16 Enterprise Edition

ISSUE SIXTEEN/JUN 2018

$12.00 RRP (inc GST)

CANCER COACHING IN 2018, 5 ESSENTIALS OF TOTAL IMAGE MANAGEMENT NEUROSCIENCE OF TEAMWORK, EXECUTIVE CAREER COACHING, ICF UPDATE

Stewart Fleming

FROM THE EDITOR Working as a business and executive coach, I appreciate the delicate dance of coaching at the elite end of enterprise.

Leaders at all levels must be treated as a whole and coaching should address any areas that impact on the performer.

From the c-class executives to the growing business founder, coaches are given a unique opportunity to have a massive impact on the lives of our clients, the enterprise and, in fact, the entire economy.

Recently, I have been coaching more leaders than entrepreneurs but, as you might expect, the similarities outweigh the differences.

One study showed a return of $7.90 for every $1 spent on executive coaching with a 529% ROI with significant intangible benefits as well.

Reported company benefits for coaching include • • • • • • •

Productivity (53%) Quality (48%) Customer Service (39%) Reducing Complaints (34%) Staff Retention (32%) Cost Reductions (23%) Profitability (22%)

When combined with training, coaching, productivity increase jumped to 86% compared to just 22% with training alone.

According to an article from 2009 in the Harvard Business Review, executive coaches are primarily hired to develop potential or facilitate transition. It also showed that while they were hired to deal with corporate issues, in 78% of cases, personal issues crept in.

To be the best coach, I find I borrow from both Consulting and Therapy.

From Consulting, I will advise on business matters and set goals based on the organisational ethics.

Unlike consulting, I am focused the individual rather than the organisations performance and I don’t do the work for them.

From Therapy, I ask the right questions, tackle difficult work and home issues and focus on behavioural change. Unlike therapy, I am future focused and am not driven by medical ethics.

I love the dance and hope we can dance together soon. Until then, Happy Coaching.

Stewart Fleming Editor

COACHINGLIFE JUNE 2018 ISSUE 16 Coaching Life is published 4 times a year and is your authoritative source for information on coaching in sport, business, life and anywhere else you find a coach.

Published By Operait Pty Ltd ABN 63 189 244 221 24 Leo Lindo Drive, Shailer Park, QLD 4128 Editor Stewart Fleming stewart@coachinglife.com.au Editorial Assistance Alex Carlton alex@coachinglife.com.au Advertising & Directory Jack Fleming advertising@coachinglife.com.au Printing Inhouse Print & Design printing@inhouseprint.com.au DISCLAIMER This publication is not medical or professional advice.

It is intended only to inform and illustrate.

No reader should act on the information contained in this publication without first seeking professional advice that takes into account personal circumstances.

The publishers and editors give no representation and make no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, currency or reliability of any of the materials contained and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to this publication by the publishers, editors or authors. The publishers do not endorse any person, company, organisation or techniques mentioned in this publication unless expressly stated otherwise. The publishers do not endorse any advertisements or special advertising features in this publication, nor does the publisher endorse any advertiser(s) or their products/services unless expressly stated otherwise.

Articles are published in reliance upon the representation and warranties of the authors of the articles and without our knowledge of any infringement of any third parties copyright. The publishers and editors do not authorise, approve, sanction or countenance any copyright infringement.

The publication is protected under the Commonwealth Copyrights Act 1968 and may not, in whole or in part, be lent, copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable format without the express written permission of the publisher.

ISSN 2205-6963 Copyright Operait Pty Ltd All rights reserved.

www.coachinglife. com.au

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6 GREATNESS FROM PASSION

18 TEN TIPS FOR TOTAL IMAGE MANAGEMENT

10 ICF GLOBAL AND AUSTRALASIA UPDATE

21 BODY LANGUAGE FOR COACHES

Nothing great happens until someone gets passionate. Keith Abraham gives his top tips for finding your own passion and that of your clients. A great article for coaches looking to create the extraordinary.

Keith Abraham International Speaker & Author

The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the leading global organisation dedicated to advancing the coaching profession.

The current president for Australasia shares the updates for both the global scene and here in Australasia.

Melinda Horton President ICF Australasia

Your image dictates a large portion of your success as a coach and the fees your clients will pay. Claire Maxfield, an expert in image management gives the top 10 tips to ensure your image matches your intentions.

Claire Maxfield Image Coach

As coaches, we often rely on body language to decipher our client’s true responses and reactions. As the leaders in the field of body language, Allen and Barbara Pease have been showing the way for over 4 decades. This first article shows how coaches can use body language to our advantage.

Allen & Barbara Pease Pease International

15 COACHING vs CONSULTING

What is the difference between pure coaching and pure consulting. Jacob shares his thoughts on how and when to use these methods to maximize client returns and your profits.

Jacob Aldridge businessDEPOT

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25 THE SUPERMAN SYNDROME

Coaching generational businesses takes specific methods, especially when the owner is ‘bulletproof’. As a coach who specialises in these business challenges, Charles has developed a method for dealing with these specific challenges.

Charles Barnard Executive Coach, 4Day Weeks

www.coachinglife. com.au

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28 COACHING VALUES

We are the experts when it comes to values, but what do we need to be the best coach possible. Internationally recognised coach, Hazel Herrington explores coaching values we should all be aiming for.

Hazel Herrington International Speaker and Coach

30 THE NEUROSCIENCE OF TEAMWORK

At the core of who we are as humans, emotional connection is what keeps us alive. Dr Diaz explores the neuroscience of teamwork and practical methods to create cohesive corporate teams.

Dr Alex Diaz PhD Psychologist, Coach

34 LEADING BY EXAMPLE

A coach’s coach for 30 years, Donna Stone knows how to lead by example. Distilling her experience to the top five tips for coaches, she gives a clear indication of what it takes to succeed.

Donna Stone Business Coach, Coach Trainer

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36 WHO LEADS THE LEADERS

Many believe the life of a top executive is easy, but who do they turn to when they lose their spark. Based in New York, Dawid provides the leaders with coaching when they need it most.

Dawid Wiacek Executive Career Coach

39 CANCER COACHING

It’s a scary statistic that 1 in 2 Australian men and 1 in 3 Australian women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Cancer Coaches are desperately needed now. Suzanne shares a part of her journey as a Cancer Coach.

Suzanne Day Cancer Coaching Australia

42 DEMONSTRATING YOUR WORTH

Executive Coaching can be a tough place to work and demonstrating your worth to a client is more necessary now than every before. Lindsay takes us through the tools that help make this possible.

Lindsay Adams International Speaker

45 THE IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING

Testimonials tell a story to your potential clients, so creating the right stories is essential to maximising referrals. The Authority Author gives the 3 essentials to getting compelling testimonials.

Dixie Carlton The Author-ity Author

www.coachinglife. com.au

NOTHING GREAT HAPPENS, UNTIL SOMEONE BECOMES PASSIONATE! Anything great in the world has always been achieved by someone with a PASSION. After 22 years of travelling the world presenting to more than 1.5 million people, I have learnt that our lives are made up of four parts …

1. things in your life you LOVE to do; 2. things in your life you LIKE to do; 3. things in your life you HAVE to do; and 4. things in your life that you HATE to do!

Now if your life is consumed by the things you HAVE to do and HATE to do, then you are not going to be passionate!

Passion is achieved in two ways.

1: You go and do the things you are passionate about and you earn a living or 2: You go and earn a living, so you can do what you are passionate about!

The challenge for so many people is they do neither and they simply exist and endure life. You need to give yourself permission to pursue your passions.

My goal in the next few paragraphs is to assist you to discover your passions, pursue your passions and live a passionate life.

What is your passion? What do you love to do? I think we all have passions, but as we go through our lives they become stifled and die.

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The one thing I know about people who pursue their passion, they have an energy and enthusiasm for life.

Your passion could be a hobby, a sport or an activity you loved to do as a child. Pursuing your passion fuels your fire which motivates and inspires you to go on.

If you are not sure on what you want to achieve that is OK, download the 54 page E-Book …

Write Down 100 Things You Want to Do in Your Life Time!

www.keithsresources.com

Statistics tell us that only 3% of people sit down and write out their goals. So, if you want to be different write out your life plan.

Where do you want to be in 10 years? Before you say, “That is years away!”, think about your age, and then take off 10 years. Was that so long ago?

What do you need to change to tap into your current opportunities and your true potential? I believe that if you want to master change, all you have to do is make a small change this week that will affect next week.

If you continue to do these small changes you will perfect whatever you are trying to change or improve upon.

What is your current destination?

You would not get on a flight not knowing where your final destination was going to be!

But, how many people go through life with no flight plan. Where are you going in the next 12 months, 2 years, 5 years or the next 10 years?

Have you mapped out your flight plan?

Once you know your destination, then you need to have a month-bymonth plan to follow.

What are you doing this month to pursue your goals?

Every task or goal broken down into small steps becomes easier to achieve over time. If you remember to put these small steps in place it will make a huge difference to your level of focus.

If you don’t spend time, energy and money developing yourself, then you are a poor judge of a good investment. What have you done in the last 12 months to develop your skills and enhance your knowledge?

Jim Rohn has a great quote, “Formal education will make you a living, but self education will make you a fortune”. As you know, good intentions won’t make it happen for you.

Sooner or later you need to take action. You need to be disciplined to follow through with your plan of action. The great by-product of being disciplined is that our selfesteem is enhanced.

When you feel like you are making progress your confidence increases, your self belief grows and you defeat procrastination. What action steps are you going to take today?

Whenever you set a goal, you will be challenged by life. Roadblocks will be put in front of you to test you, to see if you are really serious about the goals you want to achieve.

This is when you need to be determined to achieve what you have set out to accomplish.

Remember it is OK is stop and rest and celebrate where you have come from.

You determine whether the roadblock will be a setback or simply a steppingstone!

Keith Abraham is a multi-award winning speaker and the Best Selling Author of 5 Books, Published in 12 Languages, about Passion, Goal Achievement and Focus.

In his professional speaking career, he has presented to more than 1,500,000 audience members in 29 different countries.

He is the creator of the GoalDriver Program, however to all of his Clients he is best described as … “The guy you call when you and your Team want to achieve more than you could have ever imagined!”

Keith can be contacted at keith@keithabraham.com.au or visit www.keithabraham.com

12 - 13 OCTOBER 2018 ICF AUSTRALASIA PRESENTS

CROSSING BRIDGES IN COACHING

A CONFERENCE FOR: Coaches HR professionals Psychologists Counselors Business owners Executives Government employees

HOTEL BELISE, BRISBANE

YOU’RE INVITED...

ICF Australasia Queensland would like to invite Coaches, HR professionals, Psychologists, business owners and executives to attend a one and a half day conference providing support for learning, coaching and development.

RENOWNED SPEAKERS WILL COVER: • Coach support and avoiding burnout • Collaboration between HR and coaching • Leveraging brainpower - coaching skills and the links to neuroscience • Mindfulness coaching and leadership • Exploring coaching culture

Hear from leading speakers, attend networking sessions and gain valuable insights to help support you and your organisation in our Master Classes.

Tickets start at just $250 per person.

To book your ticket to Crossing Bridges in Coaching visit: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/70229

12 - 13 OCTOBER 2018

CROSSING BRIDGES IN COACHING HOTEL BELISE, BRISBANE WHAT’S YOUR EVEREST? Keynote Speaker: John Buchanan

BUILDING YOUR COACHING BUSINESS Josie Thomson MCC

COACH SUPPORT & SUPERVISION: AVOIDING BURNOUT Tammy Turner PCC

HOW CAN ICF HELP ME? Zsofia Juhasz

COLLABORATION BETWEEN HR AND COACHING Panel Discussion: Caroline McGuire, Meredith Wilson & Jo Bowen

LEVERAGING BRAIN POWER: LINKS TO NEUROSCIENCE Tony Draper MCC

GROUP VS TEAM COACHING: THE DIFFERENCE John Raymond MCC

INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL COACHING Panel Discussion: Helen Burns, Jacqueline Jago, Naomi Smith

MASTER CLASS: MINDFULNESS COACHING & LEADERSHIP Satyam Veronica Chalmers PCC

M A S T E R C L A S S : D E V E L O P I N G A C O A C H I N G C U LT U R E Michelle Loch and Mica Julien

To book your ticket to Crossing Bridges in Coaching visit: https://www.stickytickets.com.au/70229

The Global Landscape The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the leading global organisation dedicated to advancing the coaching profession. It achieves this by setting high standards, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of trained coaching professionals. ICF also accredits programs that deliver coach-specific training that adhere to a rigorous review to ensure their curriculum aligns with ICF Core Competencies and its Code of Ethics.

In June 2018 there are 34,615 members in more than 70 countries across the globe.

The International Coach Federation in Australia and New Zealand

A member-elected Board of Directors and 10 local branch leadership teams – all volunteers – manage all facets of the virtual organisation with the support and services of an administration manager.

ICF Australasia Member Growth 2016-2018 No. of Members

ICF Australasia Incorporated (ICF Australasia) is a Chartered Chapter operating across two geographies, Australia and New Zealand to support more than 1,600 members.

1700 1617

1600 1500 1400

1418 June 2016

1465 June 2017

June 2018

Annual Membership Renewal Period

Benefits and Challenges of a Virtual Organisation Led by Volunteers I was saying to a colleague recently that we are fortunate to live in a world today where systems that allow working flexibility and convenience is the norm. Once upon a time, there were few options other than to travel to a common venue to attend a meeting or training event ‘in person’.

Today, it is a treat to meet face-to-face and more often than not, ICF Australasia leaders and members are meeting over Zoom (virtual meeting and webinar platform) and only on some of these occasions with the Brady Bunch-like video images onscreen! In between meetings there are, of course, phone calls and emails among the leadership and most importantly, for our members, there are a range of local Branch offerings such as communities of practice, coaching circles, networking and professional development events.

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For the most part, the virtual arrangement is efficient, and it works well; we are after all, dispersed from Perth in Western Australia right across to Christchurch on the Southern Island of New Zealand. In daylight savings season, we span five time zones. I’m based in Brisbane, Queensland and at a client site only today I heard someone who had just returned from leave saying that he’d driven North for 18 hours and was still in Queensland!

This concept is unfamiliar to our European colleagues and, while the United States and North America is also a vast geography, the critical mass of ICF members is significantly higher there, with more than 16,000 (ten times that of ICF Australasia).

Critical Mass Matters This critical mass concept is particularly important for ICF Australasia due to its vast geographic distribution of ICF members, and it underpins our focus on collaboration and reducing duplication of effort and across the Chapter. Part of the challenge of virtual organisations and especially those that are notfor-profit and run by busy volunteers across multiple locations, is the risk of expending energy and hard-earned funds on trying to be everything to everyone all of the time.

With 10 Branches of varying sizes across the Chapter, the central core of the organisation is funded to support shared services and the technological infrastructure on which ICF Australasia operates.

Strategic Focus All of the ICF Australasia teams are passionately committed to realising the ICF Global vision that “coaching is an integral part of a thriving society and every ICF Member represents the highest quality of professional coaching.” In New Zealand and Australia we want to enable a thriving community of professional coaches.

At a Strategy Session held in December 2017, we created the opportunity to bring together – in person – Board members and Branch Presidents for two days to focus on building foundations and relationships, and to establish plans for the next phase of working together, i.e. smarter not harder. We reset the three strategic pillars to be: 1. Coaching Excellence to support and build best in class professional coaching capability and confidence in Australasia.

2. Membership Engagement to increase attraction and engagement of our member community and volunteer leaders.

3. External Stakeholder Engagement to increase awareness of the ICF brand in Australasia with potential members, volunteer leaders, clients, educational organisations, professional associations and stakeholders, and other potential partners.

The activities and initiatives being delivered now and the 2018-19 budget have been aligned to these pillars. The gathering also provided the invaluable opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge all the work and commitment that has brought ICF Australasia to the place we are today.

What the Future Holds The past three annual membership renewal cycles have seen ICF Australasia grow, with an increase of 3.3% from 2016 to 2017, and over the past 12 months to June 2018 a further 10.4%. [see Figure 1 - ICF Australasia Member Growth 2016-2018] Many factors contribute to this success, including the growing awareness of the benefits of coaching globally. This can be attributed in part to the increasing recognition of the ICF Brand and the combined efforts of ICF Australasia volunteers in Australia and New Zealand.

We’ve also seen an increase in formal requests for ICF credentialed and accredited coaches in tenders and standing offer arrangements by purchasers of coaching services. We see this growing as a trend as buyers continue to become more aware and savvy of the benefits of coaching and the importance of engaging a qualified coach in a self-regulated industry. It’s also important for buyers to be able to easily access credentialed coaches who abide by a code of ethics and provide professional services.

As ICF Australasia continues to transition from a central ‘umbrella’ with 10 separate branches to a stronger collective group, we will better leverage collaborative initiatives and technologies throughout the Chapter and globally. We couldn’t have been delivering the same level of service and variety to our members, or connecting with our global colleagues as frequently 10 years ago. Emerging technologies will continue to provide more innovative options.

Along with technological changes, we are looking at how best to organise ourselves to streamline the organisation and still deliver to the three strategic pillars. The legacy each of us passes to the next volunteer leader is key to the continued sustainability of ICF Australasia.

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Two Decades of Passion, Commitment and Hard-Working Volunteers

ICF Australasia will be celebrating its 20th year in 2019 and we are planning to party hard! This article provides an opportune time to not only flag this milestone, but also to thank everyone who has been involved in making ICF Australasia the growing organisation that it is today: • • • • • • • • • • •

Members, present and past; Coaches and Credentialed Coaches; Volunteer Leaders, present and past, (and their families!); Volunteer Team Members; Elected Directors and Office-bearers (also volunteers); Sub-committees and Working Groups; Guest Speakers and Facilitators; Regional and Global ICF Staff and Board Members; Supporters; Event Sponsors; Melinda Horton ACC, is the President of ICF Australasia and Partners and Service Providers.

Board Chair. She is an ICF credentialed coach, an experienced executive, business owner, facilitator and consultant.

For more information visit www.icfaustralasia.com & www.coachfederation.org

Melinda works with individuals and leaders to develop their best self in all they do. Frequently partnering with organisations undergoing significant transformational change, she develops and supports initiatives that drive action, improve communication and build strong relationships to deliver results.

Melinda is passionate about values-based leadership and supporting the development of self-awareness and individual accountability; the essential foundation on which great leaders are developed.

Is it the client or the coach who is the fool?

When I started my career in 2006, I had to explain to people what ‘business coaching’ was. Now, I have to explain how I’m different from the dozen shonky business coaches they’ve met at networking breakfasts.

I do this by telling them I’m a business coach who doesn’t believe business coaching works; how coaches who are proud they’re not consultants are setting up their clients, and their own business, for failure.

So, what is the difference between a consultant and a coach, and how does that distinction play out in the reality of helping business clients?

Recognising the differences makes for better coaches and improved client outcomes.

by Jacob Aldridge

Coaching v Consulting

Coaching v Consulting Pedants will observe that a pure consultant brings the solution and completes the work themselves think IT or Legal, for example. A pure coach does nothing but ask questions, 'coaching' you because all the answers are inside you and you do not need external solutions.

Management Consulting is epitomised by multi-national firms, and to provide insight Business Insider produced a "Day in the Life Of" article focused on a third-year Deloitte consultant named Tim.

Tim is very good at what he does. It's just that I am scared about what he Put another way: A consultant has all does and what that represents for the answers, because you are a fool. Business Consultants in general.

Scared for him personally - he works, Coaching is the opposite - you have on and off, for 18 hours a day; all the answers, and your coach is a delivering a return on investment for fool. his clients.

Both extremes are, well, extreme. It’s Tim is on site for a client most of naive to believe a small business the day - of course, "he spends the owner has all the answers inside first few hours on site making them, and it's cruel to compel an multiple coffee runs, sifting through entrepreneur to pay you to deliver when every bone in their body wants weekend emails, and reviewing material before meeting the client" at to learn from you quickly to go and 2pm. do it themselves.

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What are some of the expertise his team deliver at their 4-figure day rates? Tim says they're “busy preparing PowerPoint slides and fixing details like font size in existing presentations."

I even made the point that "it’s my responsibility to keep them accountable, not do the work myself".

“Keeping them accountable” versus “editing PowerPoint slides”: is that Consultants have a reputation for the distinction between consultant borrowing your watch and selling you and coach? the time. For the actual consultants, I believe that for my 4-figure day there's a high burn out rate - living in rate, my clients receive a far greater hotels and reviewing font sizes is return on investment because their hardly an energising career. return is ongoing. One client mentioned in that 2006 article implemented our work all the way through the GFC, even while I was away, coaching UK businesses through the recession. Years after he invested in my team, his team is still reaping the benefits.

Yet as my career has developed, I’ve found some clients desperately need me to do some of the work myself.

When I was in my first year as a Business Coach, the Courier-Mail ran And the clients where I’m solely a similar feature on me - a Day in the coaching are retained for less than half the time of those clients where I Life of a business coach. I found the comparison between the early stages help with the heavy lifting sometimes. of my career, and Tim’s consulting life, to be striking.

If you set a man on fire, then he will be warm for the rest of his life.

Coaching is about helping a client keep that fire burning, while educating the client on what is and is not safe.

In my humble experience, working directly with more than 300 businesses in 12 countries, business owners need a hybrid solution that can bring consulting expertise ("you don't know what you don't know") and a coaching methodology (to transfer skills and because no-one knows your business better than you).

The best Business Coaches know when their questioning has run dry, and they need to intervene with advice or guidance. They bring with them a toolkit of strategic frameworks that simultaneously help a client to understand the subject at hand and recognise the different choices they need to make in that regard.

In this way you ensure the client is taking their business in the right Intrinsic Client Knowledge direction, both in general and for Don't get me wrong - I make no claim The coaching modality is predicated their unique vision, without taking to working as hard as Deloitte on the assumption that the client has away their choice or removing their consultants seem to. Despite all autonomy. all the information and knowledge those coffee runs, Tim grabbed a half that they need. The role of the coach For the only thing that kills a coachhour lunch and was still working at is to step in and help bring their client relationship more than night in his hotel room - in my awareness to that knowledge. consecutive months of “nice chats” comparable day, I had an hour to with no outcomes, is pointed enjoy lunch beside the Brisbane river, For small business owners, that criticism the client is not ready to assumption is wrong. A butcher, and knocked-off work at 4.30pm embrace. because my beautiful wife had movie baker, or candlestick maker with an entrepreneurial bent is not born with tickets. intrinsic knowledge about marketing, My day as a business coach was a lot sales, and cash flow forecasts. They more face-to-face, with two different need guidance. They need educating. clients and their teams. Because a They need consulting, sometimes. key part of my role is transferring capability into the business, I need to They also want to build their business capability. As Terry Pratchett taught be coaching humans not crafting us, if you build a man a fire he will be slides. warm for an evening.

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Which is right for your business In reality, I would suggest that your This depends on what your business needs - do you need answers immediately or empowerment for long term growth?

business – every business – needs both.

has the strength to ask you if they feel right for your situation.

That way you will receive the greatest You need a business advisory ROI ... as long as you don't have solution that combines the best parts questions about font sizes. of coaching, consulting, and perhaps Coaching is a terrible solution if even other modalities like mentoring you're on the verge of insolvency; and Consulting is a terrible solution if or facilitation. you want your team to learn the Find someone who can bring the strategic skills needed to run the answers you may need, and yet also business themselves.

Jacob Aldridge is an international business coach, and the Director of Advisory for businessDEPOT. Since 2006 he has worked with more than 300 companies in 12 countries, all of them sharing his belief that business is better when it’s fun. Jacob shares his strategic toolkit, The businessDEPOT Way, through his free weekly video series #BlackboardFridays.

Five Essential Areas of Total Image Management

By CLARE MAXFIELD

Image Management is not just how you look it is a whole concept that makes us up or breaks us down in the eyes of those around us.

To think that you can succeed without paying any attention to your image is, simply put, asking for trouble.

Your image is just your packaging, and once you know a person, it has even less impact. But let me ask you this.

“When purchasing toothpaste, you enter the store, go to the shelf and see there are only two boxes there.

One box is dented in the corners while the other box is pristine and new. Which do you pick up?

Your Inner Image This is the you that no one knows or sees. It's the sum of your life experiences: your childhood, your hopes, your fears and your hobbies.

As many coaches out there will know, with any client, if their inner self-worth is unstable, their outer life will suffer.

The pristine box of course. Then you go home, rip it open, and throw the box in the bin.

Both boxes contained the same contents, quite possibly in identical condition, but you weren't sure that you could trust that the dented boxes contents would be as good.

So, rather than taking the time to open the box and look inside, you just quickly grabbed for the box which looked the best. You opted for that which looks better, even though it was the product inside that counted.”

Over the past 16 years, I have coached many clients into new jobs, promotions and relationships, by working purely on their outer image.

It is one of the first building blocks required to be successful; whatever success may mean for you.

Now before you throw Steve Jobs of the 'eternal turtleneck' and other business success icons at me, saying, "They don't care for their image" let me say, they are what I call 'the exceptional'.

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The exceptional make their own rules. The exceptional have that IT that draws people to them. They do not need regulations, and if you are an exceptional reading this, then read no further, or maybe keep going to help a friend.

For the remaining 99% of us, success doesn't just come to us; we need to work for it. By understanding the elements that compel or repel clients to you, you have a much better chance at success.

There are five essential areas of your image that you cannot afford to overlook to be successful as a coach and a business owner.

There are the four 'non-hidden' zones: • Visual Image, • Assumed image, • Experienced Image, • Proven Image, as well as the 'hidden zone' • Inner Image.

As an image consultant, it is crazy how often just working with a client’s wardrobe reveals hopes and fears that are hiding beneath the surface.

Often, through the means of clothing, inner fears are raised.

I once had a client in tears from merely revealing her true personality that for years she had kept hidden from her family.

There was nothing twisted about this woman, she was a very giving person who wanted to please everyone at the expense of her preferences.

So, step one: Ensure that you and your clients are solid in who they are and what drives them.

Your Visual Image

Your Assumed Image

The Experienced Image

As expected, this is how you look. I often hear, “that'll do” from clients.

It’s what people are thinking about you. It's your brand, your reputation. It's something that others will build it for you unless you take control of creating it yourself.

This is what impression you leave with a person. The sum of their experience with you. Your manner, your materials, your voice, your conversation. How well you impressed them. Now you are finally revealing to others who you are inside. Can you see, to get a positive response you've already had to clear some barriers?

Have you ever cooked a meal not using the best ingredients and wondered why it didn’t taste or turn out as it should? "Near enough is only good enough if near enough is as far as you ever intend to travel".

Near enough won’t get you success but it might get you a job. Think of this as the packaging on the toothpaste. You want to be the person that people want to work with and meet.

Do not be the person who gets pushed aside for a better-looking package behind. There are millions of marvellous experts spending their time building other people up because they never wanted to make something of themselves.

Don’t let that happen to you.

Create a powerful image.

That doesn't mean buying an expensive wardrobe, but it does mean getting the best you can afford and a few key pieces that look great all the time.

It means, taking the time with your grooming. Keeping your hair trimmed, your nails clean, your clothes pressed and your shoes shined.

I had one client so uncomfortable she started dressing like her boss, who was taller and slimmer than her. The result was that everyone overlooked my client as a joke.

You need to care what people are saying about you. What people are thinking, saying and expecting from you is based on what they have seen and heard.

If verbal precedes visual, what they see will profoundly influence their thoughts and feelings.

So, if you turn up looking and representing what they have heard, for better or worse, they will then feel confident that what they are thinking is accurate. Too bad if they have heard bad things and you look the part.

However, people can change their minds quickly should they be told good things about you, and your image does not support the mental picture they have created, or should they have heard poor references, but you look better than they'd expected.

The visual image is the most potent gauge we work from initially. Don’t let your image bring you down.

I worked with a woman who wanted to, "Be seen as an equal to her clients". When we met, she wore a ratty jacket because she didn’t want her clients to think she was any better than them. The result? They thought exactly that.

They assumed she was no better, so "How could she help them?"

By developing her image to fit her style and personality, clients saw her for who she truly was.

Clare Maxfield is an Image Coach and trainer based in Melbourne.

www.coachinglife. com.au

www.Claremaxfield.com.au clare@claremaxfield.com.au

Your Proven Image This is the final link in the circles.

Did you live up to expectations?

Ideally, you've even exceeded them. If in any way, you were less than fantastic and left a negative taste in someone’s mouth, then it is a hard, up-hill journey to rebuild your Image. Harvard studies have shown that it can take up to 8 touchpoints to restore a battered first impression.

My advice is to ensure that your image is in keeping with your brand, your message and your business. Be the person that people talk about for a whole host of good reasons.

Do you want to be pushed aside so that someone with a better image can shine in your spotlight?

Be the person with whom everyone wants to do business.

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Body Language For Coaches

As coaches, impressions are very important, and your first impression is when potential clients decide 90 per cent of their opinion about you. Whether you’re an executive coach, life coach or sporting coach, it pays to become fluent in reading and sending body language signals.

Allan Pease, aka Mr Body Language, has mastered the unspoken communication tool since working in door-to-door sales as a teenager in the 1960s and says, whether you are trying to land a dream client, build morale within a team or help a client cope, it’s critical to think about your body language, as well as the message you’re delivering because Body Language accounts for 60% - 80% of the impact of your message.

“Coaching is significantly about making that right first impression, creating a positive coaching environment and communicating your message effectively – because most of that ‘communication’ is happening without saying a word,” he says.

“Body language strategies give you the ability to help you dramatically improve many areas of your lives and this is especially true when it comes to coaching.

One of the most popular examples of how body language is important in business is the widely accepted idea that a firm handshake has positive connotations.”

First Impressions

Palm power – When used correctly, palm power invests its user with a degree of authority and silent command. Palmfacing-up is a non-threatening gesture that’s been used since caveman times to show that the person is not holding any weapons. It is also used by primates for the same purpose.

If you give a presentation and continually use the palm-down position, our research shows you’re more likely to suffer rejection of your ideas from your audience.

The pointed-finger is a symbolic club with which the speaker figuratively beats the listener into submission.

If you are an habitual finger pointer, practice using the palm-up and palm-down hand positions. You’ll find that a combination of these gestures can create a more relaxed atmosphere and you’ll have a more positive effect on your clients.

Your handshake communicates to the other person: Dominance: ‘This person is trying to dominate me. I’d better be cautious.’

Submission: ‘I can dominate this person. He/she will do what I want.’

Equality: ‘I like the person. We’ll get on well together.’

Left Hand Holding

We typically greet each other, open doors, move a chair or wave goodbye with our right hand. So, if your right hand is free of objects you’ll avoid looking clumsy.

Practice holding folders, papers, brief cases and drinks in your left hand. It makes your greetings smoother and less stressful. Hold cold drinks in your left hand to avoid greeting others with a cold, wet handshake.

Smile Power

Smiling is a primate appeasement gesture to show others that you are nonThe Handshake threatening. Our research shows Shaking hands is the more frequently you smile, another relic from the closer others will stand to ancient times that you, the more eye contact they has been modified will give you, the more likely over centuries. they will be to touch you and the longer they want to stay with and cooperate with you.

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Smiling (with your teeth visible) is great for your coaching business and personal life. Don’t be afraid to practice your smile in front of the mirror.

particularly customer-facing enormously powerful because ones, for attracting the attention first impressions account for up of and retaining customers. to 80% of the other person’s opinion of you. They’re looking “For example, if you go to a at you and making assessments coffee shop and there is a line of as to whether you’re going to be people in front of you, you start friendly or aggressive.”

Territorial Respect We each carry a bubble of space debating whether to stay or go,” says Allan. “Shop owners know Body language strategies around our body known as once you get past six deep, personal space. Its width to give you the edge people are going to leave and depends on population density Keep your fingers together you’re going to lose business. and what culture the person is – People who keep their fingers from. If you are standing close to closed and their hands below We’ve found that if the person someone and you notice them their chin when they talk making the coffee or serving move back, they’re telling you command the most attention this is the amount of space they customers gets your eye contact and authority. Using spread and raises their eye-brows at need for comfort. Keep your fingers or having your hands you, and you’ll stay another distance and resist moving seven minutes longer before you held above the chin is perceived forward. as less authoritative. leave, because you feel you’ve

Dress for Success

The secret to appropriate business dress is to ask yourself how your client expects you to be dressed.

For you to appear credible, approachable, likeable, authoritative, knowledgeable and successful, how would you be dressed in their opinion?

This can change geographically and climatically.

“Others form up to 90% of their opinion of you in under 4 minutes” says Allan, “and you never get a second chance to make a first impression. But when you practice these techniques for around 14 days you will become more successful at making a positive first impression every time,” says Allan.

been recognised.”

Keep your elbows out – Sitting your elbows on the armrest Exude power, yet remain with of a chair is perceived as a approachable position of power and conveys a As executives, mostly men, climb strong, upright image. Humble, the corporate ladder, they tend defeated individuals let their to show fewer gestures and elbows drop inside the arms of expressions with each the chair and close to their promotion and they’ll often keep bodies to protect themselves. a straight face when shaking They are perceived as more hands. fearful or negative, so avoid sitting like this.

Meanwhile, people in lessimportant positions are not as guarded and are more likely to nod, flash (raise) their eyebrows and reveal their teeth (smile).

“By showing your teeth and giving an eyebrow flash, others can instantly feel comfortable and think, ‘this guy won’t threaten me, he’s not intimidating me, he acknowledges me’.

Whereas when someone meets you and shows no Attract more Clients Some gestures are universal and expression, they come across as potentially the most widely recognised is intimidating,” says Allan. the raising or ‘flashing’ of eyebrows, which is a useful tool “These are only small body to understand in all business, signals but they’re

Mirror their body language Mirroring the other person’s body language and speech patterns builds rapport quickly.

In a new meeting with someone, mirror their sitting position, posture, body angle, gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice.

Before long, they’ll start to feel that there’s something about you they like – they’ll describe you as ‘easy to be with’.

When coaching couples, watch for who mirrors whom to uncover the decision-maker. If the woman makes the initial movements and the man copies, there is little point in asking him for a decision.

In Summary To create an open but authoritative attitude as a coach, keep your body open and uncrossed at all times.

When addressing a client or an audience, keep your palms visible and avoid finger pointing at anyone.

Show your teeth when you smile, nod frequently and eyebrow flash constantly.

Allan Pease and his wife Barbara are internationally-renowned relationship authors, penning a total of 18 best-sellers and presenting sold-out seminars in up to 30 countries every year.

Allan's keynote addresses, books, videos and audio programs, are sought after by everyone from business executives and politicians, to media personalities, royalty and celebrities.

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The Superman Syndrome

Why making it hard, makes it easy.

OR The secret benefit of cognitive disfluency!

As a business coach who focuses on serving multi-generational family businesses I have often found that many of the problems present along the lines of “my staff are just not showing any accountability”.

The manager/leader/business owner has taught his team that he is “the only one who can do it right” and this starts the vicious circle of overdependence (Fig 1) and learned helplessness.

It is often accompanied by “My staff are just not motivated”, “I am so busy doing things - I have no time”.

Unfortunately, this has another side effect as the owner starts assuming this as his identity and sees himself as the superman who solves everything.

The sad truth is that most of these businesses only reach out to a coach when they perceive there is a problem, when these problems existed long before.

Perhaps the worst part of this is it sets up even more distrust and lack of motivation in the team and any designated successors, thus perpetuating the cycle.

One of the best ways I know of breaking the cycle is to get the team to do something worthwhile that starts delivering trust! I use a simple, practical method grounded in evidence-based theory.

Often, family members are part of the problem, and the father – it’s usually the father! says “I just can’t trust my son/daughter to step in. They just won’t do it properly. How can I leave my business to them – they’ll ruin it.

It’s just too hard!”

I call these symptoms the “Superman Syndrome”.

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Figure 1: The Superman Cycle of Over-dependence

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How do I do it?

I deliberately introduce some cognitive disfluency into the business.

I get people behind a single goal and introduce a process that is usually done instinctively by the superman but set it up so that people must stop, think and focus.

This might be around achieving a sales target or getting throughput in a manufacturing operation, but whatever the single goal we choose, it needs to be something really critical to the success of the business.

A Critical Success Factor (CSF) that needs to be measured daily and is reliant on a number of people for its attainment (Parmenter, 2015; Spitzer, 2007) Skipping the jargon, what is disfluency?

Fluency implies that something is done easily and with low energy requirements, often because it is already familiar in some way. This often causes us to skip over it without really taking it in.

In other words, it’s easy to forget!

It often happens when we create dashboards that just appear on screens – we forget why they are there.

We need to break the cycle of forgetting, i.e. we need to help them stop, think and focus.

This is when we really take it on board (Alter, 2013) – that’s disfluency at work.

I used these steps and a sales target to break the Superman Cycle:

1

Develop a chart on a large piece of paper (or a white board) with three distinct areas.

The Red Zone – this is your bottom line and we need daily activities to stay outside the red zone. When working on sales, this is often based on break-even sales plus 10% The Yellow Zone – where we expect daily sales to be and draw a line that represents the monthly target divided by the number of sales days e.g. If the monthly target is $500,000 and there are 20 sales days in the month then the daily target is $25,000.

The Green Zone – your stretch target, difficult but not impossible. Ideally it should be at a level that you can only achieve a few days a month Below the chart create a space where you can record if the daily target was achieved. Create a small checkbox or similar.

2

At the beginning of each day have a stand-up meeting with the following parameters.

Should take no longer than 10 minutes.

Each attendee takes turns to chair the meeting. This should ideally be a different person each day.

The chairperson draws a bar on the chart BY HAND that represents the previous days achievements. The Chair: o

o

Reviews what happened that resulted in the target being met or not. This MUST NOT be punitive – just the facts.

Sets the target for the next day with the rule that the target can never be less than the line representing the average daily target for the month.

Page 26

o

o o

o

Asks for input on what needs to be done TODAY to achieve today’s target that’s just been set for the day – quick whip around of attendees.

If the target set is achieved or exceeded, then the person who set the is given a small reward.

If the daily target number set by the rotating chairperson is achieved consistently, then the team gets a bigger reward that reflects the importance of the target and the team effort. Remember we only do this process for Critical Success Factors, so we are only rewarding the very specific behaviours we want.

It is essential that the daily bar is drawn in by hand.

It creates ownership and momentum in the team

Why does this process work?

The answer is simple. It ties into many good practices at once; measuring what is critical, and doing it in a consistent, highly visible and transparent manner that ensures the process is managed.

Achieving a common goal through team work drives both self-efficacy for team members and pro-social behaviour that in turn drives trust.

It ties into the real drivers of motivation as espoused in Self Determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2008; Pink 2010) giving people a sense of autonomy by allowing them to set daily targets (under guidance) and identifying what needs to be done to achieve these; allows them to build a sense of accomplishment or mastery in what they are doing and helps them relate to others in a friendly, but slightly competitive way.

Perhaps the best answer to ‘does this work?’ is in a quote from one of our clients:

“We are now on track to not only beat the break-even throughput for the month, but the team believe there is a fighting chance of reversing last month’s losses and are committed to doing what is required to meet that goal.”

This is where a business coach can really add value – breaking the superman cycle and replacing it with team work that delivers. It might be hard at first but forcing superman to face his kryptonite makes life easy!

Charles is an experienced executive having led operations across Africa, the Middle East and Australia, working in multinational organisations as both a local and expat, gaining significant multi-cultural experience. Over 30+ years he has spent roughly equal time in large corporates, owning his own business, and working in coaching and consulting roles.

Now as a coach, Charles is primarily focussed on founder entrepreneurs. He works most frequently on business sales and ownership transitions across generations and families.

Recent assignments have involved coaching for succession, coaching for strategy and innovation, coaching an executive team through a merger of three separate business entities, and coaching a partnership of five brothers to both grow the business and create succession strategies for the consortium of cousins forming the next generation.

References Alter, A., 2013. The Benefits of Cognitive Disfluency. Current Directions in psychological science, 22(6), pp. 437-442.

Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M., 2008. Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health..

Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 49(3), pp. 182-185.

Parmenter, D., 2015. Key Performance Indicators. 3rd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

Pink, D. H., 2010. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. 1st ed. New York: Canongate.

Spitzer, D. R., 2007. Transforming Performance Measurement. 1st ed.

New York: Amarican Management Association.

A famous quote says “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way” I’ve came across and read about several game-changing coaches, as you probably have too. If you watch them closely they all possess one thing in common and this is true regardless of their reach and impact.

The truth is they all started out just like the rest of us – as ordinary people. But they never stopped there like rest of others rather nurtured their coaching skills in them to stand out tall among the crowd.

What makes them a remarkable coach is their remarkable drive and passion to make a difference. Enthusiasm coupled with an aspired “reach” or “vision” that was bigger than ‘normal’.

Are you looking to change the world with your coaching skills? These 10 coaching qualities are for difference-makers of every size and stature.

Hazel knows what is takes to change the world and is an active member and contributor to UN Women Australia National Committee and Voice of Hope to many nations, delivering empowerment workshops and programs to transform policies and improve the lives of women and youth globally.

She has used her values to empower and equip more than 20,000 entrepreneurs in Southern Africa to become economically independent and self-sufficient and spoken to audiences of 40,000 and more globally facilitating community development and contributing to the sustainable development of nations.

10 Qualities to awaken the extraordinary coach in you.

– A good coach values and encourages their team and the client. A coach should understand that people are magnanimous. Success can be reached only with the help of the others. A coach who appreciates genuinely triggers encouragement and develops confidence and builds on strengths.

2

– This is one of the most pivotal characteristics of an extraordinary coach.

Trust and confidence in leadership is a reliable indicator of employee satisfaction. Good coaches aren’t afraid of being challenged. Their confidence inspires.

3 4

– Compassion is a strength.

A good coach uses compassion to perceive the needs of those they coach and to decide a course of action that is of greatest benefit to the person and the team.

6

– Fairness is what people want. Good coaches don’t have favourites in the team.

They reward for results not partiality; they promise fairness.

7

– The good coach can flex. They alter and adapt their style according to the situation, context and circumstances they experience. They welcome new ideas and change.

8

– Wise coaches are not afraid of communicating the truth to their people.

Honesty is about being truthful, having integrity, and building trust. Honesty leads to better more productive relationships.

9

– Perhaps I should have put this at the top of my list? A courageous coach is prepared to take risks when no one else will. A courageous leader has faith in other people. A courageous coach raises difficult issues, is ready to give difficult feedback, and share unpopular opinions.

– Good coaches are impartial. They recognize their biases, prejudices, and predispositions. They also recognize biases in others and face them.

5

– Good coaches are responsive to their clients. They adjust their behaviour to best match the situation, listen to and value every single session with every client.

– To persevere in conviction, courage, creativity, compassion, and character we need diligence. Good coaches work hard.

10

Hazel Herrington is an Inspirational International Speaker, Business leader & Strategist, Celebrity Interviewer, Serial Entrepreneur, Luxury Brand Ambassador, Recognised Philanthropist and Advocate for the Empowerment of Women and Youth.

Hazel acknowledges and gives thanks to her faith in God and also gives thanks to her coach JT Foxx as a big contributor to her success, who always encouraged her when she felt like quitting and equipped with the knowledge and skills to empower others and become the leader she is today.

She is the Editor and Africa Global Partner of a Global Online Business Magazine “Business Booster Today” for start-ups and business owners to increase their online brand awareness and Global Mastermind Business Retreats through her business “Runway Coaching Project”. www.coachinglife. com.au

Teamwork The neuroscience behind emotional behavior In any team sport, creating a robust team dynamic is always the greatest challenge for any coach.

Team members differ in personality styles, attitudes, motivation, and behaviors.

A coach fixated in believing that his message will equally resonate with each player will fail to create a cohesive team approach as individual’s differences are not being considered.

According to psychologist, Peter Levine, emotional memories are “felt-sense emotions such as surprise, fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and joy.”

These memories lie just below the neo-cortex, hence are only expressed when we place meaning on the awareness. Having to give an oral presentation before a large audience may bring an array of different felt-sense emotions, such as calmness or nervousness, which are derived from implicit memories of prior experiences.

Factually expressing that those emotions have first appeared two months ago at a community assembly speaking engagement is the job of our explicit memory.

To achieve an effective teamwork atmosphere, leaders shine in their ability to unite a group of individuals by seeking a common goal while supporting emotional behavioral differences amongst team members.

An individual’s emotional behavior results from the combination of personal genes and life experiences, both supportive and upsetting.

Such experiences mold a neurological imprint in our brains leading to the development of behaviors whose roots lie in implicit, subconscious, emotional memories.

These memories cannot be intentionally brought up.

Page 30

Hierarchically, our brain develops implicit memories first and explicit ones later. We feel butterflies in the belly and later express them as feelings of anxiety.

The tennis player who is about to serve to win a grand slam match will feel rapid heartbeats and shallow breathing. If the player is Australian, such felt sense awareness will be expressed in English; if the player is from Japan, the same felt sense sensations will be spoken in Japanese.

Both players brought forth implicit memories based on past experiences. Regardless of their nationality, human beings experience non-verbal awareness before those sensations turn into verbal language. To be coherent between what we sense and what we express is a result of how emotionally regulated we are.

When athletes are asked about the experience of losing a very close game last week, they tend to rationalize their feelings by either minimizing its emotional content or expressing a rationalization aimed

at, subconsciously diverting the attention from that of feeling upset.

An emotionally regulated athlete not only feels the upsetting emotion by embodying a higher heart palpitation, but also by verbalizing it.

When leaders attune to the emotional needs of self and others, an implicit level relationship takes place. It is at this implicit rather than explicit level where a sense a trust and a feeling of safety are forged.

Being emotionally met allows for channels of communication to open up between leaders and team member.

A team member will be more cooperative if he/she feels an inner sense of trust.

In a survey presented at the 2015 World Class Performance Conference, the first leading factor for top Olympic performances rested on the coach-athlete relationship over other factors such as athlete self-awareness and having optimal training environment.

When leaders attempt to emotionally connect by primarily relying on explicit language, it creates a sense of emotional disconnection with team members.

Individuals fall back to rationalizing and thinking, which as important as they are to achieving results. It leaves a sense of emptiness and emotional distance.

Holistic approaches aimed at selfregulating emotions by eliciting attunement at an implicit language has attracted the attention of holistic approaches that promote present moment awareness such as yoga, mindfulness, breathing relaxation, visualization of positive experiences, and positive reframing.

More importantly, it leads members to having second thoughts about how valuable they are in the team or they turn the perceived lack of attention as having done something incorrectly.

On the other hand, verbalizing support to a hard working or frustrated team member, praising when sincere effort is performed rather than taking such a behavior for granted, and encouraging when mistakes are made lead to promoting a higher sense of being understood and appreciated

In a 2008 Coach Survey Summary Results: Evolution of Athlete Conference, it indicated that focusing on the athlete as a whole person was more valuable than seeking techniques to improve performance.

Likewise, spending less time connected to electronics and getting few hours of sleep are conducive to having difficulty regulating emotions and creating behavioral habits that promote emotionally disengagement with team members.

At the core of who we are as humans, the emotional connection is what has kept us alive and able to survive for so many years. Whether we are part of a sports or corporate team, we owe it to ourselves to enhance our capacity to regulate emotions at an implicit level as such experiences will only bring a greater sense of human connectivity and an enhanced present moment awareness.

Alex Diaz, PhD Dr. Alex Diaz is a 20-year licensed psychotherapist holding a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Somatic Psychology. He is certified in Somatic Psychology, Sports Peak Performance Coaching, and Family Systems.

Dr. Diaz is a frequent speaker addressing mental strategies that promote peak performance in athletes and in business. He has coached business executives on the topic of emotional regulation and mental focus. Dr. Diaz also works with collegiate and professional athletes to help them elevate their performance and learn how to navigate emotional obstacles. Dr. Diaz is the Sport Psychology Consultant for Concordia College in Bronxville, NY and provides private consulting services from his offices in Westchester, NY. www.coachinglife. com.au

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LEADERSHIP

IT STARTS WITH YOU!

As a business and leadership coach, I work with businesses owners, leaders and executives every day.

Through my Coach the Coach ™ program I also coach other coaches.

When it comes to leadership, the biggest (and loudest) message I can send is to lead by example. If you are the business owner who ‘rips off’ your customers, then how can you be possibly shocked when your own staff attempts to rip you off?

Top fitness coaches don’t smoke, drink excessively and ‘pig out’ on burgers. If you expect others to do as you say, then you need to do it yourself.

Leadership Tips Walk the Talk

Everything you expect of others, you should be expecting of yourself.

If you are a business owner who wanders in at 10am, takes 3 hour lunches and spends the afternoon shopping online, then you’ve set the bar pretty low for those under you. In my decades of being a business owner and an employer, I did everything I expected of my team, times ten.

Page 34

Earn Respect

Whilst some business owners may believe that they should simply be respected because they sign the pay cheques, there is more to it. If you swear at your staff, lose your temper or go around ranting and raving, then they will not respect you. Please – never reprimand your staff via email or in front of others, especially clients or customers. That is poor form and inappropriate and certainly shows no respect.

The Carrot is so much better than the Stick

When you are a leader or employer, the staff under you can do one of two things (and still keep their job) – that is either going above and beyond or doing the bare essentials.

For those of you who want productive team, these are the staff who are motivated, love their job, respect their boss and enjoy coming to work. Those who live in the shadow of the stick are in fear of being sacked, abused, yelled at.

They have no reason to give you more than the basics – just enough to retain their job – until they find something better.

Remember, not all staff are there for the money – staff stay for many reasons including job satisfaction, feeling appreciated, feeling valued and growth or advancement opportunities.

So, for the ‘carrot’ what are some examples of this? It can be financial.

You can offer an incentive bonus if a KPI (Key Performance Indicators) or milestone is achieved. One thing I did with one client was that we put KPIs in place for the staff and if they achieved their set goals (which were achievable) by Friday morning, then they got to go home at lunchtime on Friday and still be paid. That was a great motivator to get on with the job, work hard, achieve the goals and get an early mark.

Carrots can be as simple as showing appreciation of staff publicly or in front of other team, including staff awards. It can be taking them out to lunch, particularly after a business win or as simple as flowers, chocolates or a good old fashioned (but genuine) thank you.

Happy staff are productive staff.

Productive staff make a business money.

Personal Branding

I believe sometimes personal branding is under realised and underutilised when it comes to leaders, executives and yes, even business owners. I am always working on my own personal (and business) branding. It’s in how I present myself personally, what I say, what I write, the impression I give out and the perception I provide.

If I turned up to speak at a professional national conference in front of 300 people in a pair of jeans and sexy tight top – I would never be invited back again AND those listening wouldn’t even listen to what I’ve got to say, regardless of how amazing the presentation could have been.

I frequently call myself an expert, I share that I’ve written six books, I’m a national award winner … all these things go to my branding. My work with charities and community groups attests to my community spirit. I’ve made the effort to have an awesome LinkedIn profile.

Companies, at times, will spend a small fortune on branding and yet so many individuals just let this slide.

Don’t stop learning

Whilst I have formal qualifications, I treat every day as a learning experience. Make it part of your routine to read, listen to or watch something educational. The world is ever evolving and changing at such a pace that you cannot afford to become stagnant.

Don’t be afraid of change. Every leader needs to keep up to date with trends, direction and where their industry or business is heading. In fact, the best leaders are those who are leading their industry direction, not just following the pack, or worse, wondering what the heck is going on. When I started coaching (more than 10 years ago) my style and approach was so much different from today. I have evolved, grown, changed and improved everything I do.

So what advice do I have for new coaches? Work out where you are lacking and work on improving that.

Be flexible, be adaptable and be ethical.

One of my key differences to other business coaches is that I don’t lock clients into long-term contracts.

To me, if I’m not performing, then I shouldn’t be drawing money from a client purely because I locked them up.

Being a coach, leader or executive is a position of trust.

Be worthy of that trust and respect it. Do what is right. What goes around - comes around!

I am often asked if I follow a coaching model. My ‘program’ is self-developed, borne of experience, business maturity and client need. When you’ve been helping business owners for 30+ years and have been a successful business owner yourself, you know what works, what doesn’t work and how to achieve results.

Donna Stone is a business coach with three decades of experience. She grew her own business from a garage to be a multi-award winning operation that spanned five locations nationally. Donna works with business owners and other business coaches, consultants and trainers to help them build their own success. Her Coach the Coach ™ program has proved exceedingly popular. Donna is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles written and six books published. Visit www.donna-stone.com.au © Donna Stone, 2018

www.coachinglife. com.au

WHO LEADS THE EXECUTIVES?

WHEN THEY STRUGGLE WITH THEIR CAREERS

By Dawid Wiacek, CPCC

Being a corporate executive is nothing but glitz and glamor all day long.

You kick up your feet in a sleek, expansive penthouse office and bark out orders to everyone below, right?

I’ve talked to enough C-level clients to know better. Sure, 6 or 7-figure salaries are great and wielding real decision-making power can be intoxicating, but those at the top rungs of corporations often deal with stressors not considered and never experienced by the average worker.

So, when their own careers are in jeopardy, where do executives turn?

For every benefit of an executive’s life, there is probably an equal and opposite cost.

Stress is often amplified by being in the public eye as corporate ambassadors, taking the heat for mistakes they didn’t always make, responsible for hundreds if not thousands of livelihoods, executives sometimes feel they can’t complain about their internal struggles -- or if they do, it tends to fall on deaf ears.

Page 36

Their direct reports, their spouses, their less-successful or equallystressed friends? Not interested!

In fact, some folks have zero sympathy, even thinking it comical that any executive, having achieved wealth and the pinnacle of professional success, would ever complain about their own career.

Yet, this demographic is the bread and butter of my coaching practice: accomplished professionals who are nonetheless unfulfilled, confused, or downright miserable in their jobs or, worse, their career arcs.

As a career coach, my job is simple: to help clients find more fulfilling and often better-paying jobs. This is not terribly difficult for entry-level or middle managers who have ample room for professional growth, but what is an executive to do when there’s no clear path for upward movement?

It really can be a lonely place at the top of the corporate mountain.

Most executives I work with are ambitious and assertive creatures.

They don’t readily admit fault and are unlikely to seek help when deeper problems take root – whether it be job dissatisfaction or clinical depression. Even as mental health awareness seems to be at an all-time high, the higher echelons of the corporate ladder resist showing vulnerability, lest it be construed as weakness, both internally and by external vultures (competitors or the media).

Coaching, and especially executive coaching, is more than remedial –it’s about expanding and elevating mindsets, relationships and workflows to give companies an edge in an ever-evolving, highly competitive landscape.

Sometimes brand-new clients will call me seeking executive coaching, but when I listen to their plight, it becomes clear that no amount of coaching will make them happy at their current company.

in their new career, given enough hard work, passion and a dash of good luck.

Clients sometimes ask me what I might do in their situation, and I generally deflect that question (truthfully, I’m not attracted to the (2) If a client feels stuck and stays headaches of executive life, so I’d put, the problems persist and probably quit and start a chicken sometimes worsen with time, usually farm).

They’ve passed the point of no return due to increased resentment of self and what they need is a career coach or others in the company.

We don’t need studies to tell us that or, more directly, a career change. happy and healthy leaders make (3) If a client stays and attempts to fewer mistakes and build happy, However, as executives, they’re not improve their perception, some healthy companies. accustomed to quitting and certainly things might improve such as more not used to people below them effective leadership, higher team Often, I’ll recommend trying suggesting that they change course. morale, productivity improvements, something radically different, just to etc. recalibrate their brains and get them An executive who is feeling career thinking creatively about the angst has essentially 3 options: However, my clients are usually challenges ahead: for some clients, burned out or have made many it’s a week-long yoga retreat or a (1) quit / find another job costly mistakes up until this point, so month-long sabbatical to visit distant this mindset transformation becomes (2) stay and do nothing (a.k.a. lands or return to their hometown an uphill struggle. continue complaining) after many years away.

(3) stay and transform their mindset Alternately, the executive tries a For others, it’s finally taking up that bastardized “Zen-like” approach and and behaviour long-dreamed-about hobby or stops caring altogether, which usually completing a college course -- if only I help my clients fully appreciate the ends badly for the client and/or the to take one’s mind off the daily pitfalls of each course of action: company. stresses of executive life and have (1) If a client quits, whether out of Executives often want data to power some fun. desperation or poor planning, and their decisions, but one’s own career In much the same way that, if I’m opts for a similarly ill-suited job, is a very personal, occasionally feeling stuck with a crossword puzzle, we’re back at square one. If they illogical -- and for some, even I go for a run or tend to my vegetable switch careers, they might experience bordering on spiritual -- journey. garden and then, just like that, the a steep learning curve and find solution comes to me – it was in my themselves ill-fitted; or they might head all along. experience a renaissance and thrive

Dawid (David) Wiacek is a professional enabler.

Part certified career coach (CPCC) and part resume writer, he specializes in mid-level and senior-level clientele, helping unfulfilled and ambitious professionals find more meaningful, better-paying work.

Leveraging years of experience in human resources, training and development, recruiting, and copywriting, David designs realistic job search strategies and crafts powerful portfolios to help clients land interviews, earn promotions, negotiate higher salaries, switch careers, and develop key skill sets that drive professional development.

Based in New York, David has travelled to 33 countries, and has tried just about every exotic food you can think of.

He has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Wesleyan University and professional training through the American Management Association and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. www.coachinglife. com.au

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1 in 2 Australian men and 1 in 3 Australian women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia – more than 43,700 people are estimated to have died from cancer in 2011. Cancer accounted for about 3 in 10 deaths in Australia.

*Statistics courtesy of Cancer Council Australia

Coaching Cancer Patients is becoming a Global movement.

We have now gathered educational information from approximately 200,000 individuals from all over the world. International companies such as BeatCancer.org and NAPCC (The National Association of Professional Cancer Coaches) is proud to have provided coaching to cancer patients in Japan, Israel, South Africa, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Canada and across 33 of the United States including Alaska and Hawaii.

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nutritionists, physical therapists, support group leaders, and other health professionals who wish to offer integrative, holistic, complementary or alternative resources, guidance, support and therapies for people and families dealing with cancer.

The training -- which is primarily online, is also open to people with a background in health, nutrition, ministry, life coaching or care giving.

Applications are assessed on an individual basis.

This certification program is the legacy of my life’s work and I am passionate about sharing it. In this This past year we added 34 training, I teach in about 10 hours, holistic cancer coaches and only have the knowledge that has taken me 10 spaces left for our next course many years to learn. beginning in June 2018.

The program provides professionally We are looking to train additional trained cancer coaches to Australian nurses, psychologists, social workers, men and women who want an www.coachinglife. com.au

evidence-based cancer prevention or recovery program.

Our cancer coaches are registered as Cancer Patient Educators with the CCA (Cancer Coaching Australia).

Many are also registered and licensed health care who have been directly been affected by this disease and are passionate to help others.

They are educated and experienced in and support both conventional and holistic cancer medicine, otherwise known as INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE. This is the best incorporation of treatment options for patients who wish to experience a higher quality of life and recovery, as well as a way to prevent secondary cancers from chemotherapy/radiation and/or a recurrence of cancer following 'remission'.

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the prevention and treatment options that are available to you; even some that your physician may not have discussed with you.

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The Role of the Cancer Coach

Often, cancer coaches have been through cancer themselves and have Your coach will work with your beaten it. They know, like no one else diagnosis, treatment choices, knows, all about the shock of We help the patient understand and nutrition, lifestyle, emotional and navigate the conventional system and spiritual health to improve the quality diagnosis and the resulting stress. to learn how to add evidence based and length of your life.

They have experienced firsthand the integrative solutions to discourage She or he remains your coach for the anxiety for the future and what it conventional risk factors and to duration of your program chosen and may hold, and what may lie ahead. encourage the healing process. will be available whenever your Through their personal experiences The end result is an empowered prognosis changes or you just have a and training, they have acquired skills patient who is able to make small question about nutrition or to help others through the minefield intelligent, appropriate and confident anything that can affect your health that cancer can be. treatment choices that they can be and well-being. happy with.

9 WAYS A CANCER COACH CAN HELP EMPOWER TREATMENT AND CARE 1. Assist the patient through the shock of diagnosis.

5. Help the patient formulate a healing plan.

2. Save the patient time and effort doing research.

6. Help the patient set realistic goals.

3. Teach the cancer patient some coping skills.

7. Help the patient cope with treatments and offer remedies for side effects.

4. Be a skilled support person for the patient.

8. Educate the patient in natural ways to combat cancer.

9. Educate the patient how to minimize the chance of cancer recurrence and/or progression of the disease.

As a survivor of Metastatic cancer, who has lived through 18 rounds of chemotherapy, 32 radiation sessions and 8 major operations, Suzanne is also a fighter, a wife, a daughter, a sister and mother of 4 children.

Sadly, cancer and chronic illness are something that we and most of our families will have to deal with at some point in our lives.

It is not just the financial strain but a very emotionally draining experience as well.

The goal of a Cancer Coach is to provide cancer patients and survivors the resources they need to find a sense of balance, and ultimately a sense of wellbeing, in their personal and professional lives.

Page 40

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The coaching and consulting industry can be a tough place to work. We slave away with clients, do great work, week in week out, then we move on.

We start one project, finish another and the cycle continues.

The tricky part comes when you are pitching for new work, how do you prove that what you did with your last client made a difference, or worse still, with the end of the financial year approaching and budgets being reset.

How do we prove our worth to existing clients as we renew the ongoing contracts we have in place?

More and more organisations are scrutinizing their dollar spend and seeking to prove a return on investment (ROI), before continuing with service providers.

Page 42

Combine this with a shrinking budget spend and an everincreasing pool of available coaches and consultants in the marketplace.

This tool has revolutionized how I now justify my place in any coaching or consultancy assignment.

Wouldn’t it be great to have access to some way of quickly and economically measuring the effectiveness of your work, to prove your worth and to verify an ROI for your client?

When I met Mark his opening comments to me were “In medical practice giving a prescription without a diagnosis can lead to malpractice and the same rule applies in the coaching and consulting industry.

I found myself in just this position recently, having worked for a client for four years, implementing a change process and having to go cap in hand to the General Manager to plead my case, as to why they should continue to engage with me as we brought the project home to conclusion.

I’m always on the lookout for leading edge solutions and on a recent tour in the US I met Mark Rosenberger who introduced to the Performance Gap Indicator tool (PGI).

A lot of coaches and consultants knock on their prospects doors and offer to prescribe services which will solve all manner of problems, some including the common cold!

The problem is they have not performed a proper diagnosis on which to base their assessment of the issues or challenges. The next piece in the puzzle after they have prescribed a course of action, is proving it actually worked” Rosenberger said. www.coachinglife. com.au

He went on to say “A lot of coaches talk to their prospects and they use words like ‘I hope’ or ‘I guess’ when talking about their staff and their organisations.

The PGI takes the hope and guesswork out of it and gives hard facts, which the client can’t deny”.

He developed the Performance Gap Indicator, which measures and reports on five metrics in a company, Culture, Leadership, Training, Customer Service and Operations.

The more I talked to Rosenberger, the more intrigued I became about this PGI tool. He told me about a recent project he ran with Domino’s Pizza in the US. They were talking to him about a challenge they faced with dropping customer satisfaction, they asked if he would develop a customer service campaign for their 6,000 locations across the US. Think about the size of that project for a moment.

He suggested that instead they run his diagnostic tool, the PGI first. He found that the stores with the best customer satisfaction also had the best leadership scores. He suggested that their money would be better spent training the managers to be better leaders, they did and customer satisfaction soared.

He estimates they saved Domino’s around $4-5Million on mis-directed training and loss of sales. The best part was he could verify the impact he had made by running the PGI diagnostic again six and twelve months later. How cool is that!

Rosenberger’s strategy is to lead with the PGI diagnostic and then follow up with your other more traditional offerings.

He says and I agree, “There are already a lot of other coaches and consultants out there offering leadership, customer service, cultural change programs and they struggle to prove their worth. This is a new way for coaches and consultants to stand out from the crowd, become ‘remarkable’, because you have the hard data to prove your worth”.

One of my all-time favourite tools is the DISC Profile, such a versatile tool, that you can use with individual’s teams and whole organisations. When I mentioned this to Rosenberger, he said “Funny you mention that, because that was one of the tools we used as part of the Domino’s Leadership Program”.

He knew that using DISC would have brought benefits to Domino’s however, he used the PGI to verify the need to go ahead and use this profile to increase individual’s understanding of themselves and others. He prescribed after he had diagnosed, like all good practitioners should.

Lindsay Adams

CEO, 24x7 Assessments Lindsay Adams is the founder and CEO of 24x7 Assessments, one of Australia’s leading behavioural assessment suppliers. Lindsay has joined forces with some of the world’s leading creators of assessment tools and brought them to Australia. He supplies them to coaches and consultants at www.24x7assessments.com.au As the name suggests his clients can access their own personally branded user site 24x7. All the assessments he supplies are white label, so his clients can put their own branding on their profiles.

He can be contacted at lindsay@lindsayadams.com

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Word of Mouth marketing has existed since the dawn of time.

If villagers liked their blacksmith, people talked about him/her throughout the region. Those in need of his specialist services, creating swords to strike a blow against the invaders, would travel from afar to obtain his particular brand of steel.

When a baker was found to be short-shifting the locals, he’d be run out of town eventually; but not before suffering a slow decline in sales due to everyone talking about his sneaky ways.

The power of stories when it comes to recognising those we want to do business with, vs those we should steer clear of is not to be taken lightly; especially in the age of social media marketing.

DON’T LOSE YOUR HEAD Maybe it’s just a very disgruntled maiden, paid off by the king to undermine the truth. Look at what happened to Anne Boleyn. A few well-placed rumours circulated by Henry VIII or his loyal cronies cost her her head.

There are PR specialists, driving expensive cars on the strength of their ability to bury a negative story.

These people may even earn more than their counterparts, those paid to boost a good story.

It’s a clever skill and knowing how to bury or raise your ploys can mean the difference between the survival, or the death of a career.

But what happens if something goes wrong?

A mere whisper of wrongdoing, in this current age of #metoo and similar campaigns, is made even harder to manage by the sheer speed of a story breaking.

Where there’s smoke there's fire, right?

When it does, you need to be ready for it.

Page 45

The only way to effectively do this, is to counter the bad with the good.

A heavy dose of positive news will often drown out the negative news.

My business as a specialist publishing coach to non-fiction game changers and thought leaders is heavily reliant on my authors getting excellent reviews for their books.

Often a reader is unaware of just how powerful their thoughts can be.

They may be a perfectionist that feels a FIVE-star rating is just too high, regardless of how much they thoroughly loved something.

On Amazon, positive reviews and five-star ratings can have a tremendous impact on sales and promotion - so it pays to get it right.

The actual written reviews are also just as relevant - and need to be meaningful, bright, and sincere.

www.coachinglife. com.au

THE POWER OF EDUCATION

TESTIMONIAL TRICKS

Whether on Facebook, YouTube, Amazon or a host of other sites, one of the first things we tend to look at is the number of likes, reviews or rankings. Thumbs up vs thumbs down, in any language, is going to impact on our decision to 'stay and play' or wander off to find another something to engage us better.

My authors get highly regarded reviews for their books using a form, equipped with examples of what they would like their reviewers to say.

Rule number one, therefore, is to TELL people that when they visit your site, page or channel, that you need them to give you some thumbs up.

I’m continually reminding authors to ask their friends, fans, family and associates to post a review of their books.

Unfortunately, no one wants to be the first fan to put their neck on the line and say: ‘Yes this is ‘great’, so counter that by ensuring you have a few honest ‘plants’; a handful of people you have groomed to get their feedback.

These might be the friends, associates, beta readers, or test pilots. Get them on board from the start and nurture those relationships as well as you can.

It effectively invites them to either use one of those examples or create a variation of one on the list.

This concept transcends publishing; and almost any industry situation can use the same idea. Most people when asked to provide a testimonial struggle for what to write. "Does it sound good, genuine and actually reflect my feelings about the thing I'm being asked to review?"

They may genuinely want to help but will struggle with what to write for so long that it becomes an embarrassment for you both.

It’s not always easy to coach a client about knowing the best moment to grab the winning line from a client.

Helping a client with the use of a form and some example questions can allow your reviewers or endorsers back to the place in their minds where they feel the most positive about you and their experiences of your services.

“A MUST read”

3 Essential Testimonial Questions

1 2 3

Can you describe what your ‘Life/Business/Sport was like before you started working with me/us?

This starts them thinking back to the beginning and benchmarking the process in their minds.

If YOU could have done anything differently during this process, what might that have been?

Introspectiveness of their role in the journey can be difficult, but it's also crucial for allowing someone to give you a well-rounded review.

What was it like for you when you first realised your ‘life/business/sport’ had taken a turn for the better?

The smile on the face moment - invoke the memory of how far they travelled with you.

Ask for their words, note them down and even video their endorsement. But, if you want the real magic, hire a good copywriter to capture the perfect lines from their comments to use on your social media, in your marketing and to share with others.

Finally, you need their permission to edit for brevity if required. Having permission gives you the right to use endorsement comments how and when you wish.

It’s up to you to manage the ones that matter most to your business.