Setting the pace as the leader in customized newsletters
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Setting the pace as the leader in customized newsletters
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Coaching Articles The use of these articles are for our clients only. You must have permission from Sorrell Associates to use these articles in any format. We add articles to this page constantly. With over 4000 articles currently in our archive it will take some time to get them on this page. Keep checking back. Want to submit an article? Click Here
C101 Have You Ever Thought About Hiring A Professional Coach? By now you have heard of coaching for professionals. Coaching is no longer just for athletes and musicians. But how do you know if and when you should hire a coach? Here is a quick… Members can read this entire article by click here
C102 CREATING A COACHING RELATIONSHIP
1) Create a coaching contract that essentially says that you have permission to coach the person. 2) Find out what the person's sincere and honest intention is and align your intentions with it. 3) Give the other person the gift of your... Members can read this entire article by click here
C103 Coach Collaborative Improvement Use the acronym COACH to help you remember some of the most important coaching behaviors: • Collaborate. Work with team members to identify performance problems, set standards and performance objectives, and develop a plan for improved performance. Remember: All good coaches think in terms of how "we can" solve the problem. • Own. Examine your personal behavior and accept some of the responsibility... Members can read this entire article by click here
C104 Be on the lookout for coaching moments Coaching isn't appropriate for every situation. Sometimes, staffers want to work on their own, uninterrupted by the boss. To spot employees ready for coaching, pay attention to when things aren't going well or when they could use an extra hand on a tough project. That's when they'll be eager to work with you. Members can read this entire article by click here
C105 Techniques For Handling An Angry Teammate Sometimes, even on the best teams, emotions can spin out of control. An error occurs. You’re responsible. You apologize. But your teammate flies off the handle. You need to preserve your working relationship with this person. Here’s how to do it: Step 1. Do little or nothing. Let your teammate vent. It may be difficult to sit still and take abuse from an angry person, but doing so will allow her to vent some pent-up anger. Remember: Never tell an irate colleague to "calm down" or behave in a certain way. This will only increase her anger. Step 2. Play back the... Members can read this entire article by click here
C106 Word Count: 299 What Are You Tolerating? Do you need a coach? A coach asks questions that inspire the client to evaluate, define, and act. One very important question is: What are you tolerating? Or What’s draining you? Every action you take uses energy. The things you are tolerating are the actions you’re not taking. What we tolerate uses energy that could be spent on more positive things. What are you tolerating? To make your list, identify your tolerances in the following areas: relationships, physical environment, well being and money. Here are some common issues that my clients have brought up: Relationships: I am in a relationship that does not satisfy me I dread running into a particular person because we have unfinished business I don’t have a... Members can read this entire article by click here
C107 Word Count: 233
MENTORS What is a mentor? According to Greek legend, the goddess Athene liked to come down to earth disguised as a man named "Mentor" so she could advise the young son of Ulysses. (The Greek root "men" means remembering, thinking or counseling; we still use it in words like "mental.") Today, a mentor is an experienced and trusted counselor, anyone who guides and encourages another, especially someone younger. Mentors come in all shapes and sizes, formal and informal. Usually your mentor is someone who takes a personal interest in your progress, seeing your potential and regarding you as just a bit more capable and talented than you think you are. Not too much more, or you'll dismiss their opinion as unrealistic. Not any less, or you'll have nothing to strive toward. In my own... Members can read this entire article by click here
C108 Word Count:
2554 Coach! John Wooden was the most successful coach in college basketball history, but for him, winning never really was the name of the game. His life, both on and off of the court, has been a lesson in what’s really important. At exactly 10 o’clock (right on time) he looked out the window of his condo in Encino and waved me in. It was the first time I’d ever carried two tape recorders with me. But I had traveled 2,200 miles and I didn’t want to risk malfunction, didn’t want to miss a word. This, for me, was to be more than a mere magazine interview. This was to be a chance to have a conversation with John Wooden, a man who has lived as profound a life as any I can imagine. Greeting me at the door, he looked pretty much the same as he did on TV during all those NCAA tournaments though, at 89, he was moving slowly. It’s said the eyes are windows to the soul; Wooden’s are as blue and welcoming as a spring sky. On our way to the living room, we passed pictures of Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa. He was still buttoning his shirt as we walked. For some reason that made me feel at home. Coach Wooden, who will turn 90 in October, spoke about the lessons his parents taught him growing up in Indiana. He recalled how all of his savings had been stolen by bank officers on the eve of his wedding. He spoke lovingly of his wife, Nell, who died in 1985 (each month on the 21st he still writes her a love letter, folding it neatly and placing it among a growing stack tied with yellow ribbon atop her pillow). He talked of his children, James and Nancy, and seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He talked about mashed potatoes – how he liked them prepared without a single lump – and fried chicken. Then he did a remarkable thing. Just past noon, a photographer arrived to take a portrait. The photographer told Coach Wooden that he would set up a small studio outside and be ready to shoot in half an hour. I looked at my watch. It was 12:12. The photographer left and Coach Wooden and I continued talking. Then, without so much as a glance at his watch or clock, Coach stood up and said: Members can read this entire article by click here
C109 Word Count: 238 Why Have A Coach?
What if you could identify your inner motivation
to achieve more of your goals more often? A professional coaching relationship creates value through a powerful, highly tuned process of communications and problem-solving that is “co-creative” between coach and client. It focuses totally on the client’s interests, challenges and goals. Coaches help you improve performance and enhance the quality of your life. Great coaching helps you self-coach more effectively, not simply by helping you solve problems; it transforms the way you solve them. Coaching will not simply improve your life; it will transform the way you live. Clients and coaches achieve more significant results together than either could achieve alone. While some people hire coaches purely for incremental growth, increased wealth or reformation, great coaching asks transformational questions. Instead of creating or developing the potential of the person being coached, effective coaching reveals and releases untapped value. If you recognize ... Members can read this entire article by click here
C110 Word Count: 236 What one thing should our team do to produce a measurable impact on our business? Renew your focus before you change your actions. Most teams fall short of potential to produce desired results until everyone is “on the same page”. To gain clarity of action you need improved clarity of purpose, so begin with strategic thinking and business planning – even if your organization already has a plan. There is no better “teambuilding” process that will produce desired impact. Does your team share the same goals, as well as understand individual roles? Really? How do you know? Become a strategic thinking and execution team. Developing an executable plan that focuses collective actions to produce desired results requires more than just an annual one-day “retreat”. In effect, many businesses do strategic planning without any sustainable benefit other than a dusty document and to say “we did it”. That is not what we suggest. The objective of planning is the establishment of an ongoing planning process as a routine part of teamwork in order to achieve substantially improved performance for the short term and the long term. Re-engage your purposeful thinking, planning and action. Involve an ... Members can read this entire article by click here
C111 Word Count: 244
I feel unfulfilled in my job
and perhaps I always have. You want a fulfilling career – what I call ‘right livelihood’. First, shift your focus from what you don’t enjoy to what gives you joy. When experience doesn’t inform, then trust your gut, do some research and dream a little. Dream a LOT! Shift your thinking. Use your imagination! This is goal-setting without boundaries. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? To have? To learn? To become? Who do you want to be with? What values do you want to represent? If you doubled your money, what specifically would you do with it? What else? Why? How do you want to feel, physically, emotionally and spiritually? How do you want to be regarded by others? Take three weeks and list at least 100 of your dreams and wants. Think about (feel and envision) past experience that was fulfilling in conjunction with your dream list. Consider ... Members can read this entire article by click here
C112 & PD150 Word Count: 321
Investing in Others as a MentorAre you ready, willing and able to mentor others? Are you emotionally and psychologically prepared to invest time and effort in helping another person? Do you have the time, skills and freedom to devote yourself to another person? If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, and you are ready to make a commitment, you may be ready to begin mentoring others. To mentor is to change a life, if only in small ways. It can be applied to a variety of people, situations and purposes. Mentoring can range from an impromptu, off-the-cuff intervention to an intense long-term relationship. More and more businesses and government organizations use mentoring as a tool for organizational growth and development, not just for career development. Mentoring is quickly becoming a valuable tool in preparing an organization for competitive challenges and succession planning. However, be ... Members can read this entire article by click here
C113 Word Count: 229
Something Is Holding Me Back
Professionally. The best coaching “answer” is a question. A good coach asks questions to help you do, be and give your best with the right intention. Consider the following “self-coaching” questions. Maybe it’s time to hire a coach. How are you driven by what might be possible? What do you really want? What risks are you avoiding? How much of your life is compared to what others expect? What truth lies in others’ perceptions? How do you know? What are you willing to learn or unlearn? If money was not an issue, to what one thing would you dedicate yourself? How would your life be different if you pursued just one important “dream deferred”? What’s stopping you? What if you don’t pursue your dreams? What is important? Four potential ... Members can read this entire article by click here
C114 Word Count: 240
I want life balance and still be able to get ALL the important things done. Is there hope? First, define the term balance. So often, people seeking “balance” end up with a life something like both sides of a scale dragging the ground behind them. I suggest thinking of work-life balance as a Teeter-Totter, which is certainly possible to balance but is much more fun when it “seesaws” back and forth. In fact, that is the purpose of a teeter-totter! My clients become less concerned with balance and more concerned with Purpose and Focus. Purpose comes from service, and you may have more than one purpose, for each of the vital few key roles you serve in life. When you have done the work necessary to discover your purpose then, ... Members can read this entire article by click here C115 Word Count: 245 Ask the Coach I often find myself overcommitted. What can I do differently? “Overcommitted” is an interesting term I hear often. Use of the term and your underlying assumptions may be a problem. The verb “commit” means “to obligate or pledge oneself”, so you may have pledged your time and energy too broadly. You are likely involved in a number of activities and roles at work, at school, in the community, and at home. You probably struggle “finding the time” and energy to keep your obligations. But are you really committed? Reconsider the concept of commitment. Are you over-committed or are you under-committed? Over-commitment is an oxymoron. Too many “obligations” creates a watering-down effect, so none of them receive your true commitment. How might your problem look differently if you considered that you may really be under-committed to your real priorities? What new solutions does this shift in thinking generate? If you find it difficult to say “no” or have ever used the phrase “I didn’t have time” you may be ... Members can read this entire article by click here C116 Word Count: 736 Developmental Activities
he mentor plays a key role in designing developmental learning experiences for the mentoree. Often, though, a mentor’s first question is, “How do I design a developmental activity?” The first step is to identify a need that offers the greatest opportunity for improvement and focus an assignment to address this need. Secondly, the activity should be one in which the mentoree will learn without becoming discouraged or feel overwhelmed and where the learning environment will be “safe.” Finally, ensuring an effective means of feedback from the activity is vital to achieving and solidifying the developmental goal of the activity. The following are a few ideas for developmental activities within five specific realms of employee experience. Communication - Style – Encourage mentorees to solicit feedback after meetings from trusted colleagues as to how their communication style is perceived by others. - Listening Skills – Practice listening skills by having the mentoree listen to someone explain an issue and then - Recite the major points of the argument to that person in order to see if they have captured the main purpose of the discussion. - Writing – Have the mentoree draft an internal memorandum and evaluate the writing style and tone in terms of company expectations and effectiveness of the communiqué. Provide feedback. - Presentations/Briefing – Provide feedback after a presentation has been delivered. Ask for feedback from others who also received the brief. Leadership - Problem Solving – Encourage the mentoree to tackle a problem ... Members can read this entire article by click here C117 & PD153 Word Count: 660 Embracing Change and Managing a Smooth Transition By Alison Sfreddo
veryone of us at one time or another has had a moment in our careers (or our lives for that matter) when we have asked ourselves the uncomfortable question, “How much longer can I continue to do what I am doing”. It is an uncomfortable question as it begins the process of moving out of our current comfort zone to a place in our lives that appears to be of great uncertainty. Change of any kind or at any level can be a daunting process, but a necessary one for personal and professional growth and development. Although it is often times easier to just “stay put”, it is far more rewarding to move forward. Dr. William Bridges, author of Managing Change and Transition, outlines the change process by illustrating the three phases of change as well as what to expect from these phases and what is needed to successfully move through them: Phase 1: The first phase of change is what Bridges’ calls “ending”. This is basically the recognition that the time has come for us to move on. It is the process of letting go of old patterns and habits before embracing the future. Phase 2: The second phase of the process is that “transition zone”. People ... Members can read this entire article by click here
C118 Word Count: 216 How Can You Effectively Criticize A Coworker? One way is to create the perception of a common goal. This is where choosing the right words helps. It’s using a cooperative vocabulary. Instead of saying, “Unless you get moving fast on those statistics, I’m not going to be able to get this report done on time,” try emphasizing the common goal: “We could get our report done quickly if you firm up the statistical data while I enter the text.” Use words like we and our. The second way is to show how a peer’s performance affects both of you. So instead of saying, “Get to the meeting on time,” try something like, “Look, when you’re late, it makes you look bad, it makes me look bad, and we don’t get the next project. If we’re both on time, we do.” Now you’ve made a permissible criticism. You’re saying, it is my business, because it affects my job. A third tactic is to ... Members can read this entire article by click here
Members can read this entire article by click here
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