FAQs: What Is Executive Coaching?
November 14, 2011
The International Coach Federation defines Executive Coaching as a facilitative one-to-one mutually designed relationship between a professional coach and a key contributor who has a powerful position in the organization. The focus of the coaching is usually on organizational performance or development, but may have a personal component as well.
Top 5 Lessons To Learn From “Do You Have Enough Sharks In Your Tank?”
October 3, 2011
See “Do You Have Enough Sharks In Your Tank?”
There is a real depth of lessons available to us in the story of “Do you have enough sharks in your tank“, and here’s what I consider to be the top five.
1. Having another shark thrown in our tanks is an invitation to “Say ‘YES!’ Passionately to Life!”.
Maybe it’s simply a form of human insanity to want fewer sharks in our tanks. Throwing ourselves wholeheartedly at the next shark coming at us could well turn out to be the most liberating act of our lives!
2. Maybe the areas of our lives where we’re stuck or moving sluggishly means that we don’t have enough sharks in the tank.
Sometimes we struggle with the things we think we “should” do and get stuck or have difficulty building any real momentum. What do you need to do to add a shark to that particular tank? Give it some thought, and if you can’t think of anything then maybe the real solution is simply setting it aside as a worthwhile goal. What are the benefits of accomplishing that goal? What would be the prices you would pay if you decided to let it go? Is there a more worthwhile goal you could create instead that would have a greater impact on the quality of your life? Would that goal come with a big enough shark for you? Try to struggle with those questions until you’re clear you got a “hit”.
3. Put sharks in other people’s tanks.
Think about it.
At first glance that might sound a little aggressive, but the idea isn’t about being aggressive, intimidating or threatening people with how sharp your teeth are. If having a shark in your tank is a beautiful thing, then work with people so that they can benefit from having sharks in their tanks, too. Whether you’re a manager, coach, trainer, or consultant – or a husband, mom, son or sister – what are the people in your life struggling with and working towards? Are some of the goals they talk about mere hopes that they can’t ever seem to actually pull off?
One great example of putting a shark in someone else’s tank was the father who just couldn’t seem to manage to quit smoking no matter how hard he tried. His young daughter came home from school crying one day after learning about the dangers for smokers. She was crying because she was afraid that because he smoked he wasn’t going to live long enough to be at her wedding someday. It struck him like a two by four and he became a non-smoker that same day. Even though it was an ongoing struggle with stopping, his daughter had put a big enough shark in his tank to keep him struggling.
What sharks do you need to put in the tanks of the people you care about so that they can go on to accomplish their dreams? How can you work with them so that they can begin to appreciate their own sharks and begin to put sharks in their own tanks?
4. Strive to remember that we always have a choice about how we think and feel about the different sharks in our tanks.
Let’s face it; there are always going to be certain types of sharks that each of us is particularly prone to resisting and have difficulty appreciating, or times when it feels like there’s just too many of them and not enough of us to go around – especially in today’s world. And you know what? That’s ok. Most of us seem to consistently compare how we’re doing from day to day to our peak performance level, and the only way to be acknowledged or validated by such a comparison is going to be by waiting for the next occasion when we’re operating at our peak performance level again.
It’s a peak experience and can’t really be compared to our daily lives. Giving a hundred percent of ourselves is not only going to look and feel differently from day to day, but sometimes even from moment to moment. It’s so much more valuable to ask ourselves “Did I give a hundred percent?” than it is to ask ourselves “Why didn’t I do better? …or more? …or something different?” And in those moments when you’re choosing to say “NO!” to the sharks in your tank, can you still love, appreciate, and acknowledge yourself and the choices you’re making anyway?
5. The sharks in our tanks are lifes greatest gift.
Let me guess: you think that one is just too much of a stretch?
When I went to the movie theatre to watch one of the “Lord of the Ring” movies that came out I remember sitting in the theatre really enjoying the movie and appreciating how heroic so many of the characters were. I had a sense that they were all actually really lucky to be on such a grand adventure! I was sort of mulling over the nature of being a hero in the back of mind as I watched Frodo and Sam struggle up the side of the mountain, and then I realized that it actually totally sucked to be them!
They were exhausted, starved, overwhelmed, dirty, thirsty, and homesick – to name a few – and would have gladly traded places with just about anybody on the planet for a nickel.
But in facing the sharks in each of their tanks the characters of the good guys were forged into becoming that person that each of them had known in their hearts they could always be but never knew how to bring it to the world – or perhaps had even dared to hope that they ever would.
Whether it was having a bold new sense of daring or confidence in their lives or finally claiming their greatness that was always there – each of them went on to forge a life for themselves that could simply no longer be mediocre. Their days of mediocrity were behind them forever.
We all long for that particular brand of greatness in our own lives. How differently might it feel to live our lives if we could all acknowledge the hero’s journey that each of us is on and that the biggest and baddest sharks in our tanks are really no match for us; and are actually life’s greatest gift to us?
Here’s hoping you swim with the sharks!
Your partner in saying “YES!” to online success,
Tracy Batwinas
http://www.batwinas.com
Tracy Batwinas is the head of The Tracy Batwinas Group, a consulting firm that specializes in offering services to Internet Marketers, Professional Bloggers and Infopreneurs. Their services range from content management and creation to blog and website management and creation, as well as every aspect of the marketing process. Find out more about how their services can benefit your bottom line at http://www.batwinas.com
Coaching Challenge on Involvement
August 23, 2010
Challenge Thought:
Without involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment.
Stephen Covey Quotes
Coaching Challenge:
One of the meanings of the word involvement is to “make complete”.
Quantum Physics continues to reveal how connected we are in every way. Anyone who marches around believing that they’re not their brothers keeper is ignoring the cold hard facts.
We are connected to and responsible for everything in our world, but we’re damnably persnickety about what we’re willing to involve ourselves in. “Don’t get involved” is a modern mantra.
And the way we rip ourselves off with it is a real shame!
The next time you’re struggling to keep a commitment or to maintain one ask yourself how involved you are in it. Is it a commitment that has rich dimension for you or are you trying to make yourself go through the motions? Are you doing it because you feel you “should” or you “have to” or does it have real meaning for you? Is it a commitment you should let go of or is it a commitment that you need to dig in to? If it’s a commitment you need to dig in to how could you be more involved in it? How willing are you to live life completely and to become involved?
Your partner in saying ‘YES!’ passionately to life,
Tracy Batwinas
http://www.batwinas.com
Coaching Challenge on a Heart as Open as the Sky
August 22, 2010
Challenge Thought:
The Master observes the world, but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is open as the sky.
Tao Ching Quotes
Coaching Challenge:
After watching the love of her life being executed in a horrific way, the heroine of “Kama Sutra” walks away and says to herself that her heart is as “open as the sky”.
It’s a moment I’ve never forgotten in spite of the years that have passed since I’ve seen it.
How extraordinary is it that moments after such an agonizing loss that someone could say “Here I am life; come get me!”?
And yes – I know – it’s easy for a fictional character to say, but that’s missing the point.
Life is constantly streaming at us offering an infinite variety of experiences to us and most of us devote our lives to saying “no”.
And what I think is worse is that we’re not even awake enough to realize that we’re doing it.
I think “no” is a great word and deserves it’s fair share of usage in our lives but when it’s our automatic it’s ripping us off! Abraham Hicks described it as us showing up to the infinite abundance of the Universe with a teaspoon for our portion.
I don’t know about you but I’m not ok with living like that.
The challenge lies in opening our hearts as big as the sky.
Today’s Coaching Challenge? I’m giving you a gift certificate for “Everything” in life. “Everything”! Every car that you see, every home that you pass, every person that you notice, every job that you think about – every single thing that is a part of your world is included in the certificate for you to claim. Every quality of life including love, passion, intimacy, inspiration, fulfillment and purpose. Everything! You are wholly complete and fully deserving of all! Allow it in to your heart and be willing to claim it as your own!
Your partner in saying ‘YES!’ passionately to life,
Tracy Batwinas
http://www.batwinas.com
Coaching Challenge on Blame
August 21, 2010
Challenge Thought:
When you blame others you give up your power to change.
Author Unknown Quotes
Coaching Challenge:
A really powerful distinction that I’ve created for myself is the difference between self-love and self-respect. I can love myself irregardless of any circumstance, but my self-respect is incredibly conditional. It is built or torn down based on behaviors and attitudes.
I’m certainly not proud of my willingness to blame others and my self-respect takes a hit every time I’m willing to go there. I have great compassion and love for myself irregardless, but I’m not tolerant of my blaming others.
And it gets complicated. My first knee jerk response is to blame myself for being blaming. Loving myself through it really helps me to unhook from being willing to judge myself for indulging in bad behavior and my detachment helps me to learn from it and grow.
I’ve had a powerful opportunity to grow in this area fairly recently.
I ended a very long-term relationship. One of my favorite quotes talks about being the sole uncontested author or our lives and I’m just so crystal clear that I created this relationship from start to finish in every way. I did this. And I really have to work at it and up to it to feel any real resentment about his bad behavior.
On the other hand, my hair dresser totally botched my hair and I had to get a boy cut to fix it and I would just seethe every time I spotted myself in a mirror. It’s petty, silly and vain and it cracks me up!
An eleven year relationship ends and I’m at tremendous peace about it but don’t mess with the ‘do’!
Bottom line? I’m completely responsible for the relationship but she’s to blame for my hair.
It’s a light hearted way for me to be consistently reminded that any time I’m blaming others I’m giving away my power.
Today’s coaching? Where are you unwilling to be responsible and willing to play the blame game instead? What would shift if you took your power back and stopped blaming? How would it empower you to design the life of your dreams? And why would you be reluctant to stop playing that game?
Your partner in saying ‘YES!’ passionately to life,
Tracy Batwinas
http://www.batwinas.com