Archive for the ‘Small Business Advisor’ 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!

 

Elevator Speech / Pitch?

You need to describe yourself in detail, concisely and impressively, making sure you also inform what is you do and what you have to offer that is unique.

Also think outside of the box, by not having your own agenda, it is a bit like when you go fishing, there is you, your rode & reel, plus you have your hook & bate. Now all you need is a fish to take the bate, so you need to tease & entice your audience to take firm interest & for them to ask you questions! Once this happens you have the interest from you potential client or buyer? This is when you can switch into selling mode & to match the benefits & services to that you have offer & have established from them.

Be different.

You have to stand out from the crowd, so your audience want to know more & will seek you out to find out more! And remember people buy of people, but they want something that stands out from all your competitors. So be original & look to inspire those around you.

Help others.

Always seek to support & help others, for what you give out, you will get double in return. Also you will get support & free advice that is invaluable, which if you had to pay for would really cost you dearly.

Personal integrity.

Trust, reputation are key requirements that fellow businesses value & your potential clients will be looking for this, they do not want to deal with the insincere or people with the gift of the gab type of person. So invest in time & effort to build relationships that will stay with you & provide you with repeat business, but more importantly you also build your reputation & the key ingredient of respect & trust.

Relevant targeting.

One thing to remember no matter who your ideal target market is, that potentially everyone who has surplus cash available is a potential customer, it all depends on what attracts an individual marketing wise, as to what they will eventually spend that surplus cash on! So always remember even the most unexpected buyer could become your customer.

With this in mind, it is also good to know who your ideal target market is likely to be & how are you going to be able to actually present to them directly or in person.

i.e. Flyers, be mindful that these cost money, so make sure they are used effectively? For example do not suddenly decide to deliver a thousand flyers in your neighbourhood & a healthy return, the normal response rate is about 0.62% per hundred flyers, so not a great return for your investment.

But if you take one flyer & take it to one of your ideal target market & present it to the proprietor / owner? for example lets take a mobile valeting service & you take the first approach not much return from delivering to your local housing estates, but if you took the second option & take one flyer to say a supermarket with say 30 -40 staff working shifts & speak to the manager with a special offer plus perhaps a guaranteed day that you can be at the supermarket, you are likely to get a minimum return which will be much higher anything from 1 – 40 from one flyer. Far better odds don’t recon?

Plans & aims.

Always think about what type of networking is best for you, & how much time to invest in networking, there are lots of various groups, clubs etc out there, so be selective & plan your time to maximise the benefits available to you. Networking is a vital part of getting  your business the correct amount of exposure.

Follow up.

Make sure you follow up any meetings or referrals you have obtained, because delay, gives the impression that you either don’t care or are not interested, so make sure you act quickly to avoid losing any potential business. You might actually be very busy & just find it difficult to find time in your diary, but trust me find the time, otherwise you with very quickly have an empty diary.

Be positive.

This should go without saying, but I will mention it for those who think they can get by because they have a product or service that is vital to your client so don’t  have to be that positive. Well I have news for you, you are not the only supplier & people buy of people, a non positive attitude funny enough has a negative effect on those who have lost there positivity!

Sustained focused effort.

You need to always be focused & up for any challenge, this is vital for sustained growth, your efforts & commitment will be reward from remaining focused every day.

Life balance.

If you are grounded in your approach & find the right balance to suit you, your family, then your business & your clients will also benefit, because they will feel assurance in your abilities etc.

Follow the above principles & you will not go far wrong with your business marketing / networking.

 

People most at risk from stress (Further information which I have researched and thought you would enjoy from businessballs.com)

In one US study as many as 40% of workers described their jobs as very stressful. While not a scientific gauge and not measuring serious stress health problems, this gives some indication as to how prevalent work-related stress is. As regards official health records, in the UK, the nursing and teaching occupations are most affected by work-related stress, with 2% of workers at any one time suffering from work-related stress, depression and anxiety. (The figure for teachers rises to 4% when including physical conditions relating to stress.) Care workers, managers and professionals are the next highest affected occupations, with over 1% suffering from serious work-related stress at any one time. UK HSE work-related stress statistics suggest that work-related stress affects men and women in equal numbers, and that people in the 45-retirement age suffer more than younger people. More socially-based USA research suggests that the following American social groups are more prone to stress (this therefore not limited to work-related stress): young adults, women, working mothers, less educated people, divorced or widowed people, the unemployed, isolated people, people without health insurance, city dwellers. Combined with the factors affecting stress susceptibility (detailed below), it’s not difficult to see that virtually no-one is immune from stress. An American poll found that 89% of respondents had experienced serious stress at some point in their lives. The threat from stress is perceived so strongly in Japan that the Japanese even have a word for sudden death due to overwork, ‘karoushi’.

work-related stress trends

Data is sparse and confused (stress statistics are also complicated by metal health reporting in the UK), but the statistics do indicate certain growth. In the UK HSE statistics indicate a doubling of reported clinical cases between 1990 and 1999. Working days lost per annum appear to have been about 6.5 million in the mid-1990′s, but rose to over 13 million by 2001. Greater awareness of the stress ailment in reporting no doubt accounts for some of this variance, but one thing’s for sure: the number of people suffering from work-related stress isn’t reducing.

costs of stress

UK HSE statistics suggest stress-related costs to UK employers in the region of £700m every year. The cost of stress to society is estimated at £7bn pa. (These figures were respectively £350m and £3.7bn in 1995/6 when total days lost were half present levels.)

stress causes

Stress is caused by various factors – not all of which are work-related of course, (which incidentally doesn’t reduce the employer’s obligation to protect against the causes of stress at work). Causes of stress – known as stressors – are in two categories: external stressors and internal stressors.

external stressors – physical conditions such as heat or cold, stressful psychological environments such as working conditions and abusive relationships, eg., bullying.

internal stressors – physical ailments such as infection or inflammation, or psychological problems such as worrying about something.

From the above, it is easy to see that work can be a source of both external and internal stressors.

Stressors are also described as either short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic):

Short-term ‘acute’ stress is the reaction to immediate threat, also known as the fight or flight response. This is when the primitive part of the brain and certain chemicals within the brain cause a reaction to potentially harmful stressors or warnings (just as if preparing the body to run away or defend itself), such as noise, over-crowding, danger, bullying or harassment, or even an imagined or recalled threatening experience. When the threat subsides the body returns to normal, which is called the ‘relaxation response’. (NB The relaxation response among people varies; ie., people recover from acute stress at different rates.)
Long-term ‘chronic’ stressors are those pressures which are ongoing and continuous, when the urge to fight or flight has been suppressed. Examples of chronic stressors include: ongoing pressurised work, ongoing relationship problems, isolation, and persistent financial worries.
The working environment can generate both acute and chronic stressors, but is more likely to be a source of chronic stressors.

Stress effects on health and performance

Stress is proven beyond doubt to make people ill, and evidence is increasing as to number of ailments and diseases caused by stress. Stress is now known to contribute to heart disease; it causes hypertension and high blood pressure, and impairs the immune system. Stress is also linked to strokes, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), ulcers, diabetes, muscle and joint pain, miscarriage during pregnancy, allergies, alopecia and even premature tooth loss.

Various US studies have demonstrated that removing stress improves specific aspects of health: stress management was shown to be capable of reducing the risk of heart attack by up to 75% in people with heart disease; stress management techniques, along with methods for coping with anger, contributed to a reduction of high blood pressure, and; for chronic tension headache sufferers it was found that stress management techniques increased the effectiveness of prescribed drugs, and after six months actually equalled the effectiveness of anti-depressants. The clear implication for these ailments is that stress makes them worse.

Stress significantly reduces brain functions such as memory, concentration, and learning, all of which are central to effective performance at work. Certain tests have shown up to 50% loss of performance in cognitive tests performed by stress sufferers. Some health effects caused by stress are reversible and the body and mind reverts to normal when the stress is relieved. Other health effects caused by stress are so serious that they are irreversible, and at worse are terminal.

Stress is said by some to be a good thing, for themselves or others, that it promotes excitement and positive feelings. If these are the effects then it’s not stress as defined here. It’s the excitement and stimulus derived (by one who wants these feelings and can handle them) from working hard in a controlled and manageable way towards an achievable and realistic aim, which for sure can be very exciting, but it ain’t stress. Stress is bad for people and organisations, it’s a threat and a health risk, and it needs to be recognised and dealt with, not dismissed as something good, or welcomed as a badge of machismo – you might as well stick pins in your eyes.

Causes of stress at work

These are typical causes of stress at work:

bullying or harassment, by anyone, not necessarily a person’s manager
feeling powerless and uninvolved in determining one’s own responsibilities
continuous unreasonable performance demands
lack of effective communication and conflict resolution
lack of job security
long working hours
excessive time away from home and family
office politics and conflict among staff
a feeling that one’s reward reward is not commensurate with one’s responsibility
working hours, responsibilities and pressures disrupting life-balance (diet, exercise, sleep and rest, play, family-time, etc)
factors influencing the effects of stress and stress susceptibility

A person’s susceptibility to stress can be affected by any or all of these factors, which means that everyone has a different tolerance to stressors. And in respect of certain of these factors, stress susceptibility is not fixed, so each person’s stress tolerance level changes over time:

childhood experience (abuse can increase stress susceptibility)
personality (certain personalities are more stress-prone than others)
genetics (particularly inherited ‘relaxation response’, connected with serotonin levels, the brain’s ‘well-being chemical’)
immunity abnormality (as might cause certain diseases such as arthritis and eczema, which weaken stress resilience)
lifestyle (principally poor diet and lack of exercise)
duration and intensity of stressors (obviously…)

signs of stress – stress test

At a clinical level, stress in individuals can be be assessed scientifically by measuring the levels of two hormones produced by the adrenal glands: cortisol and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), but managers do not have ready access to these methods. Managers must therefore rely on other signs. Some of these are not exclusively due to stress, nor are they certain proof of stress, but they are indicators to prompt investigation as to whether stress is present. You can use this list of ten key stress indicators as a simple initial stress test: tick the factors applicable. How did I do?

sleep difficulties
loss of appetite
poor concentration or poor memory retention
performance dip
uncharacteristic errors or missed deadlines
anger or tantrums
violent or anti-social behaviour
emotional outbursts
alcohol or drug abuse
nervous habits
methods of personal stress management and stress relief

If you are suffering from work-related stress and it’s beginning to affect, or already affecting your health, stop to think: why are you taking this risk with your body and mind? Life’s short enough as it is; illness is all around us; why make matters worse? Commit to change before one day change is forced upon you.

If you recognise signs of stress in a staff member, especially if you are that person’s manager, don’t ignore it – do something about it. It is your duty to do so. If you do not feel capable of dealing with the situation, do not ignore it; you must refer it to someone who can deal with it. You must also look for signs of non-work-related stressors or factors that increase susceptibility to stress, because these will make a person more vulnerable to work-related stressors. These rules apply to yourself as well….

Stress relief methods are many and various. There is no single remedy that applies to every person suffering from stress, and most solutions involve a combination of remedies. Successful stress management frequently relies on reducing stress susceptibility and removing the stressors, and often factors will be both contributing to susceptibility and a direct cause. Here are some simple pointers for reducing stress susceptibility and stress itself, for yourself or to help others:

stress relief pointers

think really seriously about and talk with others, to identify the causes of the stress and take steps to remove, reduce them or remove yourself (the stressed person) from the situation that causes the stress.
Understand the type(s) of stressors affecting you (or the stressed person), and the contributors to the stress susceptibility – knowing what you’re dealing with is essential to developing the stress management approach.
improve diet – group B vitamins and magnesium are important, but potentially so are all the other vitamins and minerals: a balanced healthy diet is essential. Assess the current diet and identify where improvements should be made and commit to those improvements.
reduce toxin intake – obviously tobacco, alcohol especially – they might seem to provide temporary relief but they are working against the balance of the body and contributing to stress susceptibility, and therefore increasing stress itself.
take more exercise – generally, and at times when feeling very stressed – exercise burns up adrenaline and produces helpful chemicals and positive feelings.
stressed people must try to be detached, step back, look from the outside at the issues that cause the stress.
don’t try to control things that are uncontrollable – instead adjust response, adapt.
share worries – talk to someone else – off-load, loneliness is a big ally of stress, so sharing the burden is essential.
increase self-awareness of personal moods and feelings – anticipate and take steps to avoid stress build-up before it becomes more serious.
explore and use relaxation methods – they do work if given a chance – yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis, massage, a breath of fresh air, anything that works and can be done in the particular situation.
seek out modern computer aids – including free downloads and desktop add-ons – for averting stresses specifically caused by sitting for long uninterrupted periods at a computer screen work-station, for example related to breathing, posture, seating, eye-strain, and RSI (repetitive strain injury).
Note also that managing stress does not cure medical problems. Relieving stress can alleviate and speed recovery from certain illnesses, particularly those caused by stress, (which depending on circumstances can disappear when the stress is relieved); i.e., relieving stress is not a substitute for conventional treatments of illness, disease and injury.

Importantly, if the stress is causing serious health effects the sufferer must consult a doctor. Do not imagine that things will improve by soldiering on, or hoping that the sufferer will somehow become more resilient; things can and probably will get worse.

For less serious forms of stress, simply identify the cause(s) of stress, then to commit/agree to removing the cause(s). If appropriate this may involve removing the person from the situation that is causing the stress. Counselling may be necessary to identify the cause(s), particularly if the sufferer has any tendency to deny or ignore the stress problem.

Acceptance, cognisance and commitment on the part of the stressed person are essential. No-one can begin to manage their stress if they are still feeling acutely stressed – they’ll still be in ‘fight or flight’ mode. This is why a manager accused of causing stress though bullying or harassment must never be expected to resolve the problem. The situation must be handled by someone who will not perpetuate the stressful influence.

Removing the stressor(s) or the person from the stressful situation is only part of the solution; look also at the factors which affect stress susceptibility: where possible try to improve the factors that could be contributing to stress vulnerability. This particularly and frequently involves diet and exercise.

The two simplest ways to reduce stress susceptibility, and in many situations alleviate stress itself (although not removing the direct causes of stress itself) are available to everyone, cost nothing, and are guaranteed to produce virtually immediate improvements. They are diet and exercise.

 

The next 3 Saints Business Club Evening, in association with the Best of…. Pontypridd, Bridgend & Cardiff

Will be held on Feb 15th at 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Venue is @ the Three Saints Hotel & Conference Centre, based opposite the Royal Mint in Llantrisant.

The are no membership fee’s.

There is a small charge to cover the cost of food and venue etc.

Which is £10, if you book online or £15 if you pay at the door.

This event requires registration:direct via PayPal (Click Button)

An event not to be missed.

Specialist speaker – Susi Cernoch from Standby, (Virtual Assistant), will be giving a talk about “Outsourced Admin (& Social Media).”

Plus a mini presentation from Coaching Four Success about “Supporting Local Business.”

Enjoy great food and Network to your hearts content+ more!

Join the event that is rapidly growing in popularity, this will be the fifth event and promises to deliver the same high quality as previous events. “So what are you waiting for, don’t delay book today.”

This will be the second meeting since I have agreed to takeover the ownership and running of the 3 Saints Business Club from December 2011. My goal is to make this the best Local Networking Event in South Wales, I will be adding additional features and looking to add further services for our members to have access to, that will be of benefit.

Remember this is business club with a difference, it is run by Coaching Four Success, a local business “That Turns Your Wishes Into Reality.”

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped and given support to make this club a success as well especially the owner (Onkar) and staff at the Three Saints Hotel.

I look forward to seeing you all on the night.

Best wishes

Martin

http://www.martin@biginelli.co.uk

Telephone: 01446 401481
Mobile 07779859712

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is the question?

When do you need a business or life coach?

The answer is when you feel you want to develop yourself or your business further than you currently are at present. Its not rocket science, you need coaching when you are not able to achieve or progress in the direction you want to go and seem to struggle or find you have obstacles that stand in your way!

The coach is not a person who has all the answers, yet they may think they know what you require. Though a good coach will get you to come to your own conclusions via a series of questions carefully designed to make you think about what it is you really want in your business or in your own life.

Coaching can be viewed a bit like map reading and route finding combined together, first of all you need to know where you are aiming for and why you are heading in that direction at this point in your business or life. Once you have established your destination you can retrace your route back to the present time via a series of mini goals or objectives. Now you will have a clear direction of your future route and what stages you will met and have to achieve along the way.

It is so important to know what it is you really want and to know why you want it so much, because without a clear focus and understanding you are very unlikely to achieve anything at all. Or you will get to your destination and find it is not what you thought it would be, which will only lead you to frustration and disappointment.

Although I am a business and life coach, I believe everyone needs a coach including me, the reason why, is that we do not ask ourselves the right questions which are challenging enough to provoke the correct responses needed to know what and why something is important enough to set realistic goals and objectives.

Until you experience being coached it is difficult to know what the true benefits are, most people because of the lack of experience in this field, feel it is an expense they can do without. Well a good coach will provide you with many benefits which far exceed any material costs.

How do you put a price on the amount quality and happiness you have in your business or life?

This is my soap box bit now!

When you want to look good, what do you do? You pamper yourself by investing time and money, on having your hair done, new outfit, etc. etc.

When you want your home to look good, what do you do? You invest in new paint, paper, kitchen, bathroom, flooring or perhaps new windows, etc. etc.

When you to work in a particular field, what do you do?  You invest time and money to get the right qualifications and skills to pursue your chosen career!

When you want a relaxing break, what do you do? You invest time and money looking for a place in the sun with all the trimmings, etc. etc.

So why is it, that we do not invest time and money setting out clear goals that you want and would bring you so much happiness and joy?

Soap box over!

I hope the above goes someway to explaining and answering the question 2 Be Or Not 2 Be Coached?

 

 

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.

What is your experience of feedback at work, when you hear the boss say come into my office, I have some feedback for you.
I know through my career, my experience has been, what have I done wrong and my head and heart would go into defensive mode.
Why do so many people get it wrong, when they have a golden opportunity to have a 121 with a member of staff, they turn it into a mini war based around performance and figures. Don’t get me wrong performance is important, in fact it is vital, if your job is based in sales. But telling people what to do or trying to extract information out of an individual that is in a none responsive mode, is not good. Because the whole experience in a lot situations is not an enjoyable one.
You have your line manager saying why aren’t performing so well at present, what is wrong? And an individual thinking there are to many meetings, briefings and researching going on and not enough time left to really sell? And the response back is you are no different than everyone else, yet they are performing ok? etc.etc.
We are all different and the way we work is also going to be different, so why do managers think the same format is right for everyone!
I have witnessed, in my career as a coach working for various corporate companies the same behaviours being demonstrated time and again. Rather than invest time via diagnostics, coaching and feedback to identify the issues and provide the right intervention. i.e. if it is a knowledge issue, provide training, if it is skills or attitude issue, then provide coaching and feedback and if it is an aptitude issue then the individual will need to be redirected into another role that they can do.
Feedback is a vital part of anyones development, without it, they are unlikely to make it on there own. Investment in coaching and feedback is the correct intervention and the cheaper option which gives everyone the desired results. Yet when the going gets tuff, why do a lot of companies make coaching and feedback training one of the first areas to save money on.
That’s my soap box for the day!
Use and give feedback as often as possible see the difference for yourself, watch a person grow before your eyes just by motivating and developing them. Get your colleagues to do the same for you and see the benefits for yourself.
Or engage in my life of business coaching services and let them help you achieve motivation and develop your own goals and desires.
There is no such thing as failure, only feedback and renewed opportunity. The purpose of feedback is to motivate and develop an individual.
The process for giving excellent feedback ?
Describe current behaviours
Identify Situations
Describe impacts & consequences
Identify alternative behaviours
A useful model I was shown and use on a regular basis, is a model called B.O.O.S.T.
This is an acronym which stands for:-
B stands for Balanced – The feedback needs to be concentrated towards the key areas that would make the most impact and help to develop an individual. It needs to be balanced towards positive feedback and reduce the amount of developmental feedback. The reason being that if there are more than a couple of developmental feedback issues, the individual can only work on a couple of issues per feedback session. You need to be able to allow the individual to focus on the most import issues first and at a later date once they have improved on current feedback, then you can then work on the other issues they may have.
O stands for Observed – The feedback you deliver, needs to have been observed by you personally and not from a third party. The reason is obvious really, if you give feedback to someone that was not observed by you and the person you give the feedback to, then challenges you by saying no I didn’t or that is not true? where do you go, because you did not see it for yourself and cannot confirm either way.
O stands for Objective – Feedback also needs be based on real facts .i.e. what you saw, what you heard, what you felt and what you witnessed. Plus you need to keep any subjectivity out of your feedback, again you have to keep feedback to actual facts and not let what you know about a person influence your feedback based on there normal habits or behaviours. It must be based on actual facts.
S stands for Specific – Be as specific with the detail as possible and give actual real life examples that an individual can remember and recall, based on those examples.
T stands for Timely – Again this means feedback should be delivered asap after the event, not several hours, or tomorrow or next week. Because it will not add any value at all, because to many other things will have been absorbed via the individuals senses. Which will mean they will have deleted, distorted or generalised most of the information.
This is only one type of feedback model, there are other models which can be used feedback.
The above model does motivate and develop individuals and they also enjoy and want regular feedback.

Q. Why should I set myself personal goals?

A. The primary reason for this is that by setting goals you will clearly know where you are going and what you will obtain.

Also more than this it helps you to keep your mind and actions focused on obtaining realistic and personally stretching goals and desires which will benefit you in the long term.

To aid you in doing this there is a simple acronym to help you structure the way to set yourself some excellent goals -

S M A R T

Specific – A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” (and one “H”) questions:

*Who: Who is involved?

*What: What do I want to accomplish?

*Where: Identify a location.

*When: Establish a time frame.

*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

*How: How will I go about this?

EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.”

A specific goal would say, “Join a health club by this date and workout 3 days a week every week.”

Measurable – Establish a tangible criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as….

*How much?

*How many?

*How will I know when it is accomplished?

EXAMPLE: What MI can you use to measure yourself?

What feedback can you use to measure yourself?

Achievable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals. You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work towards and achieve. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. What you need to ensure is that the goal you’re trying to achieve is stretching and at the same time of benefit, both to you and the business. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labour of love. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

Time-scaled – When setting your goal you will need to set down specific deadlines you will need to consider the following:

*When do you want to achieve the goal by?

*If actions to support this goal are set, when do you want this to happen?

*At what time points do you want to review your progress?

*What and when are your key objectives?