Do you remember the last time you were extraordinary at work? I’m sure you can recall several moments when your best efforts were recognized and affirmed by others. Memories like these create a portrait of our “best selves” and can help us create a personal vision of who we can become. This portrait or vision is called the reflected best self
Read moreLooking back fifteen years to Oprah’s 2000 commencement address at Roosevelt University in a standing room only Auditorium Theater, she told 675 graduates that “change will only come about in our lives when we welcome it.” As students or former students, you have welcomed change into your lives by pursuing your educational goals, making time to learn, and challenging yourselves
Read moreCoaching is a relatively new field and is undergoing an identity crisis as it seeks to define itself within the broad field of workplace learning, consulting, human resource management, career development and in many cases, psychotherapy. One essential question that is often asked by those seeking coaching services or initiating a coaching practice is how does coaching differ from therapy?
Read moreCoaching is all about doing –having conversations, using tools, assessments, making plans, following up and evaluating performance. It’s not about theory and models and research, right? Unfortunately, this belief is all too common in coaching and has led many experts to question the validity of the coaching field. When we put the cart before the horse, with the cart being
Read moreWe all know the most famous major league coaches past and present–Phil Jackson, George Halas, and Vince Lombardi to name a few, but how do we identify top Executive Coaches? Here are several on my personal “Who’s Who in Executive Coaching” list: First on my list is Bill Campbell, coach to many tech giants like Steve Jobs and the founders
Read moreThe field of coaching has grown dramatically over the past 20 years. One reason is the high cost of attrition. Research indicates that 35 to 40 percent of new managers fail within the first 18 months (Fisher, 2005). The cost of replacement is estimated at $150,000 for a manager and as much as $750,000 for an executive (McCune, 1999). WHAT
Read moreIn a parable, six blind men were challenged to describe an elephant accurately. To add to the challenge, each man was taken to the elephant alone and allowed to touch only one area of the animal. When they were asked to describe the elephant they each have a completely different perspective: One blind man grabs the tusk and says, “An
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