Example Matters

Laser Provision: Do you set a good example? If you are a leader in any organization, whether in a school, a corporation, a congregation, a club, or a marching band, then I hope so. People are watching our every move as leaders, and what they see matters. Do we work hard? Do we express caring and empathy for people? Do we make wise decisions in both ordinary and extraordinary times? If the answers to those three questions are all the same – a resounding "Yes!" – then our leadership is sound and will inspire people to greatness. If we fall short at any of those points, then we're headed for trouble. Want to learn how to avoid that eventuality and optimize your leadership? To read the entire Provision click here.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your work ethic? Do you overwork, under work, or is it just right? How would you describe your emotional intelligence? Are you too soft, too hard, or just right? How would you describe your decision making? Do you focus on problems to the exclusion of possibilities, or is it just right? How could you set a more positive example in all three of these regards? Who could help you make it so?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here

Qualms Matter

Laser Provision: Few, if any, leaders would disagree with the title of today's Provision. Quality matters. Quality matters not only in our goods and services, it also matters in the way we carry and conduct ourselves as leaders. If quality is so important, then, it becomes a key work of leadership to continuously maintain and to constantly be on the lookout for ways to improve quality. If that doesn't always define your leadership, or if you're not sure how to do it, then this is the Provision for you. To read the entire Provision click here.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your commitment to quality? What helps you to continuously improve that quality? Are reflective practices a regular part of your life? How could you strengthen and derive more benefit from those practices? What part could coaching play in the equation?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here

Challenging Education Paradigms

Sir Ken Robinson challenges us to change education paradigms, waking up kids -- and educators -- to life. Huzzah!! You have to watch this RSA Animate Video.

Quality Matters

Laser Provision: Few, if any, leaders would disagree with the title of today's Provision. Quality matters. Quality matters not only in our goods and services, it also matters in the way we carry and conduct ourselves as leaders. If quality is so important, then, it becomes a key work of leadership to continuously maintain and to constantly be on the lookout for ways to improve quality. If that doesn't always define your leadership, or if you're not sure how to do it, then this is the Provision for you. To read the entire Provision click here.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your commitment to quality? What helps you to continuously improve that quality? Are reflective practices a regular part of your life? How could you strengthen and derive more benefit from those practices? What part could coaching play in the equation?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, Email Us or use our Contact Form to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs, Click Here

The Power of Positive Coaching

Finally: athletic coaching is catching up with best practices in professional coaching. Read the power of the positive. It's not just about yelling at your players! http://t.co/FL0ytImN

Questions Matter

Laser Provision: Leaders often think of ourselves as answer people. We are, almost by definition, the go-to people in organizations and we think it is our job to generate ideas, solve problems, and keep people on track. But what if the best way to do all that is not by answering questions, but by asking questions? What if our role is best understood as that of a conversation starter and question asker rather than as an information provider and decision maker? When leaders understand ourselves in this way, everything begins to shift – from how we talk to ourselves to how we talk with others to how we get things done. That may seem less efficient than simply telling people what to do, but looks can be deceiving. Read on if you would like to see things anew. Read entire Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: What is your orientation in life and work? How often do you choose to take the Learner Path? What would help you to get on that path more often? Who do you know who embodies that orientation? How could you partner with them to learn and grow together?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Memory Matters

Laser Provision: All leaders know the importance of remembering names. Being able to call someone by name, especially after it has been a while since we have seen them, is a form of acknowledgement and affirmation that says: "You are important to me." People feel great when we give them that sense. But did you know that being able to remember the past derives, in part, from our ability to anticipate the future? Both functions utilize the same processing centers in the brain, and the stories we tell about the past are as much about sense-making as they are about reporting. In our minds, all human beings are time travelers. If you want learn how to leverage that ability for leadership, then I encourage you to read on. Read entire Provision ...

Coaching Inquiries: What is the nature of your relationship to the past, present, and future? Are you aware of how your own optimism bias plays out in life and work? To what degree would you describe that bias as irrational and to what degree would describe it as predictive? How can you become better able to bolster the self-confidence of others?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Moods Matter

Laser Provision: Are you in a good mood? If you are a leader, I certainly hope so. That's because moods, like emotions, are contagious. People pick up on and attune themselves with the moods of leaders. When leaders are persistently anxious, frustrated, or depressed, for example, such qualities come to define the culture and climate of our organizations. Any thought that people will rise above the mood of their leaders is largely an illusion and certainly an exception to the rule. Most of the time, leaders set the tone. It behooves us, then, to set a tone that will lead to organizational success. And moods cannot be faked. Self-management is therefore a key work of leadership. Read the entire Provision if you want to buff up your own mood and set yourself apart as a leader.

Coaching Inquiries: How would you describe your mood in life and work? What would assist you to cook up more positivity? Where do you go to find clarity, calm, confidence, and hope? Who could help you to find those energies today and to stay with them tomorrow?o reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form.

To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Mindfulness Matters

In her extensive research and writing on trust in schools, my wife, Megan, notes that trust is hard to define because it is easier to describe the absence than the presence of trust. Trust is like air: we take it for granted until it becomes polluted or scarce. Mindfulness works the same way. So many definitions describe mindfulness in terms of what it is not: not distracted, not judgmental, not reactive, not bored, and not attached to an outcome. Although these statements are all true, they do not help us very much when it comes to incorporating mindfulness into our life and work as leaders. What, exactly, are we supposed to do and how, exactly, are we supposed to be? Read the entire Provision to get some answers....

Coaching Inquiries: What is your decision when it comes to mindfulness? How do you show up and carry yourself in life and work? How well do you embody the six attributes of mindfulness identified in this Provision? What could help you to embody them more fully? What is one thing you could do right now that would make you more mindful? Who could join and support you on the journey?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Learning Through Listening

According to the International Listening Association:

• 45 percent of a student’s day is spent listening.
• Students are expected to acquire 85 percent of the knowledge they have by listening.
• Yet only 2 percent of the population ever receive formal listening instruction.

To change that, Learning Through Listening has developed a variety of downloadable lesson plans, strategies and activities, as well as case stories for teachers. The lessons plans use poetry, music, stories, and interactive activities to help K-12 teachers meet the diverse needs of their students.

Perhaps it would help if we all took a few listening courses. To that end, you might enjoy listening to a 30-minute podcast on The Science of Listening from WNYC. Although the focus of the program is on the biology of listening to music, it makes clear how the affective components of listening come into play and influence what we hear. That's as true for verbal messages as for musical tracks, so keep that in mind as you listen to the program. Enjoy!

Coaching Inquiries: What is your relationship to music? How can listening to music make you a better listening leader? How could you learn how to be a better listener? What would you like to listen to right now?

We invite you to Contact Us using our Feedback Form if you are interested in learning more about LifeTrek Coaching or participating in our Evocative Coach Training Program.

Belief Matters

Laser Provision: Do you believe in what you are doing? Do you believe that you will be successful? If not, then it's time to look again at your life and work. Self-belief is what separates leaders from followers. Leaders not only believe in the mission, we also believe in the ability of people to achieve the mission. I know how this works. In less than a week, my wife and I will be on our way to Asia for a whirlwind tour during which time we will be presenting on 14 different occasions in 4 different countries. Along the way, we will also be attempting to conquer the summit of Mt. Kinabalu – a high-altitude climb to almost 4,100 meters or 13,450 feet. Sound crazy? It would be if we didn't believe in the cause and in our capacity. This Provision explains the connection. Read entire Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: What do you believe in? How do you put your beliefs out in the world? How attractive is your energy? What stories do you tell about the future and change? How confident are you that change is possible? Who is a part of your tribe? What movements do you connect with? What movements would you like to start?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Beauty Matters

Laser Provision: Many people think of leadership as hard work. "I wouldn't want to be in her or his position!" is an oft-repeated refrain. That notion is reinforced whenever leaders get in trouble. Just think of the leaders in the Arab nations of northern Africa and western Asia. Who wants to be them! Closer to home, at least closer to my home, who wants to preside over looming deficits and divided constituencies? From political leaders to school leaders to church leaders, the refrain sounds like something from a Rodney Dangerfield movie: "We just don't get no respect around here." When times are tough, it's tempting to see everything through the lens of enemies and struggles. But there is another side to life: beauty. Great leaders look for that beauty and make it plain. Could you do that? This Provision might help. Read entire Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: What helps you to see beauty in every situation? How can you better point that out and share what you see with others? What effect do you think that might have? Who do you know who is that kind of leader? How could you interview them to find out their secret?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Juice Matters

Do you have juice? If you are a leader, then that would be a good thing to have. I don't mean fruit juice, of course. I mean the joie de vivre, the joy of living, that adds energy and excitement to any situation. With all the travail in the news lately, including both natural disasters and political upheavals, it's easy to lose our juice and forget our joy. Yet that is the first responsibility of leaders. It is our job to show up with juice and to share it with others. How do we do that? By noticing the good stuff in life. In every situation, great leaders always find things to celebrate. Such mindfulness refills the glass for leadership. Want to pour some of that juice for yourself? Read entire Provision...

Coaching Inquiries: What kind of attitude do you bring to the work of leadership? Do you inspire people and lift them up or do you discourage people and tear them down? How would others answer that question about you? What has been your best experience with serving as a catalyst for positive energy? How did you muster that spirit? What would it take to muster that spirit on a daily basis? How could you make it so, right now?

To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization, use our Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary conversation.

Check Out Past Issues

It's been too long! Check out the issues you missed of LifeTrek Provisions, since our last post in November, by visiting our Web Archive. We're in the middle of a series on evocative leadership, the kind that calls out the greatness in people. Like what you see? Sign up to receive your own weekly emails! Thanks!