With the recent wackiness of the economy, it is easy to get caught up in the drama and accept prevailing ideas about what is and is not possible. But when you get clear about where you stand and what you do have control over, you are in a much better position to take advantage of business development opportunities. I invite you to focus on the following: Do What You Do Best.
Read MoreThis article focuses on business relationships, but really the same exercise is applicable for friendships, romantic relationships, etc. Just think of the “bottom line” as your happiness, contentment and achievement of your life goals. The only place where I do NOT recommend using this approach is for evaluating close relatives and spouses. You are busy. You don’t have time to waste on people (and businesses) that don’t add significant value to your bottom line. Do you have trouble making enough time for all your clients AND marketing? Are you having trouble deciding for which potential new clients you should offer special discounts? Then this exercise is perfect for you. This month I am introducing a quick trick to help you decide which of your clients you should “kick to the curb.”
Read MoreYou may have heard of the “give me a rock” form of management. The boss says, “Give me a rock.” The employee finds a rock and presents it to the boss. The boss responds, “No, this isn’t what I wanted. Get me a bigger rock.” And it continues. “No, a rounder rock.” “No, a light colored rock.” Obviously, this is less efficient than, “Get me a round, light grey rock about the size of a bowling ball.” The point here is that we are often busy, tired and not focused adequately on the task that we are delegating. Then we become annoyed when someone fails to perform a task in line with our expectations. No one said humans are logical. So, here are ten simple steps for efficient and effective delegation.
Read MoreThe summer of 2013 was marked by mass political protests across Turkey. The main protests lasted about a month with some continuing in various forms for another two or three months. The Turkish mainstream media was not covering the protest and U.S. news sources were covering it only minimally. Therefore, I like many others, attempted to keep my U.S. community aware of what was happening through Facebook posts. Since I decided to post on this site about how living through the protests turned me into a Twitter convert, I decided to also share my Facebook posts from that time period here, for any who might be interested.
Read MoreSometimes conflicts between business partners can look hopeless, but because breaking up the business would be so costly, the partners may continue for months or even years in a sort of “cold war,” where everyone is unhappy but a solution seems out of reach.
According to legend, King Gordius tied an extremely complex and intricate knot, and the oracle prophesized that the man who solved it would rule Asia. After years of people trying to untie the knot in conventional ways, Alexander the Great simply cut the knot in two with his sword.
Read MoreAs lawyers, many people may think that their only options for living abroad would be to work for a big international firm or an NGO. But actually it’s not that hard to find or create a job for yourself overseas. I moved to Istanbul in 2010 because my Dad had died and I was depressed and wanted a change. Although technically I am a lawyer, I haven’t practiced in many years and went to Istanbul intending to create a coaching practice, not a law practice. These tips are based on my experience as well as that of other lawyers who I met living abroad.
Read Morehe best way to maximize the chances of having a positive partnership experience is to carefully talk through all relevant issues prior to entering the partnership. Very few people have partnership agreements that are sufficiently clear and comprehensive. Even those who have legal contracts in place generally have neglected to address some basic issues that could and very often do lead to bad blood down the line.
Read MoreHave you noticed that smart people can be really ineffective and stupid people can be surprisingly wise? Intelligence only gets you so far. And sometimes it actually makes navigating life’s challenges more difficult. My clients are brilliant. My friends are brilliant. I surround myself with clever, innovative and creative people. I have noticed that intelligent people generally want to use their brains to figure out solutions (preferably innovative and unique) even when their mothers told them the answers thirty years ago or when the directions are clearly written right in front of them.
Read MoreLast month I discussed how to decide whether to persevere and continue to pursue your goals even in the face of setbacks. This month’s article is basically part two. If you decided that your goals ARE worth pursing, how do you decide if you should stay the course or if you should revise your plan? Here are some of the questions to ask yourself:
Read MoreIs there someone in your life who is driving you nuts? A colleague, spouse, friend, boss, staff member, child? I’m going to share my simple strategy for dealing with any difficult conversation in a way that actually improves the existing relationship. Coaching is about clarity and authenticity, which is the focus here, rather than strategy. You can use the following questions to prepare for virtually any difficult conversation (except maybe asking someone out—you are on your own for that one). I strongly recommend writing out your answers and/or discussing them with a friend or coach.
Read MoreWhether you are trying to find new clients, increase profitability, or finally start going to the gym one simple way to help yourself achieve the intention quickly is to write out a project plan. The following are ten steps to create an effective plan.
Very often “brilliance” is really just a risk that turned out well. If a situation ends badly does that mean pursuing that avenue was foolish? After coaching people for more than a decade, this is my two cents on the subject. The difference between a calculated risk and foolishness is that a risk is something that you feel you must do in order to be true to yourself. It is not always easy to determine, but this is a very different inquiry from evaluating what is objectively the best, smartest, or most sensible choice. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that robbing a bank is not something that anyone does to be true to themselves.
Read MoreHow much is your time worth? If your hourly rate is $400, $200, $95 or even $35, why are you spending time on activities that are worth $10 per hour, such as managing your contacts, book keeping, cleaning your house, etc. I know, I know, I do it too. It feels like a hassle to find someone to do the work, or no one does it well enough, or it's something you procrastinate about, and then you are in crisis mode so it seems easier to just do it yourself. Or maybe you feel that a “good mother” or a “responsible business owner” would do this task herself. If this represents you, take a minute, go find a mirror and try to tell yourself with a straight face that this is a good use of your time.
Read MoreGet Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals and Consultantsby C.J. Hayden
If you are interested in expanding your client base, but are not sure what to do next, check out this book. It provides tools for evaluating your existing business development strategies, identifying areas of weakness, and designing a 28-day action plan to target those areas. The book walks you through the process of selecting ten specific daily or weekly actions and provides a useful structure for tracking your progress. This approach to marketing works by focusing on a set of simple and effective strategies done consistently over a period of time. This book can be used on its own or in conjunction with a coaching/accountability structure.
Here we are in mid-summer. It’s hot and humid and as good a time as any to get fed up with the circumstances of our lives and make a change. We get what we are willing to tolerate - not what we deserve, not what we were born into, not what fate gives us. We get what we are willing to tolerate. If we are willing to endure a lousy work environment, or bad relationships, or a schedule that is too busy for exercise, then that is what we will get. One of my favorite coaches describes the difference between coaching and therapy as “therapy helps people to tolerate the circumstances of their lives while coaching helps people to see circumstances as intolerable.”
Read MoreYou can’t do everything. No one can. It is the illusion that we can (and should) do everything which prevents us from prioritizing and actually taking the actions that are most important. This tool from Accomplishment Coaching allows you to replace an endless to-do list with a focused list of priorities. Each day, take out a clean sheet of paper and
Read MoreOn a scale of one to ten, how happy are you? Some of us don’t even pursue happiness because it either seems too far out of reach or it seems trivial, not worthy of our time and energy. But is that true? Enjoyment generally accelerates productivity and improves the quality of human connection. When we are genuinely happy we are less stressed, more pleasant to be around and respond more effectively to daily frustrations and unexpected challenges. As grown-ups, we tend to focus on being mature and responsible. Sometimes just surviving one’s life can feel challenging, and so actual happiness isn’t even on the radar.
Read MoreHave you noticed that some “positive” people seem smarmy, condescending and basically you just want to punch them? Meanwhile, others are magnetic and just being around them makes you feel more joyful, connected and alive. Small children are almost always in this category. This article is my two cents on relentlessly positive attitudes and what people don’t tell you about the law of attraction. I often meet people who say things like, “it’s important to always be positive because then you attract good things into your life.” This worries me. I get the value of being positive AND there is something insidious about the “always.”
Read MoreWe have a lot to be thankful for, and the more we focus on gratitude the happier and more peaceful we become. There are many tools and techniques you can use to focus on gratitude. This is one of my favorites.
Read MoreOne of the most effective ways to keep yourself on track with a new commitment is to get a buddy to check in with on a daily basis. Most of us are pretty unreliable to keep promises to ourselves, but will go far our of our way to honor commitments to other people.
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