Coaching Excellence blog

We Are Greater Than Who We Appear to Be

January 23rd, 2012

One of the most difficult challenges you have in this world is to look past who you see in the mirror and become self-loving and accepting. Why is this so difficult to do? Because in order to accept everything you are, you must know, without a doubt that you are more than that image in the mirror.  Whether it is your physical appearance or anything else, as soon as you label yourself, you limit yourself.

—Bruce D Schneider, MCC, PhD
Founder,
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

Your Mini Life Review

January 9th, 2012

“The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” - T.S. Elliot

This week, in your journal, write a review of your life. The questions and topics below can be used to get you started:

Where were you born?

Where did you grow up?

How would you describe your family?

What was your childhood like?

Your teen years?

Young adult years?

How would you describe your life now?

What age stands out in your mind, and why?

Make a timeline of the important events in your life.

What was the happiest time in your life?

The unhappiest?

What is your greatest achievement so far?

What jobs have you had?

What did you like most/least about each job?

How do you feel about what you’re currently doing?

Who are the important people in your life now?

How is your list different today, from who you might have listed, say, 10 years ago?

What kind of “coincidences” have occurred in your life?

Use your imagination, be creative, and HAVE FUN while doing this exercise. Remember no one is grading or judging you on this. After you’re done, read over your review and pat yourself on the back for where you are and what you’ve accomplished in your life.

—Bruce D Schneider, MCC, PhD
Founder,
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

Why is Coaching more than a profession?

December 18th, 2009

Coaching is more than a profession; it’s a way of living. Coaching offers you a new attitude, perspective and valuable skills that improve the quality of your life dramatically.

One way coaching does this is through improving communication. Most of our frustrations are the result of poor communications that lead to misunderstandings and mismatched expectations – both our own and others’ expectations. Think about the last argument, disappointment, or conflict you had… how much of that could have been more easily solved (if not altogether avoided) with clear communication right from the start?

All of these things can mean that our relationships aren’t as strong as we would like them to be and can be. And relationships are the key to success these days. A multitude of articles from O magazine to HR Manager to the NY Times continuously point to relationships as the key factor for satisfaction in both the workplace and at home. Building better relationships with co-workers will help you look forward to work and approach it with greater energy which will propel you into success!

Why is this relevant to coaching?
Coaching not only shows you how to bring out the best in people but it also shows you how to communicate more clearly. The fundamental skill for coaching effectively is communication and understanding of oneself and others. Communication is one of the cornerstones to how we relate to everyone – including ourselves!

So, how will coaching really improve your life… dramatically?

1. Coaching creates more self-awareness
Both by being coached or going through the coach training you will become conscious to what makes you YOU — through discovering and understanding the meaning of your beliefs, thought patterns, perceptions, emotions and know how. A coach is a guide – who is self-confident, patient, insightful, and understanding of others.

2. Coaching cuts through our communication barriers
By becoming more self-aware we can see more clearly, as if veils of misperceptions and misunderstanding are finally lifted. This generates insight around expectations and therefore our communications become more transparent and match our real intentions (and not our interpretations!). As we become clearer we also help others to be clearer in what they really mean.

While these are just 2 of many aspects of coaching, they contribute significantly to healthy, sympathetic and energetic relationships. Through this, new levels of cooperation, collaboration and most importantly understanding are possible.
You can be a better leader, friend, spouse, executive, teacher, parent… And you can even call yourself a coach!

This is why coaching is the profession of choice for so many: Because it isn’t just a profession, it’s a way of living!

PS> And this is really just one set of ways that coaching improves your life… come learn what else becoming a coach can do… Learn more by clicking here.

Time Management, manage your most valuable resource to your benefit!

December 11th, 2009

Two recently published articles in the Wall Street Journal’s quoted Luke Iorio, President of iPEC.

Are you continuously racing against the clock? Do certain tasks keep falling through the cracks? Do you feel like you never have enough time to do the things you really want to be doing? You could probably use a new time-management system.

During the Holiday Season the days seem to become even more hectic than usual, and we want more time in a day. We feel like “if we only had more time” we could achieve our goals and accomplish our daily tasks. We become even more keenly aware of the limit of one of our most valuable resources: time.

This is one of the top reasons coaches get hired. And the Wall Street Journal has provided valuable tips in two articles from a series of experts, including our own Luke Iorio.

What was not mentioned in these articles is that time management is all about CHOICE management. Most of us spend our time reacting to demands of other people and circumstances without taking the time to assess whether we are really focused on our top priorities. We typically sweat the small stuff and ignore the important stuff. The articles below will provide you with some good time management systems that will help you stay focused on your priorities while letting your system sweat the small stuff for you. These systems and authors also discuss some key bad habits that we’ve taken on that steal time from us… so tune in, read on, and take back your time!

Here’s to more focused priorities and getting more time back in our day!

Click on the links below to learn about them:

Article published on November 25th, 2009

Article published on  November 18th, 2009


How a Coach Perceives the World

November 10th, 2009

Seeing patterns, connections, and clarity when others may not:

Through Chaos, a Coach sees Order

Through Challenge and Stress, a Coach sees Opportunity and Clarity

Through Tragedy, a Coach sees Purpose

Through Conflict, a Coach sees Growth

Through Anger, a Coach sees Understanding

Through Others, a Coach sees Themselves

Through Themselves, a Coach sees Others

While many individuals are usually constrained by one ,or if they are lucky, 2 or 3 different perspectives, a coach is trained to see a situation from a 360 degree view. Because of their unique vision a coach sees many more choices, options, possibilities than their client can. A coach can broaden the clients’ view, so that the client can empower themselves to take meaningful action from their new vantage point.

The coach considers all aspects of a situation and all aspects of life, and helps the client to continually investigate life from new angles. Because of this bigger picture, coaches are often very relaxed in times of stress and challenge. Whether you know the final result or not, the coach can often see that an answer is just around the corner with this vision. The world is an exciting place, filled with passion, enthusiasm, and growth… this is the world as seen through a coach’s eyes!

Who would you like to help to see life and work from a completely new perspective? What difference would this make to them?

And what difference might this vision, outlook, and skill set make in your life?