May 17, 2012 | Business, Coaches Corner, Coaching, Events, Women
“As I disengaged mys
elf from traditional work, I plunged into new endeavors which gave me a feeling of revitalization accompanied by a sense of an emerging ‘new self’. It was time to move from success of the past on to significance – a life of purpose and meaning. I opted for a new life-style and started on a road to new beginnings. The journey is priceless.”
This wise information comes from Barbara Atkins, author of “70 is the new 40”. (I for one am happy to know that I will have a chance to be 40 again.) Baby boomers are a significant part of the US population and coaches like us are finding fulfillment working with this generation:
This increasing median age is driven by the aging of the population born during the Baby Boom after World War II (1946 to 1964). About 30 percent of the population in 1994 were born during the Baby Boom. As this population ages, the median age will rise. People born during the Baby Boom will be between 36 and 54 years old at the turn of the century. In 2011, the first members of the Baby Boom (reached) age 65, and the Baby Boom will have decreased to 25 percent of the total population. Source; Census Bureau
Three Dog Night
Not all of them are rock and rollers having reunions. Many are finding new career paths and starting their own businesses. If this sounds like something for you, Barbara is having an event in AZ. It’s called appropriately enough: What’s Next For You? Discover what matters and do what you love! It will be on Wednesday, June 27 at 1:30 pm – for individuals that are already retired and at 6:30 pm – for individuals approaching retirement. It will be held at the City of Scottsdale Civic Center Library. 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ, For info call 480.312.READ (7323). Before you attend Barbara’s event, visit the beautiful grounds and fountains of the Scottsdale City Hall. Visit the art galleries and other attractions. Walk slowly, enjoy the view.
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Mar 13, 2012 | Business, Coaches Corner
Lebron James, the All Star basketball player for the Miami Heat has had to endure relentless criticism in his career from journalists (who should know better) as well as fans for lacking leadership on the basketball court. This is how some people see it: James is too concerned with making the right play, trusting his teammates, being unselfish, and for not seeking to become the hero at the end of games, therefore he must lack the clutch or leadership “gene”. This is puzzling because the qualities that James does posses are precisely the attributes we believe are sure signs of leadership.
[Tweet “If the end game is so important, then why play the other three quarters?”]
Leadership and what it means “to be a leader” is greatly misunderstood. We’ve begun to substituted the fairy tale notion of the White Knight who will come to the rescue, score the last point, you know, win the game for us. Nestled in this notion of the “White Knight” is our belief that we personally don’t have to take any responsibility for how we participated in the game, that doing the right thing or believing and trusting our team doesn’t matters. If the end game is so important, then why play the other three quarters? Because most organizations win in an unspectacular fashion – day to day to day, making the small wins that add up to the big one. Leadership, trust, genuineness and the desire to serve all needs to be present at all times.
Here are four keys to winning any game.
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Jan 12, 2012 | Business
In our last Conversation On Leadership, we had a dialog about Original Thought, what it was and how it impacted our lives and effectiveness as Leaders. Rather than having something happen with newscasters giving us their editorial opinions,tweets stating the trends and face book friends that we liked and gave a thumbs up, we spoke about the power of making up our own minds and being intentional about it; creating the new and different even when the mechanisms from here to there were unknown.
Dr.Joseph Riggio
In that spirit I offer you a a very entertaining and short video from TEDx Greece “Stepping Forward, A Hero’s Journey”. Dr. Joseph Riggio, the speaker, says we are only using 5% of our brains. He gives counsel on dealing with change. And, he talks about how we were educated and educate our young.
I suggest that leaders create miracles through their original thoughts. Other wise there is no difference made, rather sameness and business as usual. What do you think? View the video and make up your own mind. Don’t take my word for it.
“If you don’t shape the story you are living you will live someone else’s story.” Dr. Joseph Riggio
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Jan 9, 2012 | Business
POSITIVELY POWERFUL:
Leaders are aware of the impact they have on others. From my studies of behavioral science, I’ve learned the four ways of communicating
that influence behavior. By identifying them and using them intentionally in your life, you will produce effects. The first is positive reinforcement. Using R+ with others you increase the likelihood that they will continue acting in the way you’ve reinforced. When you do a great job and meet or exceed your expectations, give yourself some positive reinforcement!
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Dec 29, 2011 | Business, Diversity & Inclusion
Organizations have as their goal becoming mature, well managed companies delivering consistently on the service or products for which they are or wish to become known. They use branding and taglines to assist them with that figuring that customers will come back time and time again for the what these lines advertise. Consider the following as a few examples:
- “All the News that’s Fit to Print” , (New York Times)
- “ It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” (Timex)
- “Where vision gets built”. (Lehman Brothers)
Wait! Time and time again? Times have changed. You can now read the NY Times online, “print” hmmm not. Our watches are digital or on our phone. “Ticking” if you have the app. And Lehman Brothers is gone having declared bankruptcy.
If a company has an entrenched hierarchy, an HR director without vision and a passion for their people (Only “20% of workers are passionate about their jobs”… The Deloitte Center for the Edge: The Shift Index”), you can bet in time they’ll be experiencing high turnover of good management talent, a loss of intellectual capital a loss in consumer/client trust and a brand image that is passe.
In the past it took fifty years or more to get to this point in an organization’s life cycle, now it is taking less then ten years for companies to find out that they are no longer relevant, that their products or services are not answering the needs of the public, and that their brand slogans no longer create the progressive images intended.
Somewhere along the road to becoming a less innovative customer adverse organization, companies stuck with their top down directives rather than adapt “interactive communication” as pointed out by Stephen Denning in “Radical Management. Often the answer to how an organization can manage the future and changing times is an employee “sitting in the room”, not being listen to and asked about what they see. Why? Generational differences, non-inclusive staid corporate culture, lack of engagement, lack of leadership and vision. And maybe the complaint “I just don’t have the time.”
In today’s environment buying in to the plan falls well short of owning plan. Owning the plan can only occur when there is totally openness and everyone has the opportunity to contribute.
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elf from traditional work, I plunged into new endeavors which gave me a feeling of revitalization accompanied by a sense of an emerging ‘new self’. It was time to move from success of the past on to significance – a life of purpose and meaning. I opted for a new life-style and started on a road to new beginnings. The journey is priceless.”
