Tag: Goals

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365 Coaching Tips: 118, 119 and 120th

April 28th Coaching Tip: Learning AI now.

Not sure why, but I’m not reading/listening to as many books on Audible as I have over the last few years. The Audible credits have been piling up; I have a couple upcoming trips, the weather is really nice for outdoor walking now, so it’s a great time to put in the ear buds and listen/learn. Popped open my laptop a couple days ago and downloaded three books on artificial intelligence (AI). Why? Because I had another leader tell me, “if you don’t understand AI and how it’s impacting every piece of businesses all over the world, they you will soon fall behind and become less relevant.” That direct statement hit me between the eyes and I was completely OK that he said it to me.

How has it impacted me already listening to five chapters on AI? I realized today that three different people were working in spreadsheets over a matter of month…and AI could have summarized the input in a matter of seconds or less than a minute. I’m using AI Grok on Twitter/X, the AI search in google that is now the first paragraph in search, Alexa in my home much more frequently for weather, traffic, and ongoing questions. Do I want AI to take over the world with our 8 billion people? NO! However, how can we utilize it to help our lives be more efficient? I’m learning AI now because I don’t want to be a senior who can’t figure it out later.

April 29th Coaching Tip: Time Zone Accuracy.

Today I scheduled a couple personal and work appointments. Two of them were on the west coast, and another I just wasn’t sure where they are located. As I provided dates and times, I added one letter: “E” for Eastern Time Zone. It’s really that easy and simple to be specific on requesting an appointment. Put a E for Eastern, or C for Central, or P for Pacific after the time. Because of taking the time to truly think it over, it makes the scheduling much quicker, with less back and forth.

When race fans drive to Indianapolis from the nearby state of Illinois, some get to the Indy 500 an hour late…because they forgot that Indiana is on Central time zone. One time, my godson drove from Illinois to Bloomington, IN for an event…and showed up one hour late. He was happy to be there, but darn it, that time zone accuracy got him. Be in touch and more efficient when you include Time Zone Accuracy.

April 30th Coaching Tip: Tidy Up Before You Leave.

We travel a lot and have multiple homes or places we visit frequently. To make our lives easier as we age, we like to do a few things before we leave: 1) tidy up the home quickly, so that it looks nice when you return, 2) run the dishwasher so that the dishes are clean and dry when we return, 3) do a load of laundry before we leave, so that the stinky isn’t stinky when you return, 4) quickly check out the items in the frig…if it is starting to look a bit icky, toss it, because it will be moldy when you return, 5) put the good items in the frig into the freezer, and we write ourself a note and put it on the counter on “what’s in the freezer”, 6) if we are gone for more than a few days, we turn off the water and the water heater, and put the thermostat on the eco mode, 7) arrange the transportation ahead of time (schedule the Uber, ask a friend, or plan for the car the be at the airport and share it’s location), 8) we have our favorite stuff at all the locations, i.e. lotion, deodorant, razor, hair stuff, key food items, our comfy shoes and clothes, vitamins, etc. Note: #8 allows us to travel with less stuff, and we don’t have to remember as much. Tidy up before your leave, which makes you smile when you return.

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365 Coaching Tips: 109th, 110th and 111th

April 19th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Others.

When someone turns 80 and throws a party, go! That’s exactly what my uncle did. He (at 80 years old, too) flew in from Denver on Good Friday. We relaxed most of the day before the party, then I drove my uncle around 4pm to this 80th birthday party of one of his fraternity brothers (Blair) from Indiana University. About 7pm, my phone rings and my uncle & Blair’s wife were calling me to invite me to the party to meet their family, taste some of their bourbon collection, and eat some of the remaining chocolate desserts. How could I say no to those three requests? Fast forward to 10:45pm, my uncle and I are in the car driving home after listening to a duet of live music that Blair had hand-picked, laughing hysterically with his family, and lugging those yummy left-over desserts (moist, chocolate fudge cake and chocolate covered strawberries) home to enjoy with Easter dinner. Join in the fun and celebrate others. It was Blair’s big 80th birthday and what a party he threw!

April 20th Coaching Tip: Catch The Sunrise.

It’s Easter Sunday; to us, it’s one of the most beautiful mornings to get up early and catch the sunrise to be reminded of the good news ahead for us eternally. The evening before, we headed up to our lakeside condo, which faces east, and the Easter sunrise was glorious. It was worth the effort and a great reminder to just get up and catch the sunrise.

April 21st Coaching Tip: Think Ahead.

The next three weeks have me hitting multiple cities, speaking to multiple groups with multiple presentations. In reviewing my timeline, I set some time-blocking on my calendar to work on the high priority and very specific items to help ensure that I stay ahead and don’t fall behind. I also asked myself who can I leverage to help stay on schedule and completely on point. Earlier this month when I delegated a key piece of the prep work, I inspected some work that was done by others so help ensure that it was complete and accurate. Unfortunately, it was not completed accurately, and it may put my reputation as a speaker and a facilitator of a session with three others somewhat at risk. Thank goodness the “think ahead” mantra was in full effect, and we have time to recover/fix the work and get back on track. Think ahead!

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365 Coaching Tips: 106, 107 & 108

April 16th Coaching Tip: Pay Attention To Messages.

Our flight was delayed this week for an hour, then it pushed another hour. Since we are well-seasoned travelers, we knew that these delays would most likely lead to a long, uncomfortable evening in the airport. After the second delay, we quickly discussed our options, paid our restaurant tab, and made the decision to head back home so that we could sleep in our own bed and watch our favorite show at 830pm. Glad we made this decision, because we found out that our flight was delayed from 7pm to 12am, and then ultimately cancelled. Pay attention to messages, they might just save you some angst; I’m sure others weren’t paying as much attention and got angry at the delays and ultimate cancellation. Pay attention…and trust your expertise.

April 17th Coaching Tip: Plan For The Future.

Recently I met with two key leaders; believe it or not, they didn’t know it, but they were in the moment helping me plan my future. One really needed me as a business coach and trusted advisor, while the other wanted to hear more about my background and how I might be able to help others (since I have nearly four decades of business and leadership experience) in the next few years. These two discussions have me really thinking about my future. I’m asking myself: WHO can I help? on WHAT topics? and WHEN do I do this? and WHERE do I want to do it?

My abilities to influence and develop others, solve problems, be comfortable working locally and globally, and have a focus on client experience are valuable to a wide variety people. Now’s the time (no matter your age) to Plan for the Future. YOUR future!

April 18th Coaching Tip: Inspect Your Decisions.

Yesterday I went to inspect a late change that I made in the house remodel project that we have in progress. I had made the original decision to go with an off-white paint color (named after the dog breed, West Highland White Terrier). I really thought it was a good choice, as I compared 8-10 different off-white colors. However, the name grabbed me emotionally since we used to have two Westie dogs. When I saw this color on the walls of the house, it didn’t feel right, as it had too much yellow in it. I had to make a change, just had to. Quickly, I selected a brighter white, named “White Snow.” My painters went to the paint store, grabbed the new paint, started painting and said, “much better…what should we do with the West Highland paint?”

Since it was my decision to change the color, I knew that I had to drive back to the remodel project and go check out the new paint color on the walls. Sure enough, it looked so much better and the white was brighter. It made me smile! And this week we received a permit for the new proposed garage, so we will utilize the paint that was already purchased/bit yellow for the interior of the garage. We all agreed with the changes. Recommend that if it is YOU who makes a change on an important decision, go check it out and inspect it.

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365 Coaching Tips: 97th, 98th and 99th

April 7th Coaching Tip: Portal Positives.

Last night, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team won the NCAA championship in an intense battle against a very strong Univ. of Houston team. Give the staff and these players some credit for winning this championship, as they were down 12 points, stayed focused, and only had the lead for just over a minute in the 40 minute contest. Florida added a number of pieces to their team from some smaller schools: most outstanding tourney player Mark Clayton formerly played for the tiny Iona Gaels. Another “strong as an ox” guard, A. Martin, came from Florida Atlantic Univ, and he also played in the Final Four last year. Surrounded by them was a 6’10” sophomore from Nigeria, by way of Washington State. W. Richard, a senior from Belmont University, was a starting guard. One of their backup centers transferred in from Marshall Univ.

There’s a lot of complaining about the transfer portal due to the amount of players in it. I totally get that, it’s excessive and the timing of opening the portal during the NCAA tourney are both valid. However, in our family, we have a belief in “betting on yourself” and five of the players who played for Florida last night did indeed bet on themselves. They were under recruited, went to smaller schools, developed and got better…and transferred. They came together under a new, young coach, on a sunny Florida campus in Gainesville, trained hard, molded together, and won on college’s biggest stage. Instead of complaining about the portal in college sports or that there’s “no talent in the workplace”, challenge yourself to go out and embrace the talent that is out there. It’s there, and so many positives are in the portal. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to bring together and lead talent who know your vision and embrace it, know their well-defined role, and then allow them to soar!

April 8th Coaching Tip: Three S’s.

Coached a group of new advisors, who are making 25 to 35 outbound calls per day to leads from one part of the enterprise to another, i.e. they are already clients. These new advisors were in a bit of a lull and needed a bit of a pick-me-up session. After introductions of these four advisors and myself, they shared what are they most proud of. Then we discussed what are they struggling with and what’s creating the lull. After hearing their examples, we dug in alot more and they identified that they couldn’t get people to make a decision. Delays by the clients were their “competition”. Another problem is that few of their calls are being answered, so they feel like they are just leaving voicemails.

We practiced what they are saying (script) to the clients and how they are leaving voicemails. I then asked them about their timing: when are they making these calls and leaving voicemails. After some practice, we landed on the 3 S’s: slow the script down a lil bit and do it with a smile. Yes, Slow down, personalize the Script just a bit, and have the client feel your Smile thru the phone or voice message.

April 9th Coaching Tip: Be Prepared.

Met with a team that I had never worked with before and it went great. Why? Because I really prepped BEFORE meeting with them. It actually felt like I knew there numbers as well as they did, and some of the key numbers, I knew well and they felt it. Because of that, our scheduled 30 minute “intro” meeting quickly turned into a very valuable 45 minute meeting, that was “informative, productive, foward looking, helpful” (their words). We were able to prioritize six items that they were willing to get to work on and we will have an accountability check up in 90 days.

After the meeting, the son of the founder stayed and asked it I had a few more minutes. He realized that we both grew up around horses, so he really wanted to talk about it. He thanked me for being prepped; he said he quickly realized and said to himself, “she’s no joke, she knows our numbers!” We went from not knowing one another to having an action plan and a common horse connection…all because of prep. Be prepared; it’s appreciated.

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365 Coaching Tips: 94th, 95th & 96th

April 4th Coaching Tip: Leadership Standards.

Had the opportunity to coach the lead advisor on a medium sized team today who is expecting others on his team to step up. He indicated that they just haven’t stepped up for years. I pushed him for examples, and he shared that as he travels, his advisor colleague is not coming into the office. Two of his assistants are not getting their registrations done, and those are about to expire. One of his assistants is calling in sick frequently. Another junior advisor is not giving the lead advisor an update on his weekly activity.

After listening to all of these examples, I asked him to share his leadership standards. He paused, and sarcastically said the word: accountability. And I proceeded to ask more about accountability and who can help him drive the accountability (because it is obviously not working with him). He is going to begin leveraging his new business manager/operations manager. His business manager already is setting standards: No means no. Yes means yes. She is explaining the difference to the team members, holding one on one’s, setting up smaller team meetings, tracking key metrics in her first 30 days, and beginning to deploy simple leadership standards. Have standards, and as a leader, implement them.

April 5th Coaching Tip: Go See It.

It was going to be 3.5 hours of driving, but I chose to go visit the farm that my grandfather bought over 50 years ago. Since I was already in the Tampa area for the Women’s Final Four, I had Saturday with a few hours of free time and called my mom and told her I was going up to Ocala to see it. Glad I did. I was able to connect quickly with the neighbor (to help keep the relationship positive and reciprocal). I texted with the tenant farmer. I walked the property and noticed a few things that need to be addressed, per our land lease. On the way back to Tampa, I got to have a quick chat with a friend who was nearby (those spontaneous and quick diet Coke conversations are worth it). I could have easily convinced myself NOT to go on this drive; but so glad I did. Warm weather and a convertible made the ride pleasant too, especially when the interstate got backed up and I took an alternate route thru the country…which took me by a locally owned farmstead that had an attractive farmstand. Of course, I had to buy that mixed berry pie, a big bag of oranges, two containers of blueberries, etc. because my friends and I were having ice cream sundaes and pie later that evening. As I returned to Tampa, my friends asked how my trip was. I pleasantly responded that I was so glad I went. It’s easy to say no, but “Just go see it!”

April 6th Coaching Tip: Momentum Changes.

UConn women’s basketball won its record setting 12th national championship this evening, beating South Carolina by 23 points, 82-59. Although UConn had been up by 15 points in the 3rd quarter, the UConn coach (Geno Auriemma) calmly and quickly called a timeout with 3:12 remaining, with UConn up 50-39. Geno sensed something, and it could have been that one of the SC players (MiLaysia Fulwiley) was subbed in and quickly made an impact with a rebound, made a shot, blocked a UConn shot, grabbed a steal, and had an assist for another teammate’s score. Geno was NOT going to let the momentum changing plays by this SC player; he was having no part of it, no way. He called the timeout to help slow the game down. I watched him closely. He didn’t even go into the huddle; he let the players talk. This timeout worked. UConn regained the momentum and was leading by 16 points at the 2:33 mark. In less than one minute, the UConn lead increased from 11 to 16 points. Momentum changes on the court and in your life. How are you taking quick timeouts to evaluate what is happening?

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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: 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: here’s 16, 17 & 18

January 16 Coaching Tip: Clear Goals. In coaching a few teams in the last couple days, it was very evident to me that the team nor its leaders had any clear goals. In asking questions like, “what are you most pleased with from your work in 2024? where are you headed in 2025? And what will you do the same and also different in 2025?”, it really helped the teams figure out their goals. It also helped that we had plenty of time and were not rushed, so that we could really discuss and prioritize the goals. Truly asking questions, listening to their responses, giving time for all to speak, allowed for well understood goals that were much more cohesive and focused than the beginning of the coaching sessions. As we wrapped up, their three main goals started with the number eight: 80%, $800,000, and $80mil. I was so delighted that they were ready to meet again and continuously throughout 2025 to share their progress on their results. We went from having no goals to identifying well understood goals, and sensed a strong commitment to achieve them; this made me smile. Get clarity on your goals, whether personally or professionally.

January 17 Coaching Tip: Set Expectations. Since November, I’ve been working with new contractors to help me with a significant farmhouse remodel. New general and sub contractors, new interior designer, and a new architect are all helping me do this, as I’m in Florida working. In meeting with all of them, I’m clearly letting them know my expectations of what I want and need from them, as we remodel a nearly 100 year old home. For example, this home is old, and I want to honor it’s 1930’s farmhouse legacy with some new yet timeless touches. I also want 1930’s crooked floors and ceilings to be straight and level, for fashion, functionality and also safety. I want it to be clean, safe, and dry, and get the water draining away from the home. I want it to be thoughtful and functional, with what we defined as A- workmanship. It does not have to be perfect A+ work, but it must be better than B or B+ work. This clarity has really helped my new colleagues/contractors as we all make decisions together. If others around you don’t understand what you need or are expecting, it might be wise to look in the mirror. Set expectations and reinforce them regularly. And reward/recognize when those around you when they absolutely nail them!

January 18th Coaching Tip: Embrace Tools. Over the last couple years, many of my coaching sessions have been about capacity. For example, I very frequently hear comments like, “we are overwhelmed, we are busy, we need more people, we don’t have time, etc.” As I ask more questions about capacity, many times I have found that tools are not being utilized enough, even though some tools/IT/processes/support have already been paid for. I use this example regularly: “who still calls the taxicab service, reserves a car, hopes that the taxi comes on time to the proper address, the driver is pleasant, the car is clean and safe, and you arrive at your destination on time?” Few still do this, very few. Most are utilizing their cell phone to arrange a ride (with Lyft or Uber), and it can be done within seconds, with complete transparency, and the payment is automated and more secure. When I use this example, all of the sudden, the brains in the room start cranking…”what can we use to improve our capacity? what should we stop doing? what must we continue? what do we need to learn and be trained on to implement quickly?” Within 5-10 minutes, we can quickly identify a number of tools or processes that should be implemented immediately to gain capacity. That metaphor of, “I’m busy sawing, don’t have time to sharpen my saw…” is at play in numerous coaching sessions. Take some time and figure out how to embrace new tools, and utilize the ones that are and have been available.

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365 Coaching Tips: Now on day 7, 8 & 9

It takes commitment and consistent execution to implement a new habit, and I’m really liking this new habit of identifying a coaching tip (or trend) daily. We have made the first hurdle of a new habit, and that’s doing it intentionally for at least one week.

January 7 Coaching Tip: Be Specific. With the new year beginning and my coaching work is now ramping up, a number of my coaching sessions have been focused on “I want to grow my business.” I simply ask, “can you be more specific?” That’s when it can get quiet. The silence spurs more questions. Ultimately, these type of questions get asked: “how will you grow”, “how will you spend your time differently”, “who are you targeting”, “what should you not do this year”, “which type of clients do you want to replicate”. The more specific that you can be about what YOU want to accomplish, I find it’s more likely that you will be successful. And further research indicates that if you write the goal/specifics, you are much more likely to succeed. For example, I have post-it notes on my mirrors and desks that remind me of my quarterly goals. Everyday, I am looking at those specific goals.

January 8 Coaching Tip: Backup Plans. We don’t want to think about backup plans, but when we have them, we sure are happy when we can quickly and somewhat effortlessly put them in motion. Today, on two different occasions, I was working with coaching situations where there was no backup planning by the coachee; they had one plan and just assumed it would go the planned way. As I asked a few questions, I could quickly tell that they needed to think more broadly and thoughtfully, regarding a backup/2nd or even a 3rd scenario. One situation was already in turmoil and they were in triage mode, losing sleep, begging for assistance, etc. We quickly put together a plan for a 2nd and 3rd option in both cases. Backup plans are necessary for many stages in our life journey; don’t be surprised when things re-route you. Have a plan and be ready, or at least somewhat ready.

January 9 Coaching Tip: Measure Frequently. If any of my coachees want to execute on a new goal, I ask them, “what are you measuring, and how frequently are you measuring it?” For example, one of my coachees wants to grow their business by 15% in 2025. We talked about reviewing the results monthly, measuring progress weekly, and assessing and tracking daily activity that contributes to growth. For me, I have some goals this summer to be able to run faster. Therefore, I’m tracking three things daily: my VO2MAX level on my Apple watch, my weight every morning, and my times when I run sprints weekly. If my VO2MAX increases, and I weigh a bit less all while continuing to run my sprints, I should be running faster this summer that I ran in June 2024. Guess what, 9 days into the new year, and my VO2MAX has increased and I’ve dropped a pound or two. Progress, bit by bit.