How Do We Create High-Performing Teams?

With today’s standard of accomplishing our work with others, increased collaboration and higher expectations for team success are the norm. And, one thing we’ve learned for sure, is that many teams are operating without agreements about how they will work together to navigate the high demands required in today’s work environment. The Working Agreements of…

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Let’s Look at Why Coaching Works

I’ll be honest. It concerns me when companies or organizations don’t think that coaching is worth their time, effort, or resources. So, in keeping with the theme of “look,” let’s take a look at three important reasons why coaching is so very valuable to any organization who desires growth and change. We don’t change well…

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Here’s Looking at You!

Okay – I admit it. I like connecting my messages to a well-known word, phrase, song, movie or book. It just feels fun, while also offering the possibility for deeper and clearer thinking. This month we’re focusing on the word “look.” And, the word look is everywhere you look. For example: Look out! Hey good…

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Do You Look Like You Care?

confident businesswoman

As a dedicated leader, you know that looks matter. And, I’m not just talking about the way you dress at work – however, that does send a message about how you care. Instead, I’m talking about the look on your face and with your body as you interact with others. One of our RCG partners,…

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How to Support People to Excel

If we continue to spend our time identifying what people are not doing and giving people feedback (advice) about how to be better, we’ll languish in the business of adequacy. To get into the excellence business we need some new techniques: Look for the outcomes; what people are doing that is working. Replay your instinctive…

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Easy Change vs. Hard Change

In Michael Bungay Stanier’s book, The Advice Trap – Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever, he asks, “Why is it easy (ish) to figure out our new phones, but hard to keep our resolutions?” He says what we all know – some change is easy and some change is hard.…

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December Wish #3 – Presume Positive Intent

One of the best gifts I ever received was learning from neuroscience about the brain. It just amazes me that if I don’t know or understand something about a situation or a person, my brain just naturally will default to negative thinking. It’s so crazy. Well, guess what? Our year has been packed with uncertainty…

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The Learning Question – Finish Strong!

superhero child

“Focus on the real problem, not the first problem. If you are not trying to fix things, you don’t need the backstory.” Michael Bungay Stanier This is the last question Stanier writes about in his book, The Coaching Habit. He states that the best way to finish strong is to ask the question, “What was…

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The Kickstart Question: Using the 3P Model

kick start

“Answers are closed rooms; and questions are open doors that invite us in.”Nancy Willard Continuing our study of Michael Bungay Stanier’s book, The Coaching Habit, this article will take a deeper look at his Kickstart Question by focusing on the 3P Model. The 3P Model is a framework for choosing what to focus on in…

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