by external force will minimize and the noticeable improvement coming from you internally will give you the edge to succeed.

Do not put off building your self-confidence! It is time you connect to it, begin to feed and nourish it and watch how it will begin to add a deeper level of richness to your personal and professional life. You will notice a positive shift in how you think about yourself, which will overflow into how you present yourself, how you speak, your steps will be purposeful, steady and your success within and without will materialize.

About Diane Dutchin

Diane Dutchin is a certified personal and career coach at www.makethemovecoaching.com Follow Diane on twitter or connect on LinkedIn

 

An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Self Care

 in Guest Post  tagged business / Carrie Greene / coaches / coaching practice / entrepreneur / health / profits / Self care / success

Many coaches run their business as a sole-entrepreneur. In today’s guest post speaker, author & business coach Carrie Greene shares advice around one of the potential obstacles to happily running your own successful solo-coaching business.

An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Self Care

by Carrie Greene

"An Entrepreneur's Guide to Self Care" by Carrie Greene

The last four coaching calls I’ve been on have focused on one topic. Self care. But wait a minute; I’m a business coach so why do I spend time with my clients talking about self-care?

Guess what? Unless you take care of yourself you cannot take care of your business.

Entrepreneurs tend to put everything and everyone in front of themselves. When they do that, they risk losing it all.

Now before you tell me (or yourself) that you don’t have time for self care, take a look at the following seven areas to keep an eye on. None will take you more than a couple of minutes a day.

– Go outdoors. It’s easy to spend your day stuck behind your computer or on the phone. Stop for a few minutes and step outside. Do this even if it’s really hot, cold, raining or snowing. It doesn’t have to be long (two or three minutes can make a huge difference).

– Exercise. It’d be great if you had a serious fitness routine but what I’m talking about is simply to use your body in some way. Spend a few minutes stretching, walk down the block, or walk up a flight of stairs. Bottom line – do something.

– Nourish yourself. Eat regularly. Stop for meals, don’t go hungry and keep yourself hydrated. Your brain can’t work when it’s looking for food.

– Laugh. You can’t be serious 100% of the time. Yes, the work you do is important and the money you earn from doing your work is vital to your existence but take a few minutes to laugh each day.

– Connect. A solopreneur’s life can get lonely so we tend to reach out to other solopreneurs. This is natural because we have common interests but then we talk shop. I encourage you to connect with someone and have at least one conversation every day that has nothing to do with your business.

– Play. Do something other than work that you enjoy that takes you out of your every day routine.

– Forgive. We tend to be harder on ourselves than anyone else and that’s simply not fair. It’s okay if you make a mistake. What’s not okay is to beat yourself up about it. When you make a mistake figure out what next step you need to take and move on.

What can you do to take care of yourself? What do you need to add to your life

About Carrie Greene

Carrie Greene is a speaker, author and business coach. She is a business strategist and productivity expert for entrepreneurs.

Carrie spent fifteen years on Wall Street in marketing and product development for major brokerage firms and The New York Stock Exchange. She left after 9/11 to take charge of her life and start her own profitable business.

Being an entrepreneur is incredibly rewarding, but it’s not easy. Many entrepreneurs follow other people’s systems. They may make money, but they aren’t happy. Carrie believes that an entrepreneur should enjoy what they are doing on a day-to-day basis and if they aren’t, they might as well get a job.

Carrie helps business owners get clear on what they want and create simple and straight-forward plans to get them there. It’s all about doing the things they enjoy so that they are both profitable and happy.

Carrie is a frequent speaker on industry panels and serves as the lead coach for Suzanne Evans’ 10K and HY Stars program. Carrie is the author of “Chaos to Cash: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Eliminating Chaos, Overwhelm and Procrastination So you Can Create Ultimate Profit!”

Carrie lives in New Jersey and is amazed that her daughter is a junior in college and her twin sons just started college. She and her husband are trying to figure out what they will do with an empty house.

For free resources and to learn more please visit http://carriegreenecoaching.com/

 

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carrie_Greene

http://EzineArticles.com/?An-Entrepreneurs-Guide-to-Self-Care&id=8766035