Tag Archives: goals

Three Shifts That Change EVERYTHING!!!

WhenYouChangeTheWayYouLookAt Things_DyerChange

In Coaching, a shift indicates a transition from one place or position to another. A Coach can create an environment for a shift to occur, but only the Coachee can actually make the shift. In my coaching, I have observed 3 shifts that make a world of difference for clients. And while a shift will mean different things to different people, overall it tends to feel like wholeness and self-acceptance, which are vital to happiness. I share the below tips in hopes that readers benefit from the information below and it moves them towards an increased state of happiness, harmony and wholeness. The three Shifts are:

  1. From Roles to Relationships: Oftentimes, we see ourselves in roles – Wife, Husband, Supervisor, Employee, etc.  Roles indicate duties  – things we should do, would do and could do. Yet these roles also signify relationships and connections – things we get to do, choose to do and want to do. Seeing roles as relationships aligns with one’s values and speaks to who they are.  As a person gains a greater awareness of themselves, roles and accomplishments seem less urgent and they in turn just want to find and enjoy who they are and what they contribute to their relationships. (Gibson, 2016).
  2. From Distraction to Decision: Choice Overload Theory observes that too many options lead to adverse consequences like decreased motivation to choose or a greater chance for dissatisfaction once a choice is made. Today, individuals have an array of choices when it comes to choosing careers, places to live, things to do and places to go (Scheibehenne et. al., 2010). So many choices can be a distraction to the key question – ‘What outcome do you want?’ When one shifts from distraction to decision, they gain focus – and the minute we block out distractions and make decisions, whatever we focus on will inevitably be the best choice.
  3. From Extrinsic to Intrinsic: In his New York Times Best-Seller, Drive (2009), Daniel Pink argues that the secrets to high performance and satisfaction rest in the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. This assertion challenges popular misconceptions that money, position and other’s opinions drive us to greater achievement. By connecting with our intrinsic motivations, we make decisions that align with who we are and who we aspire to be, not external influences which can lead to living someone else’s life and achieving someone else’s dreams.

The common theme amongst each shift is the need to get clear on who we are. In the words of John Whitmore (2009), “Self – Awareness leads to Self – Confidence leads to Self – Fulfillment.” Now, GET GOING!!!!

References:

Coach U. (2005). The Coach U Personal and Corporate Coach Training Handbook. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Gibson, L. (2016, April). Your Three Life Goals. Tidewater Women. P.19.

Pink, D. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead Publishing, Inc.

Scheibehenne, B., Greifeneder, R., & Todd, P. M. (2010). Can There Ever Be Too Many Options? A Meta-Analytic Review of Choice Overload. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(3), 409-425.

Whitmore, J. (2009). Coaching for Performance: GROWing Human Potential and Purpose – The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership, 4th Edition. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Being a Bridge Builder

One of the most important roles of a leader is building and fostering relationships with colleagues and within work groups and teams. The below story provides a little insight into the importance of being the bridge builder:

Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in many years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed for mutual benefit. Then, one day things fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on the older brother’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days work,” said the man.

“Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?”

“Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor, in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll do him one better. See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence – an 8-foot fence – so I won’t need to see his place anymore.”

The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

The older brother bought the necessary supplies and then went off for the day.

The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.

At sunset, when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped open.

There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge… a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work handrails and all – and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.

“You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.”

The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother.

“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but, I have many more bridges to build.”

Woten (2014) notes the following as keys to building strong teams – we  will explore each key point in detail in the coming week’s posts,  they are: 1) Fostering high levels of trust and support 2) Establishing/ emphasizing clarity of Purpose and Goals 3) Instilling a sense of identity, commitment and respect 4) Facilitating clear and open communication and 5) Encouraging creativity, innovation, diversity, focus and discipline.

Stay tuned!!!

References:

Woten, M. B. (2014). Team Building in Nursing Care: Implementing. CINAHL Nursing Guide.

Leadership Involves Common Goals

leaders-createmoreleaders

In his book, EntreLeadership, Dave Ramsey (2011) shares how, “Goals are visions and dreams with work clothes on.” He goes on to observe how goals force practical steps into our lives which make our dreams come true. Goals help make great leaders, teams and organizations. Essentially, goals convert vision into energy, motion, excitement – ACTION!!

In the previous blog, Leadership Occurs In Groups, we note that leadership requires more than one person. In order to lead, someone must be following, this is not a permanent state of being as the mark of a truly great leader is that they will develop more leaders, not more followers.

Understanding that leaders have groups and that they lead these groups towards common goals, thus creating teams. Leaders ensure teams achieve big common goals by first recognizing their support to their teams is vital. Teams must feel and see their leader’s commitment in everything they do. Words are not enough, goals are about ACTION!! Second, leaders must ensure their teams receive adequate training  and coaching support so the learn how to operate effectively! Just assigning someone to a team does not make them a an active, productive member of that team. Training is one part – it expands the team’s perspective on its roles, and builds cohesion from the shared experience. Coaching ‘gels’ the team together by facilitating the building of a shared vision, mission and goals unique to the specific team. Coaching also helps teams gain clarity on not just their role but how their team unit fits and aligns directly with the overall organization mission and objectives (Taplin, Foster and Shortell, 2013).

Shared goals create unity. Leaders inspire their teams to think and dream bigger – to act in ways that far exceed their own expectations. In doing this, the team witnesses the power of goal setting. Team members, start developing their own personal goals. They start planning. They develop their own visions, missions and dreams and thus future leaders are born!

References:

Ramsey, D. (2011). EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches. New York: Howard Books.

Taplin, S.H., Foster, M.K., Shortell, S.M. (2013). Organizational Leadership For Building Effective Healthcare Teams. Annals of Family Medicine. 11(30). pp. 279 – 281.

Why Are There So Many Dimensions of Leadership? And How Do I Make Leadship Work For Me?

Thinking Figure

There is Authentic Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Situational Leadership, Team Leadership, Servant Leadership – there are leadership traits and leadership skills and 70+ prominent leadership theories – and the list goes on and on. But how does a leader know which is the best leadership approach for them and which is most effective for the many leadership situations they will find themselves in?

Kuhn (2012) offers one popular explanation of why there are so many areas of focus, noting that during the developmental stages of Leadership Theory there was an absence of a paradigm and all assertions seemed plausible. The author also suggested that due to the absence of a widely accepted and practiced scientific method, many concepts were evaluated and tested inconsistently, making it even harder for researchers to confidently dismiss any relative line of thinking.

Winston and Patterson (2006) arrived at a similar finding related to the large number of leadership dimensions. In their study, they identified 90+ dimensions of leadership, yet noted there was not one dimension that was widely accepted by the leadership research, education and practitioner communities .

Which brings us to the question – how is a leader to know what to do, and if they are leading well and doing the right things?

To answer this, Northouse (2013) recommends that leaders start by grasping a working definition of what leadership is – suggesting that the 4 basic components of leadership are:

  • Leadership is a process
  • Leadership involves influence
  • Leadership can only occur in groups
  • Leadership involves common goals

Over the next week, we will explore these components in greater detail and outline a process for leaders to develop their own framework and working approach that is the best fit for them. This will place them in a better position to determine which leadership areas of focus hold the greatest benefits for them.

References:

Kuhn, T. (2012).The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: 50th Anniversary Edition. University Of Chicago Press.

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.

Winston, B., & Patterson, K. (2006). An integrative definition of leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(2), pp. 6 – 66.