GottaGettaBlog! 2003-2007

GottaGettaBLOG! has Split in Two!

2007-12-31T23:59:00.022-06:00

Please note that GottaGettaBLOG! posts from the years 2003 through 2007 will be permanently archived, here, at www.ggci.com/blog, under the heading of "GottaGettaBlog! 2003-2007". But,

Starting January 2008, new postings
for GottaGettaBLOG! will be posted at:
>>>>>> www.ggci.com/blog2 <<<<<<.

Please update your bookmarks and automated feeds accordingly.

Thanks!

http://www.ggci.com/blog2/

Last Post of the Year: 2007

2007-12-18T09:21:00.000-06:00

A moment out to thank everyone who played a part in making 2007 a truly wonderful year for me both professionally - through GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. - and personally. Again, thanks.

See you in '08!

Wynton Marsalis: Leadership Lessons

2007-12-18T08:15:00.001-06:00

THINK BIG, BUT DON'T BE IMPATIENT. Deferring the rewards of long-term success is difficult but necessary if you are going to have the mental fortitude to achieve them.
BE PERFECT IN INTENTION; YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT IN EXECUTION. Mistakes, by you and your staff, will happen.
YOU CAN ONLY 00 THE BEST THAT YOU CAN DO. Keep your goals high, but don't set yourself up for failure. Be patient.
DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR A MISTAKE. APOLOGIZE IF YOU DON'T PLAY. Knowing that effort is what matters gives people the courage to always try their hardest.
STAY INSIDE YOURSELF; WHEN YOU DO, YOU'LL TAKE A RISK-BUT YOU'LL MAKE AN INTELLIGENT DECISION. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
BELIEF IN OTHER PEOPLE'S CREATIVITY ALLOWS PEOPLE AROUND YOU TO BE THEMSELVES AND ACHIEVE THEIR INDIVIDUALITY. If your staff members have the freedom to achieve as individuals, the returns will be manifold.
APPROACH YOUR TASK VERY SERIOUSLY-BUT WITH HUMOR. Discipline should never come at the expense of closing one's self to new ideas, and vice versa.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS, AND MANY TIMES THEY ARE UGLY. It's best to be very direct.
IT ISN'T MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. Learn to compromise and be flexible.
WHEN YOU'RE A LEADER, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW, TOO. Good leaders know they don't have a monopoly on brilliant ideas. Be objective and willing to follow Insights you may have missed.
HUMILITY INSPIRES PEOPLE; ORGANIZATION INSPIRES A STAFF. Always try to give your staff clear plans and goals, but allow them room for self-empowerment.
RESPECT THE FREEDOM OF OTHER PEOPLE AND THEIR CREATIVITY. JAZZ MUSIC TEACHES THAT ABOVE ALL ELSE. Giving your staff the freedom to improvise opens the floodgates on innovation.
YOU CAN'T LOOK AT ANY PERSON AND TELL WHETHER THEY CAN PLAY. ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE CAN PLAY. Some of the best talent can be found in the most unexpected places.
THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT YOU CAN DEMAND FROM SOMEBODY ELSE. Nothing erodes the spirit like a boss who can never be pleased.
BE FUNDAMENTALLY TRUTHFUL. Without truth, your success will unravel.

---

from Success Magazine, July 2007

A Prescription of Description

2007-12-11T08:20:00.000-06:00

Here's an exercise to help challenge (and sharpen) your creativity. Time needed: About 5 minutes.

Pick an object and write down as many words as you can to describe it without actually naming what it is. When you run out of descriptions, rotate or flip the object to get a fresh perspective and continue. When you run out of descriptions again, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, put a smile on your face, and try once more.

Repeat with different objects as often as you'd like.

Source: Mental Agility (as cited in an article from a magazine who's name is nowhere to be found on the clipping I saved - Oops!)

Who Said Quitters Never Win?

2007-12-06T09:57:00.000-06:00

As reported in the December 2007/ January 2008 issue of Scientific American Mind magazine:

"Psychologists asked 90 adolescent girls about their tendency to hold on to unattainable goals. Over the next year, they found that the girls who said they never gave up had more quickly increasing blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) as compared with the girls who were moderately good at letting go. High levels of CRP often precede the development of heart disease, cancer and diabetes."

Add to that the teachings of Seth Godin in his 2007 book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick):

"What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly while staying focused and motivated when it really counts. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt..."

So, as you look to complete the final month of 2007 and get ready for 2008, what "unattainable goals" might it make sense for you to quit?!

----
Thanks Eddie!

Wall Street Journal quotes Barry Zweibel

2007-12-04T09:31:00.000-06:00

Perri Capel, columnist for The Wall Street Journal quotes Barry Zweibel in a 12/4/2007 piece titled, "When a Boss Is Unreceptive To New Views" published in both the on-line and print editions of the paper.

An expanded version of the article was also published by WSJ CareerJournal under the title of "How Can I Defuse TensionsWith a Difficult Manager?".

Chuck Norris is afraid of choking

2007-11-30T12:31:00.000-06:00

The Chicago Tribune reported today that movie star Chuck Norris re-affirmed his intent not to run for public office ... for fear of "choking." Norris? Afraid? Choking? Well, sort of ...

In the tough-guy's own words:

"Let's say I run for a position in politics and I am debating my opponent and my opponent starts attacking my character and I leap over the bench and choke him unconscious, it's not going to help my campaign."

Ohhhh! Norris! Afraid! Choking! I get it now!

Isn't it interesting how a little context can so completely change the meaning of a message?

The underlying coaching questions, of course, are these: How might YOU be misinterpreting others and how might THEY be misinterpreting you? And assuming it's happening, what do you want to actually DO about it?

Favorite New Quote

2007-11-28T08:58:00.000-06:00

Here's my new favorite inspirational quotation by, poet and gardener, Genine Lentine:

"The question I am asked daily by the world is this: Was that all you wanted?"

And here's my new favorite recipe for having an incredibly-awesome day: Ask the world for something that will have it sit upright in its chair and say, "Wow! You've got my attention. Now let me see what I can do for you."

Try it and see for yourself. (Just don't get greedy.)

Fun Family (Thanksgiving) Rituals

2007-11-22T08:39:00.000-06:00

Fun Family Rituals - the notion is that each family does stuff that may seem insignificant to others, but is actually very special in how it helps define family values, camaraderie and cherished memories. The fun, sometimes silly, stuff that families do, look forward to doing, remember doing and continue to do - through the years.

In honor of this Thanksgiving Day, here are some of the family rituals and traditions included in my Fun Family Rituals compilation (available for download at: http://www.funfamilyrituals.com/) as written by the very people who use them to celebrate both today's holiday, and their families:

" On Thanksgiving, my kids make a Thankful Box and have everyone in the house "deposit" an index card telling what they're thankful for. Then, before dessert, we read them one at a time and laugh and cry and thank our lucky stars for our family and friends."

"We always make a turkey for Thanksgiving - even if we go to a relative's house. Gotta have our own leftovers!"

"After Thanksgiving dinner, all the moms of our extended family get together with handfuls of cash. We take whatever we were planning on spending on each of our 13 nieces and nephews for Christmas and neatly separate it all into envelopes - each marked with a child's name. When everyone is done putting their money in, the moms get their own kids' envelopes so that they can spend the money on gifts 'on behalf of' the aunts and uncles."

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Vulnerability, Teamwork, and Personal Growth

2007-11-17T14:37:00.000-06:00

Last week I had the opportunity to spend two days on a rustic team building retreat at Joy Outdoor Education Center in Clarksville, Ohio, courtesy of a corporate client, Hill-Rom, where the group learned about their Insights^® colors (courtesy of Scott Schwefel), did a high ropes course and related activities, endured gusts up to 34 mph and wind chills down to the teens (brrr!), shared emotionally-moving and personal stories deep into the night by light (and warmth) of a bonfire, slept in cabins, ate camp food, and stretched and grew in ways that were truly amazing. And that was Day One!

Day Two included a morning of coaching and facilitation, courtesy of yours truly, and an afternoon of detailed departmental planning and goal-setting, led by Phillip Saxton, president of MiTowne.

Initially, I perceived, and prepared for, my role as that of catalyst: "an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action," as Merriam Webster might say. But as I settled into my bunk that first night it struck me that the 'change' I was there to provoke had actually already happened. Every single person, in their own special way, had already become so much more open, courageous, real - and vulnerable - with each other. The team knew it, liked it, and matched it, with a collective support, respect, regard, knowing, and appreciation.

That was the good news. The not-so-good news was that pretty much everything I had prepared for the following morning was now unnecessary and wrong! I no longer needed to help them change; my job was to help them solidify their changes.

It's one thing to watch others being vulnerable; it's something entirely different to be vulnerable oneself. Yet to be truly in service of the group I was there to coach, facilitate, and support, I knew I needed to honor and respect where the group now 'was' - and be completely present to, and enabling of, whatever needed to unfold from that point forward.

So, pre-dawn, and in keeping with the "Pushing the Limits" theme of the retreat, I decided to take what was to be the 'end' of my facilitation - an article called "Life is a ten-speed Bicycle," - and use it to start a conversational unfolding, if you will, where I would rely on my coaching instincts and the collective wisdom of the group to reach for something essential, but as of yet, unknown.

And so, for the next 3½ hours, quite powerfully at times, we explored, realized, agreed, and fine-tuned, what else was needed for this group of smart, capable, and caring professionals to truly coalesce into a single, unified, and unshakable, whole.

The ultimate outcome? Well that remains to be seen. To be sure, they're off to a very good start, but the team must consistently apply the Lessons Learned, aha's realized, and courageousness experienced for the ongoing magic to happen.

Will it be easy? Probably not. Is it doable? Definitely so. Is it likely? I actually believe it is.

As for me, I know that like everyone else, my comfort zone was significantly stretched these last few days - and in a number of different ways! (As I reflect on what that means, I feel a contented little smile coming to my face.) So for that, I thank each and every one of you who helped make that my new reality.

Now if I can just get that campfire smoke smell out of my clothing, I'll be all set!

Done with your Performance Reviews Yet?!

2007-11-14T07:34:00.000-06:00

Been putting off those year-end performance evaluations because you can't figure out exactly how to say what you know needs to be said?

Well help is available in the form of an easily downloadable Special Report called: Employee Performance Discussions: 10 Important Things a Boss MUST Know How to Say.

Giving effective employee performance reviews is not about being a jerk. To the contrary - it's about being respectful, caring, succinct, and on-the-money with your observations, comments, recommendations, and requests. The better you do this, the more likely your staff's performance will improve. Perhaps more importantly, though, the better you do this, the more likely your staff's improved performance can be sustained over time.

Employee Discussions shows you how. In it, you'll find:

10 specific conversation "clarifiers" that can dramatically improve the performance of all employees - from your very best, to weakest, and everyone in between
Specific phrasings of what to say, including when to say it, and why
Concrete examples for you to follow in your own performance management discussions with your direct reports and lower-level employees
An Application section that includes typical employee problem scenarios along with clarified and simplified scripts for giving constructive criticism
A Locking-in-the-Learning section, where important coaching questions are raised for you to answer, and homework assignments for you to complete, so you can integrate these lessons more quickly and thoroughly into your management skill-set
Primary Focus questions that directs your attention to recognizing how best to apply each specific ‘clarifier’ to your current employee performance situation.

Procrastinate no more - get your copy of Employee Performance Discussions at www.employee-discussions.com today and finish up those employee evaluations already!

Coaches and Therapists - How Different?: ICF Conference Breakout Session

2007-11-13T07:52:00.000-06:00

While I've been to coaching vs. therapy presentations before, they were always lead by coaches. So I thought it'd be particularly refreshing to hear about it from the other side, as it were. Enter Dr. David Orlinsky, noted professor of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago.

Of all of his charts and descriptions offered, this was the one I found most helpful in articulating the differences:

Good set of distinctions, don't you think?

Thanks, David.

Julio Olalla: ICF Conference Keynote Speaker

2007-11-09T08:21:00.000-06:00

The opening keynote speaker and Honorary Conference Chair of the International Coach Federation's 2007 Annual Conference was Julio Olalla, MCC, founder and president of the Newfield Network, an international education, coaching and consulting company.

A very engaging speaker, Julio spoke about the 'cognitive schizophrenia' that has developed in the modern world. He suggested that the world insists we focus on our exterior knowing - science, business, objects, the 'real' world, etc. - which we dutifully do. But lost in the process is our ability to connect with our interior knowledge - our hearts and souls, passions and beliefs, hopes, dreams, values, love, loyalty, appreciation for the wisdom of others and the very "cognitive possibilities" that flow from emotion.

The answer is not to swing the pendulum all the way to the other side, or even learn how to ably switch between exterior and interior paradigms in an effort to achieve so-called balance. Rather, he said, the answer is in learning how to unify our exterior and interior knowledge into a cohesive whole. (Coaching, by the way, is one of the few mechanisms available for directly enabling this type of learning.)

Easy? No. Possible? Absolutely.

Our existing 'cosmology', says Olalla - the story we've created for ourselves about how we fit into the world - is externally based:

O --> A --> R

Observers (us) take Actions that yield specific Results. Should we not like the Results, we simply change our Actions and try again. Note that we don't typically consider how we might change ourselves to modify the outcome.

What if we allowed ourselves to change in addition to (or even in lieu of) changing the actions we take? How might we more consciously and intentionally incorporate more of our interior knowing into the "O --> A --> R" model?

Quite possibly, the Actions we'd subsequently take (and want to take, for that matter) would be sufficiently different to enable some completely new Results heretofore unavailable to us.

Easy? No. Possible? Absolutely.

Coaching Next Level Leaders: ICF Conference Breakout Session

2007-11-08T07:35:00.001-06:00

Scott Eblin, president of The Eblin Group, and author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success, started this session by positing that a full 40% of new leaders fail within 18 months. Some of the external reasons for that include shifts in the market and organizational dynamics, but it's the internal reasons that are more often the cause:

being afraid to say, "I don't know"
not listening well enough
not getting the "lay of the land"
fear
not learning the new rules of the position
the urge to control things
not clarifying expectations and requirements

In looking for what to do about all this, Eblin interviewed several hundred seasoned executives, asking them two key questions:

What do you recommend executives "pick up" and "let go of" in order to be successful in their new roles?
What did you "pick up" and "let go of" that resulted in your success in your new roles?

Three key leadership presence elements emerged - personal presence, team presence, and organizational presence - each having 3 key elements to "pick up" and 3 key elements to "let go of":

Thanks, Scott.

ICF Conference 2007

2007-11-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I was in Long Beach California attending the 12th annual conference of the International Coach Federation, along with about 1,500 other coaches from 36 different countries. International, indeed!

In addition to coaches from New Jersey, Colorado, Nebraska, New York, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Maryland, among other states, I also met some wonderful coaches from Japan, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Brazil, Columbia, France, China, Australia, and New Zealand, as well. It's truly amazing to me how much the ICF - and coaching - has grown over the last several years.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be blogging about some of the keynotes and breakout sessions that I thought were particularly interesting, intriguing, and relevant to a wider audience.

It was nice to be away. It's now nice to be back!

It's Not Still Spelled "Busy-ness" for a Reason

2007-10-30T06:27:00.000-05:00

It was a good idea gone bad. "Let's call it 'busy-ness'," they said, "because that's what we want people to be at work - busy."

And so it was for about 200 years until, around the 14th century, some bosses started realizing that being "busy" wasn't exactly what they were looking for from their underlings. True, they did want diligence, but it had become apparent that what their minions diligently worked on made a huge difference in the profitability of the company. Who knew?!

So with this subtle, but powerful, distinction now understood, a similarly subtle, but maybe not as meaningful spelling change was agreed upon. The "y" was dropped, and an "i" was put in its place, and the word "business" was born! (At least that's the story that I made up about it.)

The problem, though, is that so many people are still so busy being busy, that they haven't stopped to read the memo.

So for the record, there is a difference between doing 'stuff' and getting stuff done. There is a difference between driving to work and driving key business results. And there is a difference between the busy-ness of work and the work of business.

Take a moment and review this with someone you're mentoring, would you please? It is a subtle, but powerful, distinction that everyone deserves to understand.

Taking it Off-Line

2007-10-24T07:29:00.000-05:00

Scenario: You're attending a staff meeting, tensions are high, pressure is rising, and your boss turns to you and asks a very pointed, but tangential, question that the answer to which is likely to drag things (and possibly you) down further. You try to take it off-line, that is, suggest you talk about it later, but the boss says "No. We're talking about it now."

What to do?~

Talk about it now, responding as quickly, crisply, and in as a respectful, non-defensive manner, as possible, pushing back when necessary, but doing so because it's called-for, not just because you feel like it or don't know what else to do. And hope that it doesn't turn into an inquisition, of sorts.

That said, what can you do to increase the probability that your next 'off-line' request will be agreed to and accepted ? Here are some ideas:

Stay calm and composed - Nothing encourages a boss to go on the offense more than someone's defensiveness. Practice poise under pressure. It will serve you well.
Frame your rationale - There's a huge difference in wanting to talk about something later because it makes more sense to, and wanting to do so because you're trying to avoid even having the conversation. Clearly frame your reasons accordingly, citing one of two compelling reasons why a different time and/or different setting for the discussion would better serve to boss and be advantageous to everyone else.
Leverage your reputation - If your boss already knows you as a trusted advisor, this whole process becomes much more simple. Showing you're not afraid to 'dig in', 'hit things head on', and 'make the tough choices' - on a daily basis - will go a long way in times like these. Building a reputation that says 'credibility' gives you a foundation to stand on in such circumstances.

Thank You Notes

2007-10-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a page from the Old School manual - send a 'thank you' note.

Someone gives something nice to you - send a thank you note
Someone does something nice for you - send a thank you note
Someone says something nice about you - send a thank you note

It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to be more than a sentence or two. It doesn't even have to be hand-written. (An email or voicemail is just fine).

All it really has to be is sincere.

Of course the sooner you send it the better, but, as they say, better late than never!

If you're not in the habit of sending thank you notes, I invite you to try it. It's not hard to do; it doesn't even take all that much time. But it will quite likely make both you, and the person you send it to, feel pretty good. So why not?~

Right Idea, Wrong Way

2007-10-15T07:54:00.000-05:00

I, for one, think it's very cool that the Geico cavemen have their own television show. Not that I intend to ever watch it - and not that it'll be around for much longer, based on the horrible reviews it's gotten. But this is the first time that a TV show was created from an ad campaign, isn't it?! That's the part I'm impressed with.

And while I really like the idea, I think they implemented it the wrong way. If I was going to do this, anyway, I would've made it with a variety talk-show, with the other Geico character - the gecko - as host.

Think of it like the Late Late Show for animated television advertising characters. The gecko would start with a short monologue - a la Craig Ferguson - and then bring on a series of guests to interview and have hawk their latest work. And here's the best part - the show wouldn't even need any commercial breaks!

Think about it - wouldn't you like to hear a little more from the Aflac duck? Or from his new sidekick the goat? How about Honda's Mr. Opportunity? The Pillsbury Dough boy? Maybe Erin, the Esurance save-the-world lady? And we can't forget the mucus guy' from Mucinex?! Mr. Tivo could even be invited in!

Who else?!

And to spice things up a bit, there could be a segment called "Mr. Peabody's Way-Back Machine" where he and Sherman could interview advertisement characters long-since retired?! I mean who hasn't been wondering what Joe Camel's been up to lately?! Or the Frito Bandito for that matter?!

With the gecko as emcee, this variety show could really rock! Speaking of which, I bet if they really tried, they could probably get Gorillaz to be the show's house band!

Three-Two-One ... and ... we're live!

Higher Understanding through Ping-Pong

2007-10-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

An absolutely wonderful article in today's Chicago Tribune titled, Mastering the art of Ping-Pong: Sensei says you must become 'calm and rushed' by By Kevin Pang:

Young Grasshopper hopes to one day become master of the Ping-Pong realm, but Young Grasshopper lacks the wisdom of Ardy S. Taveerasert, flower shop owner by day, sensei by night. Listen to the words of the sage in T-shirt and short shorts:

"Table tennis is like chess and running at the same time," Taveerasert dispenses, encapsulating 30 years of Ping-Pong perspicuity into one sentence.

Young Grasshopper nods. He absorbs. He understands. Everything Young Grasshopper has learned about Ping-Pong must be unlearned.

The setting: A warm, pastoral evening at Daley Bicentennial Park, steps from the Pritzker Pavilion, an iron monkey's leap from Lake Michigan.

The apprentices: Members of the Chicago Slam Table Tennis Club, a faction of all ages and nationalities. Five nights a week, they clash in the struggles of competition (and ostensibly, mankind), and to take in the knowledge of one Taveerasert.

The sage hails from Thailand. In his youth, Taveerasert's older brother forced him to play Ping-Pong. One day Taveerasert finally bested his brother, and then he did it again, and again, and again. A dream was born: to assemble a legion of Ping-Pong warriors, and to make the sport as ubiquitous in the U.S. as Little League baseball. A year ago, the sage became commissioner of the Chicago Slam Table Tennis Club, and a dream was realized.

On this night, Young Grasshopper enters the dojo with a dozen combatants of Ping-Pong at various levels of mastery. One student is Mike Mezyan, a 27-year-old from Jordan, who wears a royal blue athletic crew shirt, collars popped. He shuffles his feet from side to side like Baryshnikov over hot coals. His forehead glistens with sweat. He owns not a paddle, but a blade, which costs $500, and some $300 more a year to maintain its rubber surface.

As blade contacts ball, Mezyan grunts with a feral rage emanating from the depths of his soul.
"You need to be calm and rushed," Mezyan explains. To acquire swift instincts, one's inner-self must remain calm.

Mezyan goes on: Wait for the ball to reach the crest of its arc. The ball will momentarily stop in mid-flight and freeze.

At which point, Taveerasert says -- now standing opposite Young Grasshopper -- do not try to hit the ball.

A counter intuitive strategy, it seems. But soon, the sage's wisdom becomes clear: Trying to hit the ball means one is aiming to hit the ball. One should not aim to hit the ball. One should not try to hit the ball.

One should hit the ball.

"Harder," Taveerasert implores.

Young Grasshopper's guards prevent him from hitting the ball as hard as he could. He does not trust, nor does he realize, his untapped powers.

Harder! Taveerasert's brows furrow.

Young Grasshopper must release his inhibitions.

Harder! Harder! Harder!

Young Grasshopper, with all his might, swings his right forearm in a blur, the blade striking the white ball at the apex of its course. The ball streaks over the net, curves to the right, strikes the table once, past Taveerasert and his outstretched hands. It bounces several times off the floor before coming to a rest. The young apprentice scores one point off the sage. Eyes bulge with shocked disbelief. The student is humbled and the sage smiles.

Through the silence, Young Grasshopper and his master achieve a higher understanding.

4qtr2007 of "Not Just Talk!" now available

2007-10-09T06:16:00.001-05:00

There's an interesting paradox to personal growth. On the one hand, we need to get out of our own way so we can step more fully into our Best Self. On the other hand, we need to accept who we already are because being one's Best Self cannot occur without acceptance of self, as is.

The 4qtr2007 edition of Not Just Talk! - the quarterly newsletter from GottaGettaCoach!, which is now available at http://www.ggci.com/NotJustTalk/ - looks at this paradox from a few different angles to see what we see.

First up is The Real Reason People Won't Change, a review of a Harvard Business Review article of the same name that looks at getting off the dime in terms of understanding the "why" behind our inaction ... and the "how" in front of our future actions.

Next, we flip over the coin with Authentically Munch, a piece about Richard Belzer's SVU character and consider how we might better embrace who we already more readily to show up more completely in the world around us.

The Ask the Coach segment follows. How can 'black and white' thinkers inject a little color and creativity into their personal growth and development efforts without sacrificing their beliefs about how they think? Find out how.

And, of course, there are several Notable Quotables: Great Things I Didn't Say (First) provided for both your amusement, and to help lock-in-the-learning from the aforementioned pieces.

To help round out this issue of Not Just Talk!, some highlighted titles from last quarter's GottaGettaBlog! blog postings, and the What's News at GottaGettaCoach! segment are also included, as well as some helpful resources, links, and product offerings, for your consideration, down the right-hand column.

Questions, comments - and suggestions - are always welcomed. I'm just an email or phone call away.

Visual DNA Assessment

2007-10-05T16:46:00.000-05:00

Some Friday Fun: Visual DNA assessment.

"What does your choice of images say about you," ask the folks at imagini.net? "See how you compare to over 4,000,000 other people from all over the world who've done this simple and fun test."

Take it yourself and see what you see. It only takes a few minutes and it's visually quite appealing. Just click on whichever picture best completes the sentence for you and follow the sequence through to the end.
----
Thanks to The Ladders for pointing this one out.

For Future AND Incumbent Executives - Today

2007-10-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

What are the most desired management abilities for Future Executives (and incumbent leaders, too, if you ask me)?

According to Right Management Consultants, they are as follows:

Motivate and engage others
Communicate effectively, strategically, and interpersonally
Think strategically
Lead change
Create a performance organization

Sure, these elements make sense, but let's make them relevant to you and your world. Therefore,

What will you do to better motivate and engage others - today?
What will you do to improve how effectively, strategically, and interpersonally you communicate - today?
What will you think more strategically about - today?
What will you do to more assertively lead change - today?
What will you do to actually create that performance organization you've been talking about - today?!

Think about it - and then do something desirably executive-like - today - whether you're an incumbent leader, or not.

Top/Down Hubris: Bottom/Up Winfrey

2007-09-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

According to a Business Week survey of 2,000 executives ...

1. Are you one of the top 10% of performers in your company?

2. Which person would you most like to be your direct boss?

These answers are just too much! And with 97% of all executives surveyed believing that they're in the top 10% of performers in their company, no wonder why so many people would rather work for Oprah - as least she admits her show has commercial breaks!

The Doubting Loop and the Confidence Radial

2007-09-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

In thinking about confidence, many people get discouraged because of a non-supportive doubting loop they have that has them circle in and around not feeling particularly confident, trying again anyway, but messing things up ... again ... which only strengthens the I-don't-feel-so-confident part all the more.

Can anything be done about this?

Well, you can certainly try to not try as much! But, if it's your turn to step to the plate, more likely than not, you really can't say, "Sorry, I'd rather not." If you can, though, it might be a nice temporary respite for you every now and then.

More likely, though, when it's your turn, it's your turn, and there's no getting away from it.

Enter the Confidence Radial^©.

Developed several years ago by yours truly, the Confidence Radial recognizes the circularity inherent in the confidence dynamic, but puts it to better use, as the following diagram shows:
It all starts with acting like you already have the power. But this simple notion goes beyond just trying. It speaks to trying ... again ... with the expectation that you can, indeed, succeed. In order to succeed, though, you need to "know what you know." And to do that, some research is required.

Then, armed with that research, you can begin to interact with others on that topic - not so much to show off what you know, but to find out what they know. And, because you'll likely understand what they're saying, they'll be likely to help you expand the conversation by referring you to other knowledgeable/interested contacts (if you ask).

From there, you network with them on the same topic, which will help them get to know who you are and how you think. And from there, you now have several new connections who can help you feel more confident as you talk about this, and other topics of interest to those you do and don't know. (I'm defining contacts, here, as people you know, and connections as people who know you.)

So the key to jumping out of that Doubting Loop? Jump in to the Confidence Radial. All you need is something you're interested in knowing more about.

For more on the Confidence Radial: www.ggci.com/confidence.