Tips Too Making Yourself More Coachable

Tips Too Making Yourself More Coachable

by | Jul 1, 2019 | Decision Making, Leadership Coaching, Life Coaching, Mindset, Personal Transformation

Finding a competent and compatible coach is only half the battle. It’s also important to develop your own coachability.

If you’re like most professionals, you probably want to succeed, but you may resist coaching for reasons that you’re not even aware of. However, you can develop skills and qualities that will prepare you to accept guidance and act on it.

Learn how to become more coachable. Use this checklist to find the areas you need to work on so you can have a successful relationship with your coach.

Communication Skills:

  1. Listen closely. Pay attention to what your coach has to say. Look for the truth in any message instead of dismissing their perspective or trying to make excuses. Maintain eye contact and resist any urge to interrupt.
  2. Ask questions. Ensure you understand what your coach is telling you. Paraphrase their statements in your own words. Clarify any points you’re unsure of and ask for concrete examples.
  3. Take your time. Let yourself absorb information fully. Focus on responding thoughtfully rather than quickly. If a situation stirs up strong feelings, give yourself an opportunity to calm down so you can think clearly.
  4. Welcome feedback. Ask others for input frequently and graciously. It helps to stay in practice and have multiple viewpoints while you’re working with your coach.
  5. Watch your body language. Ensure that your gestures and expressions are friendly and consistent with your words. Coaches are human. It’s easier for them to fully engage with you when they feel respected and appreciated.
  6. Open up. Recognize that there is more than one way to approach the same goals. Consider your coach’s suggestions even when they’re different from your usual methods.

Other Skills and Qualities:

  1. Value learning. Are you excited about adding to your knowledge and stretching your skills? Learning is a mindset that helps you to make sounder decisions and adapt to change. It can also motivate you to persevere through the coaching process.
  2. Set goals. While your coach can help you to reach your goals, you need to be sure that your targets are specific and meaningful for you. Write your goals out and tell others about them so you’ll feel more accountable.
  3. Adjust your expectations. Do you understand the difference between coaching and consulting? A consultant is usually hired to fix a specific issue. A coach works with you to build your strengths so you can achieve the outcomes you desire.
  4. Cultivate gratitude. Thank your coach for the positive impact they make in your life. Putting their insights into action is also an effective way to show them that they’re making a difference.
  5. Be humble. Remember that your coach and anyone you meet has valuable things that they can teach you. Tame your ego so you can create productive relationships and take advantage of rewarding opportunities.
  6. Practice consistently. How can you take what you learn from coaching and use it to make positive changes in your work life? Develop a strategy for enhancing your performance and set specific goals for areas where you want to grow. Deliberate practice requires discipline and effort, but it pays off.
  7. Evaluate your progress. Self-examination is an important part of the coaching process. Reflect on the areas that you’ve already covered and what you want to do next. Enjoy discovering more about yourself and your abilities.

Being coachable is about being ready and willing to learn and grow. Unlock your potential so you can achieve greater personal and professional success. Coaching can help you to clarify your vision and leverage your strengths if you know how to use the resources your coach provides.

Written by:

The Business Transformation Coach, LLC

Copyright © 2019

Ever Wondered Why Others Try to Hold You Back

by | Jun 23, 2019 | Uncategorized

By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight

Copyright 2019

The Business Transformation Coach, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

Guess what, when you’re trying to change your life, there will be people that feel the need to get in your way. A few of them might actually believe they’re trying to help you, but they’re not. They want you to stay just the way you are. That way, they can feel comfortable about not improving themselves, too.

It’s frustrating to find out that few people are on your side, but it’s something that must be managed if you want to succeed.

See how others may try to derail your success:

  1. They point out your past failures. We’ve all failed numerous times in the past. Some people in your life will undoubtedly bring up those failures in an attempt to sabotage your efforts.
    • Suppose you decide you want to climb all the 14,000-foot+ peaks in the US. You might be reminded by a “friend” that you couldn’t even climb the 2,000-foot peak at summer camp. They might even suggest that you come up with a more reasonable goal.
  1. They will try to make you feel guilty. Guilt is another weapon. Sticking with our mountain climbing theme, you might be told that all that travel is expensive. You might also be told that you should be saving all the money for your child’s college education. Or maybe you should spend all that time with your family instead.
  2. They try to distract you. “Hey, forget the mountains. Let’s all go on a big vacation together instead.”

These are just a few of the less devious ways those around you might try to sabotage your efforts. But why would they do it in the first place? It doesn’t seem kind and supportive, and it’s not. Though they might try to present it that way.

 

There are several reasons why people close to you try to sabotage your efforts:

  1. They want to stay comfortable with their mediocrity. If you do something amazing, they have to deal with the fact that they have not. No one wants to feel like they’re losing the game of life. Rather than deal with their own fear, insecurity, and laziness, it’s just easier and less work to hold you back.
  2. Jealousy. While there are some people that are genuinely happy to see you achieve something great, win the lottery, or lose 50 pounds, there are even more that are jealous. They’ll try to stop you from being successful. And if that doesn’t work, they’ll attempt to diminish the value of your success.
    • For example, “Oh, if I had all of your free time, I could easily lose 50 pounds, too.”
  1. People don’t like change. Everyone is getting something from you. If they got nothing out of their relationship with you, they wouldn’t associate with you at all. If you change, it threatens the status quo. If you become something different, where does that leave them?
    • It’s psychologically easier for them if you just stay the same.
    • Consider keeping your big goals to yourself. You receive less resistance from others. Choose what’s best for your life and do it! You don’t need the approval of others.
    • Commit to your own goals for the right reason. Impressing others is a shallow reason for doing something. Do it for yourself.
    • The solution is to commit to being successful in spite of the objections of others. You might want to consider removing the worst offenders from your life. Life is hard enough without having your own friends and family trying to make it even harder.  You Can Do It! Strong Faith, Strong Finish!
Why It’s Important to Start Before You’re Ready

Why It’s Important to Start Before You’re Ready

by | Feb 28, 2019 | Pursue your dreams, Take Action

How long have you been waiting to begin pursuing your goal or dream? Most people are stuck in a perpetual mode of waiting. Everyone is waiting for the exact perfect moment to finally pull the trigger and get started. This is a huge mistake. The perfect time is right now. It’s never too late…

Time is more important than timing. Avoid wasting time instead of focusing on getting the timing just right.

Consider these ideas to begin acting on your plans today:

  1. You’ll never be ready. We love to stall. It’s in our nature. If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll still be waiting on your deathbed.
    • Do you know what the first step is? That’s all you need to know. Just do it and you’ll figure out the rest along the way. It’s like walking up the stairs. You only need to see one step at a time to make it to the top.
  2. The perfect time will never happen. Again, you’ll be waiting until your funeral. There will never be a good time to get started. There will always be a viable excuse. All of the variables will never be in perfect alignment. The most perfect time you’re going to get is right now.
  3. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can be successful. The advantages of getting started now are numerous. Perhaps the most relevant is the fact that you can achieve your goals sooner. The sooner you begin any journey, the sooner you reach your destination.
  4. Your natural tendency is to wait too long. We always wait too long. When is the last time you did something too soon? Everyone else is waiting. Be the person that doesn’t wait. Fortune favors the bold, so be bold.
  5. Your natural tendency is to value information too much. We want to know everything there is to know before we take the first step. Unfortunately, we can’t know everything. Life sometimes unfolds in unpredictable ways. You know more than enough to get started. Just do it.
  6. The most successful people make decisions quickly and stick with them. The least successful people are terrible at making up their minds. They’re eternally conflicted for a variety of reasons, primarily fear. Give yourself a time limit to make a decision and then run with it.
    • A decent decision, made quickly, that you stick with, is better than a great decision, a year from now, that you can’t maintain.
    • Practice making decisions quickly and moving forward with them. This is a great habit to develop.
  7. The sooner you take action, the more you’ll learn. Action leads to results. You learn something each time you get a result. You’re not producing any results while you’re sitting around waiting for the perfect moment to act.
  8. Action leads to inspiration. Most people falsely believe that they’ll take action when they feel inspired. But the opposite is true. Action leads to inspiration. Inspiration leads to even more action.

Why are you waiting? The most honest answer is fear. If you never get started, there’s still hope, since you can’t know for sure that your plans won’t work. If you never begin, you can’t fail.

However, the opposite is true, too. If you never get started, there’s no real hope of anything better. If you never begin, you’re guaranteed to fail.

Take a deep breath and get started today. You’ll never be 100% ready or comfortable, so you may as well begin right now. Now is the moment to change your life.

You Can Do It!

By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight

Copyright © 2019 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Secret to Networking When You Get a New Job

The Secret to Networking When You Get a New Job

by | Feb 18, 2019 | Networking

It’s tempting to kick back when you land a new job. After all, you’ve probably been consumed with chasing down leads and going on interviews. Now, you want to catch up on fun stuff like hanging out with friends and watching Netflix.

However, you could be missing a great opportunity if you take a break now. A job transition is an ideal time to strengthen your network.

You’ll enjoy your rest and relaxation even more if you take care of business first. Run down this checklist of ideas for extending and deepening your professional relationships as you change employers.

Networking Tips for Leaving Your Old Job

Resign as gracefully as possible. Departing on cordial terms protects your reputation and allows you to maintain connections that you might need in the future.

Try these ideas for a smooth transition:

  1. Prepare your boss. Give your boss a heads up before you submit your formal resignation letter. Schedule a meeting to tell them about your plans and express your appreciation. Try to be as positive as possible.

  2. Support your coworkers. Extra work may fall on your colleagues. Minimize the impact by staying productive in your final days and participating in a smooth transition. You might even volunteer to train your successor.
  3. Stay in touch. Some relationships are likely to fade once you no longer work together. On the other hand, you can make specific plans for the contacts you want to keep. Let your boss and office friends know you look forward to seeing them at industry events or your own private lunch dates.
  4. Check internet policies. Who owns your LinkedIn account and the personal messages you received on your company email? If your personal and professional identities have blurred, ask your employer what you can take and resolve to keep things separate in the future.

Networking Tips for Starting Your New Job

First impressions matter. Get off to a strong start by building connections that will help you to keep advancing in your career.

Use these strategies to grow your network as you start your new job:

  1. Give generously. Whether you’ve been on the job for one day or ten years, the essence of networking is providing value to others. Start sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm as soon as possible.

  2. Study the environment. Of course, that also means being respectful of your new setting. Pay attention to the office culture and policies, so you’ll be able to reach out appropriately.
  3. Bond with your boss. Your supervisor is one of the most important figures in your career. Schedule time to meet and ask for feedback.
  4. Connect with newcomers. Are you the only newbie at the company or one of many? Share your experiences at onboarding sessions and other activities.
  5. Consult others. Introduce yourself to others around the company. Set up exploratory meetings and coffee dates. Ask lots of questions and take an interest in their work.
  6. Identify key players. Establish priorities. Devote most of your time and energy to those who have the biggest impact on your work life. Get to know your predecessor if they’re still with the company. Find out who the opinion leaders are. Your boss may be an excellent source of recommendations.
  7. Branch out. Think long term. You may find valuable contacts outside of your own department or in other companies. Crossing such boundaries can help you to do your own job more effectively and discover new passions.
  8. Pace yourself. While you may be brimming over with excitement, be sensitive to your colleagues’ workloads and schedules. A gradual approach will protect your popularity.

Skillful networking will enable you to succeed at your new job and keep growing in your career. Focus on helping others and building relationships based on shared goals and values.

Strong Faith, Strong Finish!

By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight

Copyright © 2019 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Live as Yourself

Live as Yourself

by | Feb 11, 2019 | Personal Transformation

You know enough about the world to have a pretty good idea of what it will take to live the life you desire. Your brain can quickly give you an accurate picture of the person you need to become to create the change you desire. All you have to do is ask.

Once you have this answer, you can begin living as that person today. You don’t have to wait. You can think, act, and adopt the beliefs of a fit person, someone with a great social circle, or whatever type of person you are – the one in your dreams.

Look to the future to change your present with these strategies:

  1. Look ahead and visualize the life you’d like to have. Imagine yourself 10 years from now living the life of your dreams. Notice how you feel and behave. Imagine how you deal with your average day. Imagine the income, physique, social life, relationship, and so on that, you’d like to have.
    • What do you eat each day? How much do you exercise? What type of exercise do you do? What are your attitudes and beliefs around diet and exercise?
    • How much money do you make? How do you make it? What are your saving and spending habits?
    • Think about your future social life. How many friends do you have? How often do you go out? Where do you go? How do you manage that social circle? How often do you communicate with them?
    • If your ideal future includes a partner, how do you manage that? What do you do each day to keep your relationship strong?
    • Consider the habits and hobbies you’d have, too.
  2. Take a look at your current life and behavior. Contrast the above with your current life. Take particular note of the differences in how you behave and think today versus your future self. What changes do you need to make?
  3. List the behaviors you would like to incorporate into your life to match your future self. If you can think and act the same way, you’ll eventually attain the same results.
  4. Begin making the changes. Start slowly and only make a couple of changes at first. You might decide to cut out the candy, go to the gym three times a week, and go out once a week with a friend.
    • Or, you might decide to review your goals each night, keep a journal, and start meditating.
    • Once the first set of habits starts to stick, add a few more.
  5. Adopt a new mindset. When you’re faced with a decision or challenge, ask yourself what your future self would do in the same situation. Begin making decisions this way and see what happens.
  6. Expect resistance. It won’t be easy to approach life with a new perspective and new behaviors.
    • It will feel uncomfortable at first, but that’s good. When you do something uncomfortable, your life can change.
    • When you do the things you’re used to doing, things stay the same. That’s comfortable, but that’s not progress.

Why wait 10 years to begin acting and believing a certain way? You can start right now and speed up your progress considerably. Imagine yourself living your ideal life 10 years from now and simply adopt the same habits, behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs. Success will come quicker than you ever imagined.

You Can Do It!

By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight

Copyright © 2019 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC. All Rights Reserved.