News from Corporate Adventure®

Leadership Coaching Notes September 2009

News from Corporate Adventure

Ever wonder how other leaders handle tough challenges they face? Each issue of Leadership Coaching Notes from Meredith Kimbell will highlight a challenge my clients faced and practical steps they took to improve their impact, energy and enthusiasm.

Notes uses real or composite client examples drawn from my 25 years of experience assisting top leaders in large, mid-sized and start-up companies across diverse industries to solve their toughest leadership issues.
Although I’ve changed all information that would identify my clients, the challenges, solutions and results are 100% real.

Read on to discover which of these ideas can support your success and help you coach future leaders.

The Challenge

• How effectively are you addressing your most important priorities?
• Do 100 competing thoughts and issues make concentrating nearly impossible?
• Does endless “mental chatter” keep you awake at night and leave you far from your best each day?

Case in Point

Sandy had begun thinking of quitting. Bright, capable and dedicated, she was nonetheless, frustrated, discouraged and knew she was not living “the good life.”

A slave to her PDA, endlessly multitasking on too many “priorities,” and sleeping poorly, she wasn’t doing the quality of work or having the fun she wanted. She suffered knowing that she was seriously short-changing her people and, even worse, her family.

Fortunately Sandy decided there had to be a better way and called for help.

What Worked

What’s Most Important? Sandy had lost focus on what was most important to her. In an attempt to be highly “responsible,” she allowed others’ priorities to drive her choices.

Coaching reconnected Sandy with what was most important to her as a person and leader. Once she clarified her personal leadership vision and deepest values, she effectively decided what to do and what to decline, delegate or delay. It took practice, but her results and fulfillment improved dramatically.

• How clearly can you state your core leadership purpose and values?
• How consistently are you acting on what is most important to you? Time Blocking

Time Blocking Sandy set aside specific time for her critical few priorities (including her family) and held that time sacred. Nothing interrupted it. She focused totally on one thing. When working, she worked. When playing with kids, she played with kids.

Splitting attention and time between multiple demands caused her to do little really well. Once she scheduled and dedicated uninterrupted time to her critical few priorities, her productivity increased and she felt more

energized about her work and personal life.

• How consistently do you focus on what is most important to you, with full concentration?

Think “Blockbusters” Sandy learned to stop wasting time and energy by repeatedly worrying or second guessing her decisions. She learned to choose her thoughts as though she were choosing a movie from a shelf of options at Blockbusters. Just as she wouldn’t repeatedly buy the same bad, debilitating movie, she learned to press the “Stop” button on unproductive thoughts.

Sometimes Sandy wrote down a stubborn pre- occupation and picked it up later. Whatever it took, she consistently stopped unproductive chatter and returned to focusing on what was most important to her. This practice noticeably improved her sleep quality and helped her to be her best more consistently.

• How often do you let unproductive, recurring thoughts and worries disrupt your concentration? Your sleep?
• How well do you stop debilitating thoughts and choose more productive and energizing ones?

Coaching Impact

Today Sandy schedules time to advance her most fulfilling priorities each morning. She and her staff like her renewed energy and enthusiasm. Her kids talk a lot more and her family is a source of strength, not guilt.

As she delegated more and re-allocated time to coach staff, she was gratified to see growth in the “bench strength” of her team. She knows this growth positions long-term health and success for them and her.

Whats Next

Use and share these practices. If you or leaders you coach are experiencing challenges similar to Sandy’s and want to discuss how to achieve similar results, call me. I am never too busy for your referrals.

I offer a free consultation to explore your goals and how a coaching program can help. I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders to improve their careers, lives, and legacies. I welcome your inquires and look forward to the opportunity to assist you.

I appreciate your feedback and thoughts. I also welcome suggestions for other leadership challenges you’d like me to write about. Let me know.

All the best,

Meredith Kimbell
Executive Advisor,Strategy Consultant
Corporate Adventure

Leadership Coaching Notes uses real or composite client examples drawn from 25 years of coaching and consulting with leaders committed to solving their toughest personal, interpersonal and organizational issues.
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is copyrighted by Meredith Kimbell © 2011. All rights reserved. You may reprint any or all of this material if you include the following:
“Leadership Coaching Notes © 2011 Meredith Kimbell, Corporate Adventure, Reston, VA. Used with permission.”