business coach

We have been taught a half truth. We have been taught that we learn from doing, from trying, from the experimenting. But, that’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is we learn from doing then on reflecting on what we did, re-thinking what we know and trying again.

To learn the most from this year you need to reflect on what you did. Try the 2018 Reflection Challenge.

Here’s my 2018 year end reflection:

1. What are 3 words that describe this year?

Amazeballs, successful, strengthening.

2. What was your best memory this year?

Way too many – that’s why the year was so amazeballs – Barcelona, Paris, Tofino, My Birthday Party!!

3. What did you do this year that you’ve never done before?

So many things: Barcelona, Paris, skydiving, taught 2 new courses, new clients….

4. What was the best course, book or program you experienced this year?

Hands down these 2 books: The Universe Has Your Back & Attached.

5. What was the nicest thing someone did for you?

Again so many things… thoughtful birthday cards and presents, friends coming to the hospital when I needed stitches…… oh and a birthday surprise at the Shangri-La – that was epic!

6. What was the best way you used your time?

Working, connecting, relaxing, learning, reflecting.

7. What was the best choice or risk you took this year? And Why?

Planning my trip to Barcelona and Paris. I wasn’t sure who I would go with or if I could really afford it, but it all worked out better than I could have imagined. I am so glad I took the leap even though I wasn’t sure because now I have amazing memories!

8. What lesson was presented to you in 2018? Did you learn the lesson?

That I need to master dealing with procrastination and stress or it leads to bad consequences. And YES, I learned the lesson.

9. What was your biggest energy vampire this year?

Procrastination and worry.

10. What was your biggest obstacle this year?

Doing many new things at the same time, so the learning curve was high and so was the self-criticism.

11. How could you have made the year better?

Been kinder to myself.

12. What event, person, outcome, idea or habit had the biggest positive impact?

Again too many to mention them all but I think my trip to Barcelona and Paris was the biggest event and keeping a gratitude journal was the best habit.

13. What was your greatest superpower this year?

My ability to reflect, learn a tonne and to then go try again.

14. What was your proudest moment of the year?

My birthday – I was surrounded with so much love and celebration!

15. After this year what do you know for sure?

Health before everything, and having fun is part of health.

Also see my blog on 3 Reflection Challenges For a Powerful New Year to get more reflection challenges.

Ask me about a free, no pressure call — ninja style — to discuss the results you want to create for business, leadership or career.

One thing that your executive and small business coach knows for sure is that most executive mistakes and foibles are not unique — in fact they are very common. This is good news because it means you’re not flawed, you’re just dealing with the same issues that all CEOs, executives and managers are dealing with and that your business coach can help! Here are 3 top mistakes that executives make and how a business coach can take your performance to the next level.

Mistake #1: Continuing To Rely On Your Past Strengths

In the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, Marshall Goldsmith explains how the strengths that made you successful at the previous stage of your career, likely won’t be what will make you successful at the next stage of your career. For example, you might have been a rock-star employee that is known for coming up with all sorts of new and exciting ideas — some of which turned out to be good ideas. And because of your ingenuity you got promoted to a management position where you continue to come up with new and exciting ideas, as that’s what you’re good at and what got you the promotion. However, as a manager being an “idea generator” might not be the quality needed for success at that level. As a manager, being an “idea generator” might cause issues with your team as they could feel overwhelmed with all your ideas or they could feel that you don’t provide them with the opportunity to generates. You might also be also be missing other management issues that should be your focus such as resolving interpersonal issues on your team, securing needed resources for your department, or improving interdepartmental relationships — because you’re focusing too much on what you used to do. Thus, you need to develop and employ a completely different set of skills every time you “level-up”.

Quotes_WhatGotYouHereWontGetYouThere

How A Business Coach Can Help: A business coach can provide you with new tools and strategies that will help you develop the skills needed to be successful at each stage of your career or business success.

Mistake #2: You Stop Creating the Next Level

Early in your career or business there are lots of opportunities to advance and the path to this progression is clear. However, as your career or your business advances you will likely land in a position where the next level isn’t as obvious or as readily available — you might be a director, VP, or CEO for a long time before you “level-up” again. Having the same position for the long-term often creates stagnation in personal growth and learning and slows down our “opportunity radar” in this position. Just because the position per say doesn’t change, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be looking to level-up in that position — this is a very common problem for CEOs and senior managers.

How A Business Coach Can Help: A business coach can help you keep pushing, growing and transforming your current position so that you’re better prepared for the next step and so that the people under you can continue to expand as you do.

Mistake #3: Stop Getting Feedback

Early in your career or business feedback is inevitable — you get it whether you solicit it or not. And in the beginning you often seek it as you’re hungry to find out where there’s gaps in your performance so that you can improve and get better results — after all you have nothing to lose! However, as you become more successful in your career or business the feedback lessens usually because there are less people to give it to you (you’re close to the top of the “food chain”) and your amphibian brain kicks in, creating that you now have something to lose (ego, pride, strength, security) so you inadvertently stop seeking feedback. Feedback is key not only to continually improving performance, but it is also a key part of power and influence. Leaders that continue to seek and accept feedback are more trusted, more skilled, more respected and thus more powerful and influential.

How A Business Coach Can Help: A business coach can help by being an unfiltered, unconstrained, objective source of feedback so you can create bigger and better results and continue to grow your authentic power and influence. Furthermore, a business coach helps you be accountable to that feedback once you get it.

Contact me for a free consultation — ninja style!

Tag: business coach

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