Tips & Insights for Top Performance

I recently had to do a comparison of coaching and type of candy.
I picked Jolly Ranchers and my husband Mike wrote this poem about Jolly Ranchers and Coaching…

There once was a rancher named Molly
Whose Ranch was OK, but she not so jolly
The ranch hands were mad, cattle running amuck
Profit was dwindling, poor Molly was stuck

Inventory, weather, food for the cows
Get it all done, she didn’t know hows
She felt very busy, but spinner her wheels
It seemed like she was always back on her heels.

If I could be more productive, get teams to work
Perhaps the important I’d never more shirk
I’d love to know just how to win
To operate my ranch to bring more dollars in.

She needed a strategy to help her sort out
All things of import, the rest she’d toss out
She looked for some help, these topics to broach
And saw the best was to hire a coach.

The ranch became a team, all personalities tested
All working their strengths, while the others, they rested
When one goal was done another was made
The progress she saw, she never would trade.

It just goes to show when life gets a mess
It hampers your business, and just causes stress
So take home a lesson from Rancher Miss Molly
Hire a coach and make your ranch much more jolly!

Every business owner and executive is just like a rancher… with much to plan and manage.
If coaching can support you or a rancher you know, e-mail for a FREE sample session!

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

VISION – MOTIVATION – FOCUS – CLARITY – ENERGY – SPEED – PRODUCTIVITY – RESULTS – SUCCESS - and more.. What could you do with this?

VISION. You will have a clear idea of where you want to go and how to get there. Often we know the end result, but do not see what it takes to get there. This is critical for your success. You cannot do what you cannot see first. Coaching will ask you questions to make sure your vision is strong.

MOTIVATION. You will know what you really want and understand your unique values and motives to keep you moving forward. Stop procrastinating, delaying and putting off because of fears, perfectionism and doubts.

FOCUS. You will be able to operate with clear priorities, doing what is most important things which will allow you to excel In the midst of ‘urgent’ demands and busy chaotic schedules and lives.

CLARITY. Each coaching session deepens your learning about how you work and think. Coaching also prepares you for action and supports you in getting crystal clear on the steps to take. By work with a coach, you will get a helicopter perspective so that you can return to your business and navigate quickly because you have taken time to assess where you are going. You will be able to see what is right in front of you and developed a plan to forge ahead.

ENERGY. You will find yourself working at your optimum potential. Why? When you are operating in line with your values, life just simply comes together in an easy way. Coaching will give you with the encouragement, momentum, and natural dynamics to operate more efficiently and effectively. You cannot get more hours in the day, but if you have more energy, you will get more done and feel great!

SPEED. You will be more effective. Through planning and strategizing, you will be able to eliminate ineffective methods and enhance those methods that are most natural to supporting you in reaching your goals quicker.

PRODUCTIVITY. You will simply get more done. Coaching will keep your goals clear and in line with your vision. Next, it ensures that what you are doing is important to furthering the bottom line, not just want is urgent, easy or obvious. Then, the regular accountability provides a structure that will keep you moving forward, so you can really get it all done.

RESULTS. Through regular coaching and consistent follow-up, you will increase your bottom-line results. Profits. Clients. Personal Passions. Weight Lose. Whatever your objective is, coaching is a strategic partnership to support you in getting what you want as quickly as possible. If you are ready and motivated, you can actually double what you accomplish in a period of time.

SUCCESS. You will be more successful. Through keeping focused on what you want, the goals and the plan, coaching helps you keep the big picture in mind while you implement the small steps. While focusing on the goals, coaching monitors the balance in your whole life, so you are not distracted with life pulls but have all the elements of your life complimenting your actions. Before you know it, your goal is complete!

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

If you have a career in mind that you might like to work in, check out your assumptions first. People who work in the career know what it is really like and can share their experience. Even if they are disgruntled with their career, they can provide good information as they share their highs and lows. Different things bother different people. What they might think is the worst part of their job, might be what you are looking for. Interviewing is a priceless way to determine if a job is a good fit for you. JUST DO IT. Many people don’t want to bother someone with these questions, but many people are happy to share. They are talking about themselves and most people don’t mind helping another person out. Take a risk and contact a few people who are doing the job you think you would like to have. It is worth your time.

Here are some things you might ask them:

• How long have you been working in this career?
• Why did you get into it?
• How did you get to where you are today (education to career advancement)?
• What training did you have before employment and what training have you had since to keep yourself fresh?
• What skills are most important for this job?
• What do you love and what do you hate about this job?
• What are the opportunities out there? Is it a tough market for this work or lots of opportunity and room for growth? How so?
• How has this career / work field changed since you have gotten in it?
• What does a typical day look like for you?
• What does the salary look like for this career – starting, mid and advanced?
• What would you recommend I do to learn more about this career (read, class, person to talk to, website, etc.)?
• Who do you think is a good fit for this career and is successful?
• Who do you see trying to do this career but it is not a good fit? Why is it not a good fit? What do they move to?
• What other jobs are like this career but a little different? How are they different? Have you considered those? Why or why not?
• What experience is needed or helpful to have before working in this line of work?
• If I were interested in this work, how would you recommend I get started (networking, connections, training, education, etc.)?
• What titles do people in this line of work have?
• Where does your company and companies that you work for recruit from (where do they find their people?)
• What organizations do you belong too?
• What books and magazines and RSS feeds do you read?

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer,  Minneapolis, MN

Did you know most people today will work SEVERAL careers in their lifetime. Working in 3-5 different careers is becoming the new norm. While traditional employment would have a person work one career in maybe 3-5 companies max, today, people not only work for several employers but are CHANGING fields as they progress in their professional life. So, are you ready for a change???

How do you research new careers?…Here are a few questions to ask yourself about a new career you are thinking about.
• Does this career/job use my strengths (reference your Strengths Finder 2.0 strengths)?
• Does this career/job match my personal values (if you don’t know what these are, schedule a free coaching sample session)
• Does this career match my employment needs (salary, location, hours, skills, etc.)?
• Do I need new or more schooling or training for this career? What options will this education give me?
• How saturated is this field? Is it growing and increasing in demand or on the way out?
• How long will it take me to make myself “marketable” for this career/job?
• Talk to 3-5 people working in this field…does this job match my “assumptions and premonitions” about it?
• How much capital ($$) will it cost for me to transition (schooling, certifications, can I work and school or do I need to quit my job and just do school, etc.)?
• What kind of network and relationships do I have to get into this field (networking is everything in today’s job search)?
• How much time will I need to spend on honing and developing my skills for this new career?
• What will moving into this new career give me?
• What are the downsides of this new career? How much will that affect me?
• What benefits does this new career have? How will that help me?
• What does “success” in this career look like to me? In order to be “successful” in this new career, what will it take?
• Am I willing to pay the price (time, dollars, energy, work…) to make this happen?
• Am I running from an old career or CHOOSING a new career?
• List why this career is a good fit?

Don’t guess or be spontaneous in your career changes, be planned and intentional.

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer,  Minneapolis, MN

Have you ever thought about trying coaching but don’t really know how it works? That is a common question people have. Here is what we, at Synergy Strategies do: …..

We are a coaching company that supports people to bring every part of their life together to create a vision and plan so that their life works in fluid motion and harmony. It is like the gears… when they are all there and working together the power is great and the movement is great. When gears are missing or misaligned, it is difficult for the machinery to be productive. When your life is moving in sync with your values, dreams and goals; suddenly it is easy and enjoyable. It is an amazing feeling!

Name a professional athlete that does not have a coach. That would be absurd right? Those people are professionals because they are talented by their own right. They don’t need a coach to tell them how to play. They need a coach to keep them on the edge of their learning, seeing the big picture, the blind spots, and constantly pushing them to the next level.  We are the professional sports coach for the mind.

Coaching will challenge you to think bigger (vision) and deeper (learn more about yourself) so you can continually develop and move forward toward your goals. 

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer,  Minneapolis, MN

This might be a vision for yourself or your company.  “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.”  Your vision is your ability to see what is possible and making that vision so tangible and concrete that it is manifested in the world. Vision is the BIG PICTURE.  A vision statement paints the picture of what is possible, illustrating what the success will look like once you get there. This is where you are headed, what you are building and all you are aspiring to create/be.

Think out 3 years from now and get a picture of what your want for the future.  What do you want?  Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be? 

• First, just think about the future.
• What will things look like in 3 years? Your competitors, your family, your market and the world are important considerations?
• What are the trends that are happening that impact you? How are inventions, technology, politics, etc. changing the way you do or will have to work?

Draft 3 scenarios:

1. Bad place in 3 years:
2. Expected place in 3 years:
3. “WOW” / unbelievable place in 3 year:

 As you think about these scenarios, write down a few key points of what you want and do not want. Now, you are ready to write your vision. Based on what you want, draft where you want to be in 3 years.

 Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

Here are a few keys:

1)    Anything is possible. Believe that it can happen and look for ways to make it happen.

2)    Know what you want/need in life and what is necessary to accomplish those needs (i.e. a working lady wants to work and have kids but needs to have work flexibility. Solution: Find a job that has flexibility or can be done from home that uses your skills and will meet your work needs (income, work environment, preferences, etc.).

3)    Have a vision of the solution. (If you can see all the way to the end, plot the actions it will take. If you cannot, plot the first set of actions and work on those. The next steps will become obvious as you move).

4)    Take baby steps to move closer to that vision. What ONE thing can you do?

5)    Surround yourself with people, resources and tools to keep you courageous, focused, encouraged and optimistic so you do not grow weary, discouraged, distracted or overwhelmed.

6)    Embrace Change. As you go keep your eyes fixed on the objective/goal and allow for adjustments along the way. 

A Different Way to Approach Your Future Career and Job Search

At times it can be difficult for a person to have a vision of what they want for their career future or how to recognize and find jobs/careers that fit “us”. To find the career of our choice takes work, intentional looking and design. At times people are not sure what they want and feel just need a JOB and so they wait for something to “jump out at them.” People traditionally look at the newspaper or on-line postings to see what the world has to offer. When nothing seems to be the “thing,” discouragement sets in.

WAIT! Try coming at it from a different direction. Why not ask, “Who am I and what do I have to offer the world? What are my gifts, talents, skills and passions?”

When you understand yourself and what you want, you can much more easily find careers that match who you are.  These careers become fulfilling and a natural fit – and most importantly a more obvious answer to the question, “what should I do?”

A point of comparison: I think it is like standing in front of a game aisle and trying to guess what game would be fun to buy/play. How can you know without asking others what games they like and why? Reading the box and finding out what kind of game it is? Knowing yourself and what kind of games you like (intellectual, active, strategy, etc.)? Game boxes try to do a good job of “marketing” what type of game it is on the box (i.e. funny, thinking, etc.), but you really would not know it if is one YOU will enjoy until you understand what games you tend to like (either by knowing your strengths or playing a lot of games and deducting which ones you commonly like) AND understanding the basic premise of the game. Sometimes we can short cut the process, and find games we love because they are recommended by people like us, but typically we all have different games we enjoy. It is a process to explore and uncover what we do want.

It is like this in the career world too. It would be nice if it would be obvious and the perfect job would jump off the page, but typically that doesn‘t happen. Your favorite game doesn‘t jump off the shelf either. You have to take the time and work to explore and find the best fit. There are some great books that work to guide you through this process or of course, coaching is a LIVE and 1-1 way to explore your vision, interest and passions.  It is taking the time to understand your strengths and weakness, the life you want, your skills, your passions, your standards, the opportunities out there, etc. Then it allows you to look with a clear vision, focus and understanding of what you want. You are much more likely to find a fulfilling career. Just like if you knew you were going to the store to by a hilarious, laughing game that can be played with a group that requires creativity but not intellectual knowledge, you might quickly find Balderdash and be pleased with the great fit it is for your sought objectives.

The ideal job search and figuring out what is next for my career or what I want to do with my professional life is a huge question. There are many possibilities and no “right” answer because it is different for each person. The right job will not fall out of the sky and hit you – even if it did, you might wonder if you should do that or not. Your lack of clarity usually influences a you to pass opportunities, since you don‘t know if that is “right”. You have to start with clarity of yourself and what you want and then options can be found or created.

Here are the books to help you explore on your own:

General Self-Help: a classic, What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles (understanding your personality and how you work)

General Self-Help: Remodel Your Reality By Kimberly Fulcher (book to help you reclaim your passion)

Christian: Discovering God‘s Unique Purpose for You by Dick Purnell (31 day little book of daily activates to understand your unique self, gifts and purpose)

Christian: Pathway to Purpose for Women by Katie Brazelton (book about purpose, passion and focus – men can still benefit from this book!)