I am often confronted with the question “Why are you sending these blogs to me?  I’m not an executive!” from those non-business executives to whom I forward ECU blogs.  After all, we are the “Executive Coaching University”, so all our material is targeted only to those seen as business executives, right?  Wrong!

In my mind the term “executive” is more adjective than noun – it describes how someone approaches her life rather than who she is and is synonymous with “peak performer”…someone who desires to live life at the highest level possible.

An executive/peak performer:

• Executes – high level performers execute.  They engage the “Ready, Fire, Aim” process of prepare, take action, adjust action that creates greater amounts of positive energy and results, rather than the conventional “Ready, Aim, Fire”…recognizing the majority of people get stuck at “Aim” and never take the action needed.  Ever seen a mom or dad juggle one or more toddlers?  That’s as high performance execution as you will see in any boardroom or courtroom!

An executive/peak performer:

• Is inside-out focused – high level performers understand that our external environment mirrors our internal developmental level.  In other words, high level performers focus on themselves and drive towards their personal “A-game” rather than continuously looking outside of themselves for responsibility, accountability, and solutions.  Think of the slogan “An Army of One” – each individual piece striving to be at their peak, coalescing into a high performing group entity.

An executive/peak performer:

• Is gritty – high level performers seek out opportunities to cultivate grit, that mix of determination, passion, and perseverance that allows us to drive through obstacles.

An executive/peak performer:

• Is neuroscience savvy – high level performers understand how the brain and body work to create the results desired.  Without that knowledge we abdicate our creative power to the unconscious, habit and live our lives on auto pilot.

An executive/peak performer:

• Constantly seeks to self-improve – the high level performer understands that human beings are biologically designed for constant growth and change, yet psychologically drive towards homeostasis and comfort.  Therefore, high level performers continuously look for opportunities for growth and recognize the motivation for that growth must initially come from within.  They push themselves to “reach” as often as possible.

An executive/peak performer:

• Is anchored by values and integrity – the high level performer knows what they value and utilize those values as foundation for their decision making and actions.  Integrity is a cornerstone of the high performers psyche – they embody the saying “Always do the right thing, even if nobody else is looking.”

High level performers wear many different hats and hold many different roles within our society.  Yet, they share the characteristics outlined above. 

If you are reading this you are an executive regardless your official “title”! 

Welcome executive – now pass it on to your brother and sister high performers!

Find out more about Greg here.

 

Are you an executive/peak performer? Please tell us why below. 



This program will help you become an even better peak performer!

     Coaching In The Workplace



© 2014 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

I excitedly retrieved my monthly auto magazine from the mail this afternoon.

For me, the contents usually represent nothing but eye candy, machines I will never have the opportunity to enjoy.

Until today that thought never really bothered me, but it is a sad, sad commentary on where I find myself…

My mindset stinks!  I suspect yours might too…

Here I am, someone others engage to help with their mindset – to lead them through the process of overcoming their self-created obstacles, which I do exceptionally well (he says humbly). I have a file full of amazing client success stories to validate this. Yet, I suddenly became aware that I was buying into a thinking small mindset—something that I help others work on each day. What???

As I looked through that magazine and felt the guilt, remorse, and disappointment of never actualizing some of my dreams, I realized that at present, I was not worthy of my dreams. Something had to change…and I knew it started with my thoughts.

While I know that my core is good, solid, dependable, and full of love and joy, I was not realizing my full self with this kind of thinking. I realized that I was going to have to think much bigger to support my dreams. I knew that I had to focus even harder on working from the inside out.

There was a time in my life where this was not the case…a time where I felt worthy of anything. I saw no barriers…only opportunities. How did I let that slip away?

It’s high time I find that mindset again.  Not only for me, but for those whom I serve as well.  I must be worthy of the faith and trust they have in me to assist them along their journey. I need to lead by example again.

Right now, my mindset is not worthy of my dreams.  I have a discipline level that is not worthy of my dreams.  With this awareness I know how to make the changes I need to.

Do you need to change your mindset? Are you playing small? Is it time to actualize your dreams?

I’ll be working extra hard to make sure the following quote won’t ever apply to me again.  Will you?

“Long before you reach the limits of your skills, you’ll come up against the limits of you!” – Pace Klein.

I now anxiously await next month’s issue knowing that my recalibrated mindset will view each page through a “possibility” lens.



©2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

It is with great pride that we announce our latest coaching program- Coaching in the Workplace™.

Click here to get more details.

Our goal has always been to help spread the amazing benefits of coaching in the workplace. This program takes tools and resources used by thousands of people in 36 countries, and packages them for use in any organization. This course represents many years of work perfecting tools that truly can help transform an organization.

This program is for executives, HR professionals, managers, and coaches. It is designed as a self study course that you can take on your schedule.

If your organization has any issues with turnover, absenteeism, employee engagement, or any other Human Capital related challenges, then this course is for you.

According to Gallop (and other leading survey firms) here are the workplace realities…which coaching, and this program specifically, can help with:

• 75% of people wished they had a different job.
• 51% of “A” workers are actively looking for a different job.
• Worker productivity is only at 33%.
• Lack of engagement costs U.S. businesses over $385 BILLION a year!
• 80% of people NEVER use their greatest gifts at work.

Coaching can address all of these issues…in fact; it may well be the ONLY thing that can cure these workplace “ills.”

If you don’t have a coaching strategy in your organization, we can guarantee you one thing—these statistics will not go down…

Coaching is the “cure.” Isn’t it time you used coaching to focus on your most important asset…your people?

Click here to enroll or to get more details.

My inbox sat at 1,405 emails, my calendar was over flowing, and my task list was miles long. I was in a state of overwhelm. Certainly not in a state of happiness...

Sound familiar?  I bet it does…

If I only had the time to catch up. If only I had the time to be happy…

With most of us over scheduling and multitasking, how can anything really get our attention, much less, our focus? Especially our focus on what is truly important. “Busyness” has taken over. At what cost? Where has our happiness gone?

I spent time with a client the other day who, from an outside perspective, you would think has it “all.”  Beautiful home with a panoramic view of the ocean, fancy car, high status, lots of money. With one question I stopped him in his tracks; “Are you happy?” It was like I hit him with a two-by-four. The conversation went dead silent.  After a long pause he answered “No.”

I harken back to when I was “slapped in the face” by life. Within one day my life as I knew it was forever changed. I never saw it coming.  My ambition as an athlete, my thriving career, my beautiful home, didn’t mean a thing.  I had lost my health and immediately nothing else mattered.  All that mattered was that I made it through the day. All that mattered was finding a glimpse of happiness through the pain.

Life changes on a dime, so my question to you is “Are you ready?” and more importantly, “Are you happy?”  Isn’t that what we are trying to achieve will all of our efforts? Have we lost sight of that? I know I did and didn’t even realize it.

Right now take inventory of your level of happiness. On a scale of 1-10 what is it? If you are like most it needs some work. I challenge you to ask yourself, “What one step can I take today to create a little more happiness in my life?”

Trust me, it’s worth it. You’re worth it. If you don’t take care of yourself and focus on finding your happiness you may well get a big wakeup call like I did. 

Give yourself the gift of happiness once again. It’s a choice. Slow down and make it.


©2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

We all know the kind of conversation I’m talking about.  The kind you would gladly trade for a root canal at your favorite dentist or that “routine” exam by your proctologist. Yes, anything but that conversation!

Most of us will wait until the emotion surrounding the conversation becomes so heated or toxic that when we do finally say what is needed, the true message is hidden in anger, frustration and disappointment.

What is the “true message?”

Is it a litany of the wrongs the person has committed?

Is it a list of everything the person didn’t do that they should have?

In other words, is the “true message” focused on how the person has failed in your eyes?

Unfortunately, usually the answer to all these questions is “yes,” when it should be a resounding “NO!”

A “crucial conversation” is nothing more than a powerful opportunity to convey our current concerns to someone whom we care for greatly.

Did you get that?  We have “crucial conversations” out of our intense caring for another – otherwise why expend the energy?

How much more effective might our conversation be if we perceive it not as a negative thing, but the opportunity for a “powerful conversation” with someone we care about?

How much more effective might our conversation be, if we didn’t shirk away and become complicit in the difficulty the conversation needs to address (because the less we say the more complicit we are)?

True servant leaders will hold a powerful conversation using these steps:

• The night before the conversation write down all the reasons you care for the other person.
• Then write down what the most positive outcome looks like – what would each of you walk away with?
• Just before the conversation review #1 and #2, take three deep breaths, and smile.
• Begin the conversation with something like “I wanted to meet with you today because I am very concerned about   you.” End the conversation with “Thank you for taking your time to meet with me today and thank you for being a part of this resolution.”
• Follow up the conversation with some correspondence reaffirming your commitment to the person and the pathway agreed upon.

Take responsibility for having the right approach, and these “crucial conversations” will become a powerful interaction that benefits both parties.

*Find the classic book Crucial Conversations by Patterson, et al. here.



© 2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

Quick... what are your priorities today?

You may have a task list, you may have meetings lined up, but what are your real priorities?

Lately, I have been amazed at the answers I get when I query executives about their priorities. Many utter a reference to "objectives" that sounds good, but soon they discover that their answers don't clarify what their priorities are for that day. They often are not clear on what actions they need to focus on today that will lead to success tomorrow.

The second revelation is the massive amount of "disconnects" there are within companies over what a person's or team's priorities are, or should be. In training sessions I often focus on aligning a company's priorities in order to achieve their strategic goals. I will take executives through a discovery exercise that goes like this-

I ask the group to list their top 3 priorities. I then ask them to get with the person that they report to or with their teammates with whom they work most closely. They compare their priorities and guess what? Over 50% of the time they don't match! Over half the time their priorities are completely different than those around them. Do you think this might cause some "disconnects?" Imagine, the person that you report to thinks you should be working on "X" and you are working feverishly on "Y." Do you think someone may be disappointed?

There is a huge misalignment here, and it's all based upon assuming (a really dangerous thing to do in any circumstance!) that every­one knows what is important...the real priorities. Don't assume! Ask, verify, and realign!

Business runs at a frenetic pace as you well know. Things pop up daily that divert your focus and therefore may shift your priorities. Over time you can lose sight of the real priorities that lead to the achievement of the bigger goals that you have estab­lished.

It all comes down to continual communication about what is important and what has changed on the landscape that may have shifted your priorities.

Steve Pinchotti, CEO of a high tech company, states- "The leadership team in every company must set clear objectives and priorities and review them on a frequent basis. Having the discipline to maintain a priority list enables you to handle new initia­tives with minimal disruptions. The expectation that all workers can and will achieve extraordinary results is not realistic unless they know what to work on first."

Don't wait for your review, or board meeting, or any other check in point, to discover that there was a mis­alignment of priorities. Check with your team and those around you to make sure that everyone constantly knows what the priorities should be.If you and your team have your priorities in sync, the more successful and happy, you, and they, will be.

Leadership is often about focusing on the most basic things. This is one of them.


© 2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

Executives of companies are intelligent, confident, innovative, and efficient. They inspire people and lead them to move mountains. Stress is not even in their vocabulary. So the term "Executive Coach" almost seems to be an oxymoron. How could these supermen/superwomen need to be coached? If they do, isn't that a sign of weakness? Executive Coaching is for Wimps.

As the CEO of a rapidly growing company, I know those thoughts crossed my mind when my COO brought it up as an idea. It seemed to have the stigma of a person going to a shrink and not wanting to talk about it. At the same time, I was intrigued. Behind every great athlete is a great coach. Could it possibly be the same for great executives?

It has been a year and a half since I had those thoughts. I have been working with an executive coach on a weekly basis since then. As a busy executive, the experience has proven to be invaluable and has changed my company and my life. A strong executive coach is not only a one-person board of directors with whom you can vet out strategic and tactical approaches; he/she is also an individual that constantly pushes an executive to perform at a higher and higher level every day.

Executive coaches focus on the individual to ensure that he/she is on top of their game on a daily basis, not just in preparation for the quarterly board meeting. As with any investment, what has been the return so far? In my company, the following tangible results have been achieved directly or indirectly by working with our executive coach:

•   A  rock-solid foundation of values, vision, and mission. 
•   A re-organized company that is customer-centric with self-directed, empowered teams.
•   More effective leaders – ratings of the leadership capabilities of our executive team increased significantly. 
•   Improved  employee  satisfaction  –  increased  over  9%  in  our  latest  survey. 
•   Improved customer satisfaction and product quality. 
•   Increased profitability by 28%.
•   Developed and improved sales capability. 
•   Launched five new products.
•   Ranked as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America.

Our executive coach now works on a weekly basis with each of my executive staff members and on a regular basis with managers and staff.

Is Executive Coaching for Wimps? No!

Executive Coaching is for those who are courageous and confident enough to push for individual excellence and performance every day.




© 2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

Click here to schedule a session to see if coaching is a good fit for you or give us a ring: 1.800.526.6038

Are you ready for a coach?   

"Nothing happens without personal transformation."
~W. E. Deming

Do you have a certain “point of pain” in your life or career?

Are you ready for more happiness and fulfillment in life and work?

Do you:

• Want a better work/life integration?
• Have a desire to take the next step in your career and need to polish your leadership skills?
• Need a “sounding board” who can give you a seasoned outside perspective?
• Find yourself at your wit's end trying to figure out your Millennials and need some help connecting with them?

Which one of these fits your need? Something else?

We admire your courage to start investigating whether coaching will help you. We know it can help most folks…not all, but most. You see, the key is whether you are ready to change. If you’re not, please don’t waste time going down the coaching path. It won’t work. If you are ready, then let’s talk and see if we are a good fit.

We have coached and trained thousands of people in 39 countries and pride ourselves in serving others through coaching. We stand ready to assist you in your desire to grow personally and professionally.

If you’re ready, don’t delay…take action now! It all starts with a conversation. We will be your guide.

Click here to schedule a complimentary exploratory session with us. Feel free to call us at 1.800.526.6038. We are here to serve. We look forward to doing so!

1-1 Coaching Packages

MasterMind Group Coaching

Proven areas of specialization

Our Proprietary Process

Coaching Success Stories

10 Reasons to Retain a Coach

Coach...Show Me How!

Coaching Priorities

Leadership Proficiencies

Harvard Executive Coaching Project
(Which Drayton was a part of)

Articles on Coaching


For more information email us at Support@ExecutiveCoachU.com   or 1.800.526.6038

 

“Ac·count·abil·i·ty “

Webster’s Definition:   an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions

The word “accountability” seems to be getting more and more air time as you look around the world of business (and politics) these days.

The problem is that most of the focus is usually outside of the person looking for more accountability!

As enlightened servant leaders, let us do a quick exercise to identify the one place in this world where accountability actually begins.  I want you to peer into a window, monitor, or mirror that is close at hand -- really look deeply – whoever is peering back at you is the true source of accountability. You!

As with everything associated with leadership, accountability is an inside-out process.  How can we, as enlightened servant leaders, expect others to value the process of accountability if we do not demonstrate how we value that process ourselves? 

As a collective, let us not fall into the false thinking that accountability is only associated with deadlines, tasks, dashboards, and any other way we measure productivity.  As leaders, we must hold ourselves accountable for EVERYTHING we think and do!

You, and you alone, have the ability to control your thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  Whether you actually hold yourself accountable for exerting that control, rather than externalizing that ability, is another issue entirely.

Do you hold yourself accountable for your words and actions, insuring alignment with your values?  Do you actively accept responsibility for expressing those values and providing space for those around you to express theirs?  

Has your organization adopted accountability as a cornerstone of its culture?  If yes, how is that expressed?

Utilizing the principle of accountability within our lives provides us a tool to insure we are living in a manner in which our purpose will be fulfilled. 

Accountability keeps us on the right path.

Are you on the right path?

Greg Styles
Director of Special Projects
Executive Coaching University



© 2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

Do you feel like this guy? Rest assured, you are not alone!

Please listen to this podcast. It was originally provided to people who purchased my book, Coming UnScrooged. I feel so passionate about the content that I wanted to make it available to everyone.

It's a wakeup call for all business people!

Warmly,


DraytonBoylston
CEO - Executive Coaching University

Click on the link below to access the recording.

Executive_911


Please know that we are here to help!. You can find out how we can assist here.




© 2014 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.