My dear colleague and curator of the Library, Bill Bergquist, is a prolific author and visionary in the field of executive coaching.  His article titled, “Coaching and Neuroscience Research Findings” is posted in the Library of Professional Coaching and poses thought-provoking “animation” questions for you deep thinkers out there who like to grapple with the more academic side of the business.  The topics of these questions include procedural memory, neural networks, amygdala templates, stress ruts, psychological preparation, intimacy and friendships, and mirror neurons with respect to coaching.  Check it out!

Seven additional articles about neuroscience and coaching can be found here: http://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/category/research/brain-behavior/.  Enjoy!

Happy Groundhog day!  One of my favorite movies is the Bill Murray/ Andie MacDowell charmer, “Groundhog Day”, where Bill Murray’s character re-lives the same day over and over until he learns a few core lessons and transforms his being.  Many executives in organizations replay their own pattern with the development of leadership goals that are not clearly written with specific plans for how to accomplish them.  Thus, they are doomed to re-live over and over the fuzzy results produced with lack of clear goal-setting.  Now, thanks to Maynard Brusman’s article in the Library of Professional Coaching, you can learn about Creating Goals: Goal-Setting Strategies for Leaders.

Here’s an excerpt from his article, and the full 8 pages are available at the Library of Professional Coaching.

In a Harvard study conducted in 1979, the graduates of the MBA program were asked, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?” It turned out that only 3 percent of the graduates had written goals and plans. Thirteen percent had goals, but not in writing. Fully 84 percent had no specific goals at all.Ten years later, in 1989, the researchers interviewed the members of that same class again. They found that the 13 percent who had goals that were not in writing were earning twice as much as the 84 percent of students who had no goals at all. And most surprisingly, they found that the 3 percent of graduates who had clear, written goals when they left Harvard were earning, on average, 10 times as much as the other 97 percent of graduates all together. The only difference between the groups was the clarity of the goals they had for themselves when they graduated.

Yes, you read that correctly. The 3 percent who had clear, written goals earned ten times as much as the 97 percent who didn’t have clear, written goals. Almost all successful people have goals, and outstanding high achievers have clearly defined written goals. That said, how come so few people actually write out their goals?

In the article, Maynard explores the psychological reasons why we don’t set goals properly, why the goals we do set might not work, and how to align purpose, identity and values to create goals and sustain  your motivation over time. He explains the SMART goals and what to do when goals are incomplete. Check it out!  There are several fabulous articles by Maynard in the Library, so you can search for other articles by this author here: http://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/author/maynardbrusman/.

Enjoy these tidbits from Virgin’s founder and CEO, Richard Branson, who reminds us that companies are simply groups of people, delegation is an art, and entrepreneurs shouldn’t push their bank managers out of their homes!

What’s the difference, really?  I tend to think of motivation as motion or causing movement in someone. And inspiration, to inspire, means to breathe in.  Take a look at the article below and add your thoughts and definitions!

In a provocative article on the Library of Professional Coaching, Bill Burtch tackles this question in his article titled, Motivation or Inspiration.  Here’s an excerpt:

Motivation is something that comes from within. As a manager or leader, I don’t believe I can motivate you to do something, especially something that you aren’t interested in doing. Motivation is completely personal.

What I CAN do is to create an environment that fosters self-motivation, based on precisely what motivates you – whether that’s money, responsibility, trust, empowerment, social meaning or something else.

And that’s where inspiration comes into the picture, in creating that environment. Inspiration is an external factor. It’s the spark that lights up an individual’s motivators and sets them into action.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/case-studies/leadership-case-studies/motivation-or-inspiration/

Leaders: ask yourself at least 3x/day “What conversations do I need to have with whom to accomplish what matters most?”

Honed during 18 years coaching leaders and executives; I find this question to be the most influential strategy in identifying what matters most, what key players to turn to, what conversations to have, and how to get in action towards the most meaningful results.

Try it, and let me know what you discover!

An article I wrote on The Art of Building Coalition is posted at the Library of Professional Coaching and excerpted here:

There are numerous situations we face at work, whether as an entrepreneur, an employer, a manager, a leader, an employee or a member of a project team where we need to build coalition with others. The results we can produce depends on relationships that are effective and sufficient to the goals of the organization or project. These others with whom we need to build coalition may be colleagues, the board, co-workers, vendors, customers, peers, teammates or subordinates. Sometimes we need to build coalition to navigate a political minefield in our organization, sometimes it is to move a particular idea forward, sometimes it is to most effectively lead, manage, or motivate others. Below is a time-tested method for building coalition, creating a partnering relationship for whatever your purpose, so that you can increase your visibility, clean up a messy interpersonal scenario, create development opportunities for yourself or others, or simply expedite the results of any project or team you are working on.

Forming A Partnering Relationship: Guidelines For A Possible Dialogue

The guidelines below set up the actions you might consider taking to step-by-step build coalition. Know your reasons before you start. With whom do you want to have this conversation and why? What is your goal in creating coalition with this person,
specifically? The answer to those questions may not be communicated to the other
person, but are useful for you in determining the importance of the conversation, the
timing or urgency of the conversation, and how you will measure your results.

THE SET-UP — Creating a safe environment

Clearly establish for yourself the purpose for partnering with the other person. What do you have to offer them? How would you like them to support/help you?
Check in with yourself to determine your readiness and willingness to be open,
honest, vulnerable. Let your guard down; be prepared to tell your truth and speak
your mind, particularly if there has been any conflict in the past with this person.
Depending on the person or the situation…
1. Take that person out of the office to a neutral location such as a restaurant or a
park or take a walk. If appropriate, a local pub is a casual setting conducive to
dialogue.
2. Take him or her on a coffee break in or out of the building.
3. Ask him or her to join you for lunch in the cafeteria.
4. Go to that person’s office or work area if it is private (not a cubicle).
5. If it can’t be done face-to-face, if you are in a virtual organization with farflung
global colleagues, this can be managed by phone, but will require setting
up a special time to talk without other distractions. You’ll need to request that
the other person not multitask so that they can be present to the conversation.
This may actually require asking that they specifically shut down their email,
IM, and Blackberry.
Set up enough time to have a conversation about partnership, usually a minimum of an hour. (By “partnership” I mean a mutually beneficial working relationship.)
Get that person’s permission to have the conversation after you brief them on what it will be about. Tell them you want to discuss the possibility of forming a committed relationship or a partnership with them and ask if they will talk with you about it.
Schedule a specific date and time to have that conversation. Make any agendas you may have explicit and transparent to the other person so they know what to expect and can be prepared to discuss and share their thoughts.

PART ONE — Expressing commitment

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/teams/the-art-of-building-coalition/

The lens through which we view the world colors our experience of it.  Some people view accountability as a negative…it’s something your boss does to you.  You’re held accountable.  Like you’re held captive. Ugh.  Who wants that?

Accountability is really access to personal power.  It’s your key to owning the results you create in the world.  It’s really the doorway to freedom.

Consider a time when you’ve felt trapped, stuck or victimized.  If you got yourself out of that dreary headspace, chances are you exercised some aspect of accountability.  You owned how you got there. You accepted responsibility for the fact that nobody but you believed what you believed, said what you said, took the actions you took (or didn’t take) that resulted in your current reality, circumstance, situation, etc.  Yay for you!  Now, the trick is, how do we do that as a daily mode of operating?

One of the articles at the Library of Professional Coaching, by Inga Estes, defines it well:

Accountability is the greatest freedom we can create for ourselves. When we turn the tables and “own” the thing that owns us, we eliminate “victim mentality.” Accountability allows us to take full responsibility for our own lives, acknowledging what we’ve chosen and standing by it.

A Shearson/Lehman Brothers print ad from 1987 sums up accountability:
• Accountability is taking responsibility before the fact, rather than after the fact.
• Accountability is taking a stand, and standing by it.
• When those who are accountable are right, they take the credit.
• When they are wrong, they take the heat, a fair exchange.
• Accountability is a way of working.
• Those who practice it have an unspoken respect for each other and a visible disdain for the absent-minded apologizers, mumbling excuse-makers and, trembling fence sitters who run from integrity as if it were the plague.

“Those who enjoy accountability usually get it; those who merely like exercising authority usually lose it.” ~ Malcolm Forbes

Read and download article HERE.

Great quote from an article on The Joy of Quiet in the NY Times: “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.”

To read the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&smid=fb-share

What will you do to create space and quiet in your life and unplug a little? Can you create pocket of peace each day? How about more than one a day?

Ready or not, 2012 is upon us. Whether you believe in the theories of galactic alignment, Age of Aquarius, Mayan end-of-calendar predictions, or the shifting of the Earth’s magnetic plates, 2012 has been a much anticipated happening. And now it’s here. What will YOU make it be about?

My new year’s resolution (and theme for the year) will be simply Gratitude. When I stay grounded in mindful gratitude, cultivating a daily awareness of being grateful for all that I am and have already, I am able to release negativity and ease into flow.

How about you? What’s your 2012 theme or focus?

Highly entertaining, and on-target skewering of the education systems on our planet today, Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk is well worth the 19 minutes it takes to view it.  First of all, he’s funny.  Second of all, if you are any kind of leader or educator, mentor, coach or teacher, this will resonate for you!  A few of my favorite quotes are below, and the video is embedded for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!

“Creativity is as important in education as literacy”

“We are educating people out of their creative capacities”

“if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original — if you’re not prepared to be wrong. And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this, by the way. We stigmatize mistakes. And we’re now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities. Picasso once said this — he said that all children are born artists. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up. I believe this passionately, that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it.”

“And the consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they’re not, because the thing they were good at at school wasn’t valued, or was actually stigmatized. And I think we can’t afford to go on that way.”

“creativity — which I define as the process of having original ideas that have value — more often than not comes about through the interaction of different disciplinary ways of seeing things.”

But by far my favorite story he told was the tale of Gillian Lynne. She’s a choreographer and everybody knows her work. She did “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.” She’s wonderful. He asked her, “Gillian, how’d you get to be a dancer?” And she said it was interesting; when she was at school, she was really hopeless. And the school, in the ’30s, wrote to her parents and said, “We think Gillian has a learning disorder.” She couldn’t concentrate; she was fidgeting. I think now they’d say she had ADHD. But this was the 1930s, and ADHD hadn’t been invented at this point. It wasn’t an available condition. People weren’t aware they could have that.

Anyway, she went to see this specialist. So, this oak-paneled room, and she was there with her mother, and she was led and sat on this chair at the end, and she sat on her hands for 20 minutes while this man talked to her mother about all the problems Gillian was having at school. And at the end of it — because she was disturbing people; her homework was always late; and so on, little kid of eight — in the end, the doctor went and sat next to Gillian and said, “Gillian, I’ve listened to all these things that your mother’s told me, and I need to speak to her privately.” He said, “Wait here. We’ll be back; we won’t be very long,” and they went and left her. But as they went out the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out the room, he said to her mother, “Just stand and watch her.” And the minute they left the room, she said, she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes and he turned to her mother and said, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn’t sick; she’s a dancer. Take her to a dance school.”

“She did. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was. We walked in this room and it was full of people like me. People who couldn’t sit still. People who had to move to think.” Who had to move to think. They did ballet; they did tap; they did jazz; they did modern; they did contemporary. She was eventually auditioned for the Royal Ballet School; she became a soloist; she had a wonderful career at the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School and founded her own company — the Gillian Lynne Dance Company — met Andrew Lloyd Weber. She’s been responsible for some of the most successful musical theater productions in history; she’s given pleasure to millions; and she’s a multi-millionaire. Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down.

Here’s his TED talk for your enjoyment: