Tag: Coaching

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365 Coaching Tips: 61, 62 and 63

March 2nd Coaching Tip: REST.

REST. I learned that acronym from a four-star general who spoke to leaders at Caterpillar over 15 years ago. And here we are 15 years later, and I can easily recall the essence of his message: take time to Read relevant and timely information, ensure you get your Exercise (150 minutes/week), get enough Sleep (7-8 hours), and Take Time To Think.

This general reinforced that the easy decisions are already made at an individual level or a lower level. The decisions that get to you as a high level leader or business owner are more difficult, and it’s imperative that you have time to think clearly about important decisions and all the potential and unintended consequences. REST, because it matters to your results, personally and professionally.

March 3rd Coaching Tip: Draft.

Today was my third coaching conversation with a future leader, and he has big plans for the current team, the current leader’s succession plan, and the growth that makes him giddy with excitement. He had been talking alot about it, quickly, and excitedly, but he wasn’t clearly articulating it. In our 2nd conversation, his homework was to draft/sketch what was in his head and put it on “paper”.

I was so proud of him today; prior to our meeting time, he emailed me his draft plan, and it was simple with just 4 pages. He had already used it the draft with the local management team, he has talked to his current leader, and now ready to share the draft with him/current leader. As we both spent 70 minutes really digging in to it today, we further improved it, added a few more details. He also agreed to keep it as an updated version with a date, so that he can keep track of the progress, plans, and be able to share the history with anyone who may join the team. Draft it up, it will help bring clarity to you … and others.

March 4th Coaching Tip: Time is Money.

Got up early today, drove to Coral Gables, FL to meet a colleague so that we could coach a number of leaders and advisors. We were there, on time, and ready to roll. The support women had sent out the emails and reminders, and ordered a lovely lunch. However, the office manager/leaders had NOT done the appropriate prep, didn’t have enough appointments set up for us, thus, it was an average day of efficiency. Actually, it was below average. For an upcoming two-day trip to New York City with this same group, you bet that I will be ensuring the schedule BEFORE we leave, so that others understand how valuable my time is. My schedule should be filled with high priority clients who want coaching and improvement.

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365 Coaching Tips: Here’s 58, 59 and 60

February 27th Coaching Tip: Do Due Diligence.

Met a leader today who has the opportunity to buy a business. As I asked him questions, he indicated that it’s a smaller business, about 1.5 hours away, the one employee isn’t very happy and feels overworked, the current owner is ready to check out, etc. Then we pivoted to the true details: what is he buying? what is in the business? what can he eliminate with minimum effort? how old are the assets and clients? how much potential is in the current business? what can he grow quickly to produce a higher gross margin? does he have other team members that can take care of this small business, so that the leader can be free to deal with bigger clients and deals? By the end of the conversation, he had a gameplan to drive to visit this small business owner in 3 days and start digging into what he is buying. When you’re buying a business, many larger companies take at least 100 days to complete the due diligence, and that’s after signing an LOI (letter of intent). Make sure that you do your due diligence.

February 28th Coaching Tip: Need Ya!

Coached a leader today with a highly talented team of 20 people. This leader had alot going on, alot! For example, his wife was on the west coast with her mom because of her mother’s transition to hospice. The leader was now taking care of three kids, and he needed to travel to Florida. Then, his middle child was admitted in to the ER, so he had to ask his 14 year old son to take care of their youngest child over night and also get them both to school on a Friday. I was proud of him, as we figured out a way to get him more help over the next three weeks. He called his mother, and said, “Mom, I need ya!” He then made a plan to talk to key members of his team and his executive assistant to also tell them, “I need ya.” It will be 2-3 weeks of asking others to help, and they will step up. Don’t be afraid to say Need Ya when you truly have alot going on and need help.

March 1st Coaching Tip: Help Out!

Just the opposite of the post above (Need Ya) is the offer to quickly help out. By asking some simple questions or reading an invite/email/text, you can really figure out how to help out quickly. Today we are having a block party, and my neighbors are helping arrange it. While on my walk today, they asked me if we are going; I said yes. Then I came back to our house, re-read the block party invite, and noticed that they were requesting neighbors to bring paper plates, napkins, and silverware an hour early. This made it simple for me: open up the cabinets, see what I have that is still packaged up, and I will now bring napkins, paper plates and some plasticware. A popular quote is, “look for the helpers, look who is helping.” Don’t overcomplicate things; ask a question or read something real quick, and you can figure out how to Help Out.

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365 Coaching Tips: 55, 56 and 57

February 24th Coaching Tip: Talent Everywhere.

Tonight, I had the difficult challenge of selecting four deserving winners of four scholarships from over 94 applicants. Why so difficult? Because the talent on these scholarship submissions was beyond impressive. There’s talent everywhere, all around us. These were written by the high school seniors, and a recommendation letter was also included from their high school administrators. These kids were 100% student athletes, and shared numerous examples and stories of how they are learning how to be disciplined, a good teammate, serve others in the community, keep their grades in good check, win and lose, deal with injuries, deal with coaching changes, and on and on.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest score, I mostly awarded the applicants with 7, 8, and 9’s. It was difficult to select the 10’s for the four scholarships, but I did it. The lesson that I learned here is that our kids today are juggling a lot and delivering in a very social world. There’s talent everywhere. Question: are you taking the time to witness them in action, mentor them, and help them become the adults that they want to become? They are ready!

February 25th Coaching Tip: Hold Yourself Accountable.

During three of my coaching calls today, it was all about helping the leader figure out what he/she could do to hold himself accountable to important goals. After listening and asking some clarifying questions on their priorities, one indicated $1m by the next time we talk. And before the end of the day wrapped up, he sent me an email indicating he had already done over $150k of that $1m goal. Another picked up on the number three. He needs to develop himself as a better leader, while coaching his two new associates. All three need to develop; he agreed to spend 3-5 minutes/day with them both, and also embraced the ‘rule of 3’ to help them develop. The rule of 3 encourages new colleagues to try to figure out the answer by digging in and being resourceful in 3 different manners, BEFORE asking the boss for help. It teaches them to “fish”, instead of interrupting someone else and getting the answer. The third leader that I coached had made great progress since July 2024, and yet he didn’t feel that good about it. We summarized all that he has accomplished, and then he pivoted and was ready to continue to be held accountable through yearend 2025. Hold yourself accountable, whether you have a coach or not. Accountability works.

February 26th Coaching Tip: Leverage Partners.

Today I had to coach myself. With three projects coming up in the next 90 days, I had to take some time to figure out WHO can help me, identify WHAT can they help me with, and WHEN do I need their assistance. We had an effective conference call at 9am, and by 10:15am, we had the plan regarding who’s going to do what by when. I was relieved to have these talented partners to work with.

I’m also remodeling a 95-year-old farmhouse, and boy, am I ever leveraging partners and specialists. At the end of nearly every day, my contractor will either text me with an update, send photos that are self-explanatory, or we facetime. He also does a great job of introducing me to all of his sub-contractors (partners), and my whole goal is to get to know them a bit, create a bond, and get a smile on their face. These men are helping me with electric, plumbing, demolition, roofing, siding, drawings, framing, drywall, leveling floors and walls, etc. You get my point; they are doing it all. I haven’t lifted a hammer yet and am 1,000 miles away. Leverage your partners and figure out how to get more done by leverage their expertise.

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365 Coaching Tips: here’s to 52, 53 and 54

February 21st Coaching Tip: Recovery.

Some days, one needs recovery. After having two consecutive nights of less sleep than what I like to get, I decided to “recover” today. My exercise today included just a one-mile of fast walking; then I took a nap in the late afternoon by the pool and finished the evening with three short strolls before laying it down early. Even with my work today, I took a few less coaching calls, and I didn’t jam in things today due to my focus on my priority: recovery. I was still productive and ate balanced, just made the decision to turn down the dial a bit and recover. Prioritize yourself: you are your most valuable asset. Allow recovery.

February 22nd Coaching Tip: Text Real Quick.

If you’re trying to get ahold of someone, give them a quick text and simply ask, “are you free for 10 minutes?” or “is this a good time?” or “when do you have a solid 20-30 minutes? Need to run something by you.” Research indicates that a high percentage of our texts get answered in seven minutes or less. Seven minutes. If you want to connect with someone, give them a text, arrange a time, and then be ready to share your idea/question when you do get that time scheduled. It doesn’t work for everything or everyone, but for many, simply text real quick.

February 23rd Coaching Tip: Sunday Funday.

Sometimes, one just needs a beach chair and a sunset. And that’s exactly what we did today. We took it easy, enjoyed some “church time” at home, watched and listened to some relaxing geography and animal shows, did our workouts, ate well and prepped some meals for the week. But the quiet time and the beauty of southwest coast of FL was calling our names. We threw a couple beach chairs in the car, grabbed a couple sweatshirts and some water, then drove to the beach. Heck, we even squeezed our convertible into a partial parking spot, and it worked. We just sat there for an hour and simply enjoyed all that the good Lord created. It was a wonderful way to end our Sunday Funday.

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365 Coaching Tips: 49th, 50th and 51st Tips

February 18th Coaching Tip: Own it.

Today during a coaching conversation with a couple men who are buying a business, there were a bit hesitant in working proactively with the current business owner. They hadn’t done the due diligence, and lacked a process for introducing themselves to the current business owner’s clients. They had no plan. After listening for a while, I leveraged an example from outside the industry, i.e. buying 25 car washes in a different state that we had never seen. They quickly knew what to do: fly to that state, rent a car, inspect all 25 car washes regarding all of their locations, better understand the real estate values, inspect the overall care of the car wash, interview key employees, evaluate how good is the drainage, how old/new is the car wash equipment, and on and on. Then I pivoted them. I said then asked, “You’re about to buy a business. Act like you own it. What do you want to know about it, similar to the car washes?” And they got it. They quickly realized that they didn’t know what they were truly buying, and they weren’t acting like the new owners. Own it!

February 19th Coaching Tip: Been There.

We all have been on the job the very fast day. All of us, every single one of us. Tonight, we walked to dinner and had a new waiter. He was pleasant and greeted us nicely, and of course, struggled answering some basic questions: “what’s the soup of the day? is the calamari fried or not?” We could tell he was new, and we smiled and said we understand. He quickly went back to the kitchen, got the answering, wrote them on his order pad, and came back to the table with the answers. We ordered that soup of the day and the fried calamari. He checked on us without being too nosey, filled our drinks, and shared with us the gelato flavors. Of course, we ordered the mango sorbet. It was yummy, he was pleasant and learning quickly. We’ve all been there. Be a friend, help a guy out.

February 20th Coaching Tip: Void? Lead.

When there’s a void, step up and lead. I saw it today in two of my coaching conversations. A team with 5 “leaders” and 3 “staffers” had explosive growth in 2024, and are on track to do the same thing again in 2025. However, they all were complaining about workload, capacity, lack of accountability, shocked by what their “staffers” told them recently about fairness, etc. It was quite clear to me after listening to the 5 “leaders” share their insights, that they were most likely the bulk of the problem. No one was truly stepping up to lead. There was lack of clarity in compensation, roles, expectations, how to hold the “staffers” accountable, how to communicate with their leaders. There was limited to no coaching or development of their best and their worst performing “staffers.”

Another example was in my own work. I was given the opportunity to present a quick summary to my boss about a complete plan to support a growing part of our business. In one page, I laid out the short-term plan with the resources needed and the budget. She read it and quickly approved it. Bottom line: when there’s a void, step up and lead. People want to be lead with simplicity and clarity, and fairness.

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365 Coaching Tips: 46, 47 and 48

February 15th Coaching Tip: Squeeze It In.

Today was a day with a full list, but I was operating on less than five hours of sleep. Instead of having an intense workout, I chose instead to squeeze in my workout throughout my day. For an hour, I organized and moved some furniture around in our small condo, went on a walk to check the boat dock and to take the trash to the dumpster. Then during a college basketball game, I did my 3 sets of squats, crunches, pushups and lunges during the game’s timeouts. During halftime of the game, I went on a 12-minute walk. Then, 10 minutes before my mom arrived, I knocked on my neighbor’s door to get caught up with them and also carried a bag of snow melt for them, since a storm is on its way. Squeeze it in; you can do so many things that keep you motivated, organized, and purposeful in a matter of a few minutes.

February 16th Coaching Tip: Reward Them.

It’s 9am on a winter morning and I hear a few knocks at my front door, after a late night of freezing rain and 2-3″ of snow. The two 14-year-old boys are standing there with their new snow shovels, and one asks, “can we shovel your driveway and sidewalk?” I almost said no, but then I thought for a quick second: here are some kids that want some spending money and are working early on a Sunday morning. “Yes, you can shovel my sidewalk, and all around my mom’s car in the driveway.” The two got to work, and even their nine-year-old brother had a shovel and was shoveling. When they knocked on the door for their $20, I went out and inspected their work. Good work; but gave them some tips on straighter lines, and asked them to use a broom to knock the snow off of mom’s car. We then talked about all the businesses that they could start, and by simply looking around us, we saw a fencing business, car detailing business, painting business, landscape and snow removal businesses, etc. It was fun for me watching their creativity blossom. Reward the ones who show up early, and ready to go to work. Reward them!

February 17th Coaching Tip: Safety First.

Overnight, we had freezing rain and then it snowed 2-3 inches. The wind was blowing 15-20mph all day, and it was below 30 degrees. Getting my mom safely to her car was a top priority; we warmed up her car, defrosted the windows, put some snow melt down to help ensure there was no icy surface. We left plenty early, to get to my brother’s home and visit w/ the family, have lunch, and see the two new babies. We were able to drive slowly and safely and embrace the “defensive driving” lesson we all learned in driver’s training. When we got to see the babies, we washed our hands before holding them, again, to be safe and keep them healthy. On the way home, I helped mom by leading the way as she followed behind. As she went north and I proceeded south and got home sooner, I utilized the “find my” App on my iPhone to keep track of her progress. We all had a safe day, because we had a safety-first mindset. It’s worth it; take you time, prep, think about others. Safety first.

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365 Coaching Tips: 43, 44 and 45

February 12th Coaching Tip: Heads Up.

When I worked at Caterpillar for over 25 years, we embraced the heads up mentally. Work proactively by thinking ahead, looking out for others, letting your teammates know what’s about to happen or may happen or anything coming around the corner that you can’t quite see, i.e. give them a heads up. Today, during a coaching conversation with a highly talented, top female performer, she was beyond frustrated with her leader’s lack of understanding in her explosive growth and also her being down a couple teammates, due to health reasons and an upcoming retirement. She was wanting him to respect that she was giving him a heads up on her needs for talent, so that she can continue to grow, while allowing her colleagues to tend to health needs and plan to retire.

After a lengthy coaching discussion with her, we landed on her putting together a timeline to clearly indicate what is currently happening (massive growth), about to happen(losing two teammates), what could happen (further growth w/out client service), how to support her(request getting the interviews for new talent started), and by when(beginning of 2nd quarter). She is also going to include how she is ready to coach and develop others on her team and spread the workload proactively, before either of the two depart. Heads up, they work.

February 13th Coaching Tip: Don’t Fall Behind.

Got a reminder today that I needed to submit some expenses for recent business travel. Utilizing a couple 30 minute slots throughout the day, I was proactive and leveraged those two windows of time to get all the expenses and receipts organized, and then at the end of the workday, I submitted the three expense books. In all, it took me about 2 hours to get five different trips submitted, however, I made the decision to do it all at once, because I was prioritizing my coaching work over the last month. The people came first, and I didn’t want to fall behind with them. Nor did I want to fall behind with submitting my expense books; I had given myself 30 days from the start of the first trip to get them submitted, and I did just that, i.e. flew out of town on Jan 14, and submitted the expense books on Feb. 13.

Prioritize what is most important to yourself and your clients, and don’t ever fall behind on submitting expenses or invoicing your clients for work completed or following up with clients who are past due. In my coaching work, I see many who fall behind, become frozen, and unable to catch up. Don’t let the piles stack up and overwhelm you. Don’t fall behind.

February 14th Coaching Tip: Love People.

Valentine’s Day reminds us to spread the love with your sweethearts and those you love. However, today I made the decision to spread the love even further, with the men who are working on a complete remodel in one of my homes. We had three plumbers, two carpenters, an architect, and a floor specialist working away, and I was grateful for their expertise. Thinking that I probably said, “Happy Valentine’s Day” up to five times, I also brought some fresh-made donuts, reminded them to love on their loved ones, and leave work a bit early today. Also asked each of them about themselves; I learned so much. One guy had 3 kids; another had been married 30 years; another was a nutrition major in college; one had 2 sick kids; one was vaping and struggling with his desire to quit. When I left, one of them said, “I love being around you and your energy.” That energy is LOVE. Love People!

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365 Coaching Tips: 40, 41 and 42

February 9th Coaching Tip: Set High Standards.

Yesterday, I witnessed an uncomfortable moment. During a college softball game, the batter laid down a bunt, and then slowly ran towards first base, almost turned out of the baseline. It appeared to everyone at the game that the batter had already told herself that she would be thrown out and had convinced herself not to run fast to first base. Meanwhile, the defense/3rd baseman mishandled the bunt and had an errant throw to first base. Frustration sat in quickly by the batter’s teammates, as they screamed at her for not running hard to first base. And then the uncomfortable moment really happened: the head coach, standing in the 3rd base coaching box, shouted across the field to her team’s dugout, and said, “Stop…stop screaming at her (the batter). Seniors, you set the culture, step up and don’t allow this lazy culture to sneak in.” The entire crowd was in a bit of shock.

However, it worked. The next inning, these same gals went out and got hits, loaded the bases, and then a senior hit a triple that knocked in 2 more runs. That’s responding to an uncomfortable moment, by the seniors. The seniors did know the standards and responded to the accountability that the coach called out. What makes this special is that there was a high standard that was set, and the seniors quickly realized that they were the problem, and they fixed it immediately. Set high standards.

February 10th Coaching Tip: Clarify Goals.

As we are now in the 10th day of the 2nd month of the new year, recommend that it’s a great time to ask your colleagues and teammates IF they have 100% clarity on the goals. If they do have clarity, have them state what are the goals and their roles in making those goals happen. If they do NOT have clarity, then help them gain clarity. For example, ask what else do they need to understand, repeat what the goals were, ask them to rephrase how those goals impact them in their role, etc.

To help improve employee engagement, clarify goals and roles. Today, I realized that I don’t have to do three things that I did in 2024. This give me more time and mindspace to work on coaching and speaking. I’m thrilled, as I was not aware of these changes…because they had not been communicated until today. Now I can truly focus my time on these new, fewer high priority goals, Clarify goals.

February 11th Coaching Tip: Say What?

Every now and then, we hear things and roll it around in our head for a few, and then say, “Say What?” It happened to me today. Overnight, I had received a couple emails about an important and urgent situation that just didn’t make complete sense. Then we found out more info, and yet more info. Recommend that if you are saying to yourself, “say what?”, dig in, find out more info, set up some quick meetings/conference calls with people who are aware of the situation to gain their insights, all in an effort to understand. This deliberate action of learning more will help you move on from “say what?” to “ok, now I understand.” In my coaching work, sometimes we see teammates become overwhelmed or frozen, and then they don’t do anything. Seek to understand when others are looking at you awkwardly, stunned with silence, or have no input. Help them move on from, “say what?”

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365 Coaching Tips: Here’s to 37, 38 and 39

February 6th Coaching Tip: Go See ‘Em.

Had the opportunity to work with a number of people in the Southeast and across the state of Florida since October 2019, and then six months later, COVID happened and changed my business travel for years. In December 2024, I made the decision to go see ’em. It was time to take all of the Zoom and Web-Ex virtual meetings, and bring those interfaces to life, in person. Over the last four weeks, I’ve been traveling to see those that I’ve been coaching, sharing with others what we do and how we help others accomplish goals, with our coaching. What a joy it’s been to meet everyone in person, hug, chat, and really open up further. Go see ’em!

February 7th Coaching Tip: Be Unrivaled.

When two women’s pro basketball players start their own league and name it “Unrivaled”, take notice. Think about this: they started Unrivaled in 2023 and launched this inaugural season in January 2025. Everything is new: new format with a smaller basketball court, shorter shot clock, two month season, three on three style, only six players, coaches wear black, all games are played on Friday, Saturday, and Monday evenings in the same venue, the venue is intimate, all games are televised in partnership with TNT/Tru, and the players are the focus!

We were so impressed by the fast-paced game, energy, talent, crowd engagement, the drone flying over the players showing unique TV angles, the colorful media and graphics, etc. And what we didn’t see, but the women players feel every day here in Miami is the warmth of their surroundings, and I don’t mean just the weather. Nutrition, recovery, safety, community of pro athletes, and childcare are all priorities to these gals, many who have children. Again, the players are the focus. If you have the courage to start something new, then…Be Unrivaled.

February 8th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Others.

For the weekend, we zipped over to Miami to watch some college softball. My beloved Indiana University softball team is playing in a tourney. We quickly noticed a few new players, and wow, are they talented and quick. The senior pitcher also is a strong batter, and she hit a two-run homerun today to crush Iowa State 9-1, ending the game early due to the 8-run rule after the 5th inning. At the game, a former assistant coach sat with me and we were just celebrating the gals, chatting it up about the program, the coaches, the talent, the love of winning, and that winning is just plain fun. On a Saturday morning, celebrating others got my mindset in a positive state for the rest of the weekend. Celebrate others.

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365 Coaching Tips: 34th, 35th and 36th Tips

February 3rd Coaching Tip: Utilize Timelines

During an initial consultation this week that was about hosting a summit for some large international teams, I quickly realized that all the leaders had good ideas for this summit, had determined the right audience, and provided thoughtful content. Now it was time to figure out when this will all happen, and who will do what. Thus, I recommended pulling together a timeline. Within a matter of minutes, we all were able to start slotting in the important deliverables so that all the prep could be done timely and yet it also gave us some flexibility. Here we are in early February planning for this leadership summit in early May, and because we utilized a timeline with the group on this initial consultation, we have a plan for execution that is well understood by all. Key deliverables were identified for mid-February, early March, late March, and so on. Utilize timelines to simplify understanding, improve accountability and execution.

February 4th Coaching Tip: Culture Wins.

During my decades working at Caterpillar, we had a phrase that was repeated frequently in meetings: “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” For those who don’t quite understand what this phrase means, let me explain an example that I witnessed this week in the styles of two different leaders. One leader showed up early, welcomed me to his office, really spent time asking me about how I was, my hotel, my flight, my partner, etc. He was prepared for the all-day meeting, paced it well, asked alot of questions and listened to the answers, ordered healthy food, shared the stage and speaking assignments with many on his team; he was thoughtful and steady with his comments.

Contrast that to the other leader. He was not as organized, cut off some of his employees while they were speaking in mid-sentence, condescending to some team members, asked the same question multiple times, made some inappropriate comments about people and politics, etc. This 2nd leader gave us the feeling of frequently being in an erratic state, while the first leader was pleasant and calm, and had surrounded himself with highly skilled talent who exemplified calm and intelligence. Culture wins.

February 5th Coaching Tip: Quick Updates.

I’ve been traveling to multiple locations for the last four weeks. Haven’t had a chance to debrief my boss with a longer 30–45 minute update, so what works for us is quite simple: quick texts, one paragraph emails, and a quick phone call immediately after a conference call/webex that ends early. Don’t overcomplicate things. If a one-to-three-minute brief convo can update someone with a quick text, or a simple email, or a phone call, then do it. Remember, be specific, results oriented, and if there is an ask, state it. Quick updates work. If you don’t believe me, talk to a pilot during an emergency landing. Pilots are brief, calm, and exact with their communication in short statements with their co-pilot, the air traffic controllers, the passengers, etc. Quick updates.