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Executive Coaching

Remote Work Productivity: Tips for Working from Home Effectively

By | Atlanta Life Coach Online, Black life coach, Business Coaching, Company News, Executive Coaching, Executive Life Coaching

We are all dealing with the “new normal,” which means juggling the demands of working from home for an unforeseen period. While this setup has the potential for increased productivity, many people are facing challenges in maintaining their performance. In this blog post, we will provide essential tips for those looking to improve their work performance while working from home.

Prioritize Preparation and Rest:

Your best work day starts the night before, with careful preparation and sufficient rest. Stick to your regular sleep schedule; studies have shown that adequate sleep is vital for optimal performance. Before you end your day, take the time to organize tasks and prepare for the next day, including packing your lunch. Remember, the next day’s production starts the night before.

Dress for Success – Even at Home:

Psychology plays a significant role in our approach to work. Therefore, it’s beneficial to get up, get dressed, and treat your remote workspace as if you are heading to the office. You don’t need to don a full suit or formal attire, but changing out of your night clothes can signal a shift in mindset and boost productivity.

Effective Communication:

While digital tools like Zoom, Slack, and Gotomeeting are valuable, don’t underestimate the power of a live voice. Take the time to pick up the phone and communicate directly with your team members, managers, or peers. This personal touch can enhance morale and overall productivity, preventing an over-reliance on back-to-back virtual meetings.

Optimize Your Work Space:

Create an efficient and comfortable work environment that mirrors your office setup. Invest in a suitable desk and chair that support good posture. If possible, position your desk near a window for natural light and a view. Personalize your space with items like family photos, a jar of candy, or awards to make it feel more inviting and motivating.

Maintain a Consistent Routine:

Avoid treating your home as a relaxation zone during work hours. Mirror your daily routine as if you were at the office. Schedule regular breaks and take your lunch at the same hour each day. Consistency helps maintain productivity by reinforcing a sense of structure and purpose in your workday.

Find Meaning in Your Work:

Take a moment to reflect on the meaning of work to you personally. Understanding why you work and what it means to you can be a powerful motivator. Use this insight to fuel your drive and commitment to excel in your remote work environment.

By following these practical tips, you can significantly enhance your work performance while working from home. Embrace the “new normal” with these strategies, and you’ll find yourself adapting and thriving in this remote work era.

Remember, remote work offers unique opportunities for productivity and work-life balance. With the right approach and mindset, you can make the most of this arrangement and excel in your professional endeavor.

Working from home doesn’t have to be a challenge. Implement these proven tips and watch your productivity soar while you enjoy the comfort of your own space. Embrace the “new normal” and excel in your remote work endeavors!

Have more productivity tips to share or questions to ask? Join the conversation in the comments section below. Let’s empower each other to thrive in this remote work era.

And don’t forget to share this post with your friends and colleagues who could use some productivity inspiration in their remote work journey!

Developing A Growth Mindset For You And Your Business

By | Executive Coaching

Thankfully, much of your potential is in your hands, although people with a fixed mindset might disagree.

If you wish to develop a growth mindset in your personal life or within your workplace, there are certain things you can do to accomplish this…

Personal Mindset

First things first, you need to be aware of your own mindset. Many people think they are growth-minded when they actually have a fixed mindset. Be aware of what your mindset actually is.

Pay attention to how you approach situations and how you react to change. Are you open to opportunities, or are you overly cautious?

Allow yourself to receive feedback about your role. Both positive and negative feedback. Try not to be defensive about mistakes and instead learn and grow from them.

Seek out more experiences where you can learn. Learn about more than your work and current interests. 

Aim for discomfort. This is where you grow. Fall and fail and challenge yourself as often as you can.

Step outside yourself. Seek knowledge and experiences that you otherwise would avoid. Read new books, attend interesting workshops, seek opposing viewpoints.

Pay attention to your habits. Are they assets or liabilities for you? Get rid of the habits that weigh you down and make room for the ones that are beneficial.

Business Mindset

To encourage sustainability, it is important the organizations and businesses seek a growth mindset.

Assess where your organization stands. Allow your employees to anonymously answer whether they believe your organization operates with a fixed mindset, or a growth mindset. Once you have your answer, you can move forward.

One of the first and most important things a business can do to encourage a growth mindset is to adjust their hiring practices. Instead of seeking out the most talented person in a pool of applicants (like looking for “genius”), look for the applicant who has the most promise, the most potential (looking at “development” instead).

Consider hiring from within instead of looking externally, too. This reiterates to your employees that you believe in them and their abilities to grow within your organization.

Foster a culture that empowers perseverance. Not everyone is a born genius, and failure is vital to growth and success. Encourage (managed) risk taking, provide a safe space for your employees to be creative and innovative and cheer their efforts when they fail.

Make sure you are giving your team the opportunities they need to grow and develop. Encourage participation in seminars, workshops, apprenticeships, coaching, and other learning opportunities. We went over professional development in an earlier chapter, are you allowing this opportunity for your employees?

Make sure your feedback is constructive. It’s important the people know what went wrong, but they sometimes need help in figuring out how to avoid the problems in the future. Even in failure, encourage learning from the mistakes.

Conclusion 

In order to grow personally and within your organization, you must consistently encourage a growth mindset. 

It can be so easy to fall into a fixed mindset, to listen to the negative voices and to stay down when you fall. Keep dusting yourself off and getting back up to try again.

Don’t be afraid to fail, continually seek knowledge, don’t give up, seek challenges, and keep pushing on.

Endeavor to be the best you can be in your personal life as well as in your business life but know that there is no cap on learning and growing. It isn’t fixed in place.

Executive Coaching Georgia – Your Leadership In Difficult Times

By | Executive Coaching

It is difficult to decide whether to share or not, in the midst of an avalanche of uncertainty and over-information. However, there is a little voice that is always there, reminding me that what you know and the information you have is useless if you do not put it at the service of others.

The True Leaders And The Crisis

If you are wondering right now if you are a leader or not, let me tell you, if you are a neighbor, a father, a friend, you are a leader because you have influence over others. And that is the best definition of leadership: influence.

Now, from Business Coaching Georgia, we know that, in difficult times, the impact of your influence is exaggerated:

  • If your influence is negative on others, the problems faced by you, your family, and your team deepen in a rapid and resounding way.
  • When you positively influence others, it is very likely that in difficult times things will not improve, but you can maintain yourself or that the fall is not so fast and so expensive.

Improve your influence, and these are difficult and uncertain times. Contribute your grain of sand by slowing down and recovering your power, staying calm and focused, adapt, and provide a perspective that can give security, hope, and motivation. We are always with you – Leadership Coaching Atlanta.

Growth Mindset And Leadership

By | Executive Coaching

Seminar buzzwords.

That’s all many people think of when they hear “growth mindset”.

Fortunately, you know better than that by now…

But you probably still have some questions.

If you are a manager or a leader, it is important that you know where you fall when it comes to mindsets. This will drastically affect the way you interact with your employees and the way you handle your day to day business within your company. 

How does having a growth mindset make you a better leader? How does it benefit your organization?

We’ve now learned all the textbook examples of what a growth mindset it, and how it affects us as individuals as well as in business and organizational culture. Now let’s examine some real-life ways a growth mindset helps us to be better leaders.

Silver Linings – Having a growth mindset allows us to fail. Everyone fails but how we handle the failure determines who we are. With a growth mindset, we will be able to see the silver linings, we will be able to find the good in each situation and find the learning experience in each fail. We will figure out what went wrong, and we will work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Having this mindset can help us encourage others when they face setbacks. If we lead by example and encourage the efforts of others and they try and inevitably fail, we can foster a growth mindset in them as they seek success.

Staying The Course – When a person relies too heavily on their skills and talent (like someone with a fixed mindset), they might think that no commitment is necessary. On the other hand, when someone has a growth mindset and is dedicated to what they are doing, they know that they can make great improvements.

In doing this, we also impress upon our teammates and employees that it is important to just keep going. We remind them that no fight is easily won, and that perseverance and determination are necessary for success.

Never Stop Learning – People with fixed mindsets think they’ve got all they’ll ever have, so there’s no reason to try for more. Those with growth mindsets are eager to seek out new information and are consistently developing new skills and learning new information. No matter what is being learned, people with growth mindsets are seeking to become whole people, full of knowledge.

When we are continually learning, we often share this information with others, helping them to keep learning. As leaders, we should be encouraging this constant learning in our teams. 

Always Improving – People with growth mindsets are never satisfied with the status quo. Because of this, they are always seeking to make things better than they were before which can translate to great improvements for a company. As an individual, you are capable of so much, but fostering a growth mindset within your company or organization can do even more.

As a leader with a growth mindset, you should always be seeking ways to make your company better, to take them to the next level. This includes helping your employees with their mindsets so that they too can benefit the organization in big ways.

Encouraging A Growth Mindset In Employees

While it is great news if the person leading the team has a growth mindset, it is imperative that they encourage a growth mindset in all.

How can you do this, though? Here are some ideas.

Hire and promote from within – Showing your team that you believe in them, putting your money where your mouth is…these are central to encouraging a growth mindset. You need to show your employees that you are invested in their development and that you see their potential. Whenever possible, hire from within. 

Promote courage – Encourage your employees to take risks. To build a growth mindset, your employees need to be willing to step out even when they are afraid to do so. Encourage this and be there for them as they do so.

Forget About Your Own Position – You might be a growth-minded person unintentionally fostering a fixed mindset environment. Be careful that you focus more on the well being of your employees than you do your own power, make sure you never put others down or hold others back to get yourself ahead. You should strive to help everyone learn and grow together.

Encourage Growth – The growth of the company is important but be sure you are encouraging your employees to seek out knowledge on their own, too. Encourage your team to reach for personal goals in addition to workplace goals.

Growth Mindset In The Business World

By | Executive Coaching

So far in this chapter, we’ve looked at mindsets as they involve individual but can organizations and businesses have a mindset, too? 

If the answer to that is yes, how does this mindset effect the organization’s goals and outcomes, and what do the employees experience?

Researchers have been working to answer this question, and while it isn’t yet concrete, it appears that the answer is yes, organizations do tend to function under a specific mindset.

Just as in individual people, organizations can have a “fixed” or “growth” mindset and this matters greatly for the company.

The mindset an organization or business has directly impacts the culture that is fostered there. As we’ve discussed in previous chapters, culture is the heartbeat of a company or organization so it stands to reason that the company’s mindset is absolutely vital to the success of the organization.

Let’s look now at how companies are affected by these different mindsets, and what effect it has on their culture.

Fixed Mindset Companies

Some companies have a fixed mindset. In these companies there is a “culture of genius”. 

Much like individuals with a fixed mindset, these organizations believe that when it comes to skills and knowledge, you either have it, or you don’t. In these organizations, talent is almost worshipped.

In these companies it can seem that some employees are valued above others and these are the employees that have shown star talent.

Unfortunately, this mindset leaves many people in the dust as the company views them as not having that certain je ne sais quoi.

Growth Mindset Companies

In companies where a growth mindset is prevalent, there is a “culture of development”.

These companies believe that employees can grow and develop abilities and knowledge, much in the same way people who have a growth mindset believe the same thing.

Growth mindset companies encourage their employees to seek new skills and be innovative.

In these organizations, everyone is valued because they all bring something different to the table.

Mindset And Organizational Culture

A study conducted by Stanford researchers questioned employees from several Fortune 1000 Companies in an effort to gain a better understanding of how a company’s mindset affected their organizational culture. 

Fixed Mindset Culture

The researchers found that in organizations with a fixed mindset or a “culture of genius,” things weren’t that great.

Employees in these companies said they were looking to leave their current company for another. This might be due to the fact that these companies discourage risk taking and innovation and that there are often behaviors that border on unethical. When people in these companies are trying to be the “star”, they might be more willing to go about it the wrong way.

In these companies, retention is tough. In a company where “genius” is valued above all, new hires tend to come from outside the company instead of allowing those within to rise. 

Employees here don’t feel as though their leaders and employers value them or have their back. Fear of failure keeps them from being creative or innovative.  

When initiative is lacking and change is resisted, stagnation will reign, and major problems will surface. Also, employees will likely jump ship.

Growth Mindset Culture

In a “culture of development”, the differences are stark.

Employees within these growth mindset companies trust their employers, they feel like they have more ownership over their work and they are willing to put more effort in to reach the goal.

Because they feel responsible and like their leadership values their input, employees in these organizations tend to be highly loyal and are committed to the future of the company.

In the company that values learning and development, risk taking is encouraged, and creativity and innovation are celebrated. 

Because most people aren’t in it for their own gain, companies with a growth mindset are more likely to have favorable ethics practices.

Additionally, supervisors in these companies trust in their employees and their ability to learn and grow and that they see management potential in them.

This is good, since most growth mindset companies hire and promote from within. 

If you want to be a leader in a company with a growth mindset, you’ll probably want to make sure you’ve got a growth mindset. Let’s look now at how this plays a role in leadership.

Growth Mindset

By | Executive Coaching

What Is A Mindset?

Psychology Today says that a mindset is a “belief that orients the way we handle situations.”

Our mindset helps us figure out what is going on around us and it allows us to determine how we should react to these situations. 

Dr Gary Klein, author of Seeing What Others Don’t reasons that mindsets are more than just beliefs. He says that our beliefs frame our situations, allow us to discover the important details, and help us set attainable goals.

Faulty mindsets can create manifold problems. They can prevent us from progressing, they can stifle curiosity and innovation and they can result in danger in some situations.

In this chapter we will be taking a look mostly at the so called “Growth Mindset”. We’ll discuss what this mindset entails, what benefits it provides, how this mindset works in business and in leadership and we’ll go over some ways you can develop a growth mindset yourself. 

Let’s first take a look at how mindsets form…

How Does A Mindset Form?

Science and psychology have shown that a person’s emotions and thoughts intertwine and create a neural network in the brain. When this happens, habits are created, and beliefs are rooted even deeper. The more often a thought it believed, or an action is practiced, the stronger this neural network becomes. 

As the neural network becomes stronger, so does the mindset. 

As with many things in life, our mindsets are formed when we are very young. 

Children are like sponges, absorbing everything they can from all the people and experiences around them. These situations played heavily into our mindsets as we moved forward through life.

As small children, we were not able to evaluate the information we were given and we accepted it at face value. It became knowledge that was rooted deeply within us and it became part of our belief system. It told us who we were and where we belonged in the world.

As we grew, we learned and experienced more, and these things highly reinforced or perhaps slightly challenged our deeply held beliefs. Over time, these beliefs became a part of who we are as people and they created our mindsets.

Now that we understand how mindsets are developed, let’s look at the 2 most common mindsets. 

Dueling Mindsets

Carol Dweck, a psychologist from Stanford University has performed a staggering amount of research on mindsets over the years. 

Through her research, she has learned that a person’s beliefs are paramount in what their goals are as well as whether they will actually achieve those goals. She has reasoned that a person’s mindset is pivotal in determining if they will succeed or not.

Dweck gave a group of children a seemingly impossible problem to solve then studied how they reacted to it. 

One group of children treated the problem as a learning experience and a puzzle to solve. The other group of children immediately decided the problem was impossible to solve and they felt as though they were being judged for not being able to solve it.

The opposite reactions for the children showed Dweck and other researchers that there were two different mindsets that prevail among the people of the world.

For some people, challenges are a way to learn and develop new skills. These people believe that new abilities can be developed and strengthened and they believe that perseverance and hard work go a long way in getting through these obstacles.

Others believe that they have a limited number of abilities and that they cannot develop new ones. They believe that all they have is what they were born with and when faced with a problem outside the scope of their perceived abilities, there’s nothing they can do about it but admit defeat. 

The first set of children and first group of people has what is known as a growth mindset, while the second set has a fixed mindset.

What’s the difference between these extremes, then?

Fixed Mindset 

When a child is taught that appearance is more important than ability, they are being set up for problems.

Some people are worried about how they are being perceived they think that their intelligence is being questioned. They worry about falling short of the expectations of others. They have been taught that looking smart is far more important than learning. 

How do people with fixed mindsets deal with life?

  • Setbacks – A single bad grade, a wrong decision, a failed audition… These are life-defining setbacks for people with fixed mindsets since those with fixed mindsets believe that their intelligence and talents are static. One setback will decide the limit of their talents for life.
  • Challenges – When a person has a fixed mindset, they are likely to avoid challenges altogether. Being faced with challenges makes them feel as though they are unintelligent or like they don’t have any talent. These people give up easily and when things get hard, they are no longer interested.
  • Effort – Because people with fixed mindsets believe that people are born with the talents and abilities they possess, they think that success should be effortless (as long as they possess the talent required for the task at hand). These people believe that only people who are “naturals” succeed. 
  • Results – When a person with a fixed mindset fails at something, they believe their work has been wasted. If they failed, they are not a “natural”, and therefore don’t have the talent or smarts to succeed in this endeavor. Successful people don’t need effort in their minds, so if they fail, they are not successful and never will be.

Growth Mindset

Children who are encouraged to explore and seek new experiences and to enjoy challenges are sure to go far.

When a person can see a mistake or an error as an opportunity instead of a failure, when they are eager to try new things and they aren’t afraid to fall on their face a few times, they are much more likely to learn and reach their potential.

When going through life, how do those with growth mindsets handle things?

  • Setbacks – One negative experience, one bad outcome, it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things…at least, it’s not for someone with a growth mindset. These people see setbacks as a blip on the radar, not a definitive example of their intelligence or abilities. 
  • Challenges – People with growth mindsets tend to seek out challenges. These people believe that a person cannot grow without a little discomfort. They see challenges as learning opportunities, allowing them to stretch themselves and helping them to find new and innovative ways to do things.
  • Effort – Those with growth mindsets believe that if you want to succeed at something, you have to work at it. They don’t believe that only “naturals” succeed, prizing instead hard work and perseverance do. When these people apply themselves to a task, they give their all and find their work to be meaningful. 
  • Results – Even if the outcome of the experiment is a failure, a person with a growth mindset does not see themselves as a failure. Instead they see this as a learning experience and believe it can help them to reach success in the future. People who have a growth mindset will learn more from failure than anyone else.

Do You Have A Growth Mindset?

If you aren’t sure where you fall, here are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if you align more with a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.

How do you handle challenges? Do you embrace them, or avoid them? If you are someone who embraces challenge, you have a growth mindset; if you run from challenges, you have a fixed mindset.

Do you believe that people are born with whatever talent and intelligence they will have for their lifetime? If so, you’ve likely got a fixed mindset.

Do you believe that people can learn and grow? That they can improve their intelligence and develop new abilities? If you believe this, you’re a growth mindset person.

Do you believe that people are just “naturals” at certain things? That you either have it, or you don’t? If this is your belief, you have a fixed mindset.

Do you believe that talent is inborn, or that it can be achieved? What about intelligence or other abilities? If you believe that talent, intelligence, and other abilities are doled out at birth, you’ve got a fixed mindset. However, if you believe that these things can be achieved through hard work and perseverance, you’ve got a growth mindset.

And that’s all well and good…

But why does it matter, and what does it mean in the business world?

Coach Interview Series: David Smith

By | Executive Coaching

Our main objective here at the National Coach Academy is to enable aspiring coaches to reach their full professional potential. One of the most effective ways to educate students about the world of coaching is by offering them a window into the world of real, practicing coaches and showing them all the different ways coaches make a difference in the lives of their clients.

We hope today’s interview adds another insightful glimpse into the dynamic world of coaching.

Today we are interviewing David Smith. David is an Executive and Personal Life Coach based in Atlanta, Georgia.

NCA: Can you describe your coaching practice and the kinds of clients you typically work with?

David: My coaching practice has three areas that I focus in on: first is life coaching, second is executive coaching and leadership development, and third is emotional intelligence training, as well. We are a small boutique company that works with individuals, organizations, government, and schools to help them in those particular areas of their individual growth for their managers. We also work with individuals who want to get more goal-oriented, better at time management, etc. That’s the work I’ve been doing for the past 12 years. 

NCA: Can you elaborate a little bit on specifically the kind of work that you do with schools?

David: Absolutely. I work with universities and local high schools in here in Atlanta and across the United States, as well. On the university side, most universities have business schools or a business department, and they bring me in to talk about leadership development, leadership skills, leadership styles, etc. I also work with universities to establish executive coaching as part of their curriculum and training for their undergraduate students and those in their MBA program. I believe that component is critically important. What we’ve found across the board is that once students come out of their MBA programs and move into their careers, they’re great in their technical/tactical/operational side, but lacking in the soft skills side.

In schools, I primarily work with young people on these soft skills: how to communicate effectively, deal with conflict, resolve conflicts, and how to advocate for themselves. I work with them on their interviewing skills for those who are interested in going off to college or into the workforce. We work on speaking and presentation skills to help them project their presence to achieve the best results.

NCA: What initially got you interested in this career path and what kind of degree or certifications did you need to complete, if any?

David: I have a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Rhetoric from Oglethorpe University and I then I also hold a Master’s of Science in Leadership Development and Executive Coaching from Bellevue University. I’m also a board certified coach, as well.

I believe in education. I believe in training. Even though the industry is kind of unregulated at this particular time, people are beginning to ask for ICF certification. I wanted to bring not only the skills that I have in coaching but the scholarship and theory behind it. It was critically important for me to finish my Master’s degree, but it also was important for me to sit for the certification as well because we are dealing with people’s lives. We’re dealing with their livelihood and we need to know what we’re doing.

Coaches should be reading. You should be building your library. I’m reading a book a week. I’m always reading, I’m always researching.

If I’m to talk with an MBA student and I don’t have a Master’s degree, why would they listen to me? Or if I’m going to a school where the teachers have an EdD, a Doctor of Education, or a Master’s level or above. I’m walking there talking about discipline and life skills and all those kinds of things and I haven’t completed anything. For me, the credibility and authority has to be struck on the front end. I need to walk in there with all that in place. Automatically I can walk in, command a certain fee and command a certain audience. It’s important to us as coaches to present ourselves in that way.

Coaches should be reading. You should be building your library. I’m reading a book a week. I’m always reading, I’m always researching. The data is out there, so understand the research. There’s so many great books out there.

When I’m speaking with a client and they are interested in more resources, I can offer a book. I can offer a resource beyond my skill set or to add to the skill set. So when we’re not in a relationship together — say we’re meeting once a week or maybe every other week — in that between time, they have work! They have something that they can go back to that solidifies or that offers a guide. When we’re back together again, I could say, “What did you think about the book? Have you started reading it? What do you think about the material?” 90% of the people that I’ve coached, they actually get into to the material. They order the book or they go to the library and get the book. They do the research and then they do the things they need to do to be better.

So if we’re asking people, as coaches, to step into their lives fully, and we’re not reading the present data that’s out there, if we’re not reading books from fiction to non-fiction and the gamut, then I’m not quite sure what we can really offer to people beyond what I want to call “mother wit.”

NCA: What is the most rewarding part of your career? And on the flip side of that, what is the most challenging aspect of the work that you do?

David: The most challenging aspect of the work is self-care. We, as coaches, take on our clients. We hear so many stories throughout the day and we live with that. We’re thinking about them. We’re thinking about the things they said and many times, we don’t know how to turn that off.

We get bombarded with a lot of stuff. A lot of challenges, a lot of problems or problem-solving. We’re helping people push through, and we have to have time and space for ourselves to rejuvenate and take care of ourselves. I did not learn that until a couple of years ago. We also need to be taking care of ourselves.

I have seven or eight different conversations in my head most days from my clients. When I get done with a client, I got to go for a walk. I gotta put some music on, I got to leave the house, I got to go to the gym, I got to go for a swim, I got to do whatever I need to do to shake that because I got to get them off of me, right? That’s one of the biggest challenges. It’s taking care of myself as I’m taking care of others. That’s on the personal side of things.

The tactical challenging aspect of coaching is growing the business. I think a lot of people don’t tell the truth around how to build a successful coaching practice and what it actually takes to run a successful business. We talk about coaching but we also need to talk about the business of coaching. I think that’s critically important as well. I want to hear more conversations around that because that is one of the greatest challenges: how to keep clients, how to move from one-on-one to group, how to do the books, how to get on the speaking circuit, how to scale properly so you can continue taking care of your clients but also grow the business. The business of coaching is a big challenge for most of us if we’re honest.

One of the biggest challenges for coaches that we hardly ever talk about is how coaches are taking care of themselves because we get bombarded with a lot of stuff, right? A lot of challenges, a lot of problems or problem-solving, we’re helping people push through.

NCA: What is it that you think about the common perception of running the business that isn’t quite accurate in the way people are describing it? 

David: That if you just put a website up and that you’re going to be poppin’ the next day. And that’s not true. People aren’t telling the truth about what it took for them to get to this place where they are now living off their coaching while they take care of themselves and their families. People are not telling the truth around what it really means to build a coaching practice. 

They talk about the skills for coaching — we got the coaching down. But when we hang the phone up or we close the laptop, how are we running our business? And that is something I want to hear more coaches talking about. How did they learn how to price? What do they do with clients? How did they set up their contracts? How did they know if they’re a good fit for their clients?

I’m a big proponent that we should be talking more to one another as coaches. We need to talk about our business to one another so that we can all grow and take care of a lot of things that people bring into us on a higher level.

What I have noticed is there’s an amount of competition among coaches. We don’t share because we think if I give you my information, you’d want to take the next client that comes. I don’t operate like that. If another coach calls me and they’re starting out, I’m going to give them everything I can because I want them to win. They can’t do what I do and I can’t do what they do and I’m OK with that. I’m not trying to get into their particular area as well. I want coaches to really build a healthy coaching community so that we can all do these things. We should be sharing information and sharing resources.

I get about 4 to 5 calls a month from people who say “I’m interested in becoming a coach” or “I just started coaching and I see you’ve been doing it for a while. Can I ask you a few questions?” Why would I, a person who is in the service of being a servant leader to others, turn around and deny them my information? I’m just not going to do it. I want more coaches to be more generous — with boundaries of course — but to share amongst one another and also help the newcomers out so they can fly. I think there’s enough bandwidth among the community. We got the capacity to do it, but I don’t think we have the willingness as much as I would like to see.

Why would I, a person who is in the service of being a servant leader to others, turn around and deny them my information? I’m just not going to do it. I want more coaches to be more generous.

NCA: Can you think of one client or mentor who challenged your beliefs or made you rethink the way you approach your clients or your work?

David: I had a mentor who was a psychologist by training when I was getting my feet wet in the industry. She challenged me on the way I coached, my presentation around coaching, how do I explain what it is versus what it isn’t. And that was real eye-opening for me because I had learned all that I thought coaching was. But I couldn’t tell you what it wasn’t. 

And so she was teaching to me in a very real way that forced me to know the difference between coaching and consulting, coaching and counseling, coaching versus mentoring. She asked me the right kinds of questions which forced me to really dig deeper into the industry and what it actually is and what I’m actually doing. And that opened me up in an intellectual way so when people call me, I know exactly what I’m listening for versus just taking a client. And that was huge for me. 

For instance, if someone calls me and said they’re dealing with social anxiety, she would say, “You need to know that’s not what you do and you need to be able to define that to them and then step away from that if you’re not properly trained in it.” That was setting up a business ethic on the front end that I hadn’t even thought about and I appreciate that from her today. That was 10 years ago.

NCA: Finally, what advice would you give someone looking to get started in the career path that you chose?

David: My career advice would be to ask themselves, do they want to coach or do they want a coaching practice? And to define what those two different things are. It’s one thing to be a coach. It’s another thing to run the business of coaching. And for me, it’s critically important that that conversation is had. 

Really define the business acumen. Understand how to run a business, how to open up a business, get all the state and federal things behind you. Get everything that you would need: the confidentiality agreement, the insurance — everything that it takes to make sure that the foundation of the business is laid.

Of course, you can be an in-house coach with a business or organization. You’re on the payroll and you are an employee. Or you can run a coaching practice. To define those two things on the front end are very helpful to become really successful. 

Build and increase your executive presence

By | Executive Coaching

So, executive presence is not innate. While many factors are vague – who can truly define charisma? – there are some concrete factors involved as well…

Executive presence really distills to who you are and how you present yourself to the world. 

Here, we will cover ways you can build and increase your own executive presence. With practice, anyone can develop an executive presence. 

Start working on it now because as you climb the ladder you are going to have to rely on your executive presence more and more. This is a skill that must be continually improved, refined and mastered as you advance through your career.

Now, here are some valuable steps you can take in order to build and increase your executive presence…

Communication Is Key

We’ve said this repeatedly and for good reason. When it comes down to it, a leader is only as effective as their communication skills. To have executive presence, you must be a skilled communicator, period. 

Make sure you are able to communicate well in any situation and across all mediums: virtual platforms, through written communication and in person. 

Make sure you are articulate. Choose your words carefully. Trust in the pause. While silence can be awkward, use it to your benefit, assessing how your audience is interpreting your message. 

Know Your Worth

In our self-assessment, we made it clear that those with executive presence know what they bring to the table. Now, there’s a fine line between confident and cocky so tread carefully but never doubt your value. You bring much to the table with your individual perceptions and experiences. Go in to situations with this mindset and you are golden.

Listening Is Half The Battle

Communication is about so much more than talking. The other half of being an effective communicator is making sure you take the time to listen to others.

People who listen to others and make them feel valued tend to have excellent executive presence. 

Engage with the person you are speaking with, listen to their viewpoints, ask questions and explore new ideas. When you listen, you also demonstrate to others that you don’t have to be the center of attention which in turn shows self-confidence.

Clearly Explain Your Vision

If you are a leader, you likely have a vision for where you are guiding your team. Make sure you know what you are trying to accomplish and then work on conveying that message to your team. Be sure you can explain it succinctly in any situation. Your lengthy boardroom message will not be well received at the dinner table but your vision still needs to hit its mark.

Build Your Network, And Your Reputation 

Having executive presence when you walk in the room is great, having senior staff know who you are before you step off the elevator is even better. 

Be sure to take time carefully cultivating your network. Corporate politics are neither good nor bad and people who possess executive presence are adept at building beneficial relationships. As you build your network, your reputation will begin to grow as well.

First Impressions Matter

Whether you like it or not, the way you present yourself to the world matters a great deal. An unkempt suit and messy hair do not say “follow me”. 

You don’t need to try to be something you’re not, but neatness does matter. 

Try to conform to company standards, ensuring your clothing fits and that your personal grooming is taken care of. You want the reputation you build to be based on your skills and attributes not your lack of personal hygiene.

Closing

There is a common thread that runs through everything pertaining to executive presence…and that is YOU. 

To effectively lead, you must rely on your skills, character, substance, and style.

 Find who you are and be authentic to yourself. 

No matter what the culture of the company is and what their values are, you are the best thing you can bring to the table.

Combining The Traits Of Executive Presence

By | Executive Coaching

All of these traits and abilities can be rounded up into 3 distinct categories: 

  • Character
  • Style
  • Substance 

Your character is who you are, your innermost self. It is made up of all the values and traits that make you who you are. Your character determines how you see the world around you, how you see others, how you see yourself. 

While a person’s character is arguably the most important thing that creates a leader, this is something that cannot be seen by the outside world. Your integrity, courage, priorities, and optimism help to create your character. When you are in a position of leadership, you rely on these character traits and values to lead. You must know who you are and where you stand in order to consistently operate in your role as a leader.

The way people see you and experience you as a person is determined by your style. Often, your style determines the first impression others make of you. 

To figure out who you are, they rely on the way you dress, the way you carry yourself, your speech and your mannerisms, and the way you interact with others. If the way you carry yourself does not shout “leader”, others are less likely to follow you. If others don’t see you as someone worthy of the position or title you hold, they will often tune you out. While it might not be fair, everyone makes presumptions of others based on observations when it comes to style.

Your gravitas, your demeanor, and your social presence are the things that make up your substance. Your substance is how you integrate your character into the way you behave as a leader. As a leader, one must evoke a sense of maturity and wisdom. A person with executive presence must be strategic, confident and composed when interacting with others. Many leaders have been seen as having a lot of style, but no substance. These leaders don’t last long because they’ve got nothing to offer.

Knowing Where You Stand

How do you know if you’ve got a shot at leadership? 

How can you know if you command attention when you walk in a room? 

How can you tell if you’ve got executive presence?

In this section, we’ll touch on how to assess yourself and your standing when it comes to your executive presence. 

Peer Evaluation

While it is important to have confidence in yourself, and to trust what you bring to the table, executive presence is really all about how others perceive you. To perform a realistic assessment and determine where you stand when it comes to executive presence, you must also rely on the people around you for feedback.

First, be willing to accept constructive criticism. The only way to get better and develop in areas where you are lacking is to first understand what and where they are. 

Now, figure out who you want to evaluate you. No, your mother is not a good source here, she’s likely far too biased. Same goes for your spouse. Instead, turn to a work colleague who has no problem being candid with you. Perhaps a peer mentor, a supervisor, or a business partner. If you feel like you have no one to turn to in these roles, now is a good time to start cultivating relationships with them.

Have your evaluator look over the 8 Traits Of Executive Presence in the last section. Once they’ve reviewed them, have them answer what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to those traits.

Once you’ve received your feedback, evaluate how it matches up with where you want to be. Are you projecting what you mean to, or are you far off the mark? You might have certain intentions and you might think you are conveying that to others when in reality you are not being perceived the way you think you are.

Adjust where needed but also accept that others will not always see you the way you want them to and that’s fine. Just keep striving after your goals and keep trying to build the traits that come with executive presence.

Self-Evaluation

Sometimes we are not in a situation where we can rely on others to evaluate us. Perhaps you are an entrepreneur with no business peers to turn to. In this case, a trusted friend could work, but that’s not always your best bet. Sometimes, you need to take a realistic look at yourself and honestly evaluate what is going on.

Take a look at the 8 Traits Of Executive Presence and determine where you think your strengths and weaknesses are. When you are through, adjust your expectations and attitudes to better align with where you want to be.

Here is a short self-evaluation tool for determining if you have executive presence, or if it is something you don’t currently possess. 

  • Do you care too much about what others think, changing who you are to please them?
  • Are you someone who seeks validation, chasing after recognition and attention for what you do?
  • Do you dismiss compliments trying to avoid attention?
  • Are you a person who plays it safe? Do you freeze when it comes time to make a decision?
  • Do you brag about all you’ve accomplished, or take credit for work done by others?
  • Are you likely to shift blame? To cover up your mistakes, or try to fix them quickly before they are noticed by others?

If you answered yes to more than a few of these questions, you do not have high executive presence.

 Don’t worry though, you do have the ability to change your situation. You just need to be honest with yourself and be ready to make some changes.

 In the next section we will go over what you need to do in order to build executive presence, so keep reading!

  • Are you a person who does what is right even when you know there will be consequences?
  • Do you often give the glory to the team, knowing that you wouldn’t be successful without them?
  • Can you realize when it is time to let something go even if you’ve invested a lot in it?
  • Are you likely to take risks? Are you willing to tackle the unknown, outside your comfort zone?
  • Do you push into new situations, even when perfect conditions have yet to be met?
  • Can you admit your mistakes? Do you have the ability to learn from them?
  • Are you satisfied with what you’ve done even if you don’t receive validation from others?
  • Can you graciously accept compliments?

If you were able to answer yes to most of these questions, then you likely have a high executive presence. Congratulations – half the battle is won!

Even if you have what it takes when it comes to executive presence, you must still be able to effectively lead, and get others to follow.

8 Traits Of Executive Presence

By | Executive Coaching

Leaders will all command respect in different ways and executive presence is much the same. While executive presence is a skill that can be learned, there are certain traits that can undoubtedly help. 

In this section, we’ll go over some of the key behaviors and traits possessed by people who have excellent executive presence.

  • Confidence – One of the most important aspects of executive presence is confidence. You must appear confident in the way you look and they way you speak, not only in what you say but also in how you say it. Stand tall, make eye contact, and focus on each person individually. Be aware of your tone and the way you speak. You should also dress the part.
  • Charisma – This is the “it” factor that so many people with great executive presence have. Part of executive presence is the ability to captivate others. Making sure each person feels heard, making others feel as though you are focused on them, ensuring others know they matter – these things are all key for developing charisma. Others will be drawn to your charm and force of personality. You can use your charisma to influence and persuade others, which of course is a goal when developing executive presence. 
  • Trustworthiness – To lead others, you have to garner their trust. You cannot do this if you are not consistent and have no conviction. You must be the person others see doing the right thing. Be the one standing up and speaking out against wrongdoings. You must also have integrity, doing the right thing even when no one is watching (because someone always is watching). You must show others that you are worthy of their trust and that you are worth following.
  • Relatability – Like we mentioned when discussing different viewpoints of executive presence, being relatable can be an important trait when it comes to establishing your own presence with people. One of the best ways to get people to notice you is to help them realize that you are the same as them – human. Don’t be afraid to discuss your experiences, your successes and failures. Make connections with others in order to build deeper, more meaningful relationships.
  • Composure – It’s essential to be able to assess the emotions of the people around you. When you can determine how others are feeling, it can help you better navigate situations. This is all well and good as long as you can keep your own emotions in check as well. Managing the way you respond to situations can establish your presence. People who have executive presence do not tend to be rattled by their situation, instead responding with grace and remaining calm.
  • Transparency and Authenticity – Again, another topic we’ve touched on when discussing executive presence. Authenticity is so important when it comes to establishing yourself as a person for others to emulate and follow. People with executive presence are genuine. They are comfortable with who they are, and they are straightforward pulling no punches whatsoever. Other people gravitate toward this, because people like this are trustworthy and relatable. It takes a confident person to be open about their mistakes and to own up to having fears and doubts.
  • Conciseness – For people with executive presence, one of the most important skills is communication. You must be able to convey your point and do it clearly. Clarity and conciseness are key to this. You must have a clear understanding of what you are trying to communicate, and you will likely need to shorten your message. People don’t tend to have long attention spans so you should ask yourself how you can get your message across in 10 words. If you are unable to articulate your message briefly, you need to rework your message.
  • Style – This goes along with what we’ve discussed when talking about leadership styles. People with executive presence rely on their own style of leadership without mimicking other leaders. Rely on your own sense of humor, your own mannerisms. Be authentically you and set yourself apart from other leaders. This will ensure people remember you and the reputation you have built for yourself.