Why Strive to Survive when you can Thrive

                                                           I've coached good leaders, and 'not-so-good'  leaders;
                                                    we're talking about teachable vs. unteachable persons here.

  The 'not -so-good' leader was basically thrown to the wolf (coach) versus personal  all sound  reason. They thought they were doing a well enough job without a coach. Basically I was their inheritance, the gift they didn't want from hierarchy.

   They would through the motions dealt by the coaching staff; and after it was all said and done, they received a lot of information and decided not to use what was given them. Some of those employees were replaced by these companies, and my staff resumed coaching. Some of these companies are still surviving... just SURVIVING! The question contemplated now...


          Why survive when you can thrive?

  Those who chose to be coached, not only grew in the company, but grew in themselves, to the point that some have moved upward in other positions and/or companies.

  Pro ball players hire coaches and personal trainers to help improve their game; politicians hire coaches to prepare speeches and help them learn to speak in front of large audiences and stand out from the crowd.

  It's been almost 5 months while coaching a major league retail store Mgr. He's made life so easy, eager to learn, not afraid to tweak his ego in any area we may enter into. I'm not his drill sergeant, but keep him pushing in the right direction.  He' has also made plans to bring on some staff.

 This isn't the case for everyone. Meaning, they may all want what this client has (the motivation), but it takes others a little longer to achieve.

                                                  How bad do you want it!            

  There's a bond, a mutual awareness and respect for our positions in this client/friend relationship. The reason? Everybody has a closet that needs to be opened, but we don't want to clear it out right away. Some of us hang on to things in our life along the way and don't want to let go. These things are called...  

                                                                    HABITS!

  Some are good and some are not. Non the less certain habits can cause our careers to sour. It takes some coaxing and coaching to get our habits aligned. Your coach (personal trainer) should help you rid of the bad habits and work on strengthening and growing good habits. Keeping your strengths strong and your strengthen your weaker areas.

   If you're not growing, moving forward in your client/coach relationship, you may need another coach; if you are a coach, you may need to drop the client if the relationship isn't moving. An important piece of information is feedback, without it you're building a chasm between you and the client. It's like your personal report card, keeping you on track.  

                                         Bridging the gap with good communication
                                                

                                                          between client and coach.      
                                                          
  Coaches aren't for everyone, they are for anyone who wants to grow in their field. Your coach and you, or you and your client should be a better than good fit. 


  Respect, Honesty, and Equality should be keep words to grow a great bond. Listening and understanding your (plural) plans as you move forward toward your goal is essential. This is how good habits will be formed, molded, and personified.

  Companies today, along with company presidents, CEO's, plant managers, etc. are stepping up their game. They are bringing career coaches (CC) onto their team to dream into existence a more vibrant cohesive team for tomorrow and leave the survival mentality behind. Isn't it time you grow your future?


Our motto: "BUILDING DREAMS, TEAMS, AND FRIENDS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST CLIENTS!" It's our vision and missions statement.

Composing A Self-Confidence No Matter.

   Whether you're a writer, auto mechanic, salesperson, or homemaker, self confidence is something we all need to make the most of our day. Confidence doesn't just happen at the moment or even over night; it will grow and brood in our being over time.

   Hopefully you had the type of up-bringing that had parents to nurture that self-confidence in you from the start. But for those of us who didn't have that luxury ( or maybe some of it due to two working parents or whatever the case), it's not too late.

   It can grow rapidly (many weeks/months) or leisurely (years) depending on how much you want it. So, if you are of the second, you may want to rethink your thoughts on the matter, or just stop right here. But! If you are of the first (rapid), let's keep moving forward as we journey toward growth within ourselves.

   There are a few thoughts that come to mind, over brooding myself over the past several weeks, as to what I wanted to convey in this blog. No matter what career path you have taken, you can be better at it and for it with these few steps.


1. You need to have a strong and unresolved DESIRE.

No one can give it to you, it has to be sprung forth from the inside-out, embedded in your heart and mind. Your passion for it grows with every breath, every thought, and waking moment. Others can see that twinkle in your eye when the subject arises, you start to glow, as if you're ready to burst.

Confidence will not come if you just take a nonchalant attitude. There's no love, no desire, no passion; therefore the dream of being a winner in life will never come to fruition.


2. As said above, it's the PASSION.  Remember...          Your first kiss!

How about your first love, the one your parents told you would break your heart when it ended. That love at first sight, the one nothing was able to steer you away from. That's the passion everyone sees consuming you; it is on your mind day and night.


 3. You need IMAGINATION.

Innovators, dreamers, artists have great imaginations. Now, not everyone is an artist per-se or an inventor, but everyone likes to dream. Picture yourself at the top of your game, not grudging thru. Try seeing yourself at the top of your class, not just passing.


 4. You must take ACTION to bring your confidence to life.

Taking a step or leap of faith to see yourself as you want to be seen, not the way others see you. David looked at Goliath and didn't see a giant, he saw another man in front of him because of his confidence. David saw a defeated foe.

     Desire comes from within, Passion is what's seen by others, Imagination is seeing      yourself the victor, not the victim; and Action is what you do to make it all happen. You need these ingredients in order to bring home the trophy. They are the building blocks on which one wins the prize.

The thoughts can go on and on about this subject. What counts is that you build your dreams by turning them into action on a daily basis. Confidence is something that is NOT given to you, you have to grow it, nurture it it has to become a part of you. Look in the mirror every morning and see the person you want to be. Say with confidence, "I'm a winner, I can do this!"

written by William (Bill) Gibbs,MC and Jack Arnold, CC @ Arnold Group

Over-coming the Fears of Chaos

          Some say, “Plan for the unexpected, and hope for the best”…

                                                        CHAOS!

  Yes, there are several types of chaos. Usually we only see chaos as a totally negative word, and that’s usually because that’s the way we see it. The meaning alone tells us what to expect: disorder, disarray, void of content...need I say more?

  There are three main types of chaos, expected chaos, orchestrated chaos, and that which is totally out of your hands.

  Expected chaos isn’t so bad (for the most part). You know its coming, you don’t know how, but you plan several ways to deal with it when it hits. Call it your escape plan, Plan-B, etc.

  Orchestrated chaos when its deliberate in its doing. When you have to undo something in order to correct the situation.

  An easy look at this is when you ask your teen to clean their room, and they tell you its clean enough.

  So you take initiative to mess it up more than it already is. You laugh, they get angry (of coarse). They start clearing out the room by reordering the mess and making it better than the original. This is also known as intentional chaos.

  Last, and the most dangerous is totally out of your hands. It’s not expected, orchestrated in any way. Like the lay-off instead of that promotion, the Griswold's’ cousin Eddie coming for the holidays unexpected (Christmas Vacation). Leaving  devastation out of the equation. You can see where I’m going.

  I wasn’t sure what to call this article at first, just Chaos, Coping with Chaos, or even Conquering Chaos. Chaos, well that was just not enough to say the least. Coping with Chaos is like saying coping with an elephant on your chest. And Conquering Chaos, well, that won’t happen in this life. So I decided on…

                Over-coming the Fears of Chaos

  Let’s face it, you can never in this life get rid of chaos, but you can deal with the fear it brings. How do we deal with it? Wow, glad you asked!

   First of all, realize it’s not just you! It happens to everyone that lives and

breaths on this planet. Some just happen to handle it better than others.

   Second, never try and do it alone. Always get opinions from every source available, I’m not saying go to one person and end there. Get a variety of options, trusted friends, family, Google a search, trusted colleagues on Linked-In and such.

   Third is to never rush an antidote. Unless it’s life and death, there’s no reason what-so-ever to give an un-thought out answer.

   Fourthly, without chaos there would be no creativity, innovation, inspiration, no will to succeed. Chaos will at times give that nudge, that push, sometimes a shove to drive us forward to our victory.

  If there is chaos (of some sort) in your life take the stand to change it. If you have no chaos at all check your pulse.

Reflextions and Promises

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     As we reflect on the past year and anticipate the coming New Year, we make promises  to fix what we didn't

do, to try and make amends in the up and coming.


  For some, we'll make new resolutions, only to break them a month into it. Some will last longer, and only a very few will endure to victory.


  Can we save ourselves from ourselves? AH! The question at hand. The answer is a definite YES.

  Don't let diffidence hold you back, grow your confidence, believe in yourself. Say, "I can do this!" boldly.


  I don't want to sound too lectury about this, after all, almost everybody and their Mother is writing a piece just like this. (Sorry Mom) Here we go again!


           Too many try and bite more than they can chew!


 The idea is to put what you can do in front of you do it, then add on one thing that's a bit harder for you to control and stick to it. Which is easier to do, put a fry in your mouth, or a big potato? 
When it comes to doing a makeover or a big lifestyle change, it would suffice to start with smaller bites.

            Small beginnings lead to large victories. 


Know what you can handle and start there. Having a victory or two under your belt builds momentum and gives you that inner drive to move forward.


  Never ever threaten or swear to yourself when you fail or break under pressure. 

Hey! Life happens, just make and keep your promise to get it right and do better tomorrow; that only leads to dismay and quitting all together.

  So, with this in mind, let's look for a bright New Year.