Since I can remember, I have viewed (and continue to view) the world (people, situations, myself) through a silent filter of humor, which permits me to test boundaries and challenge the status quo. I am constantly on the lookout to hold two opposing ideas at the same time (thank you, F. Scott Fitzgerald!). I live for contradictions...they are an integral part of my spiritual and professional life. The way I respond to contradiction is central to my life, my development.
Here are my "labels": Spouse, Father. Former Professor, former Chief Executive. Entreprenuer, Investor, Executive Coach.
First of all, to all of you who read my blog, thank you for taking the time to consider my thoughts. I am honored, really.
This time of year affords many of us the opportunity to reflect on our lives, our relationships, and our work. Our office will be closed from December 24th until January 3rd so our team can take time out to do just that.
But for too many people — even though they may not want to admit it — “disappointment” is a central theme in their reflection.
At Building Champions, we strive for a high degree of transparency with our clients, especially while walking through the Life Plan. Most of our married clients list their spouse as a Life Account. And often, intimacy and love-making is a “hot topic” within that account.
Over the years, I have had many clients who come into coaching with resentment, unfulfilled expectations, and a lack of frank communication about their love-making. This can have a devastating impact on their marriage, which in turn carries over into all other areas of life.
Today, I’d like to share with you how I coach these clients through this.
In a previous blog post, I wrote about maturity as it pertains to leaders and their teams. Now, lets look at maturity from more of an internal perspective — that of the leader and their way of thinking.
When you’re a Coach, you get to see the gamut of maturity when it comes to leaders. By developing an authentic relationship, asking good questions, and being an intense listener, you can go beyond just offering up solutions. Over time, you learn how each leader thinks.
You have just been tasked by your CEO to create and drive a major change effort in your company. You have the commitment from the Board, and you have been granted the time frame to do it right. They even approved your budget. You are totally set up for success, right?
Maybe not.
The more seniority you have in your company, the greater risk you run of becoming too easily enamored with your initial ideas. As a result, you are more likely to implement too quickly.
Recently, Building Champions CEO and Head Coach Daniel Harkavy posted a blog entitled, “Finding Those Who Have IT.”
In his post, Daniel says, “Over the years, I have found that when you’re looking to add new people to your team, they either have IT or they don’t.” He goes on to relate nine questions that have helped him identify “IT” people.
Now, I know that Daniel does not see these 9 questions as exhaustive. But I believe there are 4 benefits you can immediately derive from Daniel’s way of thinking.
In preparation for my “Simplicity” presentation at the Building Champions Experience, I wrote a blog entitled, “Simplicity and Keeping Score.” At the time, I didn’t know I would be unable to make it to the event due to illness.
Through my illness, I was blessed. Yes, blessed, because I knew the strength of the Building Champions team to take up the charge and deliver to our clients…which they did, and did well!
But in the time since The Experience, a number of attendees who had signed up for that breakout session have requested that I also share my thoughts on Simplicity. It is my pleasure to share some of the highlights of my presentation here with you. I’ll start from the beginning!
As I discussed in my previous blog, to achieve simplicity you must first come to grips with how you keep score in your life. As the old saying goes, that is “easier said than done.”
