PD Strategies Blog

Most people looking at obstacles standing in their way fail to see the obstacles they create for themselves. The biggest obstacle is one’s under valuation of their own potential. This leads to second guessing and ultimately procrastination. Procrastination is something that we all must confront and deal with from time to time. It's only natural to procrastinate at times, but the way you deal with your procrastination patterns will determine what effects procrastination has on your life. Why is it that so many people start out with good intentions to achieve a goal but never achieve that goal? When you procrastinate you simply fail to act on the very things you know will bring you the rewards that you desire. You know you want the rewards and know you must act but you hold off, make excuses and, in short, procrastinate. Procrastination can be caused by a fear—a fear of failure...

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” That line from the movie Cool Hand Luke highlights a fundamental problem. There are many times in our business and personal lives where we don’t achieve a desired result from directing, explaining, or urging action. I would like to concentrate here on the “urging action.” Dwight Eisenhower said, “Leadership is getting people to do what YOU want them to do because THEY want to do it.” Let’s now use that quote and relate it to coaching. Coaching is not telling people what they need to do. On the contrary. It is helping them find the direction within themselves to solve a problem. Coaching is a process between a coach and a person being coached that helps the person being coached produce big results in their lives, careers, or business by deepening learning and improve performance and quality of life. The transformational part...

Have you been feeling a little overwhelmed? You are not alone. Many Westchester County business owners have told me that they feel overworked and overwhelmed. Many blame the rapid pace of business or the economic fact that business has to do more with less. Technology, while automating things that used to take much more time has also created new pressure. Instant communication on handheld devices gives us the sense of urgency and feeling that we must always be working. Everything seems to go faster, leaving everyone feeling overworked, overloaded, and overwhelmed.   Some people may suggest that this is an issue of time management. The real issue is not time management but understanding your goals and your purpose.  I covered that topic in my last blog. Some of this overlaps but here are some tips on surviving and avoiding being overwhelmed. 1. Know Your Purpose. Know your vision, your goals, and your...

Have you ever wondered whether coaching is right for you? You may have an idea of what is by how it may be used in the workplace. But it is much more than that. Here is some information on what coaching is and what it is not. Is it right for you? Coaching relationships vary considerably. There are life coaches, sports coaches, health coaches, executive coaches, and so forth. Here is some information on the nature of coaching, its benefits, and how it varies from other type of consulting. Sometimes people confuse coaches with traditional consultants. They might ask a coach for advice. However, a coach’s role is not to provide answers or solutions. Instead a coach helps the client develop his or her own potential. If you have ever been motivated to act or energized by way of conversations, you have experienced the effects of coach. Here is an example....

The biggest obstacle to getting things done is a self-limiting factor called procrastination. We create that obstacle by our behavior. Procrastination is something that we all have to confront and deal with from time to time. It's only natural to procrastinate at times, but the way you deal with your procrastination patterns will determine what effects procrastination has on your life. Why is it that so many people start out with good intentions to achieve a goal but never achieve that goal? When you procrastinate you simply fail to take action on the very things you know will bring you the rewards that you desire. You know you want the rewards and know you must take action but you hold off, make excuses and, in short, procrastinate. Procrastination can be caused by a fear—a fear of failure or the fear of stepping outside your comfort zone. You will certainly have to...

You are free to make the choices you want. You can choose a safe and easy path which will yield average success and that may be fine. Or you can choose a less traveled path. It is filled with uncertainty but the rewards will be greater. Along this less traveled path you will grow and become stronger. What will it take for you to choose the less traveled path? I was recently coaching a Westchester County NY business executive. She wants to advance in her career. She has been working hard but playing it safe and wondering when she is going to get her “turn.” She said she was waiting for the right time. What is the right time? Another way to describe the right time is what I would call “Getting ready to go to work”. For example, “I still don’t have my resume, my presentation, or my 2 sharpened...

A high performing team is always created by an effective leader. Conversely, if an organization is full of performance issues you need only to look at leadership to diagnose the cause of the problem.   An organization is only as good as its people and as leader your first duty is to select the best people. After you have hired the best people your challenge as a leader is to keep them engaged and producing results. Engaged employees will lead to loyal customers and loyal customers will lead to a sustainable business. In our business climate it is not enough to be good, you must exceed customers’ expectations. This takes a coordinated effort of individuals that work together toward a common goal. You may have heard it said that there is no “I” in team. This is true and it means that individuals who are qualified and intelligent but do not work...

The goal achievement process can include goals to stop doing unproductive things. Sometimes things you are currently doing are obstacles to achievement of a new goal. Removing the obstacle will clear the way for achievement of the new goal. Review your activities to see if they are really productive. Instead of planning what you will do, let’s concentrate on things you should not be doing. I think it was Einstein who said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Maybe now is the time to make some changes. If any of you have ever done an assessment with a coach or you have had a developmental assessment for you job you probably saw a section on the worksheet that is titled “I will stop doing…” Attitudes, behaviors, and activities can account for our success or failure. We should be measuring the results of...

I talk about goals in every business seminar I present to Westchester County business owners. Some people wonder why I always include goals. Goals are dreams with actions attached. Many people are good at making goals but that is where it stops. The goals are never accomplished. It’s important to set goals, but the step that many may miss is the ability to develop the detailed plan needed to achieve the goal. Goals start with dreams. What are your dreams? Can you visualize them and verbalize them? This is important. In order to create the motivation to achieve your goal you must have a burning desire to reach it. If you have made goals in the past and have not achieved them one reason may be that you did not have a burning desire, a driving dream to achieve them. New Year’s resolutions fall into this category many times. When you...

Sometimes we look for things to improve and are disappointed when we see no change. It is almost as if we are waiting for something to happen. But there are some of us who know that if we want something to happen we must be the ones to make it happen. Those of us who are waiting for things to happen have a much different approach to going on vacation. Many of us spend a considerable amount of time and effort planning a vacation. We will figure out exactly where we want to go and what type of things we want to do while we are there. We’ll make reservations, schedule appointments, and prepare a list of all of the appropriate things we need to pack. This planning is usually very detailed, somewhat tedious, and time consuming. But, because we want the trip to be hassle free we will plan these...

What do you think about when you hear, “I’m Loving It.” Or what do you think when you hear, “Just do it.” You probably said McDonalds and Nike. Why are you able to recall this so quickly? Over a period of time you have heard commercials on TV and radio that continually mention the taglines of McDonalds and Nike. You did not intend to learn this tagline but the advertiser’s use of spaced repetition planted it in your mind. How did you learn your multiplication tables when you were young? Or how did you memorize that poem when you were in grade school? That was also spaced repetition. Spaced repetition is the most effective and powerful way we learn. So how are you incorporating spaced repetition into your learning process, and what about your process with other staff or junior associates? Are you responsible for teaching some other staff how to...

Have you wondered whether you would benefit by having a coach? Here is some information on what coaching is and what it is not. Is it right for you? Coaching relationships vary considerably. There are life coaches, sports coaches, health coaches, business coaches, and so forth. Here is some information on the nature of coaching, its benefits, and how it varies from other type of consulting. Sometimes people confuse coaches with traditional consultants. They might ask a coach for advice. However, a coach’s role is not to provide answers or solutions. Instead a coach helps the client develop their own potential. If you have ever been motivated to act or energized by way of conversations you have experienced the effects of coach. Here is an example. If a child asks you how to spell a word you could provide the child with the correct spelling. That would be the consultant approach....