Coach Andrea’s Intro

In 50% of my coaching calls and meetings last week, we discussed teams and how to make them even more successful.  Whether you are the leader or the follower in a team, this week’s Tip by Chris Widener provides key principles that if applied will take your team to the next level. They are simple and easy to understand.  An evaluation checklist is provided at the end of the Tip.

Quote of the Week

“Players win games, teams win championships.”

~ Bill Taylor

Secrets of Successful Teams

By Chris Widener

To be a success is not always to be a success individually. In fact, most of the time, we achieve our successes as part of a team.

We are all part of teams. Our family is a team. Our place of work is a team. The community groups we belong to are teams. Sometimes we are the team leader or “coach,” while other times we fulfill the role of follower or “player.” It is so important, then, for us to understand teams and how they work, especially those who achieve success-the achievement of their desired goal.

In my life, I have been on some successful teams, and some not-so-successful teams. This includes both athletically as well as professionally. When I was growing up, I worked for seven years with the Seattle Supersonics, our local National Basketball Association team, which now plays in Oklahoma City as the Thunder. They were at times unsuccessful and, in 1979, my second year working there, the most successful team in the league, winning the World Championship. I have been able to see firsthand what makes the difference between the unsuccessful teams and the successful ones.

Here are some principles I know that, when implemented on a regular basis, can turn any lackluster team into an outstanding one! These principles can be applied to your family, your business, your organization and, yes, your sports team.

Communication/Leader
The leader needs to communicate the vision. If they are setting the pace, they need to let people know where they are going so that the team can follow. The coach always does a pre-game talk, laying out the vision.

The leader communicates the vision frequently, so as to always be updating the team as to where they are at and what changes need to be made. The coach doesn’t relegate the direction he gives to the pre-game; he coaches and communicates all the way through the game.

Team
Watch a good basketball team. They are talking to each other all of the time. Helping one another out, encouraging one another, praising one another, and telling each other how they can make changes so the same mistakes aren’t made again. The same is true of successful teams in the professional world, and in life in general.

Excellence
The truly great teams are teams that are committed to excellence. In everything they do, their goal is to achieve at the highest level. And this commitment is held throughout the team and at every level. A successful team cannot have members who are not committed to excellence, because in the end, they will become the weak link.

Followership
If you want a fascinating read, pick up The Power of Followership by Robert Kelley. The author basically makes the point that the secret to getting things done lies not only in great leadership, but in how well everyone else, 99 percent of the team, follows the leadership. Good teams are filled with people who are committed to following and getting the job done.

Understanding Roles
Pardon the Chicago Bulls analogy, but it is so clear. In the team’s championship years, when the game was on the line, with only one shot left, everyone-the coaches, the players, the 20,000 people watching in the stadium and millions watching on TV-knew who would shoot the last shot. That was Michael Jordan’s role.

Every team works best when the members of the team have clearly defined and understood roles. Some do one thing, others do another. One isn’t better or more important than the other, just different. When teams operate out of their strengths and their roles, they win.

Strengths and Weaknesses
This brings me to strengths and weaknesses. Every team member has strengths and weaknesses. The successful teams are those who on a regular and consistent basis enable the members to operate out of their strengths and not out of their weaknesses. And one person’s strength will cover another’s weakness. This is teamwork, enabling all of the bases to be covered.

Fun
The team that plays together stays together. Is your team all work and no play? If you’re smart, that will change. Get your team out of the office once a month and go have some fun. Enjoy one another. Enjoy life. It will bring a sense of bonding that can’t be made even in “winning.”

Common Goals and Vision
I have found that these need to have three aspects: short, simple and clear. Can you say it in less than 30 seconds? Is it simple? Can you and others understand it? Does the team all know what they are working together for?

Appreciation
All through the “game,” successful teams appreciate one another and show it in a variety of ways. The coach shows it to the players, the players show it to the coach, and the players show it to one another.

Here is a “Successful Teams” checklist you can use for evaluation:

• Is there communication between coach and players and from player to player?
• Is your team committed to excellence?
• Do those on the team know what it means to follow?
• Does everyone on my team know their specific role?
• Do the individuals on our team regularly operate out of their strengths as opposed to their weaknesses?
• Does our team take a break from time to time to just have fun together?
• Do we understand our common goals and vision? Can we all state it (them)?
• Is there a sense of and communication of genuine appreciation among my team?

Chris Widener is the President of Chris Widener International. www.ChrisWidener.com Chris can be reached at Chris@MadeForSuccess.com

Coaching Call To Action

This week use Chris’s checklist to rate one of your teams.  What change would make the biggest difference to your team?  Share this with them!

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Leading With Your Strengths
2. The “Best” Test
3. The Importance of Your Attitude

Coach Andrea’s Intro

A couple of weeks ago, I gave a talk to a group of highly enthusiastic and energized business owners in Concord, MA.  The time for creating goals for 2012 was upon us. About half of the group raised their hand when asked if they’d already created their goals for 2012.  Congratulations was in order!  Next, I asked if they believed they would accomplish these goals.  Not all of those hands remained raised.  This week’s Tip includes the 6 steps I used to help the business owners in Concord, as well as my clients, answer YES I Can!

Quote of the Week

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.”

~ Vince Lombardi

Truly Accomplishing Goals that Matter

By Andrea Novakowski

Matthew, the owner of a computer services company, greeted me at his office door with a big smile. It was the first week of January and he’d completed his 2012 goals worksheet. He was excited to share with me the vision he’d created for himself and his business. But three weeks later, when I asked what actions he’d taken on his goals, Matthew’s smile turned to a frown. He’d already run out of gas.

He’d taken a few stabs at the goals, he said, but they all felt too big and distant, and there were competing priorities, and his customers were complaining… the list went on and on. So many distractions!

Did you set big goals for yourself this year? How are you progressing on them so far? If you’re like many people, you started out the year with great intentions, but now we’re nearing the end of January and reality has set in. Not much has really changed. The same roadblocks you ran up against in 2011 are still here in 2012.

I’ll tell you what I told Matthew. It’s not enough just to list what you want to accomplish. You also need to examine each of your goals and figure out why it’s important to you, how you plan to achieve it, and what you’ll do when problems arise.

1. Before you get to work, look deeper into each of your goals. Ask yourself:

• What is the purpose of this goal? Why do you want to achieve it? How will it make a difference in your life or the lives of others?
• What are the benefits of reaching this goal? Does it honor your values?
• Deep down, do you really believe you can reach this goal? As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”

2. Identify the potential obstacles that might get in the way of accomplishing your goals. Be especially honest with yourself about old habits or beliefs that might otherwise catch you by surprise, such as procrastination, perfectionism, burnout, negative self-talk, lack of know-how, or having too much to do.

3. Discover your solution. How are you going to overcome each obstacle? For instance, if you’re chronically over-scheduled, check out Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix. Set aside time on your calendar to work on your goals. Recognize which tasks need 100 percent of your effort, and which can be done at an 80 percent level. Delegate or ask for help.

4. Goals usually take many steps to achieve. Breaking your goals down into these concrete steps – making what’s called a “project plan” – will help you visualize exactly what it’s going to take to get from point A to point B. Once you’ve listed these action steps, write the next step on your calendar. That will help keep it in the front of your mind.

5. Measure backward. Sometimes, when you think about what you’re trying to accomplish, it may seem as if you’re not getting any closer. Try looking at where you were when you started working toward your goal and measure your progress from that point instead.

6. Build accountability into your plans. The more people you tell about your goal, the more support you’ll receive. Design a follow-up process that works for you. Check in with your supporters on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, quarterly).

Matthew nodded throughout our discussion: he realized that while he’d listed some worthy goals on his worksheet, he hadn’t considered the steps along the way, nor had he anticipated the obstacles he was likely to encounter. We spent the rest of Matthew’s coaching session discussing how he could regain the momentum he’d had at the beginning of January — and make real progress on the goals he’d set for himself!

Coaching Call To Action

This week, pull out your goals for 2012.  Which ones are moving along on track?  Congratulate yourself!  Which ones are already stalled?  Review the six steps above and determine your next step to move into action.

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Steps to Achievement?
2. How to Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever
3. What Are Your Priorities for Your Business?

Coach Andrea’s Intro

When you delegate a job to one of your staff, why don’t you get back what you asked for?  One way to get closer at hitting 100% on your requests is to be clear in your communication.  Natalie Manor’s Tip this week is a great reminder about creating that clarity.

Quote of the Week

“The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.”

~ Joseph Priestley

Are You Creating Clarity?

By Natalie Manor

This is crucial to building a confident communication habit.  Make sure that you are clear each and every time you speak and/or write and that the other(s) in communication with you understands the usage of your words. In England, a boot is the trunk of a car.  In New Jersey, a hoagie sandwich is a submarine sandwich. In New England, a frappe is a milk shake.

Find out if people understand what you mean, especially when it involves critical communication such as projects, sales, negotiations, and performance requirements. People will trust and respect you for creating clear communication.

Natalie R. Manor, CEO is an author, business consultant, speaker and executive coach. Her company, Natalie Manor & Associates, is the ultimate resource for business leaders, executives, owners and managers who want to master their life and their business by Getting Clear, Getting Confident and Being Effective faster than ever before. You can register for her free bi-weekly articles at: http://www.nataliemanor.com/newsletter/subscribe.html

Coaching Call To Action

When you are communicating with others this week, look to be especially clear.  What is one thing you will do that will add clarity?

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. What Do Your Words Mean?
2. WIMI – “What Is Most Important?”
3. Confidence Can Be Yours At Each Moment

Coach Andrea’s Intro

This week’s Tip by Nancy Solomon is a reminder to continue to step into your greatness.  You are here in this life to be you! Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Quote of the Week

“Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it – but sail we must. And not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

You Were Born to Be Brilliant

By Nancy D. Solomon

Embedded deep within our souls, in the very fiber of our DNA, is our blueprint for greatness.  Each one of us has our own unrivaled brand of genius, irrespective of the fact that we may repeatedly forget that.  It is as exclusive to us as our thighs, and as quirky as our personalities.  Denying our brilliance doesn’t make it any duller, ignoring it breeds nothing worth mentioning and avoiding it brings unnecessary pain, misery, and suffering.

We came into our lives to get something done, something unique to us.  Our impact can only be accomplished by us. There is no job sharing.  Nor is there a do-over or makeup class.  This is it.  We are the keeper of our message.

You will never know the magnitude of the possibilities of your impact unless you show up in life (Solomon, p. 11-12).

From:  Solomon, N. D., (2010).  Impact!: what every woman needs to know to go from invisible to invincible.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reprinted with permission from the OSU Leadership Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-3114, http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

Coaching Call To Action

Where are you wanting to show up more in your life?  Where can you shine your brilliance?

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Leading With Your Strengths
2. Expect to Win
3. Make Yourself Memorable

Coach Andrea’s Intro

Happy New Year!

There are so many articles on the internet about goal setting.  Whether you own your own business or work for someone else, the key for setting goals is choosing what will be most important to you.  What makes the biggest impact for you in your life?  Steve Straus’s article reminds you to be conscious in this process.

Elevating Life

By Steve Straus

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”
~  Henry David Thoreau

The key to this quote is not “endeavor” it’s “conscious.” You can work hard, endeavor, on the wrong things and end up changing nothing. But when you are conscious about your world, your desires, your resources, your activities, then wonderful things can happen. And that’s encouraging. Are you conscious?

Copyright 2012 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. Steve Straus can be contacted at http://www.StrausUSA.com.

Coaching Call To Action

What will you do this year that really matters?

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Journeys and Destinations
2. Feedback: Great Questions Lead to Great Answers
3. There Is No Stress in Life

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Truly Accomplishing Goals that Matter
2. Top 7 Flaws of Small Business Owners
3. Simple Meditation for the Busy Leader

Coach Andrea’s Intro

During this holiday season, I’d like you to be thinking about what you can do to take care of the people in your organization.  How can you show your appreciation for a job well done and keep people moving forward with the mission and vision of the company? This week’s tip by Jon Gordon provides just such a recipe.

Quote of the Week

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

~ Andrew Carnegie

A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

By Jon Gordon

• Stir the pot with love
• Lead with optimism
• Share the vision
• Build trust
• Fill the void with positive communication
• Add a big dose of transparency and authenticity
• Create engaged relationships
• Combine inspiration, encouragement, empowerment and coaching
• Fill up with appreciation
• Heat with passion
• Bring it all together with unity (Gordon, p. 162).

From: Gordon, J (2010).  Soup: a recipe to nourish your team and culture.  Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reprinted with permission from the OSU Leadership Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-3114, http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

Coaching Call To Action

This week consider what your team needs from you to be the best they can be.  What will you continue doing, start doing and stop doing?

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Secrets of Successful Teams
2. 5 Mistakes That Can Sink a Good Boss
3. Three No Complaining Tools

Coach Andrea’s Intro

One of the biggest changes I was involved with as a business owner was selling my business.  The first time my partner and I tried to sell, we were not transparent and all our employees quit during the process.  And did I mention I was 7 months pregnant?  We learned from our actions and the results.  The second time we were successful.  We shared as much as we could with our employees along the way.  Read on for Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch’s suggestions on leading through change.

Quote of the Week

“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.”

~ King Whitney Jr.

Leading Through Change

By Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch

The world, our nation, our workplace and our lives are constantly confronted by change.  Change is often a scary prospect.  It means breaking out of one’s comfort zone and experiencing the unknown. And while progress does not occur without change, the anxiety that comes with it is real and cannot be overlooked. During these times, as a leader, it is vitally important that your focus remain upon those you are leading. In times of change you should always:

• Acknowledge Anxiety. During times of uncertainty it is of the upmost importance that people’s feelings are acknowledged and addressed.  If ignored, these feelings become the pink elephant in the room – silently occupying everyone’s attention – to the detriment of all other pressing matters.  When dealt with directly and compassionately, anxious individuals get the message that their feelings are important and that you are looking out for their best-interests.  With their anxiety assuaged, they can focus more clearly on the specific task-at-hand.
• Dispense Information Promptly. As soon as you have a piece of information that you know to be important to those who you lead, it must be disseminated to the group. A failure to do so will only result in heightened anxiety and a lack of trust in your leadership.
• Be a Transparent Decision-Maker. During times of change you will be called upon to make many important decisions.  Whenever a decision affects those who you lead you should educate them on how the decision was made.  Even if some individuals question your reasoning, at least they will understand the time and effort you put into making the decision and the thought process you utilized.

Opportunities for great leadership are abundant during times of change.  By placing your focus during these times upon the needs of others, you will ensure that you are able to effectively lead through change.

This article was provided courtesy of Lead Star – a premiere leadership development firm. You can learn more about leadership by visiting their website at www.leadstar.us.

Coaching Call To Action

This week keep in mind that people have varying ways of dealing with change, many are not positive.  If your company is in the midst of making changes, take action to help others more easily move along this path with you.

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Leading With Your Strengths
2. Leading with Presence
3. If You Change the Way You Look at Things, the Things You Look at Change.

Coach Andrea’s Intro

This week’s Tip by Art Sobczak is a great reminder to only ask one question at a time. Sometimes, in coaching, I get so excited about what the client is telling me that I can start to rattle off a slew of questions.  And then I remember, people can only answer one question at a time.  Be thoughtful about the question you ask and then listen for the answer.

Here in the U.S. next week is Thanksgiving. A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Thank you for sharing your ideas, thoughts, feedback, challenges and successes with me. I am honored to be included in your life.

There will be no Coaching Tip of the Week on November 25, 2011 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy this time of thanks and gratitude. Our next Tip will be issued on December 2, 2011.

Quote of the Week

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

~ Ernest Hemingway

How Many Questions Should You Ask at a Time?

By Art Sobczak

At a social function I was talking to a guy who asked five questions in a row, didn’t listen to any of the answers, and only used his questions as a springboard to talk about himself.

Since I didn’t take much interest in what he was pitching (he shoved his business card into my hand) I watched and listened as he did that with several other people he met.

Sure, we all know we should ask questions. But the effort is wasted if they’re not asked in the right way, or you don’t listen to the answers.

++++++++++++KEY SALES POINT+++++++++++

When a listener hears a question, their mind immediately is conditioned to begin searching for answers. However, when several questions are posed in rapid-fire sequence, you leave the person confused as to which one they should answer first. And, some questions are not answered at all if you don’t give them an opportunity.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For example, read this scenario without stopping to think about each question, as if you were the person hearing the questions:

Caller: “And what do you feel your company needs most regarding boosting morale and enthusiasm? Do you think it would be compensation related… or maybe training? And how does that affect performance in all of the departments?”

Did you feel like a spinning top, rotating around trying to focus on the questions coming from all directions? Same thing happens with prospects and customers.

EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING GUIDELINES

1. Ask one question at a time. If it’s not important enough to stand on its own, don’t ask it.
2. After you ask it, shut up. If they don’t answer immediately, resist the urge to answer it for them or follow up with another one. They’re likely thinking about what they’re going to say.
3. After they apparently have finished, remain quiet for 1-2 more seconds. You might get additional information, and ensures you don’t interrupt.
4. Follow-up their answer with a related question. Don’t ping-pong around from subject to subject. For example, if they answered with, “I believe the main problem we have right now is a lack of motivation,” a logical next query would be, “Oh, what are some specific situations where you’ve seen a lack of motivation?”
5. Be confident in your questioning. One reason people ask multiple questions is that they aren’t comfortable asking questions. The only way you’re going to truly help someone is by finding out about them. You’re not intruding. You’re assisting.

Fielding multiple questions is confusing for the listener, and counter-productive for you. Ask one at a time, and listen!

Continue having your best week ever!

Art Sobczak, Business By Phone Inc., provides how-to ideas and tips for rejectionless prospecting, selling, and servicing by phone. Get the free ebook, “29 Sales Tips You Can Use Right Now” at http://www.BusinessByPhone.com.

Coaching Call To Action

This week practice asking one question at a time and really listening to the answer. You might be surprised by what you hear.  This tool can be used at home, too!

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. How To Avoid Sounding Like a Babbling Fool
2. Feedback: Great Questions Lead to Great Answers
3. Don’t Stop Asking So Many Questions

Coach Andrea’s Intro

Want to build your self-confidence?  This week’s Tip by Graham Jones, provides a quick and easy technique to remind you of what you are doing well.

Quote of the Week

“Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.”

~ Dr. Thomas Arnold Bennett

Ensuring Quick Wins

By Graham Jones, Ph.D

You will probably have long-term goals related to your ambitions, but have you broken them down into medium- and short-term goals?  I encourage leaders who lack confidence to identify short-term goals because if and when they are achieved, they are an important and regular source of confidence.

Set some short-term goals for yourself.  These “quick wins” will allow you to build up a store of recent successes that you may wish to record on a small card and carry around for use when you need a confidence boost (Jones, p. 13-136).

From: Jones, G. (2009).  Thriving on Pressure: Mental Toughness for Real Leaders.  Westport, CT: Easton Studio Press.

Reprinted with permission from the OSU Leadership Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-3114, http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

Coaching Call To Action

In my bottom desk drawer, I have a folder called “Feel Good.” When I have a “win,” when I get a great card or acknowledgement from a client, colleague or friend, or when an article or quote touches me, it goes into the “Feel Good” folder.  On those days that I feel “less than”  and question myself, I go to my folder to remind myself that I can do it!

What will you do or create for yourself this week that builds your self-confidence?

Other articles you might be interested in:

1. Steps to Achievement?
2. The DNA of Top Achievers!
3. What Are Your Priorities for Your Business?