Students Of Success

Want a fast way to get creative? Stop thinking! Most of what we call “thinking” is simply labeling. We’re repeating old tapes in our head. This type of thinking is not creative, and there’s no way to access our true creativity from this mindset.

Like most adults, you probably lost the skill of dropping into a creative mindset at around eight years old. It’s time to reclaim this skill. Here’s how to access your innate creativity.

=> Daydream

When you want to become creative, your first step is slow down. Relax. Play some calming music, or simply close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and daydream for a few minutes.

Don’t try to rush this initial slowing down. You’re aiming to drop out of the world of your usual concerns. Fantasize. Imagine you’re living on tropical island, where your every wish is catered for. Make this daydreaming scenario as real as you can. Hear the waves, let the sand sift through your fingers, and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

=> Control anxiety

While you’re daydreaming, beware of ruminating about your everyday problems and concerns. If you find yourself worrying about your job, finances or relationships, switch back to fun-fantasy mode. Take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes, and build up your tropical island (or other) fantasy in your mind once again.

If you feel guilty because you think you’re wasting time when you take a few minutes to daydream, your own experience will show you that you’re NOT wasting time when you daydream, you’re increasing your productivity. Our rush-rush lifestyle chokes off creativity. Only relaxation will allow your creativity to bubble up and will get you into a true creative state. (Note: such a state is also called a “peak experience” or “flow state”.)

=> Brainstorm

When you feel completely peaceful and relaxed, you can start working at your creative task. Do some brainstorming.

One of the cardinal rules of brainstorming is — ACCEPT ANYTHING, DON’T JUDGE.

This is because you can do things with your ideas once they’re on paper or the computer screen. You can reverse them, combine them with three other ideas, and grow further ideas from the seed of one idea.

Unless you accept junk ideas, you can’t make the creative leap which gives you a brilliant idea. So never discard anything when you brainstorm.

Try brainstorming in different locations to see whether it makes it easier to come up with ideas. I love my little Palm PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) because I can write anywhere — in a computer checkout line, when I go for a walk, in the library.

Often, when you try to brainstorm in the place you associate with “serious” work, like your office, it’s hard to stay in a creative mood.

So try brainstorming in bed, in the living room, in the mall — anywhere you happen to be.

=> Create personal symbols, and manipulate them

One of the secrets of creativity is the use of symbols. This is because our right brain thinks in images. Our right brain isn’t verbal, language is a function of our left brain. If you remember to use symbols while you’re working at a creative task, you’ll be using both sides of your brain.

How does this work?

Let’s say that you have a ferocious inner editor. Whenever you try to work at a creative task, your editor pops up and tells you you’re doing it wrong, your work isn’t any good, you’re wasting time, you don’t know enough, and on and on.

Close your eyes for a moment and allow an image to form of your inner editor. Mine looks like a buzzing mosquito. Yours may look like your mother, a high school teacher, or a yapping small dog.

Whatever your inner editor looks like, it’s time to shut it up. You can do this by locking your editor in a room or a box (throw away the key), asking it to pack its bags and leave, by spraying it with bug spray, or by whatever inventive scenario you develop. Unfortunately, you aren’t destroying your editor for good. It will pop up again, and you’ll need to go through the process again. However, it does get rid of the editor long enough for you to complete your creative task in freedom.

You can develop a symbol for anything. One of the most useful is for your current creative task. Let’s say you’re writing a book. Close your eyes, and allow a symbol to come to you. Maybe it’s a paperback or hardback, with the title and your name as the author on the cover. Whatever symbol pops up, accept it, even if it makes no sense. For example, your symbol might be an ice cube, a fire engine, or a Disney character. You can work with whatever symbol comes to you.

You work with the symbol in whatever way you please. You can dialogue with the symbol, for example. Ask it questions, and write down the answers. If you’ve ever done any dream work, this is a similar process.

It’s often enough to simply be aware of the symbol, to imagine it. The symbol is part of your creative right brain, and being aware of it triggers your right brain into action. You’ll find that the symbol is especially useful if you’re not in the mood to work on your creative task. Just play some music, bring your symbol to mind, and daydream. You’ll find that your mood changes, and you begin to work without effort.

Think of your symbol as a key to your creative self.

=> Allow yourself to be creative

Finally, it’s important to acknowledge to yourself that you can’t force creativity. You can only allow it. Daydreaming, brainstorming, and the creation of symbols are all ways of giving yourself permission to be creative.

If you use affirmations, try this: “I allow myself to be creative”. Relax, and allow your creativity to bubble up.

Try the above processes whenever you want to be creative. They’re easy, and they work. Remember to switch off your thinking mind, and you’ll be as effortlessly creative, and as happy, as a small child making mud pies or building sandcastles.

Wouldn’t you like to clone yourself as a writer, or have someone do your writing tasks for you? Contact Angela Booth at http://www.angelabooth.com now because Angela expertly ghost-writes articles, proposals, marketing communications, Web copy, and books. Yes, you’re the author of the words Angela writes for you. Angela is fast, reliable and professional, and works with individuals and small businesses as well as large companies.

The following tips are meant as a guide for those of you who wish to enter into a coaching or mentoring relationship with a Guru, Coach or Mentor.

1. If you are not going to work with the individual you are paying, don’t do it. You need to work with the individual who’s charging you, so you can have accountability from him/her.

2. Take a very close look at the cost/benefit ratio of the relationship. Is similar information or help available at a lower cost or from other sources. Please understand that most of the information needed to succeed in Creative Real Estate or Home-Based Businesses is available for free if you have the time and ability to research it yourself.

3. Be very careful of those who claim to have secret or proprietary ways of doing business. The dictionary defines proprietary as made and sold by one with the sole right to do so; exclusively owned; private; benefiting an owner; owned by a private individual or corporation under a trademark or patent.

Now ask yourself, does anyone in the field of Creative Real Estate own an exclusive method of doing business. The answer is no. It is just marketing hype designed to entice someone into parting with his/her money.

Most of the methods for finding, acquiring, renting, selling, optioning property have been around for years. Can someone bring a slightly different twist to these methods, yes; but this is hardly proprietary.

Take Lease Options, people have been doing options for well over one half of a century. There is nothing new about sandwich leases, assignments, etc.

Wouldn’t you think that if someone had a proprietary method and he or she shared that method, that it would no longer be proprietary. Of course! Once shared, it is no longer exclusively owned, therefore not proprietary.

Which really leaves the part of the definition about benefiting the owner. As we have seen, there are truly no proprietary or secret methods; so who does this claim benefit? Why the one trying to separate you from your money with this hype.

4. Be careful about long term relationships. Be sure any contract you sign can be canceled if you are not satisfied with the service being provided to you. You should be the final arbitrator of whether or not a relationship is worth your money.

Do not pay for the entire period up front. Many Gurus, Coaches and Mentors have a non-refundable clause in their contracts. By paying the entire fee up front, you lose leverage in case of dissatisfaction with the services provided you.

5. Be sure any material supplied to you and any services to be provided during the course of the relationship are covered in detail. Get a listing of what will be covered and the order in which it will happen. Do not accept generalities or vague comments like “We’ll get to that”. Know exactly what you are paying for.

6. Don’t be led on by overly high prices. The most expensive is not always the best, especially for you. This is one area, where cost does not equal caring or commitment to your needs. Nor, does a high price indicate quality. Don’t be fooled by the “I’m worth it” line.

7. Speaking of quality and caring, don’t settle for lip service that someone cares about your future, make them demonstrate it. Speak to them a number of times. Do they give you the bum’s rush if you can’t afford their services right now, or do they take some time with you. Do you get the sense that they are more interested in selling you something? If you do, think very carefully before agreeing to enter any relationship with someone like this. What makes you think that their underlying attitude will change with the passing of money.

8. Do they seem to get more benefit from the relationship than you do? By this we mean, do they ask you to help promote their activities or products in your marketing material or promotional material. Do they ask you to do things for them, but are reluctant to do things to help promote your business? If they do, these are warning signs that this could well be a one sided relationship. Don’t fall for the line “Well, you’ll receive some back end benefit from this”. Remember, you’re in business to promote yourself, not someone else.

9. If your Guru, Coach or Mentor makes a promise to do something for you, get it in writing, particularly if it has a monetary consequence to you. By getting it in writing, you avoid any misunderstandings and you have recourse if he/she does not follow through.

10. When you speak with your Guru, Coach or Mentor, does he/she remember the details of your last conversation or do you need to start at the beginning each time. If you need to start over with each conversation, this may be a sign that he/she is too busy to keep track of all the people they are working with. Is this what you are paying for? The last thing you need, is to feel like a part on an assembly line. It’s common sense that anyone can only work with so many individuals before the quality starts to suffer. You may want to ask before you get started, how many others the person you are considering is currently working with.

11. If your Guru, Coach or Mentor provides material for you, be sure you understand where and how it can be used in your business. Get it in writing. Don’t depend upon verbal representations as to its use. You want to be sure that any material, particularly contracts, can be used in all facets of your business. If the material can’t be used in all facets, what are the restrictions? Can you live with them? How this material can be used, may well influence what you are willing to pay. If you can, try to arrange to examine the material included before you make a final decision. You want to avoid material that is more fluff than substance. Understand, most Gurus, Coaches or Mentors will not mail this material to you first. Unfortunately, there are too many individuals who would take and copy this material with no expectation of ever working with someone. If you don’t live in geographic proximity to the person you are considering, they should at least be able to provide you with a very detailed Table of Contents and Sub-Headings for their material. If they are not willing to do that, Pass.

12. Does your Guru, Coach or Mentor give you realistic suggestions to help you, or are they unfeasible given your situation. In other words, are the suggestions given within your financial means to carry out. Will they have an impact on your bottom line within a reasonable time frame? Do you have the technical expertise to carry out the suggestions? Or, do you get the feeling that everyone your Guru, Coach or Mentor works with receives the same suggestions. Remember, he/she is there to help support, guide and nurture you. Any suggestions given should have those principles in mind.

13. If suggestions are made, be sure to get specifics. Don’t accept generalities. If a suggestion is made to write a book, do a tape set, give a seminar, etc., be sure your Guru, Coach or Mentor gives you details as to how to do it, if you’ve never done something like this. He/she should be able to give you a step-by-step plan of action to implement these suggestions. If they can’t or won’t, this is red flag. After all, you are paying for their expertise, be sure you receive it.

14. Be careful about references. No one in business is going to give you the name and telephone number of someone who is dissatisfied with their service as a reference. So understand that any references you receive are going to be positive ones.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that not only will any references be positive, they’ll be glowing. Why, every business has some customers who believe the business can do no wrong. Therefore when you ask for references, any names you’re given will come from this pool.

Rather than references, look to see if the guru, coach or mentor offers the type of programs where you pay an amount up front (which is reasonable to cover the initial time with you and materials you receive) and the balance as you succeed. In other words, the guru, coach, or mentor covers some expenses up front, but gets paid the balance of his/her fee as you do transactions.

Or, does the guru, coach or mentor have a program where you pay an initial fee and the balance at the end of the time period, if and only if, you are satisfied with the help you received.

In both of these types of programs, the guru, coach or mentor is demonstrating his/her confidence in their ability to help you. In other words, they are putting their money where their mouths are.

In this type of program, the guru, coach, or mentor has a real vested interest in your success, not just lip service to your success. If you don’t succeed, he/she doesn’t get paid.

I would be much more confident in this type of program and guru, coach or mentor then in one who only offers suspect references.

15. Most Gurus, Coaches and Mentors will look to sign you up for one to two years, or longer. One thing most will not tell you, is that they expect that your calls will diminish over the first few months. Therefore, you may be paying for service that you will not need in the long run. Avoid long term contracts if at all possible. It may be better to pay as you go if you can. The extra money you save may be better spent on your business.

We hope these guidelines will help you in choosing someone to work with if you decide that is the best way for you to accomplish your goals. The bottom line, be very careful before committing yourself to a long term relationship. A good one can greatly accelerate your learning; a bad experience can set you back years, and possibly even kill your dreams.

We wish you the best.

Copyright 2004, DeFiore Enterprises

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our “how to” Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach. Visit www.hbsdigest.com to start today.

In the everyday world we come across difficult situations that we must learn to deal with and are faced with unpleasant conversations that we must handle and address with team members.

I have been in the Customer Service field for many years and have been challenged at many points in my career. I have worked in places where coaching is not a priority and is not even discussed. In my current position I have introduced coaching to my team members. I have also inspired other Supervisors in the coaching to begin coaching sessions in their own teams. Keeping track of the sessions and discussions will assist in comparing the progress of each individual team member. Coaching is becoming an important part of the personal development of employees through the various work places.

Coaching is a very effective tool in a team. There should be monthly coaching sessions to determine:

Daily, weekly and monthly individual goals (Personal goals)
Company Goals & Expectations
The identification of training needs
Addressing attendance issues
Career development

This allows the manager to:

Take immediate action

Implement training sessions

To be a good Coach you must be:

A good listener/communicator
Confident
Proactive at addressing issues
Positive in your attitude
Understanding and fair to all
Approachable
Able to recognize hard work
Able to assist with personal development of staff

Coaching will assist your team in achieving the team goals and working together as one. Manager/Team Leader should always be upfront with staff members and help them to develop new work knowledge and build confidence.
Staff should always be aware of any issues that are occurring, be aware of any good/bad performance issues. The team member should be given a monthly copy of all issues/performance discussed in the session. Team members should not be surprised with annual reviews if monthly coaching sessions are being held and issues are being addressed. Coaching should be about recognizing for a job “well done” and given motivation for them to succeed and become better professionals.

It doesn’t matter what line of work you do, coaching should become a priority in every office.

Help your staff understand how important they are to the organization and in assisting achieve the goals as a team.
Coaching can also be held with the entire team so that the Team Leader/Manager/Supervisor can also receive feedback and suggestions in making the team more efficient.

Sandra Valente is the Customer Service Director at TradePals, a B2B directory of entrepreneurs, business people, trades people, sales people, and freelancers across North America.

“It’s the simplest of math: Big fish tanks grow big fish; little fish tanks grow little fish….”

“You can’t catch fish unless you put your line in the water. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t try.” ~ Kathy Seligman

As I was planning for one of my REAL Talk Forums, the “fish tank” metaphor came up in my thinking. I wanted to emphasize how people could keep their “bigness” and create a “sabotage-proof” life. I thought back to when I had a very beautiful 55 gallon aquarium. There was over 100 pounds of real gravel in the bottom and it was l ined with live plants. The fish, which included a mated pair of Jack Dempseys, grew to be quite large with the biggest fish being about eight inches long and another being about six inches. I fed them raw beef heart, and they loved it, as it helped to grow to this size. I would sit in front of my fish tank for hours just watching them…it was mesmerizing to say the least.

I also had a 20 gallon tank with four fish in it and the largest fish grew to be only about two inched long. They all ate the regular flake fish food. I would watch them as well, but my eyes would always go back to the big tank…all of which brings me to the question: How big is your fish tank?

Before you take this with any literal meaning, what I am really asking is: How big is the space that you live your life in? Is there anything that is restricting you from growing into your “most bigness”? Is there any chance that you have outgrown your old fish tank? Just how big is your life, and how big can it be?

As you are pondering those questions, read the following piece from Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others…from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles.

Are you allowing your Light to shine as bright as it possibly can? A big fish tank grows big fish, and likewise, a big life allows for a big, bright Light to shine from you.

Some people I have met seem to be happy with their small fish tanks because they do not want to change. Their lives are comfortable, predictable and familiar…they like the status quo. That is their choice and their business, and I certainly do respect that.

There are other people, however, who are like snakes: Always shedding their “old skin”, expanding and growing ever larger. These are the people who always want one more gallon added to their fish tank. These are also the people who seem to shine the brightest Light. In fact, their Light is so bright that it actually illuminates the path for others.

Which one are you, and are you happy with your chosen path? Would you like a bigger fish tank and a brighter Light force? If so, then I encourage you to hang out with some “big fish, bright Light” people. We do tend to be influenced by our environments, so if you want more from your life, find those who have found the “more of life” and ask them how they have done it. Most people are happy to share their steps of success. After all, big fish and bright Lights cannot hide, and because of this, they usually enjoy sharing their bigness and their brightness.

The business of bigness and brightness…hmmm, sounds like a good book title…okay, I’m off to my next project…can you see my Light getting brighter???

Ken Donaldson has been based in Tampa Bay offering counseling, coaching, and educational programs since 1987. His REALationship Coaching programs empower people to have more successful lives, businesses and relationships by building a powerful relationship with themselves first. Visit his website at http://www.REALationshipCoach.com for more information and sign-up his free e-program Illuminations and Sparks of Brilliance. Ken is also the author of the upcoming book Marry YourSelf First!

Most of us find interviews challenging. For some of us, our nerves get the better of us and prevent us from making a good impression. If we do not perform as well as we wanted and perhaps receive a number of rejections, this negative experience of interviews creates what is called a ‘negative anchor’ which makes it highly likely that nerves will again take over at the next interview situation.

In the worst cases this means that people are not able to get a better job and realise more of their potential, not because they lack the capability but simply because they are in the wrong state and cannot control it. They start to think of themselves as ‘no good’ generally and may avoid interviews completely.

It is not easy to manage this state on our own. It is useful to have an objective outsider to refocus you, remind you what your capabilities really are, and help you approach the interview with a more positive image of yourself. This is what happens in pre-interview coaching.

It will get to the root cause of the problems you have been experiencing and help you to reframe it into something more positive. You will learn about your motivation in going for the job. Coaching will help you to ‘sell yourself’ by clarifying your abilities and the reasons you want the job. It will cover beforehand any challenging questions that might throw you on the day, and help you to come up with suitable questions to ask about the company and the post.

Often nervous candidates have forgotten that the occasion is as much for you to find out more, as it is for the company to find out about you! This is the time to ask the interviewers questions which will let you know whether or not the job fits in with your overall purpose for your life. Does the company share your values and beliefs? Is it the right environment for you to work in?

The benefits of pre-interview coaching are that you will feel much more positive about the interview situation, and approach it with increased confidence and fewer nerves. You will present yourself in the best possible light, and actually have a competitive advantage, in that you will have prepared much more thoroughly than the other candidates are likely to have done! You may find, like some of my clients, that you actually enjoy the process which was once such an ordeal!

I find that typically I spend about 3 hours with pre-interview clients, in 2 sessions of about 1 and a half hours each, at a cost of about £300 sterling. You will find that you quickly get a return on this investment as you take control of your life and your career, and find a job which is fulfilling both personally and financially.

Andy Britnell is an executive coach who works with businesspeople in both the private and public sectors who wish to achieve better results. More information can be seen at http://executive-coaching-for-business-growth.com/ and http://executive-coaching-for-business-growth.com/executive-coaching-testimonials.html/

Sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter Grow and Learn at http://andybritnell.co.uk/

In a search for happiness, many people look for it in other people and not within ourselves. Many people feel that things like money, a better job, better relationships..etc will make them happy. In reality, to find true contentment you must look inside yourself and learn to be your own best friend. That means you have to trust, love, and care for yourself just as you do the people you consider to be close to you.

Following are steps that you can incorporate into your life that will help you to feel more empowered and happy about yourself!

Begin to lift yourself up, not put yourself down. If you don’t like something about yourself, work to change it. If you can’t change it, simply accept it. Don’t beat up on yourself with negative self-talk. You’re not likely to change for the better when you fill yourself with negative thoughts.

Give yourself positive rewards. When you do something that you are proud of give yourself a small reward. Try not to wait for others to praise you because you may grow resentful if the praise doesn’t come. Pat your own back, it is a great feeling that can stay with you for a long time.

Forgive yourself. I doubt that you would keep scolding a child over and over for making a mistake so don’t do that to yourself. Give yourself the gift of forgiveness when you make a mistake. After that, work to figure out what lesson you can learn, and use it to make better choices the next time around.

Enjoy your successes. Most people can remember all of the details of depressing, painful or even embarrassing events that happened many years ago. What if you did the same thing with all of your wins? Try to remember all of the triumphs and accomplishments that you’ve made and keep that memory with you and think about it at least once a week.

Always remember to celebrate your wonderful qualities! You will soon discover that the more you love yourself, the more you will be able to give love to others - and the more others will be able to love you!

Aurelia Williams, is a certified Personal Life Coach www.reallifecoaching.net who offers a free initial session and owner of Real Life Solutions www.reallifesolutions.net a Family Resource site that helps you lead an emotionally & physically healthier, more productive and less stressful life.

Choice, the Magazine of Professional Coaching, Vol. 3 Issue 1 cover reads “Why Don’t Coaches Make More Money?” The article cites that coaches make less than $20,000 a year offering free complimentary sessions in a struggle to gain clients and most are not cut out to be business owners.

Why don’t coaches make more money?

As the owner of a successful and growing coaching business I can clearly see the answer to this question. Coaches do not make more money for the following reasons:

1. They lack the marketing expertise to grow a business

2. They bill “by the hour” instead of developing programs and service packages for their clientele,

3. They do not coach the whole person, instead focusing only on their niche area or

4. They haven’t identified a niche!

Coaching is rated by “Entrepreneur” magazine as the one of largest at home based growing business; its income potential is growing toward explosion. So why don’t coaches make more money?

Many coaches come from other helping professions, therapists, social workers as well as from corporate positions. Many helping professionals rely on the referrals of managed care to fill their practice and openly express concern when becoming a coach as to how they will get clients. Many coaches are not familiar with the systems and processes involved in running a business, having the right product for the right audience and knowing how to engage clients rapidly in their business.

Coaching businesses do not come with a marketing funnel of clients. A funnel needs to be created through the use of direct and internet marketing. By applying the systems and strategies used by successful entrepreneurs, coaches can rapidly accelerate their incomes.

As a coach I know we provide more to our clients than the time we spend with them. I see clients in my Nashua NH office and I also coach worldwide. Outside of session time I think about my clients, respond to their email and receive brief phone calls between sessions.

Coaches often bill their clients by the month, only pointing to the pricing based on time in session. Instead, build an entire series of programs to serve your clients, offering several pricing options. A program includes coaching, email support, review of information outside of session, brief phone calls, assessments, evaluations, worksheets, workbooks, journals, and numerous resources.

You do it anyway, now build a program and get paid for it. Coach your clients on on every aspect of their lives and as a result most clients will sign up for a six month initial contract. Offer more than coaching, offer a program packed with resources such as e-zines, teleclasses, webinars, e-courses, individual and group coaching and access to forums. So why don’t coaches make more money?

They have the skills and the knowledge. They simply need the tools. Want to make coaching income history for the next magazine report? Become a skilled business owner and market your business effectively. For FREE tips to improve your marketing visit www.TipsToMarketingMastery.com

Debora McLaughlin and Juanita Bellavance, Co-founders, Audacious Entrepreneurs™, an International Enterprise. http://www.MarketingMastery.com

We all like being creative. Our busy schedule hardly gives us any time to spent time with our self’s. Constant focus on work makes our life dull. One of the best ways to make your life colorful is by doing some painting in your spare time. A Painting Book consists of some beautiful and decorative paintings. If you are an artist it will definitely help your cause.

Today you can find many painting book outlets providing some wonderful painting books. If you would like to learn painting you can find a painting book that meets your cause. There are books for beginners that provide step by step guidance of different aspects of painting. These books also provide you with some useful information about color mixing. Painting books are also available for advanced artist. These painting books are highly advanced and drive the artist to new world of creativity.

Painting can be of different types. There are books designed specially for a specific type of painting. A person interested in face painting can find a book specially designed for painting a face. Similarly, a person interested in learning house painting can find a painting book as per his choice. Painting books are also available on tole painting and oil painting. These specially designed books provide various tips and guidelines and train a person into a professional artist.

Isabella Rodrigues writes for painting-books.info, offering the latest information on painting books, visit them today and get the latest information on painting.

Visit today: http://www.painting-books.info

Is Having a Professional Coach a Solution to Optimizing your Practice’s Performance?

“What do you do?”

The proverbial question we get asked day in and day out by strangers, acquaintances, family, and friends. We are conditioned to answer with our current job or career.

Thanks to an anticipated, planned for and welcomed career change, my new answer is some version of “I am a professional coach.”

And the standard response back is, “Really, for what sport?”

“The game of life,”

I say and then the conversation either stops in its tracks, or takes off to some very interesting place.

And in the ensuing conversation, I tell them about this relatively new profession called “coaching” which most often has an adjective in front of coaching such as life, professional, executive, business or other such phrases that identify the coach’s niche.

I appreciate the opportunity to have this conversation with you via this newsletter, and hope the information shared will tell what a coach is, and how enhancing your coaching skills or engaging a coach might help improve the performance of your medical practice, and might even be a solution for helping your disgruntled, irritable, difficult to get along with physician, or perhaps the “newbie” physician who is awestruck with the transition from residency.

“What is a coach?”

A coach is your champion; partner; advisor; guide; counselor; consoler; touchstone; personal listener; confidante; teacher or as one coach puts it, “the gardener of your mind.” A coach helps you enhance the quality of your professional and personal lives, and reach peak performance and your ultimate potential.

So as you can surmise, coaching is a dynamic process of discovery, growth and development. Coaching creates an environment where there is freedom from judgment and from expectation, yet one of accountability and growth. In a coaching relationship, it is safe to question, appear vulnerable, observe, explore, experiment, learn and change. The process is designed to ensure lasting change and promote continuous growth.

In the hectic, demanding world of health care, professionals and leaders must find a way of staying on top of the surf, so that they are not sucked down and out by the riptide. A coach helps his client ride the wave, navigate through the rough waters, and enjoy the ride. There are so many reasons for physicians to feel disenchanted with their chosen profession, their calling. Having a coach helps them get back in touch with their passion for being a healer.

“So, a coach is like a therapist?”

Therapists typically work with people who need help becoming emotionally healthy. They deal with past issues and how to overcome them. So therapists tend to work with dysfunctional people to get them back to functional. Coaching is action oriented. It is about achieving growth through identifying and reaching goals, rather than by working through past issues. So a coach helps people go from functional to exceptional.

Another interesting distinction is that a coach is not a mentor although a coaching relationship has some characteristics of mentoring. Most often, a mentor is someone in your company who is higher up in the organizational structure, and is bestowing knowledge upon you to prepare you for greater responsibility and upward movement. In contrast, a coaching relationship is a partnership which draws on the wisdom and the knowledge of both parties. The coach does not have an agenda other than what his client wants.

“OK, I understand, but what application does it have to my business world?”

Executive coach

is the term most frequently used to refer to coaches who work with businesses, professionals or in your case, medical practices. In essence, instead of two parties, there are three—the company, the client and the coach. The leaders of the most successful companies recognize that the attraction, development, motivation and retention of highly talented people are the biggest contributors to maximizing the company’s success. They see the engagement of a coach as a proactive, positive way to help an employee, most often a manager or a professional, reach certain goals, change some behaviors, or develop specific management competencies. The employee agrees to these expectations and to working with a coach; and the employer engages the coach for the employee. The confidentiality of the coaching conversation remains sacrosanct; the employer is notified only if the employee is not participating.

In the business arena, a coach is sometimes referred to as a consultant. While there are some similarities, as importantly, there are some key differences. A consultant brings expertise, and thus answers to the proposed question or challenge. Typically, he then leaves the company with a report and recommendations to implement. A coach has expertise and answers; however, he works with you to identify the answers that will work best for the company and then stays through the implementation steps to ensure the changes materialize and the results are realized.

“So an executive coach can help me improve the performance of my people and thus, my bottom line?”

Yes, executive coaching is an investment in human capital just like traditional training and education programs. In fact, coaching and training frequently go hand in hand and studies have shown that doing so improves productivity 88% versus 22% with training alone. (Public Personnel Management, Winter 1997 v26 n4 p4610) The coaching assists his client in overcoming the obstacles that otherwise would prevent him from inculcating the imparted knowledge. Humans are creatures of habit, and we all know that breaking habits and embracing new ones is a great challenge. A coach helps us get out of our own way, so that we can reach for and accomplish greater things.

“You know in my practice, our focus is on teamwork. How does an executive coach help with that?”

Actually the principles applied to coaching individuals also apply to coaching groups or teams of people. A coach can assist a team in optimizing the communication amongst the members and maximizing the synergy of the group. As a result, performance and outcomes are maximized—which is critical in today’s world of declining reimbursements and increasing malpractice premiums. Especially with teams, coaching helps shorten the learning and the doing curves, so minimizing the investment of time and expenses while optimizing results.

“Gosh, I am now thinking that I would really enjoy working with a coach.”

Actually, many executives/CEOs work with coaches for they are frequently the “lone man on the totem pole”. Being a practice manager means you are the “lone man,” with many unofficial “bosses” –that is a huge challenge to navigate alone. Some of your physicians may feel the same way. A coach gives you someone to bounce ideas off of; express concerns and fears; brainstorm ways of handling difficult issues; role play difficult conversations; etc. Using a coach actually helps reduce your stress. Of course you have colleagues and others that assist you, but the differentiating factor for a coach is that he does not have an agenda, or a “stake in the game”, and thus, is all about you.

“How do I learn more or find a coach?”

The International Coaching Federation, www.coachfederation.org, is the recognized organization that most professional coaches belong to. The site has more information about coaching as well as a list of coaches by area. The nice thing about coaching is that the most common medium of delivery is the phone. Majority of coaches offer a free
introductory session, and are truly interested in educating others about coaching. You can also download a handbook on executive coaching at www.executivecoachingforum.com.

Janet Crawford MBA, MHA is CEO of Tiberius Enterprises, Inc. and an Executive Coach. She has a heartfelt connection to the medical profession, having worked as a healthcare administrator and practice manager in her previous life. She can be reached at 540-342-2844 or jc@tiberiusenterprises.com, and the company’s website is www.tiberiusenterprises.com.

Originally published in Virginia Medical Group Management Association newsletter, Vol. 6, No.1 Winter 2005

Janet Crawford holds a BA, Baylor University (1982) & MBA/MHA, University of Missouri (1984).As an Executive Coach, Professional Speaker & author, her mission is to help individuals & organizations maximize their return on human capital—managing human behaviors for optimal outcomes.