Creating Flow in Your Coaching Business -- Called to Coach

I am Jim Collison and this is gallup's called the coach recorded on October 7th 2022. [Music] call the coaches a resource for those that will help others discover and use their strengths we have Gap experts at independent strengths coaches share tactics insights and strategies to help coaches maximize the talent of individuals teams and organizations around the world if you're listening live let me have you join us in our chat room if you don't see the chat room there's a link right above me there it'll take you to the YouTube instance sign in and join us in chat love to know where you're listening from or take your questions later on in the program live if you're listening after the fact and you have questions you can always send us an email coaching gallup.com don't forget to subscribe to call the coach on your favorite podcast app or right over there on YouTube so you never miss an episode Marie guest is my guest today the Gallup certified strengths coach with eight years of experience and he shares his insights and tips and a bunch of tips today we're excited to hear those to create more flow in your business he's one of Australia's leading Gallup certified strengths coaches over the past seven years he's helped over 4 500 people unlock and apply their strengths to achieve their professional and personal goals he partners with leaders to build strengths-based cultures and realize the benefits of a strengths-based approach and Muzz always great to have you thanks for the extra practice welcome back thank you Jim so great to be spending my Friday morning with you I can think of no better way to finish the week it's great to be chatting with you and as always thank you for the opportunity to connect and have a chat as I always enjoy enjoy our time together but we want to get to know you a little bit maybe not everybody knows you and so when you meet people or people ask hey what do you do what do you tell them give us the short version of that so the short version is I love to work with leaders that want to make a difference that are focused on developing the engagement of their teams through changing attitudes developing their leaders and building a strengths-based approach I work with a whole range of different companies in different Industries so I'm not focused on industry So currently working with construction power Finance pharmaceutical manufacturing but for me it is about the leaders it's that real connection with a leader that wants to make a difference whether it's a leader of a team or a CEO of a company and it's links really well to our conversation today about flow when I reflect back over the last eight years when I've partnered with a leader and I'm like they're just doing this because they think it's a good idea or they're ticking the box or it's a bit of training I realized that wasn't the right choice for me and it's really those Partnerships and so my Partnerships now be going for three or four years which I love we're going to talk about flow here in a second but I want to reflect back on the last couple years um as we think about you know you focus on leaders and managers it was right before the pandemic we released it's the manager we spent the entire pandemic talking about how to support leaders and managers yeah we produced a new manager report we have a new leader report that's coming here just in a couple weeks how is the state of the leaders you're working with how is the state of them right now in your opinion if you were to kind of give a general and I'm asking you to be to generalize some things but yeah yeah how's the state of the manager or the managers you're working with I would say the theme that pops out straight away is burnout tired sick of online teams and zoom meetings I've had many managers say can we just catch up on the phone can we just can we get back to meeting face-to-face and I feel like there's a lot of those themes because of the busyness and the juggling of Are We restricted are we not can we go out can we not are we working from home are we not and we've still got to deliver on projects and so I feel like there's that theme and then what the best managers are doing is having those conversations around what does it really mean for us right now what are the priorities and and what's not and I still remember one of the leaders I worked with a year ago and we're running a workshop and uh well at towards the back end we're talking about what does success look like for the upcoming 12 months and I said okay and what's a stretch goal and she stopped me and she said Murray actually I don't care about stretch goals right now all I care about is that my people are well and safe and let's just focus on that and and they're the type of leaders I love to work with because it is just remembering we're actually talking about humans talking about people that have got a lot to deal with right now so I feel like the best leaders are doing that and they're remembering that with unfortunately this theme of we've just been so busy juggling so many needs whether that's personally and professionally yeah it you mentioned the burnout and I almost feel like we need a collective vacation like everybody needs to go on vacation at the same time because you can't we we came back to an environment whether you you know whether you had to go to stay at home or whether you continue to work on site in and we all kind of came back and um you know I know a lot of folks who've spent some time away over the last couple months whatever that is just summer here in the United States winter down there in Australia but it it feels like the the pace is picked up for everybody I hear across the board just like oh my gosh this is it's unbelievable how busy I am right in this space and so I it would be nice if we just all collectively stop stop for a second take a two-week vacation for everybody because it's hard to get you know you go away and you feel back what kind of advice are you giving to leaders managers who are in that area of of burnout and are thinking like how do they get their well-being back on track what kind of what are you finding is working knowing we can't just all take a collective two-week vacation yeah so um I I love the concept uh obviously that um Jim Clifton talks about around filling your bucket and the book fill your bucket and putting drops in your bucket and we can get those drops from other people but also how are you filling up your own bucket and I think it's getting clear around the little things that are powerful for you and impactful for you and filling your own bucket and what I know has worked for me in running my business and what I talk to managers about is don't wait for the two weeks I even had someone the other day Jim say oh you know what I can't wait till January when I take three weeks off and I'm like well what are you doing between now and then and it's I I think it's all those little things we can do along the way which is do can you finish work a bit earlier today can you walk the dog in the morning can you make sure you get to that that class and hang out with those people that important to you those social connections and so I believe it's all the little things that add up um and I think also for managers it's that realization that it is different for each person and so it's not the great resignation it's the great realignment about realigning what's important for you and for the people you lead and then sorting that out I think it's good to lead by example and uh and a lot of our coaches that are out there you have to lead in that way we want to spend a little time in the title of this had this idea of flow right in getting into the flow and of course I think flow is also kind of a key to this burnout concept it's it's Life's a little bit easier when you're in flow when you're working in flow so before we start with that concept what is flow when you say that Muzz what do you mean by by having business flow yeah so I'm certainly not the expert in flow but I know how important it is for me and if I think about the times over the last eight years when I've been in flow and what that's meant for me and my energy and uh my success and when I haven't been in it and I actually feel like when I haven't I've been an employee to myself it's like Murray guest working for Murray guests I'm like hang on I thought I was the boss what's going on no I've got to go and do this thing versus I have the choice to go and do it and so that's when I'm not but the flow state is definitely described as a feeling where under the right conditions you're fully immersed in whatever you're doing you're energized you instinctively know what to do next you can't wait to do it you're getting to use your strengths you feel like you're at your best and for me I feel like it's about how do we create more of that as coaches and as as people in our lives because that's infectious for not just us but those people around us and I I love uh the continual Focus that it brings in my life when I think about what does that look like how do I keep doing that and and bringing that that flow statement and really being in the zone for for coaches and I want to talk to coaches about this in this and kind of in this topic and it's great to kind of think about how as coaches we can help our leaders but I think we can't take people places we haven't been before so let's think about flow for coaches what could that look like for them or what kind of advice would you for everybody it's a little bit different right so thinking about what are the things they might want to be looking for to see what are the things that put me in that flow state well one of the things which uh I got introduced to back when I was a manager in my life before running this business and it was taking time out to review myself as a leader on a weekly basis and it was so powerful and I share it with a lot of the managers I work with which is take time out and think about what's working what's not when you're in that state of flow in this past week what can you learn from that apply it to the following week I even build on that now as I have over the past eight years when am I getting to use my strengths and how can I aim them in the coming week and so I would say the first thing is the self-awareness and so as a coach take that time out on a weekly basis like a football team does not that mine's winning at the moment Jim I hope yours is going well we're doing okay we call it soccer but okay keep going but but taking out that time on a weekly basis like a high performing team should and treat yourself like that high performing team in that reflection and then uh planning forward around what was that week like when was I in flow when was I not and then how do I apply that to the following week so without that self-awareness and that review you just don't know so that's the first thing I think you've got to build that awareness and as we know it's going to be unique for each person so that's the the first thing and the second thing is um I would actually say be strengths based in your approach as a coach I've Heard lots of coaches talk about uh I'm doing my bookkeeping I'm doing my finance I'm doing my website and then I'm doing this and then I'm doing that and I'm not saying don't do all that if you love do it and you get in the zone doing that however let's be honest that is not a true strengths-based approach where do your strengths lie where do your skills lie and how can you really uh be a bit more honestly a bit more uh let's say brutal about that and saying right I'm good at this I'm going to focus on that and who can I partner with who can help me to do those other things and it's some of the biggest shifts that have helped me to then make sure I'm creating more of that time to get in that flow state Catherine in the chat says today uh felt flow first time in a long time protecting my calendar was a great way to give myself some time like what you just said was to think and honor my achiever for that let's think for you then can you give me for for you some examples like how do you know when you're in flow yeah so I would say so I have responsibility number five and uh when I look at my to-do list and I'm inspired by my to-do list so for that responsibility that psychological ownership and that Integrity of doing what I say or will if I look at my to-do list for the clients I'm working with and I'm like yes I'm so glad I'm doing that yes I want to take that off yes that's that's I want to do more of that now I'm in the flow state if I look at my to-do list and I'm like oh why am I doing that how why did I say yes to that and and and oh my God I forgot to do that as well that is a great indicator for me am I in that that flow State the other if we go to the very top relate to number one which is the best strength in the world let's be honest those could be fighting words because you know I think [Laughter] but and in all seriousness my relator if I don't feel like I've got that relator being met with the clients I'm working with if I don't have that connection if I don't feel like we're on the same page we've got that trusted deep connection that's that's a bit of a flag for me hang on this is not the right fit so it's then for me looking at the relationships and the work I'm doing that's a great indicator of if I'm in that flow state or not had an experience this weekend where I redid so arranger maximizer kind of activator on the Fly I redid I have a whole like computer area that's got all my computers and stuff and I kind of I just tore it down and put it all back together as a kid I used to do this I tear apart my room to clean it up I tear it apart and then put it back together I love to rearrange organize yeah and for me it's not enough it's not a discipline it's a potential it's what things could be potentially in the new setup I get excited I get I can feel myself getting excited about future potential of things now I rarely actually get it there but the process for me of getting of getting it there is the flow hours flew by I was like oh man I gotta go shoot I wish I had more time to get and then I remember at one point during the weekend I just came down and I just stared at it and just staring at what I had done kind of put me back in that foot low State kind of put me made me feel just gave me this incredible feeling of satisfaction and maybe that's a word I've never really thought about in a flow state but maybe deep satisfaction is one of those things can you Murray respond to that any any thoughts about finding that satisfaction of being an indicator of flow I love that so I think there's something about those two words together deep satisfaction and when I in my reflection of again as a coach and a facilitator working with leaders and teams and I think about the work of the partnership and what we've covered in that partnership whether it's an online session or face-to-face or coaching because it's a program that covers all those do I feel that deep satisfaction in what we're doing or do I feel like it was just a a bit of training for example and so for me if because I I feel like the whole idea of call to coach Jim I wasn't like hey I became a coach it was like oh I'm just validating what I was all along anyway so yeah um and so therefore that deep satisfaction really uh comes when I'm like okay we got to the place we wanted to get to and it was a true partnership and so then I then leave the session I'll leave the the program whatever uh length it was with more energy than when I started it and so then that gives me more energy to then do more of that and so I say that's where that real deep satisfaction comes from I'll give a quick example so I ran a program a two-day leadership program recently for a client and I get this phone call three days later and I didn't recognize the number and I I answered that and this gentleman said I just want to call you Murray because I just had this realization and he told me his name and I had to I'd say okay I'm trying to remember which one it was there was 24 people in this program and he then says I just want to let you know that we covered a lot I don't remember a lot of it but what I do remember I went oh okay where's this going and and then he says I realized when I got home I was having a conversation with my ten-year-old son and I've been blaming him for our relationship and realized it was all my fault and how I've been showing up for him in these conversations I haven't been curious I've been asking questions I wasn't thinking about what I was bringing and I realized if I just changed that we'd have a better relationship and so I was getting this at four o'clock on a Friday and I thought you know that that's what it's all about yeah if if this participant is now thinking about how he's going to show up as a better parent not just as a better leader in his team I went well that that's just made my day and so then I got that deep satisfaction yeah the hard like you're like oh it's Friday like you know could it be Monday like can we can we do this again you know can you ring me back again next Monday yeah you could just call me and you know I often get into flow during call to coach like it's been one of the secrets of this is we get you know we get going and I look at the clock and I'm like oh no like we haven't covered you know what I wanted to cover or whatever and it is it's been interesting I just got some feedback today from one of our uh from from one of um Folks at Gallup I'd gone in and she said you know I listened to called to coach every morning on the way in she's you know one of our sales folks since and she then she said and then one time you said and it was like one of those moments you're like oh my God they're actually listening this is kind of scary you know um Steve Steve brings up an interesting point he says I love it when my clients are also in flow with me our sessions fly by seemingly in the blink of an eye how important is it that that especially in the coaching that that that flow may come at the same time if you had that experience and any thoughts on that I love Steve's uh comment and I totally am in line with that and I'm thinking about the the analogy here of uh you know Rivers combining you know integrating flowing side by side and then they flow together and if we're we're working with clients and they're in that flow State through change through their own cultural journey and their energized um I I totally am in line with Stephen and I feel that because then you feel that and it's infectious so we're working together it's a real partnership and for me um that's why a lot of uh the programs I run there's a real focus on the Foundations at the start around our attitudes and so what's the attitudes we're bringing to the work we do because if we're not focusing on that and then we just jump into hey what are your strengths and and get to know those and why strengths but let's actually talk about how we're showing up day in day out to then create that Foundation so let's have an honest conversation for a second around this can you be like oftentimes we often say it's hard to be an Engaged employee when you're suffering in some way and and that can be there's a variety of ways of where that's suffering can can you find flow when you're in the same state if you're in a suffering state in some way whether that be in any of the elements of well-being so to speak can that affect flow and if if we're there you know can that stop it from happening you think uh so first thing to say is I'm not a psychologist did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night no it's okay you can you could do that so I'm not a psychologist and uh but I love um understanding and working with people and so from my experience around this is um The Suffering could come from a whole range of areas and and yes there's people that are parts of cultures are working for leaders where they don't feel the the opportunity to get into flow because of the environment the culture the relationship with their manager and we know how important that is so for me it is then helping that person Focus back on what's in their control because quite often we're focusing or that person's focusing on what's out of their control and and you know below the line or if that blame and identifying what they can't do versus what can I do and and what's uh in my control that I could then take action on and and again the little shifts the small one degree shifts that make a huge difference and they all add up and the analogy I've used a stack of times Jim is if we're in Sydney you and I and we're going to fly to LAX and the pilot takes off but every hour he just shifts that little bit a little bit of a one degree shift we're going to learn somewhere completely different and so there's one degree shifts around well what can I do then which land me in a different place whether that's in that culture where I don't feel engaged and I'm suffering or the one degree shifts that I can do as a coach which lend me in a different place all add up that said I've also had some very brutal conversations for some people have been coaching where it's like you've got three choices you either need to have a conversation with your manager and sort this out you need to live with it as it is or you need to leave so which path you're going to go down oh I don't want to leave okay well then um I don't do nothing okay so what's a conversation you need to have with your manager around the the challenges you've got and how you're going to move that forward I think that's that's really good advice we often say uh for managers ask you know if they're managing folks to ask them what's the best recognition you've ever had Marina kind of has a spin on that with flow she says I feel that for every client there's something else that gets them into in the flow mode and this is one of the things I explore in tune myself in our first sessions is that a question do you ask that early do you do you spend some time talk a little bit about that so fun fact Jim I asked that question and one of the photos I have on the slide in my presentation is me presenting at the Clifton strength Summit you know when we used to do that face to face that thing in person you mean yes did we ever do it in person I can't remember that far we did for four years Jim um but honestly I use a photo of me presenting one of the breakout sessions in the summit and I say hey this is me when I'm in flow and I frame it up saying yes I get nervous and yes I get worried because it's important to me but also I know when I'm doing it it is just I'm the time's flying by I'm energized I'm connecting I'm doing what I was meant to do and here's my example and then I get people to explore what's their example in their workplace in their life and then we link to well what strengths do you think about playing your your dominant talents and that then generates some really good connection back to how we can beat our best going forward do you think imposter syndrome can play in I find sometimes when I get into flow and I'm real I mean I'm just really feeling it it feels good I'm going with it when that when that time is over and I'm kind of coming back I kind of look back at flow self and I'm like that wasn't me why did I do it that way why you know do you ever find or do you ever get any feedback from clients that there's a little bit of maybe that imposter syndrome after a heavy moment of of being in that flow yeah I'm wondering about the the notion of healthy imposter syndrome of there's that yes I was in flow and how was that perceived or how was I showing up and was I still being genuinely myself and unfortunately a lot of people and managers feel that I'm now in a manager position and should I be here is this am I ready for this do I bring what this role needs and I don't feel like I I own my seat at the table and so yeah turning that around to actually say well how how do you why do you why why is this uh you know uh part of your leadership Journey that you definitely deserve and let's explore that but yeah I've had some of those conversations I think I'd say it's more in the one-on-one sessions versus a group coaching session yeah I think it's in a spot where you could be a little more more vulnerable you know Steve says he's had a lot of experience with the clients feeling some imposter syndrome in the past couple years it's usually occurs when they become disconnected from their strength Zone but I like the spin on it like I like the spin you put on it where it's like there may be a positive reflection on that zone moment you did some incredible things in it and that may actually be an indicator that you were in flow like if you're feeling those like whoa what was that all about having that thought may be an indicator that you were in a moment you know you were in yeah right so I um definitely a link to what Steve's saying but thanks Jim for your comment because I feel like any time that we can reflect back and we can own what went well as a strengths-based approach but also own those areas where we can do things better we shot more authentically you know when our strengths may have been a bit Raw getting in the way you know they can show up as well and that flow State unfortunately but yeah let's let's actually let's link back to my point at the start about those review points in our life because and how powerful they are yeah I I just remember I've had some really amazing moments where I know I've been in flow and I come out of them and I'm a little it's a little disconcerting I feel a little like and maybe that's just an overwhelming feeling being in that moment and how I reflect on that makes as much of a difference of how I view that experience as uh as anything if I come out I can think about it very negatively or I can come out of very positively and I think maybe I've had more success in the last four or five years coming out of that positively yes no no no no I did do that that was okay that was pretty cool no I did have an impact right thinking through all those things right yeah so any other any others we think about flow and what you the way people work in their business in that way how can they turn that into success or what kind of advice would you have on turning some of that into success in their business or helping them with their business so a lot of clients that I've worked with I'd say it's a very common theme gym is the lack of clarity and the impact that makes and that lack of clarity causes a whole range of emotions from frustration uh stress anguish anger even and then of course the the output of not being aligned misaligned needing rework um and a whole range of things and so what I have have definitely embraced more and more over the last eight years is where am I getting Clarity in my own life and the way I'm running my business and and how that looks um for me personally is a weekly meeting with my wife and sometimes that's playing backgammon and I lose every time and that's okay she's very good and we're but we're chatting or it's uh uh during the um the week whatever it might be but for us it's definitely about just like a client a team a manager has regular meetings with their team let's have that regular meeting as a family and in that meeting let's get clear about what I'm doing what's coming up what's my wife doing what are the kids doing and to quote Jim Krieger ex-cfo of Gallup we talked about this Jim it's all about Thinking Beyond Friday night don't just think oh what have we got this week or what are we doing on Friday night what are we doing for dinner but where am I traveling who needs the quiet time in the house because you know they're doing something online or hey you need to be off the Wi-Fi because as much as the Wi-Fi is good it can still get stressed or if we're traveling and there's kids but that Clarity let's just get really clear and I mean uh the quote from brene Brown comes to mind which is Clarity is kindness so let's get clear on that where are we going which then enables the flow because without that it gets bumpy and messy and and and Jim I'm going to say I'm far from perfect on this we just had to recently reschedule an appointment for one of the kids because my wife's like I'm here and I'm like yeah I'm going there hang on a minute we booked this appointment and I'm like oh that's right we didn't quite cover that in our our catch up but that Clarity is super super important yeah and and I really agree with you you know our q1 question on a q12 assessment q1 I know it's expected of me and I and I that that has such a universal I think both understanding going into a role going into a maybe into your business as a coach and I I think some young young not in age but young and just starting yeah they need to ask them theirselves the questions do I it's a coach do I know what's expected of me in this I think they get all hyped up about doing the job but but thinking through the expectations getting Clarity what have you learned in that like what kinds of questions should you be asking yourself about getting Clarity around your expectations and that you kind of you mentioned that communication with your spouse right your partner yeah what else have you learned what what other areas do you think you can get clarity on or you can get those expectations set around yeah and sorry good point Tammy is my wife I didn't mention important important bit of data there I know it's good um well I think one is the like I mentioned the the travel uh I would say secondly is uh planning out those um events that we've got coming up I would say also um when our energy is going to be up or down another one is when do you have the energy for you typically during the day for the deep thinking and the shallow thinking and this is something which I have learned for me definitely tomorrow in the morning for that deep thinking whereas end of the day at night time don't come to me to solve a problem or do it number crunch something on Excel because I just don't have that mental capacity it's just not the way my body works and I think getting clarity about what that looks for you and also for the managers you work with and for your your partner and then where's that energy lied best for you during the day and then how do you work with each other on that um the next one I would say is around this Clarity piece is um getting really clear about what you're getting honestly Jim what you're getting paid to do with your clients what is that partnership what is it about and um quite often on projects within organizations they talk about scope creep it's like oh we're going to do this in this project and now it's this and this and this and it's getting bigger and it can happen to us as coaches and I think early on in my excitement to do some work with a client I say yes yes yes but I wasn't clear on what that yes yes yes looked like but getting really clear around well what are we trying to achieve what are those outcomes what has the team done before what other development are they recently done and then also let's get really clear on those outcomes over this program and and check in on that so there's a couple of things there I love the the expectations back to the customer in some ways of of saying now let's be really clear about what what are we looking for here where are we looking to go what are we looking to do what's what's uh what What's an acceptable outcome I think sometimes you're right we get started on these things and is a is a you know as a young student and even in my early 20s uh High activator High maximizer you know anything worth doing is worth overdoing I would just get started like somebody hey was okay oh shoot out the door like and they're like where are you going like you don't even know where you're going yet and I'm like I know but I'm excited about it right and I think and I don't want to I don't wanna um talk down any of that excitement because we need some of that right but getting the opportunity like you say to get some clarity on that to kind of think like and I think getting those expectations back what's a win like yeah what's what's satisfaction for you what helps you in this I don't know if we ask enough of those questions as you're thinking about your clients do you ask do you try to front load this with some of those questions just so you're clear yeah definitely to front load them and so whether that's through a short online survey or a conversation or a combination of both uh the other step in the process is I I often get the team members to complete a short online survey so we're getting the manager's perspective but also the team members perspective the other thing is definitely getting the managers to complete their strengths early in the process because then I'm getting an understanding about where they're seeing the world and their team and what's going on for them through a lens of their own strengths and how they're showing up and I think when I've done that partnership really well it's like ah so my relate to seeing this or some of my top strengths are saying it this way and now I can see where yours are showing up and and where they're being met or not met and and that lens that that's bringing as well and back on the spouse thing and and because a lot of coaches let's be honest uh Soul solo entrepreneurs running their business from home knowing the strengths of your spouse if you have one your partner is super super important as well so then you know how those who are working together and the reason I say that Jim is because my wife has activated the top and you just sounded like her she's she's great oh the curse the activator curse yes it it does happen um but as you said something that reminded me you know we we often talk to our kind of our solopreneur coaches but well over half of our certified coaches are embedded in organizations and if we if say we had an embedded and we do we have embedded coaches that are listening to this who don't have to worry about the business side of things but if you think about coaching them and they're coaching in an Orc in an organization what does that mean for them and what is what could that flow be like or what kind of advice might you give to them around this topic inside the organization they're not worried about the business end of things that's all taken care of yeah working with people what kind of advice would you would you have for them uh so the first thing that pops into head in my head is that your strengths journey is ongoing and so as a strengths coach and you're working with people helping them understand their strengths within your organization you're on an ongoing Journey for yourself as well so how are your strengths showing up continuing to understand what uh they're looking like how they're helping you how they're helping hindering you at different times and then that continual reflection to then you know continue to honestly claim and aim that strengths as you go along I would say that's a key thing I think the second one would be again that Clarity piece with anyone that you're helping whether that's group coaching or a one-on-one coaching within the organization to get really clear about what you're trying to achieve and what that looks like and you can always revisit that as you go along but again create that space for that conversation and the way I frame this up in the past is have the conversation before you need to have the conversation and quite often when we get to the to the place of Oh I thought you were doing this I thought this was what was going to happen I thought these were the outcomes and we've got the emotions are starting to kick in and a bit of the fight-or-flight might be happening we want to have that conversation earlier to prevent you know getting to a place of you know High emotion and someone saying something which is maybe not the way they wanted it to come out yeah so let's have the conversation before we need to and what does that look like let's get clear about what we're trying to achieve and how we're going to work together and do that and my third part here Jim would be again your own Energy Management so coaching can drain a lot of people it does drain me definitely a lot of the times and so be clear around when you're setting up that coaching within the organization giving yourself some time to recharge to refresh uh early on Jim I was doing back-to-back coaching with no breaks and then I wondered why I was falling asleep at four o'clock in the afternoon like so definitely as a internal coach consider how you are giving yourself that time to refill your bucket refill your energy levels between and and making sure that you are creating that space and I guess the fourth one now you've got me thinking is um quite often I think as coaches and wanting to serve others and maybe this is my high responsibility at times is we can feel like we're the ones driving the process you know taking all the notes driving the ownership and doing that but actually we we need people that we're coaching whether it's a manager leading a team or someone one-on-one for them to own their own development and to be driving it so again be clear about what what am I going to bring to that partnership and what are you doing let's get really clear on that and that could come down to notes from the coaching session or follow-up information or booking sessions but let's just get really clear on that to make it easier and get into that flow I think some internal coaches it's not their only responsibility to coach yeah they're all right they're also doing another job on top of it which they have to balance um I think I loved your advice you know the the pressure's a little bit different and the clarity we we've I've heard this a lot in the Facebook groups that folks pre-pandemic they were wanting this strengths cultured strengths-based culture to begin we went through the pandemic leadership is now seeing the destruction that took place and they remember oh there was this person who before the pandemic was talking about strengths we need a strengths initiative and they come to those people and say I want everybody in the company strengths today right there's this we need it done today kind of thing what it what would you be for for a coach like that what would be your advice as you think about like now it's too it might be too much of a good thing all at once any any thoughts on the we want it all right now yeah well I I totally get that now I mean in my previous role as an l d manager I have a large site I I experienced that so I think you you raised an important point that I think we can't skip though Jim is when your role as a coach is part of another role that you've got I think again the conversations with your manager around how do I fit this in what does that look like that it's not just something that I'm adding on to my business as usual work I think is really important because I have unfortunately I'm sure you have Jim where it's like I've got to deliver on these projects and this business as usual and I'm trying to squeeze in being a coach so let's get clear with your manager and how does that work around what I do need to deliver and how can I be a coach that's supporting the business so I think that's really really important and then when we've got someone that's full of passion and we want to roll out strengths to everyone let's get a clear project plan in place like we would with any other project we're doing the business who's doing what doing when what does success look like and then how do we create some momentum and do it as you would any other project if you're rolling out a new Erp system or doing some other cultural change whatever it might be treat it like a proper project don't just treat it like oh one person can go and do that because you wouldn't do that if you're rolling out some new new process or system and so get clear on the project and get the people on board and then the second one is make sure you have the leadership support from the top okay um I had a client recently that wanted to do some leadership training and we went through what the culture's like and honestly Jim was getting some some flags that said we need to do some work with the leadership team and we need to make sure they're on board before we go ahead with this and I was very clear and that hasn't progressed because I don't think that client wants to do that and so to be honest if we're not got that alignment around what are we trying to achieve with the leaders and the managers and it's been cascaded down and it's you trying to push it from the side it will never get there so again let's make sure we've got that cascading you know we're speaking the language this is important getting people involved from the top Justin says uh totally critical without top leadership endorsement it's a tough haul for sure we are early in the pandemic we spent a lot of time talking about building strengths-based cultures and one of those steps is executive leadership sponsorship in an org and I and I love I love the accountability you put back it so an organization comes and says we want to be strength space and you're like okay the leaders need to do it first and then if like if you get pushback at that point no matter what you do Downstream you're gonna fight it chances are you may be fighting it the whole way I love do you kind of see that as like a little litmus test to to be like hey if the leadership's not willing to do it is that kind of what you're looking for um I would say it's honestly a multi-faceted thing and what I mean by that is uh could be a situation where there's one manager that wants to introduce strengths to a team and this is an opportunity to introduce it to the rest of the business and once that happens there's going to be a flow on effect and the rest of the managers can see that so that may be an option but if I feel like there's no manager support at all well then uh yeah to be honest at my best I would say no Jim let's not go ahead uh early on in in the business eight years ago I think when I wasn't so uh structured and confident in that approach I might have said and I did say yes to some things I was like I shouldn't have because they didn't have that sponsorship yeah a couple good comments coming in and some questions let's let's cover those here uh um Tish says I realized early on that I needed to put 30 minutes on my calendar in between coaching calls uh just to give you a chance to come back and get some natural energy and some other things like lunch or bathroom breaks yeah yeah right I think we think we can stack those up and we have good intention of ending a call 10 minutes early but you know that doesn't work right yeah yeah I I just want to jump on this one too Jim and it's whether you're an employee in an organization or you're a coach right in your business and you are working from home the the build on this energy management in this space is also how using the energy of your home and what I mean by that is uh I've heard of lots of people that are like I've set up my home office and that's where I work and and I feel like I'm I'm honestly trapped in a prison because that's my space and I and and then I've heard other people say uh I've the space works for me so it's again it's individual here's what I know works for me and for other people that I've talked to is when I say use the energy of your home I have an office I'm in right now which is the this is my office get stuff done be present then I know if I want to be a bit more creative I'll sit somewhere else I'll sit out towards the back of the house and then if I'm actually doing some work that's a bit you know a bit uh shallow a bit more of that just processing things I might sit at the dining table and then if there's a coaching client that I want to have a different type of conversation with honestly I'll set up in the corner of the bedroom shut the door and I can be really really present um or if it's a it's just more of that check-in with a client I might just go out the front and pull some weeds out of the garden and have a chat on the phone and so I think it's a really powerful thing to think about where you might sit no matter how big or small your place is that's going to really support what you're trying to achieve and support your your energy I love that this is going to sound crazy but at the very beginning of the pandemic this direction that I'm talking to you right now this is the webcast Direction this is when I'm podcasting I go this direction the work laptop is sitting over here to my right for those that are on audio so we're here to my right I have a camera for that as well I could do work this way but I needed to separate the two out yeah I go this way I go 90 or 45 degrees different 90 degrees different and um angles were a challenge for me in school and so 90 degrees different and it it changes it changes my mind a little bit right it's like nope I'm taking work calls on this side and when I'm webcasting I'm taking them in this direction my chair literally it just doesn't move but it's it's a different it's a it's a different angle it's a different location it's a different point of view I guess is what you're saying right yeah so you change the environment and it influences your your mindset and your approach and just like we know we can walk into one office and go this is great I feel energized and inspired in another office where you might walk and go oh this doesn't inspire me I feel a bit drained and sustained for our Home Spaces as well and the subtleties and those changes like you're saying Jim are really powerful um and I actually invite everyone to look at that whether you're a coach within an organization or a coach from home because a lot of people's doing doing hybrid working at home just get a feel for that and what that looks like for you uh now that we've added um going going back into the office into that equation I I've done something similar now with the office at certain things I'll do in my office certain things I want to do in the studio and so and then so I have four different locations right I have home these two in the office in the studio in the office or in my office um and I love that I know I've never until you talked about this I never thought about the different energies that those brought it just naturally happened that way but it's right I gravitated towards them because I was getting different feel I was getting different energy you know I just I just pitch at you at a at a board table and we're all sitting around having a meeting and then you're working on something and then a decision needs to be made and you say to everyone hang on we need to all turn 90 degrees now just turn have a different conversation it's maybe it's a little bit like that it's just it's changed it changes your mind a little bit I don't want to miss this question Rebecca had asked yeah when people are burned out they often feel like there's a big gap from burnout to flow have you seen clients who are in Burnout also manage to get into flow and um how can this Gap best be navigated ah it's it's uh a big question Rebecca and thank you I think unfortunately yes I've seen it and I felt it myself um I would say the first thing is again I'm not a psychologist and as coaches we're not um often majority of the time and if someone's really burnt out do they need to get some support from somewhere else and so that could be using a company EAP or seeing a health professional so I'd say that's sometimes uh something we explore the second thing is again look at your strengths I'm a big believer if if we're getting to use our strengths somewhere in our life it's filling up that NG filling up that bucket um the third thing is those one percent as we talked about before where's some of those small shifts that someone can make to help start to rebuild that energy and and start to do that and it could be uh like we said very early on Jim about don't wait a month to take two weeks off can you take a day off and uh and spend some time doing what will refill your energy in your cup and to rebuild that um that the last piece which has been very really valuable for me over the last eight years uh and also for people to work with around that shift in gratitude and so that mindset that comes when we've got a a gratitude approach to our life and I would even say uh leveling your gratitude expectation like sorry lowering your gratitude expectations so I'm really grateful for the smallest things which then creates this gratitude mindset which then you really appreciate what's around you which starts to change how you think about what's going on in your in your life yeah I love that that gratitude Laker recognition has a way of creeping its way into the way you feel yeah right you know you're having a bad day or whatever and you're like ah could I be grateful for something I know that sounds weird but it is one of those things that you begin and it begins to it begins to work its way through your system you're like oh maybe there's some other things I can be kind of grateful for one one of the other things that's been helpful to me during this crazy last couple years is this idea of a reboot and when things start working I'm like I'm just going to reboot that whole thing like it's let's just in I think sometimes we thought that was a failure and we'd like we quit right like and so instead of quitting not just let's just do a reboot like yeah I I want to keep doing it but I've got to do it completely different than I've done it in the past right any any thoughts on that sometimes we need to update the operating system sometimes you need to update the hardware yeah yeah I'm holding my phone up for that yeah yeah and yeah okay keep going yeah I was just going to say and and um and for me like you redoing the um your your home office that you mentioned uh I know when when I do that it's like I need to do a reset around how I'm approaching this what I'm doing where I'm investing my energy in this space is that working is not working well I need to just change everything and then through that change we're going to start to do things a little bit differently and so I think the one degree shifts obviously are important which is a bit of a Evolution but sometimes like you're saying Jim maybe it's a big revolution of like I'm just going to reboot and change how I do this yeah it's it's actually it's been refreshing it's so instead of quitting you just reboot you're like okay I still have to keep doing this but I'm going to do it completely different than I did it before and it's it's a little bit freeing on that and and it's not a term I even I mean I I only done it a few times successfully but in the middle of one right now and I'm it's incredibly freeing and I'm like oh I got a chance to do this completely different okay like let's get on this thing so uh pretty great Buzz anything else is we we've got just a few minutes left anything we missed or anything else that you wanted to encourage the coaching community at large with as we think about advice around this thing that we do yeah um one that jumps out straight away Jim uh is living what you teach and unfortunately over the years um whether it's a coach or a manager that I've worked with is working with some other people and helping them around strengths or another area that they support in so for me it might be around mindset or communication or providing effective feedback whatever it might be but unfortunately what happens sometimes is we don't live that and it's a a bit like the mechanic that's got the worst running car and so what I would say is if you are helping people you are partnering with people whether it's within organization or your own coaching business look to apply in your own life what you're helping people with and it might not seem uh I might seem obvious I should say but honestly it makes a huge difference and so like for example there's a feedback process I use at home with my wife and my children there's a a model around communication my wife and I use regularly and what it does is it locks it in for you as a practitioner but also it actually is just living authentically and I just say it's something so so powerful I completely agree it's it's tough to like I mentioned this earlier it's tough to take somewhere someone a place you haven't been before yeah yeah and so I think we've got to continue and I you know for me living living my life experience through the advice the wisdom the the learning of not only what what gallup's research says but coaches globally has made a huge impact on who I am and what I do I was talking to some folks the other day like how do you know so much about this I'm like well I have to listen to every single episode of the stuff I record right that means I have to learn it and it's yeah and it has great impact on me because I'm actively engaged in the conversation and what we're doing and so yeah I guess I would Echo that encourage folks to not be afraid to that this isn't something to teach this is something to live yes yes I agree yeah totally agree um we did have a team strengths grid on our fridge which was for our family for many years yeah um and it was great just you know to to to reference and I'm happy to say we're beyond that now because we actually really live and breathe it right right it it has its phases I think too with our family we have a Google doc that we just share and it's got everybody's you know it's got everybody's themes in it and you can go in and we don't do it all the time but every once in a while someone would be like you know I wonder what they'll hear something and they'll be like what was that and then you know they'll dig into the dig into the spreadsheet to see like whoa what was happening there so I think another great tool to use with your family for sure there's a caveat here gym when you can be too passionate and um my my son when he's he's uh his girlfriend you know I think it's like the second or third time came over to our house and he's you know a teenager and I just walk in and say so do you want to do your strengths let's find them out and uh she was like uh what are you talking about oh okay I need to explain this thing that we do here I say you're on the same page but I was then honestly really powerful them to understand each other well my daughter does not let anyone like they can't be her friend if they she doesn't know their strengths like she's giving she's begged me for code she's giving away she's just like yeah I can't have friends I don't know I don't know what their top five are like that's that's how important it is for her I love that and can I just say um Andrea has just commented in the chat using the best of my exercise with a spouse is a good exercise I love that it's a powerful exercise with friends with family um and obviously with organizations and teams but it can go anywhere yeah um one last thing I do want to mention Jim and that is in this um desire and journey of creating more flow in your life whether you're an internal coach or a coach running a business also be easy on yourself I think with covert in the last few years and the challenges that we've all had in different ways and just like we often think about the people we're serving and working with but also let's be easy on ourselves because there's been lots of challenges and when we don't get that exactly right tha

2022-12-04 15:19

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