Coaching Tips
Try the Four Directions Exploration for Breakthroughs and New Insights
One of my great loves in coaching is incorporating movement and activating the intelligence centers in the body. While I have found it easier to do this with the guidance of a coach or a colleague, I have also been successful in doing this on my own. Perhaps you’ll try this exercise on your own…
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Stay Focused on your Why
Years ago, Simon Sinek and others wrote a series of books dedicated to helping leaders discover their purpose and make that the focal point for their work in the world. He called one’s purpose the “why” and defined it as “the compelling higher purpose that inspires us and acts as the source of all we…
What Skills can Coaching Support to Ensure AI Enhances Our Humanity?
“Machines excel in processing data and making decisions based on predictive logic — so much so that they will likely eventually become more effective than their human counterparts at many of these analytical tasks. However, they fall short of grasping the intricacies of human emotions and social dynamics. “A.I. will become a complement to our human experience…
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Empower Others & Yourself Through Asking Questions
I recently taught a Foundations of Coaching class to a group of professionals in Philadelphia. The participants quickly realized how challenging it can be to ask questions instead of tell others what to do. Why is the coaching skill of asking questions relevant for the workplace? And how can asking questions support greater understanding and…
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Check Your Assumptions
Check your assumptions. That is this month’s tip. When you do not ask questions with curiosity, when you do not seek to learn more, when you assume you know what the other person will say or do, that leads to misunderstandings, errors, and underperformance. In January and February, the coaching tips focused on listening. One…
The Heart-Centered Listening Approach
Building on last month’s tips about listening, this month I share some examples of how to listen and speak with your heart below. Direct report: I‘m just really struggling right now to focus. There is so much to do and I just feel overwhelmed. Manager: [In the manager’s mind: Well, our customers don’t care you…
Level 3 Listening
Listen to what others have to say at the 3rd level. What is the 3rd level? Also called “global listening”, this involves tuning into everything about the other person, yourself, and everything in your environment all at the same time. This includes noticing your own bodily sensations, sensing the other person’s energy, being aware of…