The energy of a conversation

My first ever seminar, session 1, is with Belinda Baillie. And she talked about energy – attitude and connection… powerful…

The title was: «Working with the energy of a conversation and dancing with the magic».
As a mentor i know how important energy is, both for myself, but also for my mentees. She talked about the seven levels within psychology, emotions, thoughts and souls. How important it is for you to accept all this within yourself and then accepting them in your mentee. Recognize where they are…
And at last a saying from Shakespeare: “Nothing is good or bad, thinking make it so”…

What if someone else is in charge?

Sometimes you realise that someone else is in charge of your mentee, it can be your boss, wife/husband, friends or family.
When you confront your mentee you have two different possibilities: He or she admits it or they don´t. In either way you as a mentor has a problem.

The best way is to invite the other part to a combined meeting. Then tell or she about the privilege to be a mentee and be in that spotlight, and that the reflection is the most important tool in these sessions. And if someone else correct the mentee after a meeting, everything is destroyed…

They have to step back or the sessions are for no good.

How to get most of your mentor

It’s a good question and I’m sure everyone already figured out that I am a huge believer in the value of mentors. So I have three simple tip.

  1. Be sure to get the right mentor. Before you find a mentor take the time to find out why you want a mentor and what you think the mentor can do for you.
  2. Have a clear overview over who you are. I like to use SWOT-analyzes from the businessworld, Your strength, your weaknesses, your potential/opportunities and in the end what can stop you for getting to your goals.
  3. Be prepared and joine your mentor in the dance (dancing in the moment). Be prepared for every meeting and try to answer and reflect on everything your mentor asks you.

Is someone having others?

CONFERENCE: PROFESSIONAL CONVERSATIONS | EVIDENCE BASED COACHING AND MENTORING

EMCC Nordic conference 21.-22. Sept 2015 in Oslo

The event is managed by EMCC Norway with the support of EMCC in Denmark, Finland and Sweden: plus the Swedish Coaching Psychologists Group (Coachande Psykologer).

The program is geared towards practitioners (incl. psychologists) who are committed to evidence based practices and actively involved in mentoring and/or coaching. Our goal is to create an event with round tables and plenty of room for networking combined with state of the art presentations and discussions. We want an exclusive event but a fair price, therefore we have chosen a venue limited to 100 participants. We also expect the event to fill up quickly.

Fill in the form to get the conference flyer plus exclusive, early access to registration – this could in fact become your only chance to get on board.

When on the list we will keep you updated about the conference, speakers, networking opportunities, interest groups and bonuses. You shouldn’t hesitate – this is a rare opportunity to meet interesting colleagues from across the Nordic countries.

Confirmed speakers cover both mentoring, coaching and coaching psychology: Prof. David Clutterbuck (UK), Prof. Reinhard Stelter (Denmark), Prof. TK Lang (Norway), Dr Kristina Gyllensten (Sweden), Po Lindvall (Sweden, EMCC VP Research), Jennybeth Ekeland (Mentoring program manager, NHH AFF) and Dr Paul O Olson (Pres. EMCC Norway).

As said above, the venue is limited to 100 participants and we expect to fill the room early. Avoid missing out and register her

Can coaching kick-start your career?

This is an never-ending story, can it or can it not? In my mind a coach can really kick start your career end of story. I can come with a lot of example, but I will let you read an article by Susanne Gargiulo that she wrote for CNN.

Bill Clinton had a coach, Oprah Winfrey used one to help her get to the top of her career and, of course, top sports stars have them.

But the chances are you might have one, too, as according to a recent study by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), coaches in the office are becoming almost common place.

In the survey of 250 UK companies, 80% said they were using or had used coaching, and another 9% were planning to do so. «We were surprised that it was so widespread,» says David Pardey, of ILM, «particularly because we did the survey in the middle of a recession.»

A 2009 study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development confirmed that even during the economic downturn coaching remained buoyant; 7 out 10 companies surveyed reported increasing or maintaining their commitment to coaching.

According to Pardey, coaching is a tool that enables people to perform to their full capability. «It’s the difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it in practice,» he says. 

«So from an organizational point of view it can maximize your potential and take you from average to excellent. If everyone in the company were performing as the best person, the difference would be extraordinary.»

For individuals like David Fitzgerald, executive vice president and partner at CB Richard Ellis New England, coaching elevates his game. «I like to win, and coaching helps me to win even more,» he says.

Coaching has been finding favor among companies for over a decade, according to Ginger Jenks, an executive coach, founder and president of Magellan Enterprises in Colorado.

«Five years ago, coaching was in about 75 countries, now it is in about 110,» says Jenks who is certified with the International Coach Federation, where she has also served on the board.

Jenks believes that coaching is going where music and sports have always been.

«If you want to get to the top, you need a coach. In the past, I was a leader’s secret weapon. Now, a coach is accepted as a must-have for people in the top of their field,» says Jenks.

The reason for its growing popularity could be its win-win effect. The ILM study found that 95% of companies who used coaching said it has benefited the individual as well as the organization.

There are a couple of hitches, however. One is assuring that a coach is fully qualified and a current lack of standardization means anyone can call themselves a coach. The second is cost. Coaching is not inexpensive, but that is a fact experts believe is pushing another growing trend in the industry; companies training and keeping their own coaches on staff.

«This is where we are seeing the real growth happening in terms of business coaching,» says Suzanna Prout, managing director of Xenonex Limited, an executive coaching and leadership development company.

Pardey agrees: «If you train people, it will pay off year after year, and then you have people working continuously to help others perform better. It will be a significant feature of successful organizations.»

That is what happened at Doncaster College in the UK, where principal and CEO George Trow, says coaching and management development has transformed the school from a poorly functioning one to a success story.

«When I came here, the college had had seven principals in five years,» says Trow, adding that both the student and financial performance of the school were inadequate.

To turn things around, Trow put 70 managers through a coaching program and trained ten internal managers as coaches. He wanted to install a coaching culture and this made the program financially sustainable.

Almost three years after the introduction of the coaching program, Trow says the student success rate has increased dramatically and the school is in a healthy financial state.

«What has happened is that we are seeing a more effective performance from people, better conflict resolution, better communication, and we have been able to deal with a lot of thorny issues that had been parked for a while,» he says.

According to Prout, what coaching does is help show «an organization’s blind spots.»

«It is about having that discipline to be asking yourself the tough, challenging and open questions that people often have a tough time asking themselves,» she says.

Why Small Businesses Need Coaching

By Elizabeth Blackwell

She has written the article in «TheStreet» is a leading digital financial media company whose network of digital services provides users, subscribers and advertisers with a variety of content and tools through a range of online, social media, tablet and mobile channels. Our mission is to provide the most actionable ideas from the world of investing, finance and business in order to break down information barriers, level the playing field and help all individuals and organizations grow their wealth.

In sports, coaching advice isn’t limited to the superstars. Everyone on the team gets the benefit of a coach’s leadership and constructive criticism.

In business, it can seem like coaching is reserved for the favored few: leaders-in-training who want to leap a few rungs up the corporate ladder. But the coaching process may be most valuable for those who aren’t on a team, meaning small-business owners and entrepreneurs who have no workplace peers to turn to for advice.

While coaching has gained recognition over the past decade or so, there’s still confusion as to what exactly an executive coach does. So it’s worth clarifying first what effective coaching is not. It’s not psychotherapy — a coach should not be asked to guide you through personal problems or dole out relationship advice.

Neither is coaching a form of consulting. Hire a consultant and you’re paying someone to come into your organization, assess problems and tell you what to do. A coach is a facilitator, not a commander. His or her job is to help you analyze problems and find solutions for yourself.

Beyond that basic framework, however, coaching is a diverse field, with various approaches that appeal to different personality types. Just as in any other personal relationship, you’ve got to find a coach you click with, and that might mean meeting with a number of different people until you find The One.

«A coach is an ally,» says Ed Modell, incoming president of the International Coach Federation, which runs a rigorous credentialing program. «You should be able to share your worst fears and biggest goals. Then, the coach should co-create the solutions that work best for you.»

Most coaches charge by the hour rather than working on retainer; in general, you can expect to pay between $150 and $500 an hour. Modell recommends at least one in-person meeting to make sure you’re comfortable with each other, saying «You have to create a trust environment.» But once that’s been established, phone meetings are just as effective — and an easier commitment for busy business owners.

Another approach to consider is group coaching. It means giving up the one-on-one focus of an individual coach, but also builds peer relationships with business owners facing similar challenges. The best-known such program is Strategic Coach, which runs workshops exclusively for entrepreneurs.

«Most entrepreneurs are natural innovators or salespeople, not managers,» says Catherine Nomura, Strategic Coach’s director of business development. «They come to us because dealing with the day-to-day complexities of their business has made it difficult to move ahead. They don’t have time to do what they love to do.»

Business owners sign up for a year of coaching, which includes quarterly, daylong workshops and access to an adviser for follow-up help in between. Participants are grouped according to the size of their company (at a minimum, you must have been in business for at least three years and have a net personal income of $100,000). The coaches running the workshops are business owners who have been through the program themselves.

«It’s a peer group of people who understand what you’re going through,» Nomura says. To build accountability, business owners leave each workshop with specific goals and steps to take before the next quarterly meeting.

Once you’ve decided on the type of coaching that best fits your needs and personality, finding a coach takes the same research and persistence as finding any other trustworthy professional partner. The International Coach Federation website has a referral service for certified coaches; you can also find coaches with business experience through local MBA programs or professional organizations.

Once you’ve found a coach who’s a good fit, the rest is up to you. «If you’re going to hire a coach, you want to use the time wisely,» Modell says. «Be prepared to open up.» A great coach can motivate players to win, but only if they’re willing to put in the work it takes to get there.

5 Keys to Develop a Plan for Success

When you look at successful people, you will almost always discover a plan behind their success.  They know what they want, they work out a strategy that will get them where they want to go, and they work that plan.  It is the foundation for success.

So what are some good ideas on developing a plan that will work well and take you to the finish line powerfully and in style?  Here are some major points to keep in mind:

  1. Develop the right plan for you.  Your plan is the one you’ll develop that is unique to you and for you.  Each of us is unique and motivated by different factors and you’ve got to develop one that is right for you and fits you.  Whatever your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses, develop the plan around them.  This is not a one-plan-fits-all proposition.
  1. Keep a journal.  Record the ideas and inspiration that will carry you from where you are to where you want to be.  Take note on the ideas that impact you most.  Brainstorm with yourself on where you are going and what you want to do.  Record your dreams and ambitions.  Your journals are a gathering place for all the valuable information that you will find.
  1. Reflect.  Create time for reflection ‒ a time to go back over, to study again the things you’ve learned and the things you’ve done each day.  Take a few minutes at the end of each day and go back over the day ‒ who’d you talk to, who’d you see, what did they say, what happened, how’d you feel, what went on?  A day is a piece of the mosaic of your life.
  1. Set goals.  Your plan is the roadmap for how you are going to get to your goals so you have to have them.  Setting goals is the greatest influence on a person’s future and the greatest force that will pull a person in the direction that they want to go.  But the future must be planned, well designed, to exert a force that pulls you towards the promise of what can be.
  1. Act on your plan.  What separates the successful from the unsuccessful so many times is that the successful simply do it.  They take action.  They aren’t necessarily smarter than others; they just work the plan.  All disciplines affect each other…. Everything affects everything.  That’s why the smallest action is important ‒ because the value and benefits that you receive from that one little action will inspire you to do the next one and the next one.  So step out and take action on your plan because if the plan is good, then the results can be miraculous.

— Jim Rohn

Being a good coach is it the same as being a non-directive coach?

In my mentoring sessions I some time feel that giving advice or almost instructive, is the right way to go, but other feels that is wrong. And for coaching is also the same, when you are talking about directive and non-directive coaching.

Coach training programmes usually focus strongly on teaching the skills of non-directive coaching. This is a sensible approach, since people new to coaching and the helping professions typically see helping others as consisting of telling them what to do differently (or suggesting or advising, etc). Breaking this habit is difficult and so a relentless focus on helping the novice coach shift their attention away from telling the coachee what to do, to helping the coach learn how to surface and explore the coachee’s resources and resourcefulness is vital. The moment of breakthrough to non-directive coaching is a delight to observe and is signalled by the coach’s realisation that it is the coachee, not the coach, who has to do the hard work of discovering how to change! Indeed, one of the most reliable signs that a coach has «lost it» in a session is the feeling of trying hard!

Mike the mentor had a post on the subject some time back, here is the article, read it and make up your own mind.

Is mentoring for 2014?

Yes indeed, we live in a fast-changing world, with, at times, chaotic and unexpected events. For example the long-term financial repercussions for companies and individuals in the global financial crisis. In that times wisdom from experienced people both on individual and organization level is crucial. And through life experience you gain wisdom…

Organizations recruit graduates hoping they will be the leaders of tomorrow, but studies show there is a gap that needs adressing. And this is why we need mentoring in organizations today. Mentoring is a powerful process for making sustainable progress based on the positive partnership of two people.

I have being coordinating mentoring programs for over 10 years and most of the programs has been between academia and business life, between students and leaders. And it is a great pleasure to see the students starting the program, the one year process and what they have developed to in the end of a program. Itś a remarkable journey for the participants and wonderful to be a part of.

I see mentoring as an effective way to develop people both on personal and professionel level. And so also for the future.

This «Money tree» is designer Morgaine Ford-Workman and was used as a logo for a 3-week series focusing on business mentors for students. 

Using Newsletter

To find out whats new and doś and don’t`s I use newsletters, I subscribe to a lot of newsletters. I like to share some of them with you here in this article.

 

Michael Hyatt
He is the author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Thomas Nelson). It is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller. Recently, Forbes magazine named he one of the Top 50 Social Media Influencers of 2013.

This is his personal blog. It is focused on “intentional leadership.” And his mission is to help leaders leverage their influence. As a result, he writes on personal development, leadership, productivity, platform, and publishing. On occasion, he also write about stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories.

His goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life. If you are in a position of leadership—or aspire to be—then this blog is for you.

He typically post three times a week.

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Mentoring Works
This is Ann Rolfe, Australia’s most published author on mentoring, Ann Rolfe has thirty years experience in learning and development. For the last sixteen years, she has specialised in helping organisations and individuals enjoy the benefits of mentoring. Widely respected as a consultant and presenter, her training programs and resources are used internationally to develop and support mentoring. In 2011, a program she helped design and deliver within the NSW Department of Community and Family Services won the LearnX Asia Pacific Platinum Award for Best Coach/Mentoring Training Program.

She is also the winner of «Best Mentoring Blog» 2011 and 2012, futured at this site.

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Radical Mentoring
Radical Mentoring is produced by the Next Generation Mentoring Foundation. After years of mentoring younger men individually, Regi Campbell heard a speaker say “More time, with fewer people, equals greater kingdom impact”, and he set off to mentor a group of men for the first time. Since 2001, he’s mentored nearly 100 men personally in what he calls “Radical Mentoring Groups” and his model for mentoring has been embraced by many other Christian leaders.

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Bryan Tracy
Brian’s goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined. Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 55 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year. He has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of over 45 books that have been translated into dozens of languages.

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John Maxwell

He has written over 70 books and speak to millions of people who, like us, value what it takes to become a great leader. As you browse this site he trust we will find the resources you need to make your leadership experience not only memorable but influential. His leadership philosophy is simple: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

With so much hinging upon this philosophy his made it my his passion to develop leaders at all levels. He believe in us and the power of your influence to create a legacy within your sphere of influence that will leave behind an army of leaders who get the importance of strong leadership.

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Solution Box
David Wood is a personal and business coach, and a founder of the International Coach Academy – now training coaches globally. He is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF).  David has now coached clients in 13 countries, and has personally mentored over 60 coaches.»

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