“If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”

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“If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”

– Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States

526Image from Flickr by Nanagyei.

In a world experiencing constant change, you would have thought by now we would have embraced it. How often do you notice yourself (or perhaps others) resisting, getting upset, arguing, or even getting angry when something or someone changes your (or their) world?

A possible reason for this reaction is the concern about or even fear of losing something such as familiarity, comfort, power, prestige, or control.

Exercise:

The next time you are initiating some change that will affect others, or noticing that some change is coming your way, look for the opportunity to engage others in this process.

A quote that I often use is, “People participate in that which they create.”

Please reply to this message if you happen to try this strategy, and let me know how things go.

“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”

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“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”

– H. Jackson Brown, Jr., American author

525Image from Flickr by squeaks2569.

The quote above makes me think of the phrase “different strokes for different folks.” If we all thought the same things and liked the same things, we wouldn’t have so many choices in our world.

Consider the following list and notice your own preferences:

  • Your favorite food
  • Your favorite ice-cream
  • Your favorite color
  • Your favorite style of music
  • Your favorite TV show
  • Your favorite sport
  • Your favorite type of vacation
  • Your favorite hobby
  • Your favorite way to spend the weekend

Exercise:

Go out of your way today to discover various roads that people in your professional and personal lives take toward their own fulfillment and happiness.

Perhaps you can take their example, choose your own path, and take the road less travelled by. It just may make all the difference. (You may also want to read Robert Frost’s Poem “The Road Not Taken.”)

“If you want to change what you are doing today, change your image of the future.”

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“If you want to change what you are doing today, change your image of the future.”

– Glen Hiemstra, author and founder of Futurist.com

524Image from Flickr by bjornmeansbear.

This past week, I watched a program on the Science channel, “Prophets of Science Fiction.” Among the authors profiled were George Lucas, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, and Jules Verne.

Through their creative and innovative writings about their worldview of the future, it was fascinating to see their predictions and considerable influence on our society in such areas as medicine, robotics, space exploration, and a host of other topics.

Exercise:

How can you practice being your own personal futurist, exploring and envisioning those futures that significantly impact what you are doing today?

Consider reading physics professor Michio Kaku’s book, The Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, which speculates on possible technology developments over the next 100 years.

Interview: Business Coaching, Soft Skills, “Intrepreneurship” and New Perspectives

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I’ve been interviewed again by Chris Holman of Michigan Business Beat. We had a wide-ranging discussion, centering on coaching within the business world.

In this six-minute interview, Chris and I discuss:

  • “Soft skills for hard times” and how many people were let go in 2008-9 who had technical competencies but didn’t possess the softer skills of leadership, management, and coaching.
  • How people need to be versatile and wear many hats in smaller companies, developing their technical and softer skills.
  • The idea of “intrepreneurship”, including innovation, creativity, and the necessity of emotional intelligence.
  • Welcoming diverse perspectives (e.g. from people much younger or older than yourself).
  • Coming up with new ideas and new approaches by reading a wide range of materials from a variety of industries.

Click play below to listen to the interview:


You can also visit my Podcasts page on my coaching site to hear other interviews with me.

“Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.”

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“Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.”

– Ben Okri, Nigerian poet

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Image from Flickr by woodleywonderworks

In the coming days, pay particular attention to the stories people tell in your professional and personal life. You can even examine the stories told in the books you read, the shows you watch, and the other forms of media you engage with.

Notice the stories that tug at your heart strings and move you deeply. The common theme is when someone summons the courage from some deeply held belief or commitment to overcome a barrier that seems improbable (or even impossible) to conquer.

Exercise:

Consider picking up a copy of one of the many Chicken Soup for the Soul books by Jack Canfield. The subtitle for the original book reads “101 stories to open the heart and rekindle the spirit.”

“The first great gift we can bestow on others is a good example.”

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“The first great gift we can bestow on others is a good example.”

—Thomas Morell, English librettist and scholar

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Image from Flicker by svenlohmeyer

Organizations often engage coaches to support the growth and development of their key people. They see these engagements as investments that can pay huge dividends as they create a culture of coaching.

Of paramount importance to these efforts is the fact that these key leaders and managers are setting an example for their teams, by demonstrating their own coachability and openness to change.

Exercise:

Who in your personal or professional life sets a great example for you to follow?

What can you do to set an even better example for others in your life?

What Weighs You Down

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“It is hard to fly when something is weighing you down.”

– Unknown

weighing

My health club is one of the largest in the region. It includes all the regular exercise facilities you might expect, plus some extras such as tennis courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, and even a climbing wall.

I’ve noticed some of the fittest and most competitive athletes adding extra weights to their ankles or waists, to weigh themselves down and make their normal athletic efforts even more difficult.

When they remove them and are no longer weighted down, they experience a lightness and an added strength that lets them fly a bit higher and further.

Exercise:

Identify the circumstances and issues that weigh you down.

How can you use these personal and professional challenges as a resource to build your capacity to fly once you remove them completely from your life?

hiding in the crowd

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“The world will never discover a person who is hiding in the crowd.”

– Dr. Mardy Grothe, psychologist

520Image from Flickr by Si1very.

When my children were young, we would often play a searching game with them called “Where’s Waldo?” The books in this series consisted of detailed double-spread illustrations depicting dozens or hundreds of people doing amusing things at a given location.

Readers were challenged to find Waldo, a slender, glasses-wearing, nerdy character sporting a red and white striped shirt, bobble hat, and blue trousers.

Unfortunately, most people don’t like taking the time to find the “Waldos” of opportunity in their world. They much prefer opportunities to stand out in the world shouting, “Here I am!”

Exercise:

What special efforts can you make or what goal can you accomplish today that will have you stand out from the crowd?

“You’re looking for three things, generally, in a person: intelligence, energy and integrity…”

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“You’re looking for three things, generally, in a person: intelligence, energy and integrity. And if they don’t have the last one, don’t even bother with the first two.”

– Warren Buffett, American businessman, inventor, and philanthropist

519Image from Flickr by blu-news.org.

If there is a single quality that I look for in a potential coaching candidate, it’s integrity. Whenever I examine the reasons for the success of all the individuals I’ve coached, integrity seems to trump all other factors – perhaps because it’s foundational for many other qualities and characteristics, including:

  • Honesty
  • Quality of relationships
  • Leadership
  • Courage
  • Hard work
  • Dedication
  • Persistence
  • Loyalty
  • Character
  • Service to others
  • Passion
  • Purpose
  • Drive

Just as a building will stand firmly on a solid foundation, a life and career built on a foundation of integrity will stand powerfully and endure.

Exercise:

What actions can you take today to associate with others of high integrity? What steps can you take now and in the future to be the type of person who Warren Buffett would gladly hire?

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

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“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

– Edith Wharton, Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist

518Image from Flickr by Avijeet_Sachdev.

This quote immediately appealed to me as a great metaphor for the role of a coach. Much of the time, a coach’s focus is to help their clients discover, expand, and give off their light in the form of their vision, values, gifts, and talents.

At the same time, coaches often act as mirrors, reflecting back to each individual this same light to support and synergize with them in order to enhance their power, focus, and effectiveness.

Exercise:

How can you play the role of candle and mirror today as you support others and pursue your own excellence journey?