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February 1st, 2012
Whether we realize it or not, we all influence people all day long. When we interact with one person, that interaction not only affects that person, but everybody around that person. We have a powerful level of impact that we may not even recognize. It creates this incredible ripple effect on every single person we touch in our lives – people that we may not know well or at all.
The question is then, is it a positive influence? When we are conscious of who we are and what we do, and how much influence we have, then we’re really able to affect people in a positive way – as opposed to affecting them in a negative way. The funny thing is, when we do affect them in a negative way, we don’t control the situation. We feel out of control, ourselves. That’s the repercussion of the negative effect. It comes back and then detrimentally has an impact on our lives too.
When we start to say, “What works well that can I do more of, and what am I missing that I know I can better do?” then we start to think about what our potential really is. Nobody reaches their potential – nobody – but, we can begin to tap into and start to live to our potential. Those are the people who will be the most successful and the most fulfilled in all aspects of their lives.
People are looking for more… more out of the products and services they buy, more out of the people they associate with, and, certainly, more out of life, in general. It used to be that it was all about finding the right job, staying there for 35 years, being content with what the company and your life gave you, and kind of making the best of things. Now it’s, “How can I create the best of things?” They want the right job. They want the right lifestyle. They want absolutely everything, and they’re beginning to recognize that they’re actually at the center of it all. They’re the common denominator in terms of creating everything that they want in their lives and work. It’s a fantastic movement to see and watch.
The irony is that we achieve control when we stop trying to control things – when we start to understand that our lives are a creation, on which we have a direct impact and that includes what we do and with whom we do it. And, when we feel like we are at the center, that means we create what happens in our lives and no longer live at the effect of life.
Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: choice, expectations, intentions, leadership, new perspective, success
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO
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January 25th, 2012
Every moment asks you to show up in some way. Consider, right now, who are you being? How are you showing up?
In coaching sessions, I regularly hear from clients and students about situations that have them stressed and frustrated. These situations are holding them back, getting in their way, blocking their options, or just not listening to what they want. At the moments when you’re really pushing and trying to get ahead and getting the results you’re seeking, who are you being?
Unfortunately, these people and situations, which are “in the way,” didn’t get the memo about getting out of your way and changing to be how you want them to be. As my very wise, very short, very Italian uncle used to so eloquently say, “Fuggedaboudit!” In fact, in these moments with your clients, the classic, quintessential break-up line is actually true: It’s not them; it’s you!
So I repeat, every moment asks you to show up in some way. You are energized, engaged, and hopefully resolved to make a big impact this year. And so are others! They want to achieve just like you do. What they want, how they want to show up, and how they want to get things done is up to them. You can’t change them. You can change you and what you want, how you show up, how you get things done, and who you want to be, as you’re doing it all is entirely within your control.
Be proactive. Be intentional. Think about how you want to show up – when things are rolling, when things get bumpy, when things get confusing, and when things get exciting!
And then support yourself with reminders. I have a client, right now, who set up his smart phone calendar to ask, “Who are being, right now?” at 4 pm, every day. What routines are you establishing to help you follow through and reinforce how you’ve decided to show up?
Live on Fire! {… and set a few reminders to keep you on track too!}
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: attitude, choice, expectations, intentions, new perspective, opportunity, self-improvement, success
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO
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January 18th, 2012
In Dan and Chip Heath’s bestselling book, Switch, they discuss how to make change happen (when change is hard) by looking at 3 components – which essentially are mental, emotional, and environmental or situational. To simplify their great presentation:
The mental component is about knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing and being clear and focused on where you’re headed.
The situational facet is about how to use your surroundings to tip things in your favor, making change or results more likely and perhaps a bit easier.
But the piece I wanted to highlight, was the emotional component (or what they call, Motivating the Elephant).
The Heaths give a great example of Don Berwick, a doctor, and, at the time, head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), who was looking to initiate several key quality of care improvements that were shown to have a dramatic impact and save lives (specifically, preventing avoidable deaths) in hospitals.
Most approaches, especially in the medical community, would include stating the case for the recommended improvements and logically show the better outcomes to be derived. But, Berwick knew that the logical case for these “standard procedures” wouldn’t galvanize the community to completely and wholeheartedly adopt the necessary changes. So, instead, he created a campaign to save an additional 100,000 lives and to do so in just 18 months!
In this process, Berwick’s example illustrated how important it is to connect goals to derive a deeper purpose and sense of meaning. It’s one thing to logically understand and commit to a worthwhile goal. It’s another thing, entirely, to emotionally connect that goal to who you are, what you stand for, and what your values and beliefs are. When you connect, in this way, to your goal, you are pulled forward towards your goal by something bigger than yourself.
Berwick tapped right into the very reason medical professionals become medical professionals… and, in doing so, they saved an estimated 122,300 lives in 18 months.
Deeply connect your goals to who you are and what you stand for, and you will be amazed at just how energized, engaged, and resolved you will become!
Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: change, choice, expectations, finding purpose, intentions, perspective, success
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO
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January 11th, 2012
It’s just one week later… how resolved are you on those 2012 goals?
Resolve burns deep. Your resolve needs to be bigger than just a drive to accomplish. That’s why I asked you about your purpose, your vision, and your passion. I was reminded of this, just this week, as I was reading the book, That Used to Be Us, by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum. The book shares the following conversation with Diane Rosenberg, head of the Nueva School in Hillsborough, California (between San Francisco and Palo Alto). Nueva is a school for gifted children, which has incredible resources and approaches that have earned it a well-deserved national reputation.
Rosenberg says that she and her colleagues approached the issue of how to nurture creativity by starting with a simple question: Who are the successful people in life? “As we looked around,” she recalled, “the answer was that they were people who pursued their passion with a purpose. And they were all-in, in doing so. They did it with their entire being, whatever it was. They were pulled by something inside them, not driven.”
So I pose this to you: It’s not even two weeks into the New Year. How’s your resolve? High? Higher? Or dwindling? Why?
If it’s high or higher, there’s a good chance you feel that pull. You can’t help but surge forward.
If it’s dwindling or feeling like a lot of work, then you may not have connected your goals deeply enough. You may have a whole other level that you can reach.
This is not to say that perseverance isn’t needed at times. Believe me – it will be. It’s not going to be purely smooth sailing, with a margarita in hand!
But, if your passion, purpose, vision, values, and mission are aligned with your goals, it’s amazing what comes your way, what opportunities reveal themselves to you, and how your future pulls you forward.
What are you going to do in order to feel and fuel that fire?
What are you going to do to build on the fire you feel burning inside?
It’s up to you. You’ll get out whatever you put into this year (for better or worse)… in fact, you usually get a whole lot more. It starts with you.
Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: calling, finding purpose, intentions, personal achievement, possibilities, success
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO, leadership
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January 4th, 2012
Forgive me, as this post will be a bit longer than usual, but I needed to get some things out.
There’s a character in Ayn Rand’s reputed and much discussed work, Atlas Shrugged, named John Galt. In the first half of the book, characters, out of despair, use John Galt’s name as a reason to give up (meaning only a mythological, made up person like Galt could answer, solve, or fix this situation). The story reveals that Galt is a real person (“character”) and, ultimately, comes to symbolize the power and potential of the human mind.
Why am I telling you this? To be honest, I hear a lot of despair and resignation in conversations today. Whether it’s in the corporate, education, non-profit, health care, or law enforcement communities (or, frankly, in the general life arena too), I often hear people talk about what can’t be changed, what can’t be solved, and how little power they have to change things.
We see a gridlocked political system, a struggling and complex economy, a discouraged and disengaged workforce, and we begin to question what’s possible. These are situations that have been in the making for quite some time. Despite how hard these past few years have been on a great many people, it may prove that this period in time was very much needed.
We needed to question ourselves — and the process is still going on — which is why I’m writing this now. The process is at a critical time. We are at a time of great choice. We can continue to despair. We can be apathetic. We can even get angry and frustrated, and yell about what “they” have done to this country and the world (whoever “they” is). We can continue to howl at the moon – but other than possibly providing a much-needed stress release, where’s the howling getting you? Us?
So here we are, another New Year has arrived, and with it, possibly, a list of resolutions ready to go. How many of those resolutions have you seen on your list before (…perhaps even year after year)?
What’s the real purpose behind the resolutions that you’ve made?
For those past resolutions that you may have checked off and accomplished, it was for this reason (and the same reason why the others may still be on your list): you were RESOLUTE. Let Congress pass resolutions (assuming Congress actually passes anything these days); instead, we need to be resolved.
Resolute (as defined by Webster)
(1) marked by firm determination
(2) bold, steady
If you’re going to be marked by firm determination, if you’re going to be bold, then you’re likely driven by a great sense of purpose – a purpose that’s aligned with your values, your vision, and a far-reaching, inspiring goal.
When setting your sights this year, consider:
- What impact do you want to have on your life, career, or business?
- What impact might you want to have on the lives, careers, or businesses of others?
- Who do you want to be as you make these impacts?
- How do you want to infuse what you do with your values and strengths?
- How do you want to unleash the power and potential of your true capacity?
- What does this suggest for a big, inspiring, perhaps extraordinarily audacious goal?
And last, consider why this big goal or vision is extremely important to you. What does it say about you and the mark you want to make on your life or in the world?
Don’t just make a resolution; be resolute.
Consider that this year, you’re the entrepreneur, musician, artist, creator, innovator, activator, initiator, finisher, leader, and lover. A resolute fire burns inside us all. Will you let it fuel you to greatness…and beyond? Or will you let it burn you up?
We – as a community, society, and a country – need you. It’s time to stop waiting, to come back out, to speak up, to get involved, to take action, to lead.
If you haven’t heard your own inner voice calling for greatness, then here it is. I’m calling you out – loudly, directly, overtly, and passionately. Will you answer?
Please share your insights and what you’re resolved to accomplish, and be, this year.
If this message speaks to you, and puts words to something you’ve felt but haven’t yet said, share it widely. If nothing else, consider what this means to you and to your life, and how you’ll show up in it from this point forward.
Let’s roll.
Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: achievement, attitude, choice, expectations, intentions, opportunity, personal achievement, self-improvement
Posted in D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO, leadership
3 Comments »
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