Archive for the ‘Business Coach Training for Managers’ Category

How can you deal with a conflict of values & beliefs?
Well I am a very fortunate person to be able to work with lots of people and help them to understand their values & beliefs, and how to deal with any conflicts and reduce any impacts due to conflict.

What happens when the ones you have had installed during your up bringing from our parents etc and you have true respect for these, as they have been proven to be successful many times over!

Then alongside these values & beliefs you also begin to develop additional values & beliefs of your own, which you have faith in and also think will be equally as useful. But when you are in business and you have two lots of values & beliefs, one you were brought up on by your parents and one you have nurtured yourself.

What do you do?
Which one do you decide is best for you and your business?
What If I get it wrong and I make the wrong choice?

For example:- If your business is not making money then you have no business? Yet you can have a very viable business potentially but without cash flow you cannot survive. Plus you have to speculate to accumulate.

In business you have to make many difficult decisions and you have to make them and not to deliberate to long on which option to I make. Then main thing is that you do make a decision and then stick with your choice. Avoid procrastination, as this will only confuse things and distract your attention away from the main focus of running a successful business.

There are many ways you can run businesses in this day and age, some are easier than others. But you cannot let a conflict of values & beliefs get in the way or stop you from achieving your business objectives. Once you have chosen which one suits you best can you make a judgement of which one was the best for you and your business.

There are so many businesses today that are virtual businesses with minimal overheads, i.e. out sourced office facilities, out sourced HR, freelance staff on a self employed basis, minimal ownership of equipment or stock etc. etc. that are very successful and everyone gains from collaborating with each other. Because they all work under one umbrella, then their over heads and running costs are greatly reduced and it is easier to make a profit and invest in future projects and ventures.

So you can run and build a business empire with very little money with the right amount of thought and planning put into place. Which means a business model that requires money to make money, seems financially viable, but you can have a business model that requires limited money or little financial investment. Which can also grow successfully, so it is about choice and which business model (value & belief) is best for you. The difference is one model is an old and trusted model and one is relatively a new model.

So check out all your options and then make a decision based on fact, and facts that suit you and formulate the correct value & beliefs for yourself!

 

I was watching a new version of treasure island on TV today, and it gave me so much entertainment, it started me thinking about how a treasure map that could motivate people in life and business.

Imagine if you had a map of a tropical island, which has the added benefit of hidden buried treasure!

And you are the only person who knows about it, what would you do?

Would you ignore it?

Would you investigate further?

Would you take action?

Lets suppose you investigated and decide to take action and to try and find this island. What goals would you set yourself?

For me, I would set myself an altermate goal, which would be on retrieving the treasure that is buried on the island. Then I would back track to where I am today and what mini goals I need to set along the way to be able to find this hidden buried treasure.

So lets think about what would be needed to enable you to set sail and go off around the world to find this island, and then what you require to dig up the buried treasure?

Potential list of requirements :-

Food, drinks / fluid, clothes, toiletries, equipment, ship, crew, money, maps, navigation tools, radio equipment, first aid, etc. etc. etc.  Plus how will you make sure you don’t lose your treasure, once discovered and others now know about your new found potential wealth.

Now I want you to think about the above scenario and relate it to your own business or life style and what would you need to do,  to achieve your desired results and find the treasure (which could be anything in life or business that you want to achieve this year or in the future)!

Because like the story and film about Treasure Island, there are lots of good intentions, but then there are also lots of possible problems or issues that could get in your way.

You need to think long and hard about what you want to achieve, write down the options that might be available to you, and continue to do so until you have exhausted the process. Then you need to review each and every option in turn, and look at the positives and negatives for each option. You will need to be very open and honest with yourself to enable this process to be effective. Once you have completed this process you will have discovered the best option available to you to be able you to achieve your outcome goal of finding the buried treasure.

So the morel of the story is that you need to think outside of the box, i.e. stand back, if needed get support from others that would add value for you in being able to reach your ultimate goal.

Then focus on what it is you want to achieve and why you want to achieve this particular objective, look for potential issues / problems that might get in your way, then workout how you can overcome them or get round them so you can continue on your journey to the ultimate objective and for you to achieve your goal.

I hope this is of use to you , as this formula has helped me to achieve so much in my own life.

If you need to discuss or want help along your journey in life, contact me direct and let me help you to focus on your own journey to success.

Best wishes

Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The GROW coaching model is recognised as one of most popular coaching models to use when setting yourself goals.

It consists of six parts in the process, which are:-

1) State your goal in the positive.

2) Have and evidence procedure.

3) Can you start and maintain the goal yourself.

4) Contextualise.

5) Maintain the positive by products.

6) Ecology.

Lets take each stage in turn, so do we mean by stating with state the goal in the positive?

The goal you want to achieve must be something you actually want and not something you want to avoid. By positive thoughts and actions enables the mind to focus on what you want in life. The mind is unable to focus on negative goals.

i.e. I don’t want to put any weight on? or I want to loose ten pounds over the next four weeks via exercise and reducing fatty foods.

Have an evidence procedure – This is trying imagine what it would be like, when you have achieve your goal, .i.e. what will it look like, feel like or what will you hear going on around you once you have achieved your goal.

Metaphor

When Linford Christie (the athlete) won his gold medal, when he was then interviewed. He stated that he had no doubts that he was going to win a gold medal, because he had run that race a thousand times in his mind and had experienced in his mind what it would be like to win. The only way he was not going to win was if he had an accident on the day!  He said he had heard the national anthem being played, he heard the crowds cheering, he saw the flags waving, he said the jubilant crowd jumping up and down in the stadium.

This stage is very powerful and aids the experience and motivation in working towards your goal.

Can you start and maintain the goal yourself ? This stage is important to work out what support you may need and whether you can do on your own merit.

Contextualise - This stage is only required when you are talking about behaviours etc .i.e. I want to be more assertive ? Be sure where and when in your life you want to be more assertive. If you are in charge of a sales team at work and feel you need to be more assertive with the team, make sure it is only work that want to be assertive and not to include be assertive when you get home and are with the family. As your partner and children will not appreciate the change.

Maintain the positive by products – This stage is about knowing your existing strengths and making sure you don’t diminish them whilst working towards your goal. Otherwise you gain one thing and lose another.

And finally the Ecology ? This stage is about whether the goal is worthwhile, what’s involved, how much time is needed, what effort do you have to commit to to achieve the goal. What are the benefits of achieving this goal.

This model gives you a process to follow when setting goals, it is even better if you get a life or business coach to help you. Because they have the skills to make sure you maximise your goal setting techniques.

 

Feel stressed, tired and miserable? Then take time out, you need to relax. Your body is telling you it needs loving tender care, so take heed and listen to what your body is telling you!
If we continue to ignore what our bodies are telling us, then we are asking for trouble at some stage or time in the future?
Here is a relaxation exercise taken from businessballs.com
Sit or lie down comfortably. Properly comfortably. Straighten your back, put your shoulders back to open your rib-cage.
Relax your shoulder muscles particularly. Relax your whole body, and empty your mind.
Close your eyes (obviously open them when you need to read the next stage).
Take ten deep, slow breaths. Breathe from the pit of your stomach and feel your lungs filling.
Focus on your breathing. Feel it getting deeper and slower. Feel yourself relaxing and any tension drifting away.
Relax your shoulders and neck again.
Visualise yourself being happy, succeeding, winning, being loved, laughing, feeling good.
Relax your forehead, your mouth and your eyes.
Allow a gentle smile to appear on your face as you feel a calmness enter your mind.
Then say (out load ideally) the words below (a script for personal change) to yourself:
Here are some beginning statements to build on to help get you started,
I deserve to be,……………
I want to be,………………
I can be,…………………..
I will be,………………….
I am……………………….
Once you have recharged the batteries so to speak, you will be up and running like new, feeling refreshed and able to cope with life, family and work.
Other ways to reduce stress and relax the body can be undertaken in various ways:-
1. Humour – Is probably the best way to relieve stress, they say that laughter is the best cure and it is also infectious.
2. Brisk Walk – Walking allows you to take time on your own in the fresh air and the exercise help to get rid of stress.
3. Rehydrate – Sometimes the lack of fluid intake will cause stress, so to rehydrate replenishes the soul.
4. Catnap or Powernap – A short rest bite and taking a Catnap or Powernap, which ever you want to call it, recharges the batteries on a temporary basis.
5. Make a Cuppa – Well the good old British Cuppa, tends to solve most things in life! its a combination of the Tea, a short rest and rehydration.
6. Crying – Crying is a way of relieving stress via another emotional state, personally I would rather laugh than cry.
7. Sex !!!!! – Well it speaks for itself, it could be humorous, it beats a brisk walk and afterwards you can have your Catnap / Powernap followed by a nice Cuppa to Rehydrate you. And if that does’nt work then have a good Cry!
But which ever method you take or use, you will feel less stressed.
Alternatively avoid stress by listening to your body and remember you are fundimentally made of three parts your body (the machine) your mind
(is your Sat Nav) and your soul (is the energy and personality that make – You the person) and they all need to be in-sink to be effective. If the machine breaks down or the mind loses its way or is confused, it can’t function normally and your soul is left to carry on and deliver the goods all on its own!
So a healthy body, mind and soul is what to aim for?

Goal setting.
Open questions.
Overall Aim(goal).
What do you want?
What do you want to work towards?
What is your aim?
What do you want to achieve?
What do you want to gain?
What is your goal for the future?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When do you want to achieve your goal?
What do you want to be?
Remember: Overall goal needs to be specific. Need to get coachee to focus on what they want to achieve rather than what they want to avoid.
Goal session
What do want to walk away with by the end of this session?
By the end of the session what do want to achieve?
Evidence Procedure
How will you know when you have achieved your goal?
What will … look like?
What will it be like when you have achieved your goal?
What will this give you?
What do you want to hear?
What will others see when you achieve your goal?
How will achieving that feel?
How can you measure your success?
What tools can you use to measure this?
How will you feel when you achieve your goal?
What will people be saying when you achieve your goal?
How will people see you when you achieve your goal?
How will you see yourself?
Imagine you achieve your goal! What’s happening around you?
Paint a picture, what will you see?
What will you be saying when you achieve your goal?
How will you celebrate success?
What do you feel like when you achieve your goal?
What do you think it will be like to achieve your goal?
Can you imagine what it will look like to achieve your goal?
What emotions will you feel when you achieve your goal?
Remember: Evidence procedure lets the coachee know what it will be like when they achieve their goal. You need to get all three predicates in at this stage (i.e. visual, kinesthetic and auditory). To find out your coachee’s preferred predicate ask a neutral question like “ What will it be like when you achieve your goal?”
Maintain positive by products of current situation
What are you doing well at the moment?
Is all about ensuring that the coachee knows what their strengths are. How can they keep their current performance where it is and focus on goal. What is the coachee willing to give up to achieve their goal.
What can they bring with them to help to work towards their goal.
What is currently working?
How can you ensure you maintain these strengths?
What good things would you like to bring with you?
What will you lose by doing ………
What can you bring forward to support your goal?
How will you maintain your current performance whilst you are developing?
What sacrifices are you willing to make to achieve your goal?
What measurements can you put in place to ensure that your strengths stay strong and still focus on your goal?
What are your key strengths?
What are your strengths?
What do you like about your job?
What impacts will achieving your goal have on your current strengths?
How will you ensure this doesn’t happen?
What key skills do you have?
How will you maintain the positives?
What can you put in place to measure that your current performance stays in place whilst gaining your goal?
What will it feel like if working towards your goal you lose…?
Ecology.
Is the big picture. What will be going on around the coachee when they are working towards their goal. What’s in it for them?
What resources will you need?
How much will this cost?
How important is this to you? What reasons is this important to you?
How much time do you need?
How is achieving … in keeping with your sense of self?
How much of an impact will this have on your values and beliefs?
By achieving … what benefits will this be to you personally and the business?
Who will it effect?
How much time are you willing to put in?
What are you getting from achieving this?
What reasons are you committed to this?
Is this goal worth time and effort?
What reasons are you committed to achieving this?
What’s in this for you?
What benefits will you get from achieving …..?
How will achieving this effect your home life/social life?
Remember you only need to do the four steps on the overall aim( big goal). From here on in you work on the goal for the session.You will only need to perform the four stages of goal setting if in your second session that the overall goal changes or if it is your first coaching session with the individual.

I thought that for today’s post I would lighten the mood a bit with some humour. Us life coaches do have a sense of humour you know, and contrary to belief we’re also human too!
For those of you that know me, you will realise that although the stuff below is funny, there is a serious message within it too.
Is The Glass Half Full Or Half Empty?
The optimist says the glass is half full.
The pessimist says the glass is half empty.
The project manager/engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
The realist says the glass contains half the required amount of liquid for it to overflow.
And the cynic… wonders who drank the other half.
The school teacher says it’s not about whether the glass is half empty or half full, it’s whether there is something in the glass at all.
Anyway… Attitude is not about whether the glass is half full or half empty, it’s about who is paying for the next round.
The professional trainer does not care if the glass is half full or half empty, he just knows that starting the discussion will give him ten minutes to figure out why his powerpoint presentation is not working!
The ground-down mother of a persistently demanding five-year-old says sweetheart it’s whatever you want it to be, just please let mummy have five minutes peace and quiet.
The consultant says let’s examine the question, prepare a strategy for an answer, and all for a daily rate of…
The inquisitive troublemaker wants to know what’s in the glass anyhow… and wants the rest of it.
The homebuilder sees the dirty glass, washes and dries it, then puts it away in a custom oak and etched glass cabinet that he built himself using only hand tools.
The worrier frets that the remaining half will evaporate by next morning.
The fanatic thinks the glass is completely full, even though it isn’t.
The entrepreneur sees the glass as undervalued by half its potential.
The computer specialist says that next year the glass capacity will double, be half the price, but cost you 50% more for me to give you the answer.
So, which category do you fall in to?

NLP helps to enhance performance via modelling excellence.

Whether we talk about life or business, everyone uses eye patterns to recall or create memories and they are linked to the way we inturpret what is going on in our lives. We record and store memories using all of our senses, i.e. Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory – In simple terms : -

(Sight, Sound, Feelings, Smell & Taste).

So it is very useful to know and understand what is going on in their minds, when we communicate with them. Also we can identify if they have actual knowledge and experience or have just imagined what it might be like without any actual or real experience!

Having this knowledge and understanding of someone else’s actual knowledge and experience, can help you, when relaying important information. You will know if you have to give further guidance or additional information to help those who have none or very little knowledge or experience, or whether you give a different set of instructions because the person has a greater understanding based on own experience as to what is required.

I found a very useful youtube video clip that demonstrates in very simple and easy terms what  eye patterns actually are and do!

Eye Patterns (NLP)

I hope you enjoyed this clip, there is so much you can gain from NLP and how you can use it to your advantage in life, in work and in your business!

 

 

To be a good leader there are several things you need to be aware of, so you can be that one step ahead.

First you need to see things as they are and not worse then it is.

*Anticipation is the alternate power, great leaders use this power to their advantage, because they look for and see things better than it is.

And then they make it the way they see it. Because 80% of what we do is psychology and 20% is down to the mechanics. So being in the right frame of mind and raising the game to enable you to think above those around you, which enables you to see, hear and feel what is going around you before others do!

Another area good leaders have is hunger which leads to motivation and success. Do not let your limiting beliefs get in your way and hold you back, successful people get results due to being resourceful, rather than a lack of resource!

And what are resources, I hear you say? Well in simple terms, resources are a combination of energy, commitment, being flexible, have compassion, vision and determination.

So the X factor for leaders is to have mastery of human emotions, which provides you with a quality of life, also the quality of your decisions can impact on the quality of life as well.

Decisions control your destiny!

There are three key decisions you have to consider,

1) What are you going to focus on?

2) Power to achieve, What does that mean?

3) What are you going to do?

So stay away from negative people or situations because they will effect the way you feel and make you have a story that impacts in a negative way on your state. If do get stuck with negative person or situation, always look for the positive way out, because with every negative there is always a positive , you just have to find it!

Two things control your decisions,

1) State – how you are from moment to moment.

2) Blueprint your Story, how your daily story or picture of the world and how it effects your emotions.

You need to change what or how you are currently thinking to change your actual state, which alters things for the long term.

*Something to consider is emotion creates emotion!

Your state effects your actions which impacts on your behaviour and end results. Psychology behind this is you get what you focus on!

 

 

Business coaching what is it and how does it work?

Well,  lets start by discussing what is business coaching, it is a method of providing support and engaging with an individual who has a business and wants to find out what can I do for them?

On a day to day basis we do not ask ourselves the right questions and the reason being is that we do not want to answer any difficult questions because that means they have to do something about it! Sounds very simple and straight forward, but the problem is your conscious mind does not want to know, yet your sub conscious mind has the answers stored, awaiting to be asked!

That is why a business coach can be effective, via asking direct and relevant questions that will be open and require answers!  Then based on the responses received from the client, depends on the next question a business coach will ask. And so on, until you move a client into understanding their current situation, and then exploring what options they have to resolve any issues, they then help to check out the pros and cons on every option available. This is invaluable to enable a businessman to be able to move forwards and upwards with there own goals and objectives.

Unfortunately on their own they are not be able to ask themselves the right questions or challenge themselves enough to resolve issues, problems or barriers that might stand in their way or how to overcome them!

It sounds simple but is not simple in reality, because a business coach has to go through extensive training to be qualified to become a certified business coach.

It does not sound like rocket science, but in fact unless you have relevant qualifications, knowledge, life experience you will not have the expertise to achieve the desired results. So there is an element of rocket science involved.

I can guarantee you that without training, knowledge or live experience it is difficult to become a business coach, but someone with the expertise and qualifications will deliver results and enable people and businesses to succeed via business coaching, when on their own they run the risk of getting railroaded or sidelined because they do not know how to go it alone!

So the moral of the story is to get yourself a good business coach to help you to achieve true success, via the support of coaching to resolve issues, problems and enables you to set your sights on what is important, so you can focus on the relevant objectives that need to be dealt with next and allow you to stay focused on the overall objective / goal that you want to achieve!