Next Decision Coaching

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Why do you work?

Don't be a barnacle!   Barnacles are sessile, meaning they can't move. They attached themselves to one thing and live there for life. The first time I heard this was from a financial advisor (Thanks David P. Greene) and it was primarily talking about not just investing and forgetting.  (At least that is how I remember it but that was in 2013.) It stuck with me though as its implication is much broader. We need to reevaluate things every so often.   - Are you staying in a job you don't like? Don't be a barnacle! - Are you pursuing a life goal that you aren't sure you still care about it? Don't be a barnacle! - Are you volunteering for an organization you don't believe in anymore? Don't be a barnacle. - Did you set a New Year’s goal that you just aren't feeling anymore? Don't be a barnacle! - Are you following a tradition that feels burdensome and doesn't bring you joy? Don't be a barnacle!   Like a barnacle, we can be stuck. However, unlike the barnacle, we don't have to keep doing, pursuing, or striving for things just because we committed to doing them in the past.     Take a moment today and think about one place where you are being a barnacle and consider changing it.   Good luck out there. I am in your corner (and already planning next year's Spring Break)   #coaching #businesscoaching #executivecoaching #goals #careercoaching

Why do I work?

Take you vacation! Just ask to move that deadline!   Most people I know in professional services work best with deadlines. It reminds of something my father always said about loaning people money. " A loan without a due date is just a gift. " I think the professional services worker equivalent exists. A task without a due date will never get done. In some case those due dates are real, but in many cases there is some flexibility. Multiple times this week, I have had people indicate they had some due right after Spring Break. (Seems like a lot of my clients have kids with spring break in the next couple weeks).   Each person was talking about setting aside some time while on vacation to work on the request.  In each case, I asked how it will feel to move the due date. Without fail, everyone responded they hadn't even thought about that. We can get so caught up in due dates that we can fail to realize most aren't real. If you are concerned about asking to move a due date, just ask yourself what you think happens if you move the date. If it isn't obvious, why not ask? Explain why it is important to spend time away and see what happens.    Bonus points for sharing with your team why you moved a deadline. It is a great way to show you are living your values.   Good luck out there. I am in your corner (and headed on Spring Break myself)   #coaching #businesscoaching #executivecoaching #goals #careercoaching

Taking control of your career, what does it really mean?   We have all heard someone say, "You need to take control of your career." This, like so many industry phrases, lacks real meaning for most. We say these phrases how often do we think of what they really mean? I was recently working with an amazing highly successful mid-career consulting client. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay in consulting or move into industry, and if so where. Honestly, it sounded like an experience every consultant I have ever known goes through at some point. Unlike most, she decided to put in the work and figure out how to get from a random walk to a path with some clear direction.   By focusing on a combination of what she liked, what she didn't enjoy, what she was good at, and what she valued, we created a picture of her personal brand. We then added in some skills and experiences she needed to pursue. This quickly led to a picture of what she might want to do including the type of role, team structure, and industry. What we didn't do was plot the next 20 years of her career. We created a direction and a long list of things she didn't want to pursue.   When an opportunity came along, it was easy to evaluate against her brand and desired path. The decision was easy, and she is on to her next chapter.                      Taking control of your career doesn't have to mean you have a project plan for life. It does mean you have a direction of where you want to go and maybe even more importantly where you don't want to go.   Good luck out there. I am in your corner.   #coaching #businesscoaching #executivecoaching #goals #careercoaching

Make it real!   Many leaders complain that younger generations don't want to work as hard as they do (or did.) Part of what these emerging leaders say is that they think all their leaders do is work. They think we have no work-life balance. There is no doubt that is true for some leaders. But for many of us, I think we are lying to ourselves and indirectly others. Lies of omission if I may.     When was the last time you let your team know that during the day you took a break to hit golf balls, gardened, attended a kid’s sporting event, played tennis, went to the gym, made a Home Depot run, went shopping, took a walk, and the list goes on and on? Every leader I know does these things during "normal working hours." Some even are on the phone as they do these activities. (My desire to tag some of you is huge but I won't call you out.) However, when was the last time as a leader you acknowledged that the way you maintain balance is by creating work-life integration? You don't just work all day and take personal time at night and on weekends. All the best leaders I know have figured this out. They don't tell you they are back working in the evening or on the weekend because they spent three hours on themselves during the day. They just do it and very few openly share.    If we want to be replaceable and want emerging leaders to strive to take on our leadership roles, as leaders, we owe it to emerging leaders to help them know it is possible to not always be working. So, make it real, and share how you create work-life integration with these future leaders.   I am off to Home Depot. (Not kidding)   Good luck out there. I am in your corner.   #coaching #businesscoaching #executivecoaching #goals #careercoaching

What does your team aspire to?   As leaders, we need to work on building future leaders, so we are replaceable, but does our team want to replace us? Early in my career, I think I assumed everyone in consulting firms wanted to make Partner and become a practice leader. I was wrong.    This was highlighted to me when during what felt like the nearly annual reorganization that took place, I ended up reporting to a new leader. Although I vaguely knew him, we had never had a meaningful conversation. As a good leader, he was meeting with his new team in one on ones. I was one of the last people he spoke with. During our conversation, he asked me if someday, I wanted the practice leader role he had just taken on. I answered, of course. He laughed and I swear sighed with relief. He went on to share that I was the 10th person he asked that question to and I was the first person to say yes. Kudos to my new practice leader for asking everyone what they aspired to do. In professional service firms, there are so many career paths. However, if we don't know what our people aspire to do, we might be giving them what we think are opportunities that they view as burdens.   Good leadership isn't about growing people to follow in exactly your footsteps as much as it is about helping them pursue their path. You may need to be replaceable but that doesn't need to be by just one person, and it doesn't mean everyone on your team needs to want to replace you.   So as Kris D'Anci said in a comment on one of my previous posts, ask your team what they aspire to do.   Good luck out there. I am in your corner.   #coaching #businesscoaching #executivecoaching #goals #careercoaching