Check in on your HEART with HEART

"Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success."

~ Swami Sivananda

When we speak with passion, we put our hands to our hearts, and when we are sad, we say we have a broken heart. Our hearts flutter, skip a beat, and keep us going...no matter how we frame their existence!

If we are willing to check in on our heart, it means we check in on how we think, feel, desire, and anticipate what is going on and what may either be lost or in the future.

To really make the most of our whole heart is to do all of the following:

H - Have faith that we know what is best for us in matters of life and love

E - Enjoy the people and experiences we get to have around us

A - Appreciate what we learn and what we have to learn

R - Realistically set expectations for our capacity and that of others

T - Take charge of our responsibilities and opportunities

While our heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system, and the heart is what keeps us going, it is also our expression of passion, compassion, grief and glee, so when it comes to matters of the heart, everything about the heart matters!!!!

#ProfessionalDevelopment #PersonalDevelopment #PerformanceCoaching #Kind #OneBeanerPerformanceCoach #LivingKindly #KindnessIsMyOwnSuperpower #Kindness #CoachsCorner #WorkdayWakeUp

Being an Effective COACH

"A life of frustration is inevitable for any coach whose main enjoyment is winning." 

~ Chuck Noll

Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll was a professional American football player, assistant coach and head coach. His sole head coaching position was for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991. 

 (1932 - 2014)

Coaching is not just something that takes place on a field, or in a partnership like I have with my valued clients, rather being a coach is a skill that is demonstrated best with a process and approach that is consistent...whether coaching to change behavior, to ensure repeat performance, or even for an accolade.

A guideline I have developed and share in workshops and one-on-one, is that of COACH.  Quite directly, COACH stands for:

Connect
Ownership
Assessment
Collaboration
Have a plan

In the Connect portion, strive to make a personal interaction with a sincere energy and genuine question, if you chose to ask one.  Ownership comes from accountability on both parts...yours and the other person's.  Assessment is that of the situation or result for reviewing and focusing forward.  Collaboration means what part you will handle (if any) and what agreement you are in with the other person.  Have a plan comes from the one being coached...not you...allow and even insist on the coachee devising a plan.

Let's imaging a coaching with a child, student or team member where there is a problem with the result:

Connect with a meeting and an agenda (even if it is just verbal) and ask how the person thought the report/meeting/interaction went...then, listen fully.  Ownership follows when each party becomes accountable by stating what s/he did to get the result.  Assessment is the exploration of how things could have gone more smoothly.  Collaboration is reaching agreement after sharing ideas on what to do differently.  Have a plan is the child, student or team member relaying what s/he specifically learned and will do moving forward.

Now, let's move to the desire to have behaviors/performance/results repeated:

Connect with a meeting and an agenda (even if it is just verbal) and ask how the person thought the report/meeting/interaction went...then, listen fully.  Ownership follows when each party becomes accountable by stating what s/he did to get the result.  Assessment is the exploration of how things did not go wrong and what kept them on track.  Collaboration is reaching agreement after sharing ideas on what to do in similar and different situations to yield the same results.  Have a plan is the child, student or team member relaying what s/he specifically was recognized for doing correctly and assuring that a similar fashion will be habit to yield the appropriate results.

Finally, it is imperative we coach when providing praise and recognition!  Please picture and engage in the COACH approach when sharing an accolade:

Connect with a meeting and an agenda (even if it is just verbal) and ask how the person thought the report/meeting/interaction went.  Then, listen fully.
Ownership follows when each party becomes accountable by stating what s/he did to get the result.  Assessment is the exploration of how things went well and giving credit to that person for his/her ideas/efforts/results.  Collaboration is reaching agreement after sharing ideas on what to do to maintain that level of effort and even ask for ideas on how to do it yourself. Have a plan is the child, student or team member relaying what s/he specifically heard from you and any other ideas based on the sincere praise.

While we would all like to be in the latter of the situations often, the more we recognize those times to offer appreciation, the less likely we will be in the first category with the same people over and over.

So, please remember that while you may not have a clipboard in your hand and/or hat on your head, you have the tools to be a great COACH!

Collaborative, Constructive Performance Reviews

"Feedback is the breakfast of champions." - Ken Blanchard, American Businessman

Most of us like feedback...as long as we agree, right? Feedback is a gift when given and received well. As far as work goes, not wanting to give reviews, or feeling critical (leader) and criticized (team member) often comes up regarding giving and receiving feedback to/with employees.

With performance reviews, I encourage you to do the following on a quarterly basis:

Develop competencies for each role (only needs to be done once, and 6-10 competencies is usually best)
Assess the person to the competencies from 1-5 (no half numbers, with 5 being the highest)
Ask the person to assess himself or herself to the competencies from 1-5 (no half numbers, with 5 being the highest)
Share the assessments with each other
Discuss what is going well
Agree on what can be improved
Have an open discussion
Create a plan
Review the plan
Schedule the next quarterly review

I find this allows for input, discussion, coaching, and encouraging...without attacking or being too critical. In the end, the feedback can be collaborative, and a gift, so to speak, for each of you in growing your relationship, your team, and your business!

The Enemy of TLC...

“Competition is easier to accept if you realize it is not an act of oppression or abrasion - I've worked with my best friends in direct competition.” - Diane Sawyer quotes (American news anchor, Reporter and Journalist, b.1945)

While all champions have rivals, and most successful companies and people have competitors, those types of opposites or contrary positions can be invigorating and drive the results...for both sides!

The same is not true for being opposed to TLC. Since we have embraced TLC as Talent, Leadership and Commitment, those three contributors often have opposition, too...only that opposition is the enemy...not something that drives and inspires, rather something that works to deplete or delete the opposite.
The enemy of talent is dishonesty, the enemy of leadership is pessimism, and the enemy of commitment is apathy. Stick with your Talent, Leadership and Commitment...it is the combination to win over dishonesty, pessimism and apathy every time.

Ensure you are staying true to your talents, and your quest for talent, to your leadership and your development of other leaders, and your commitment and the commitment of those with whom you surround yourself.

4 Questions

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."

~ Albert Einstein

4 Questions



While I often share the idea of three - seven questions to ask in certain situations, yesterday, with three different colleagues/clients, the topic of ineffective work performance was broached. When I am asked what to do/say, my mind thinks what not to do/say, as often as leaders, we tell people what we want, when we want it, and think that is interactive somehow.


Instead, an effective and revealing approach is to ask four questions of the under-performer:

1. What is going well?

2. What would you like to improve?


You have seen these first two questions many times before, and they are timeless and true, so, here are the new ones:


3. What is getting/standing in the way of you getting where you want to be/do/have?

4. As your leader, what can I do to assist you, break down any barriers, guide you, etc.?


Leave it up to them to share and communicate after you facilitate open communication. For as a leader, your role is to meet your team members where they are, and lead them where they are willing and able to go. Those four questions will uncover (or reinforce) the willing and likely the able, parts for you!