Wednesday, March 10. 2010Quiz - What is really important in Life?
Answer quickly:
Sunrise If you do not know the answers, please look them up. The significance is that great achievements are lost to time. Whether it be riches, accomplishments, glory, etc. They all fade. What is really important? Your family, your friends, your ability to help other individuals, your gift to leave this planet and its' inhabitants in a better state than when it was given to you. In short, you are a steward of the gift of life. You have been given this opportunity, live it well, live it fully and maximize your contribution to all those around you. Copyright 2010 - Jim Lindell Monday, March 8. 2010
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The Coaching SpectrumCoaching Spectrum Copyright 2010 - Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. Many people would like to be a coach. Everyone thinks they have the skills to be a coach. Unfortunately many individuals that find themselves in the coaching role or desire to be a coach will never be successful in that role. There are four key areas that a successful coach must have: • Knowledge • Experience • Ability to inspire • Ability to teach When it comes to coaching knowledge, there are two types of knowledge that can be addressed: 1) learned or book knowledge, 2) practical knowledge (which is typically gained through experience.) To adequately coach another individual, practical knowledge is more essential. The coach must be versed with techniques and formal knowledge which typically comes from the educational/learning environment. If a coach only possesses learned knowledge, he may be accused of the ivory tower syndrome. A coach that does not have the experience will have difficulty providing the key wisdom and counsel along with the practical application to the student. Do you remember the Charlie Brown cartoon where Charlie Brown is teaching someone how to stand on their head? Linus comes up to Charlie brown and questions him saying, “Charlie Brown, how can you teach someone to stand on their head when you can’t do it yourself?” Charlie Brown replies, “Those who can’t do, teach.” Now I realize that this is an offensive statement, but in all forms of humor there's some underlying truth. A coach without the experience will not be as successful. It is important to note that some successful coaches can replace other types of experience for the task that they are coaching and be just as successful. This is one of the reasons that major corporations will hire a CEO from outside of their specific industry. The ability to inspire other individuals is essential. A coach that cannot inspire other people to action is at a severe disadvantage. About the only individual that will work well with this type of coach is the person that is 100% self motivated. The vast majority of people do not have the skill set to continually motivate themselves all the time. A coach must have the skill to transfer their knowledge and their experience to the person that they are coaching. In essence they must be an outstanding teacher. If a coach cannot teach, they will fail miserably. This ability to teach others also means the ability to understand that each individual has different learning styles. A one dimensional coach that continually uses the same approach will eventually fail. As we consider these four attributes, all of them are essential for the coach to be successful. However the last two characteristics: inspiration and teaching ability are an absolute necessity. The next characteristic is experience. The last item is knowledge. Remember that practical knowledge is more important than formal knowledge. One caveat needs to be mentioned. There are certain professions like Physicians, Attorneys, or Tax CPAs, where the formal knowledge is an absolute necessity. Otherwise most non technical positions can be coached with experience or practical knowledge. Now we will consider the person that is to be coached. There are also a set of characteristics that are essential for this individual to be successful. The four characteristics are: • Desire • Practice • Ability • Coachability Any student that does not have the desire to accomplish the goal will most likely fail. Each student must understand that the accomplishment of a goal begins with one thing and one thing only - their decision to make a change. Without desire, a goal just remains a dream. The next characteristic is practice. Whether it is a student doing their homework, an athlete preparing for a game or a match, or an executive preparing for a board meeting or a negotiation process, practice is a must. It is important to note that each person chooses to practice in a variety of ways dependent on their individual style. It is rare that a person can achieve a specific goal without spending the time practicing. The student must have the ability to accomplish the goal. This is not to put a limit on the individual. However there are times when individuals are placed in positions that the only logical outcome is failure. They fail because the task or the goal is so far beyond their ability. Therefore it is essential for the student and the coach to recognize the ability as well as the untapped ability to make sure that any goal selected is within the reach of the individual. The last characteristic is the student’s coachability. If the student is not willing to listen to other individuals, to take advice from other individuals, to listen to criticism from other individuals, he will have a difficult time being successful. Anyone who invests time coaching other people knows the pleasure of a student or an athlete that is coachable. It is very typical that when the coach describes this individual to other people he will state that the student, the athlete or the executive is wonderful because they are coachable. Coaching Spectrum - Self Assessment Copyright 2010 - Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. 1) list one thing that you will do to improve this area over the next 30 days, 2) list one thing that you will do to improve this area over the next 60 days, 3) and finally list one thing that you will do to improve this area over the next 90 days. As a result your coaching skills or your ability to be coached should improve in the very near future. © 2010 - Jim Lindell Wednesday, March 3. 2010"The Incredible Journey" - The Great AND CONTINUING Recession
Have you read "The Incredible Journey" or seen the movie? The plot from wikipedia follows:
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Journey) In many ways our country and economy is on its' own "Incredible Journey". We are like the pets in the story - on our own and in the wilderness. Our leadership is just as absent as the Hunters were. We have experienced excitement, danger and sadness (just as Bodger did) along the way: failed banks, lost pensions, foreclosed homes, lost companies, lost jobs, etc. I would like to believe that we are coming out of the woods and that our "owners" are there for us. Unfortunately, the Woods may be deeper and darker and our owners are not as deserving as the Hunters. Anyway, I believe that we are only at the first intermission. Go pop some popcorn, grab a soda and relax - intermission is almost over and Part II is ready to begin. Enjoy the show! Copyright 2010 - Jim Lindell
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Jim LindellJim Lindell is a National Speaker, Author, and Vistage Chair. He is motivated by helping others improve their lives and businesses.
He is President of Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. Order Jim's book - "Controller as Business Manager". controller as business manager - jim lindell - thorsten consulting group QuicksearchArchivesCategoriesSyndicate This BlogBlog AdministrationNetworked Blogs |