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Toronto Business Coach | Watching people do what they love makes me feel great!

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 01:17:47 +0000

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This video was emailed to me a couple of weeks ago and I just had time to review it. First thing that occurred to me is that I like watching people do the things they're passionate about.

Whether it's jumping off a cliff with a parachute or singing in a Tim Hortons with your best mates the same rings true. It's inspiring to see people in action with their passions.

What's your passion?

Less Stress & Business Success: Why Your Boss is Happier than You

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:02:14 +0000

Bosses appear to have a greater immunity to the stresses of life than their stress-prone subordinates. With greater control comes less stress and anxiety, according to a new study published in the journal proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, conducted by seven researchers from Stanford, Harvard and the University of California, San Diego, found that a leader's sense of authority and control both act as cushions to stress.

The Study

In the self-proclaimed largest examination in leadership and stress, researchers recruited a total of 148 leaders and 65 non-leaders from the Boston metro area. Measurements of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva were observed in business, nonprofit, government and military leaders who manage others. Researchers also inquired about the subjects' anxiety levels by asking them to respond to statements such as “I get in a state of tension or turmoil as I think over my recent concerns and interests.” Subjects gauged levels of stress by ranking the series of statements on a scale of one to four, Forbes.com stated.

The results of this correlational study — though not entirely conclusive — seem to suggest leadership is inversely related to stress. The tendency for people in positions of power to experience less stress aren't solely experienced by humans. Prior studies on rhesus macaque monkeys revealed that higher rankings on the social ladder were linked with lower levels of cortisol, according to medicaldaily.com.

It's Good to be King

Executive chairman and founder of Go Daddy, Bob Parsons, accomplishes everything through other people granting him “tremendous bandwidth,” he explained on Inc.com. He believes in buffering work with play — which he exercises by taking road trips on his motorcycle or going out after work to dinner with friends. In this case, and many like it, it's not difficult to understand how CEOs and bosses encounter less stress and anxiety throughout their career.

Corporate underlings shouldn't fret, however, because there are a multitude of methods to decrease stress and increase productivity at the workplace.

Stress Relievers

Breaks – Taking breaks are essential and vital in the long run to increasing productivity. Plus, ungluing your eyes from the monitor and moving your body around will decrease stress. Take a stroll, run some errands or chat with some coworkers.

Naps – Naps are generally frowned upon and viewed as a definite no-no at work, though much research suggests that brief naps improve productivity. Don't underestimate the restorative, mood-enhancing effects of the underutilized power nap. Perhaps, America needs to adopt a siesta.

Lunch – Escape the office. Get some fresh air. Replace the fluorescent-lit interior for a vitamin D sunlit exterior, and recharge your batteries with a decent meal instead of your meager prepackaged, microwaveable food.

Mindset – Take a deep, relaxing breath. Identify negative emotions and practice quelling them or viewing them from a different perspective. Don't let the cons outweigh the pros. Practice gratitude and focus on aspects of the job that you enjoy.

Taking advantage of stress relievers will help increase your productivity and help build confidence, which in turn can create success in your personal and professional life. You may not have a profile on Forbes as a high-powered billionaire like Parsons does, but keep the momentum of success rolling and who knows, maybe you will one day be King of your domain.

Arnold Schwarzenegger LIFE MOTIVATION

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:01:07 +0000

You may or may not be a fan of Arnold's movies but you have to be a fan of his determination in life. He has been hugely successful in sports, film, business and politics. Here are two great videos to take inspiration for your own goals in life.

Even though his career was launched by the condition of his body Arnold states that it is his mind that created his body and success today. Focus on strengthening your mind and its ability to stay focused on you being successful at your personal goals. Take the actions in alignment with those goals today.

Here are the 6 rules of life from his video.

1. Trust yourself. Who do you want to be? You can be it.
2. Break the rules.
3. Don't be afraid to fail. (If you are afraid...take action anyway)
4. Don't pay attention to the people who say "You can't"
5. Work your butt off. There is no way around hard work.
6. Give back. To your community, friends, family or country.

“You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pocket.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

New Strategies For Training Employees

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:24:09 +0000

When many employees hear the word training, they automatically think of dull presentations or over-excited guest speakers. Both can be a professional turn off for employees, who in most cases don't come into training with upbeat attitudes anyway.

Training doesn't have to be that way. New methods are helping employers revolutionize the way that employee trainings are handled. Some experts are suggesting training focused on projects with short timelines and hands-on learning opportunities.

Here are some of the best ways you can fire up your employees and avoid the humdrum of a dull training session.

Make Training Fun

Managers across the US are finding more ways to have fun within the structure of training sessions. Training seminars are no longer the dry academic affairs that they were in the past. Prize raffles, giveaways and gift certificates have been introduced into training as a reward, and as a way to keep training sessions loose. Companies are sharing best practice tips on employee trainings and spending time to learn what works best. More fun in the room means more energy to pay attention and absorb what is being said, and that is the key to a successful training.

Make Training Interactive

More interactive trainings are being held on the desktop, allowing participants to take the training at his or her own timeframe on his laptop. This type of training is becoming more popular in companies. Video chat and conference software solutions are making that possible. Managers are using live chat software to conduct training seminars.

Two benefits here - one, live chat training sessions free up managers and employees to where and when they give or receive the training. For instance, managers can do these on their choice of device from their home or on vacation. Second, live chat software increases and optimizes worker responsiveness to training sessions. Studies have shown employees are more engaged in online training sessions with interactive tools for responding.

Training for Job Changing

When a workplace conducts a training, it generally has to do with details or elements of one's current job. However, some companies are becoming even more innovative. For example, Amazon recently launched an employee incentive program. If a full-time Amazon employee wants to attend a technical or vocational school, then the company will pay 95% of the tuition. In other words, the company is essentially training their employees for another job. When it comes to company training strategies, this is a game changer.

Managers are no longer doing things by the book, but incorporating new and revolutionary strategies to train their employees. It seems they finally got tired of the workforce staring out the window and daydreaming during visual demonstrations and guest lectures. Happy employees make a company stronger. When the workers are happy, they are naturally more productive, and that is the end result that all businesses want to achieve.

I think this would have to be a passion

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:53:21 +0000

This base flying looks amazing. All my life I've had dreams that I could fly. I would fly around looking down from above going where ever I wanted. When I awoke I was disappointed to realize I was dreaming and I would try and go back to sleep and dream some more. As much as I loved the sensation of flying I don't think that I would ever take it as far as these guys. It is obviously a passion they've pursued that would have taken years to get to the level need to do these kinds of jumps. It's a treat to watch and live vicariously through them.

5 Ways That Coaching In The Work Place Can Lead To Team Success

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:22:43 +0000

Employees need coaching and reviews to ensure that they understand company expectations, and know if they are meeting those expectations. Companies with effective performance management programs have increased productivity because they motivate employees to work harder by identifying top performers.

Here are five steps you can take to build an effective performance management program:

1. Define the Employee’s Role

List required skills and competencies to determine each employee's role. Competencies should include at least five markers of success for each team member, as well as responsibilities and skills that are job-specific. This process must occur immediately upon hire, and should be revised as necessary.

2. Decide on an Assessment Process

The majority of companies require an annual assessment, while others perform reviews quarterly or following the completion of a large project.
Online talent management tools and performance management at Cornerstone OnDemand are great tools to improve coaching. These products allow peers and managers to offer feedback, as well as acknowledge and track an employee’s performance.
Always hold managers accountable for coaching and completing employee performance reviews on time. Make their ability to meet these deadlines a portion of their own review.
Include an employee assessment review which will allow managers to know how they can improve their own training and coaching processes.

3. Deliver Assessments

Prior to performance reviews, managers should take time to assess their teams. Utilize a rating system to assess each employee on competency, goals and accomplishments.

When managers are reviewing employees, make sure they are clear about what the numbered ratings mean. Managers need to be honest and direct, rather than tossing in compliments to lessen the blow of bad reviews. If an employee is doing great, tell him so. If he is lacking, he needs to know it.

Managers should also be ready to give examples for each rating the employee receives. This way, the employee understands why he received a specific number rating. Doing this also reduces the likelihood that an employee will contest his assessment.

4. Compile Data

Once the meeting has concluded, managers should have the employee sign the review evaluation, even if he or she does not agree with the assessment. Reviewing feedback of coaching and training sessions is essential to improving a system.

5. Collect & Analyze

On the designated completion date, the HR director should collect the reviews, and use that data to set talent goals for the upcoming year. Managers assess employee performance, but it is the HR director’s job to make strategic decisions based on the information gathered.

Author: Pete Phelps

Pete writes about the entertainment scene on the West Coast. As an LA native, he's equally frustrated with and thrilled by the growth he sees in LA.

All you have to do is think of things and in the garden of your mind they'll grow

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:35:17 +0000

What are you planting in your garden? If you grew up watching Mr. Rogers like I did you will love this remix video and the message is right on the mark.

Source: youtube.com via PBS on Pinterest

5 Unlikely Business Success Stories

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:33:29 +0000

Being an entrepreneur has as much to do with being lucky as it does with having a good idea, but sometimes, the most unlikely ideas can be the most successful. That being said, even if your plan seems water-tight, you should always be careful and do your homework at BusinessInsurance.org for information on insurance and other business tips.

Ben and Jerry's is a well-known and popular brand of ice cream due to its unique flavors, such as Chunky Monkey, Chubby Hubby, and Dublin Mudslide. This idea was conceived by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield after they attended an ice cream making class together. After learning that Burlington, Vermont was one of few college towns not to have an ice cream shop, they bought an unused gas station and began selling ice cream. Their company now brings in over $237 million dollars per year.

Another unlikely business success story is that of the plastic wish bone. Designed by Ken Ahroni, the plastic wishbone is for people unhappy about only two people being to break the lucky wishbone of the Thanksgiving turkey every year. The company he founded is called LuckyBreak, and it now produces around thirty-thousand wishbones every day in multiple colors with custom options as well. The company now sells over $2.5 million per year in merchandise.

In the United Kingdom, Fraser Doherty, at the age of fourteen, decided he would start selling jams made from his grandmother's recipe. Starting out in his family's kitchen in Scotland, he founded his business, which he named SuperJam. His company sells around five-hundred thousand jars of jam every year, and this makes up approximately ten percent of the jam market in the United Kingdom, making his company worth around $1.5 million.

The Pet Loo is an idea that came out of Australia, co-designed and developed by Simone Skovron in 2003. It is a portable sort of litter mat for dogs and other animals, and it is constructed from a square of artificial grass that drains into a waste-containment system. It was designed with apartment owners and the elderly in mind to make it easier to take care of their pets without having to go outside as often. The company released the Pet Loo for worldwide sale in 2006.

Finally, there is the Bed Bug Barrier. Many people have a sort of fear directed towards insects, and that is whence the idea for the Bed Bug Barrier came. Hotel rooms are not always the cleanest places, and they can often be hosts to infestations of creatures, such as the bed bug. The Bed Bug Barrier is an attachment that is placed on the legs of beds, and it traps the bed bugs, preventing them from scaling the bed a biting the sleepers. This idea has made its designer, Tony Abrams, millions of dollars.

How to get your heart into it

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:58:15 +0000

"Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it."

-Hardy D. Jackson

I read this quote on a friends Facebook page just now and it rang my bell. It reminded me of something one of my mentors, Rick Thorpe, said to me almost 20 years ago and I wanted to share it with you.

"Do something you love every day of your life and you will never work a day in your life."

I have used his words as a compass ever since and I like this new take on it from Hardy. I really do believe that one of the secrets to success is to align yourself with something that you can fall in love with. When you love what you are doing you're going to do what it takes to be great at it.

Not to say that everything that you do you're going to love. We all have to do a lot of things that we don't love. Think pareto principle or the 80-20 rule. Just make sure that the love component is on the 80 side of that principle.

So what if you're not doing something you love? What can you do about it? My recommendation is to start asking yourself some questions...

When have you been most happy? What was it about that time that you enjoyed most?

What if you could do anything? What would you do? What is it about those things that you love?

What do you love about what you do now? Where could that make up 80% of your time?

If you could change anything about your life now what would that be?

Those questions are the beginning of creating something fresh in your life.

But what then....well come on back and visit us because helping you get the most out of you is what I love.

"...it's them, not you"

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Bill Hicks, considered to be the 4th all time greatest comedian according to UK's Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups, stared his career performing comedy routines to the other Sunday school children. His parents were concerned with his behaviour and took him to see a psychoanalyst. After one session the psychoanalyst said "...it's them, not you"

This story made me chuckle and it was Hicks ability to express a truth that made him a great comic. People may think you're strange in the head for doing what you love to do. But what does that say about them?

Do what lights you up. The critics serve a purpose by having you think and evolve but be wary of their seeds of thought growing into weeds in your garden of creativity. Surround yourself with people that will blow wind into your sails and keep on moving. Hicks may not have made it to a stage let alone the list of UK's 100 Greatest Comics had he adopted his parents view of what is "normal behaviour". Instead he used his parents "view of the world" to fuel his comedy.

Hicks passed away in 1994 at the age of 32 due to side effects caused by the treatment of his pancreatic cancer. His comedic legacy and message lives on and is still as funny and relevant almost 20 years later. He went from being rated #6 in 2007 to #4 in 2010. I think it's because of the truth he was able to reveal in his comedy. Perhaps a truth is timeless? One of the underlying themes in his comedy is about being true to yourself. One of his famous bits was "Life is just a ride..." Worth a watch and a great message about fearless living.

"Life is just a ride. We can change it any time we like. It's only a choice. No effort. No work. No job. No savings or money required. A choice. Right now." - Bill Hicks

A shout out to Bill for the laughs I enjoyed watching his material and to the "ride" we're all on.