Tag: Purposeful

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

365 Coaching Tips: Here’s to 25, 26 and 27

January 25th Coaching Tip: Leadership Matters.

In many of my coaching sessions lately, leaders are frustrated with employees and teammates who leave their teams, and some of these leaders also claim that there’s no talent out there to replace them. As we dig into what happened and what drove the teammate to depart the team, rarely does the leader indicate that it was him/her. It’s usually something like the teammate left for more money, they had a baby, they are relocating, they, they, they. It’s my responsibility, as a coach, to ask compelling questions. For example, “what did you learn from this? what do you own in this? how were you developing this teammate? how are you attracting talent to be ready for teammate exits? ”

Leadership is hard, Leadership really matters to those who follow you. I’d encourage you to ask the questions: How are you investing in yourself, especially if you lead others? What are you reading, and then implementing? Who is a leader that is mentoring you or could mentor you? Are you a good boss, and how do you know that you’re a good boss? Are you easy to follow? Do you truly connect with your teammates? Do you micromanage or coach, develop and empower?” Leadership matters, and if you master it, teammates will stay and be loyal.

January 26th Coaching Tip: Fundamentals Matter.

Today I watched a college basketball team come back, score 5 points in the last 23 seconds, and win a game on the road in a loud environment. I also watched a team lose the game, who gave up 5 points in the last 23 seconds. This losing team had a lack of clarity on clock management, who should be fouled and when, who should not be left open, who to throw the ball to, how to score with less than 5 seconds in the game and down by 1 point. Whether it is basketball or going to a networking event or driving a car, execute on fundamentals. Networking event: set a goal of meeting new people, ask questions and truly listen, then remember it is not about how much food you can eat. Driving a car: drive defensively, stay to the right if you’re going slower, look left then right and then left again before proceeding thru a stop sign or green light. Fundamentals matter. By not looking left to see oncoming traffic before proceeding into an intersection can potentially kill you. Contrast that with taking 1-2 seconds and clearly knowing that no one is coming at you.

January 27th Coaching Tip: Stay Sharp.

Today, the stock market was impacted by one announcement in the artificial intelligence (AI) space. According to news reports, one company lost over $600 billion in value in one day. By the next day, $200 billion had already been reinvested back into this company. With these type of swings, some may say to just ignore it, keep your head in the sand, etc. However, recommend that you stay somewhat aware, stay sharp on what’s happening around you and what’s impacting the business world. Why? As we age, it’s common for me to hear our seniors say, “I’m a dinosaur. I’m not very techy.” Dinosaurs died and are gone. Tech is here and not going away. Stay relevant, embrace what is happening in the world around you. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything, but be aware and stay sharp. In your kitchen, dull knives need sharpened from time to time…or they just stay dull and go unused. Keep ’em sharp!

Posted on

365 Coaching Tips: Day 22, 23 and 24

January 22nd Coaching Tip: Be Seen.

As I was watching a leader today, the day after a 3-day weekend, I noticed how she intentionally walked thru the office area and said hello, stopped and truly talked to her colleagues. They actually stood up and talked to her, shared what they did during their long weekend; smiles and laughs were present. Whether you’re a leader or a colleague, ask people about themselves and their lives. They appreciate being “seen”. As I watched the leader step away, a couple people said, “thank you for talking to us…it shows us that you care.”

January 23rd Coaching Tip: Be Heard.

Received an urgent Skype message today, i.e. “we need to get some time with you today to discuss an important situation.” This team is one who came to me 6 months ago and really shared their WHY and WHAT they want to accomplish. Thus, when they needed time today, we squeezed it in from 4-430pm on a Zoom. Indeed, it was important; they want to promote one of their colleagues and they wanted to practice and run-through the new role and gain clarity for her. After 25 minutes of listening to them and asking questions, they had the role clarified, were smiling, and a bit relieved as we wrapped up the call. If someone needs time with you, consider it a gift. They need someone to be “present”, and the best gift that you can give them is your “presence.” Let me them be heard, to help increase their confidence.

January 24th Coaching Tip: Be Efficient.

As a week winds down, it’s a common tendency to have the mindset of “let’s push it to early next week.” In my coaching work, I actually find that I can get a lot done before 10am on Friday mornings and also between 2-5pm. For example, I was able to squeeze in three, quick, efficient coaching sessions today. In a matter of 15-33 minutes, I was able to help all three situations.

Everyone is busy. Who has ever approached you in the last few years and said, “hey…I just don’t have enough to do” ? Like, let’s get real, no one. In being efficient today, I found that telling all three of them yes, I had a few minutes, we immediately became efficient with our time. They truly felt not only seen but heard, and realized I was ready to potentially help them thru their coaching situation. The greatest gift you can give to someone is your time, i.e. being present. And then when you can help them work thru a situation or two, and they can sleep better over the weekend, you have truly added value. Be efficient, and others will likely mirror your behavior, and be efficient, too.

Posted on

365 Coaching Tips: on to 19, 20 and 21

January 19th Coaching Tip: Friends Matter. We’ve all heard that phrase, “Sunday Funday!” Today, we rolled out of bed, didn’t take showers, and started whipping up some gluten free pancake mix, baked some bacon, got the omelet ingredients all prepped, and set out the dishes for a scheduled brunch with our best friends. They rolled in with similar hairdo’s, and somehow beautifully displayed a colorful platter of fresh fruit and brought an old-school orange squeezer to make some orange juice for mimosas.  We had this brunch planned for a week, as temperatures were plummeting and we decided to stay inside instead of going to see a college basketball game.  Glad that we stay committed to our bond of having a homemade brunch.  Brunch was plentiful and scrumptious, the food and friends, the warmth of the fire, the catching up, as it had been a few weeks since we all had been together.  Recent research is indicating that people are spending more time alone; more time on social media than ever before; depression and anxiety are both on the rise; and mental illness is now commonly discussed.  My recipe for a lot of these trends is to have something to look forward to, and do it with people that you love and care about.  Planning a simple lil Sunday brunch while wearing zero makeup with bad hair, allowed us to naturally connect, cook, and share. Plan things with your friends.  Friends matter.

January 20th Coaching Tip: Leverage Experts. In tackling a huge remodel of a 95-year-old home, I realized that I needed experts.  The ceilings were bowing, the floors were not flat, the stairs were not safe, the house was chopped up, and we are adding a garage, as well as some new windows, siding and doors.   I needed help! Enter in a general contractor, an interior designer, and an architect.  In working together, them listening to me and what I want in this farmhouse, and then hearing them regarding their ideas, we are really bringing this project together nicely.  With the architect’s quick eye, he gave the GC some ideas on how to improve the bowed ceilings and the uneven floors.  It’s done already.  The interior designer is pushing us all on functionality as well as the latest fashions, with the right flow.  I’m grateful for smart people, who can work collaboratively. Embrace others and improve results by leveraging expertise.   

January 21st Coaching Tip: Keep On-Track.  In my coaching work, many of my colleagues/coachees set goals…and then they don’t track results frequently enough.  As they get in to March and move thru May, they are already telling themselves if they can or cannot make their yearend numbers.  For the teams that I coach who set a goal to accomplish their results by summer or no later than Labor Day, they typically do it. How? They track their results daily, and definitely weekly and monthly. Many people annually give up on their new year’s resolution between January 18-27, so now is the time to keep and stay on track. Develop yourself a daily or weekly scorecard, and you will be amazed what you can accomplish. Keep on-track!

Posted on

365 Coaching Tips: the 13th, 14th and 15th Days

January 13th Coaching Tip: Family Talks. In our coaching work, we help our colleagues/coachees as they prep for crucial conversations. In Kerry Patterson’s book, “Crucial Conversations,” most of these crucial convos don’t even happen, and then when they do, they don’t go well. Thus, we as coaches help our colleagues practice these important convos. Today, a husband and wife indicated that they want to bring on at least one of their two sons into their business. And yet, they had nothing in writing, nothing that either of them could confidently replicate with clarity. The husband and wife soon realized that they weren’t even on the same page. The mother wanted the son(s) to be “hungry” and the father wanted to be more “helpful” to his son(s). Thus, I encouraged them to get on the same page, draft it up, and then have a family talk with both sons, so that both sons heard the same message. Then, if either son wants to enter the business in the future and they discuss the opportunity further, the four of them would potentially have a more solid foundation. Remember, have those crucial family talks.

January 14th Coaching Tip: Plan Ahead. Whether its travel for work or vacation downtime, or getting groceries for a Sunday brunch planned with friends, or an early morning Uber ride to the airport, plan ahead. This week I’ll be in a number of hotels, crossing multiple state lines, and in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Thus, I planned ahead by truly looking at the map, understanding drive times and locations, and knowing when I need to be where. Thinking about my personal routines, I even bought my cold brew the night before, and got up this morning and was rollin’ with my favorite coffee while reading my devotionals. This allowed me to get ready and arrive to an unfamiliar office 20 minutes in advance (instead of rushing in to a coffee shop, and then being dissatisfied with my java). Knowing that I could walk to this office in just 2-3 minutes from the hotel that I picked (so that I wouldn’t even have to get in the car and drive/commute), I got my morning routine, breakfast, and workday started as normalized as I possibly could have done. Folks, plan ahead to help reduce stress and you’ll be surprised how much it increases your efficiency.

January 15th Coaching Tip: Stop Burnout. Start saying “no” to certain things and start saying “yes” to yourself. Today, I coached two teams who were “burned out, bored, (not thriving).” After listening to what was going on, they shared that they have too many clients, and many of those clients don’t pay them or are so simple and could be served by someone else more effectively and happily. Gently, we all looked at one another after I had them repeat what they said, “we have too many clients who consume our time and don’t pay us (much).” In my coaching work, we remind our coachees that it is YOUR business. You make the decisions. You select your clients. You can say “yes,” and you can also say, “no”. My recommendation is for you to clearly identify WHO you want to serve and then stick to it. Serve clients that make you smile, that you truly want to help, that take your advice/pay for your expertise, and you both grow from helping each other. Say YES to the right clients, and that will help reduce burnout.

Posted on

365 Coaching Tips: Days 10, 11 & 12

January 10 Coaching Tip: Practice. Yes, I said practice. This week, I had a number of people call me to practice their upcoming crucial conversations or new scripts that they want to utilize in 2025 to help grow their business. In a matter of just a few minutes, confidence grew. One person needed help pulling together their talking points and a timeline for the huge decision they are making to retire in about 18 months; I listened to them as they practiced, and they became more and more confident as they got more clear and organized in their thoughts. Another person needed help with removing exhausting clients who pay very little but take a lot of time; after a few practice conversations, he felt affirmed in what he was saying and was ready to share it with the exhausting clients. As for me, practicing my sprints a couple times a week in helping me build confidence that I can run sprints in my 60’s without getting hurt. So, bottom line: Practice!

January 11 Coaching Tip: Challenge Yourself. It’s amazing what you CAN DO, if you just challenge yourself a bit more. For example, if you only have 15 minutes to get a task done, isn’t it amazing how efficient you can become and get the bulk of the task done? I find this in my life if friends are on their way/close by/gonna drop in for a quick visit. I say yes, and then quickly get stuff picked up and organized a bit more. Also find this now as I’m training for the National Senior Games; my ability to do multiple sprints as a 60 year old is encouraging. Now I’m checking other sprinters’ times, just to see how much quicker I need to be. Challenge yourself, or hire a coach to challenge you and help hold you accountable.

January 12 Coaching Tip. Help Others. The fires in Los Angeles, CA are apocalyptic in nature, and I feel like there is absolutely nothing that I personally can do. And yet there IS something that I can do. After watching closely which organizations were “showing up to help others”, I chose to support the World Central Kitchen. During a time of a disaster of this magnitude, the state of someone’s food, water, and housing security are second to none. Find a way to “help others” (instead of complaining about this or that or pointing the finger at what should have been done or at certain people). We all want angels/people to help us when we are down; so, “help others.” Find your way to help, in your own way.

Posted on

365 Coaching Tips: Let’s Get Started

In mid-November 2024, I decided to set my goals for 2025. One of the 10 most important goals was to “blog regularly (daily and weekly) about relevant topics and my coaching work.” Setting the goals, then putting them in motion before the end of 2024 allowed me to get rolling along. Must admit, I’m proud of my progress as we all launch into 2025.

So, let’s get started.

January 1 Coaching Tip: Pick one word. One word that YOU can leverage throughout the year, that will empower you, motivate you, slow you down, or speed you up, or help you make decisions. As shared in my January 1, 2025 post, my one word for 2025 is REDUCE. (see it for more on why the word REDUCE)

January 2 Coaching Tip: Explain why. If you want something done or need to delegate or have to reschedule, quickly explain why and/or what’s going on. Most and nearly all humans with a heart (and a brain, with some type of empathy) will understand, and be flexible. Already in the new year, I found myself having to change a few appointments, and when I quickly shared that my 84-year-old mother wanted to have lunch with her three adult kids, everyone I spoke to quickly realized, “moms win!”

January 3 Coaching Tip: Find your best times. Find your best times to work, when you’re really uninterrupted and in flow; when your body thrives on exercise; when you need some downtime. In wearing my Oura ring now for nearly 5 years, my most active time is around 9:00am E, and my best work is done in the morning, right after my important, quiet time reading my devotionals while enjoying my cold brew(s).

One of my priorities in 2025 is to share what I learn in my coaching, to help you in your leadership, life, parenting, family, etc. journey. Let’s keep these coaching tips rolling all year long. Hold me accountable.

Posted on

Repurposing My Time

Since December 19th (2024), I’ve taken a number of consecutive days off, and won’t return to full duty work until January 6th (2025). Already liking how it feels, i.e. days off with no vacation planned. Let me explain what I’m thinking.

Whether I retire from my corporate run at two Fortune 100 companies in 15, 10, 5 years, or even in 1 year, my intention is to repurpose how I utilize my time. We all have 24 hours in a day, and I don’t intend on “retiring”. There’s too much to do still in my life. In fact, truly believe that my most impactful work in helping others is coming next. As they say, “The best is yet to come!”

Recently, I repurposed my time (from working 8 hours/day) to this:

Wake up, take more time to enjoy my coffee and read my devotionals, journal my wellness goals and activity, get my exercise done, contact key people in my life, plan healthy meals and then prep those healthier meals (than in the past), drive to meet contractors to check on my next real estate project, read the newspapers/magazines/books that have piled up, organize some stacks that needed attention for quite a while, and figure out ways to help others by understanding the most important needs of the community.

Bottom line, I like how these last few days have felt. Remember, no vacation planned. Just me being at home. It actually felt healthier than trying to squeeze all of these items in, while making work the “priority” from 7am (getting all ready, driving to work, or going upstairs for remote work) until 5pm-ish.

Yes, I’m grateful for the work that I’ve been doing since 1986 in the corporate world; it’s all provided me with a wonderful lifestyle and with ample healthcare and travel opportunities. However, I’m ready to utilize my God-given skills to help others, to help them become better citizens of the world, via business, real estate, non-profits. I even think there’s room for the world to learn how to be a better daughter (since I have the most amazing mother), sister, aunt, friend, neighbor, god-mom, etc.

How will you repurpose your time, when you make the decision to retire? Whenever I chose to make this move, I’m going to be ready. Why? In my coaching work, I’ve seen countless people who have “retired” and have not spent enough time figuring out what they are moving to, how will they spend their time, identify what do they deeply care about, etc.

Coach Jen tip: Don’t wait, think ahead, plan and prep on how you will repurpose your time, before you retire. If you need a coach to help you with repurposing of your time, get one.

Posted on

My One Word for 2025: Reduce

Yes, REDUCE.

Yes, I also use the phrase, “Just Go!” quite often. So why am I making the choice to select REDUCE as my word for 2025? Let me tell you all the reasons.

  1. Reduce plastic usage. Simply, plastic is not healthy, as more and more research is revealing how microplastics are in nearly every new baby born in the USA. What are a few new habits that I have already instituted in my daily routines: a) drinking my cold brew every morning now in a glass, not a plastic glass. b) utilizing a metal tea strainer instead of tea in a plastic tea bag. c) warming up food in the microwave on cookware, and not in plastic re-usable containers. d) carrying water in two metal containers throughout the day and refilling them, instead of having the urge to buy bottled water. e) all vehicles now have re-usable bags to carry groceries, to help reduce the plastic bag excess that is everywhere.
  2. Reduce my weight. In late July and early August, I intend to be running sprints and shooting baskets at the 2025 National Senior Games in Des Moines, Iowa. My goal is to drop down to 148 pounds, so that I can run just a bit quicker against these fast senior women from across the USA. As for habits, a) I must continue my 2024 habit more consistently of writing down daily my food intake as well as my exercise and weighing myself daily. When I do these three things daily, I lose weight. b) I must buy clean eating groceries, i.e. greens, sweet potatoes, salmon, fruit, much less chocolate, etc. c) I must reduce having the urge every single day to have some chocolate. Instead, have a piece of fruit or a strawberry or a piece of gum, make a cup of tea, or have a diet ginger ale.
  3. Reduce my food intake, especially reducing sugar. See #2. The sugar addiction that I have, along with many others, can be reduced when I set my mind to do it. New habits: a) Just say NO to chocolate and say YES to naturally sweet items like fruit. b) We love chocolate covered strawberries, so that may be the new “treat” while we reduce chocolate and sugar. c) eat less, as it is much better for my colon-less system. I feel better when I eat less.
  4. Reduce work drama. Not sure if I will work til 75 years old, 70, 65, or 61, but there’s zero need to get caught up in work drama. Just do my work and be grateful for the impacts that I make with my coaching work. New habit in 2025: just don’t engage and smile/nod, press forward.
  5. Reduce my jogging pace/mile and sprinting times. See #2. My goal is to be a role model for others, as a senior athlete. That means I need to be a bit quicker and also remain safe, i.e. no injuries and be healthy. I must continue my 2024 habits of regularly doing sprints and high intensity interval training a couple times per week, and my lifting and strength training also a couple times weekly. Also want to gather some advice from some other sprinters and runners on how to run quicker.
  6. Reduce screen time. The amount of time that we all are spending on screen time/scrolling is ridiculous. Of course it’s helpful when I’m intentionally staying in touch with family and friends, and keeping up with my work and real estate inquiries and projects. However, reading before I go to bed is going to be a new 2025 habit. Read a devotional or 10-20 pages of a book. I really like history, geography, and travel books, so it’s time to consume them.

Reduce. I like the sound of it. What’s YOUR word for 2025? What are your new habits to help make it a reality?

Happy New Year and here’s hoping that you have a great year with special times and superb health. Coach Jen