Coach John G. Agno is your own cultural attache; keeping you abreast of what's effective in leadership. People learn better and are positively motivated when supported by regular coaching.
PERSONAL COACHING Leadership onboarding coaching helps the executive adapt to the employer's culture, create rapport with their team and develop productive ways to achieve necessary goals.
SELF ASSESSMENT CENTER Leadership skills and style testing. Know how you motivate and coach people to gain success at work and in life.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Leadership is an interactive conversation that pulls people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.
LEADERSHIP TIPS “The crux of leadership development that works is self-directed learning: intentionally developing or strengthening an aspect of who you are or who you want to be, or both.” Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee (Harvard Business School Press)
"No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him." James Russell Lowell
Living an intentional life means taking control. It means planning. It means knowing what you want, where you want to go, and what you want to achieve.
It's also about knowing how to make yourself a better person, both personally and professionally. It's an ongoing, continuous process that's exciting and never ends.
We're all presented with turning points in our lives, often many of them. Knowing who you are and what you stand for is probably the biggest turning point you can make in your life. It's important to align your work and personal lives in developing your life strategy.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is absolutely essential.
Blind spots exist in both our personal and professional life. The trick is to ensure that you have someone you trust checking your blind spots...to hold you accountable.
Pulling together a list of books, blogs, and podcasts that would be helpful to expose your blind spots and help you better understand your signature strengths.
Becoming Magnetic and attracting business, truly is an art, rather than a science, because every business is different, and uses a unique combination of strategy, people, and purpose to achieve success and growth.
There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but with creativity and focus, any business can create a powerful revenue growth engine that continuously works to build and sustain success.
Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Businessby Joe Calloway is a look at how consistently successful businesses are able to attract a steady and ever increasing flow of customers. This innovative text examines a range of simple, powerful strategies that businesses of any size or type can use to attract new customers. The single most important factor in buying decisions: positive word-of-mouth and referrals from happy existing customers.
If word-of-mouth is so vital to the success of a business, why are so many dollars spent on marketing and advertising?
Spending money on advertising is much easier than doing what it takes to have people spreading the word about how great you are. With the advent of the Internet, businesses are learning that the influence of what you say about yourself in ads or even on social media simply pales in comparison to what customers say about you.
Today, when someone is thinking about making a buying decision, they usually go to the Internet first, to see what others are saying about the product, service or company. We ask the Internet whether or not we should do business with you, and the Internet tells us.
In the future, the power of customers to tell the world about their experiences with your business, good or bad, will only grow. This may well cause the most significant, fundamental shift in how we do business since the advent of the Internet.
Every now and then a person runs across a great book that really helps improve the quality of life. This is such a book! Written by top coaches of executive women, Barb McEwen and John Agno, the goal of When Doing It All Won’t Dois to develop solutions and strategies to help women’s lives be easier, richer, happier, and saner.
It’s based on the premise that doing it all won’t do. If you are a woman who is weary and stressed and taking on too much and struggling to juggle it all, this book is dedicated to helping you find the enjoyment and satisfaction you expected with your success.
Well-organized with real solutions and a helpful workbook section, this book focuses on developing your signature talents to do what you do best, developing a formula for success, and prioritizing your values and goals. A great read!
With the rise of the Internet and the growth of mobile devices, how and where we work has shifted. We no longer need to go to work--work comes to us.
In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, who I went to high school with and became a computer engineer in Massachusetts, knocked on @ at his top row of keys, transmitting "QWERTYUIOP" from his computer to another computer sitting in the same room. And just like that, email was born. Since then, email has spread quickly. Recent studies show the average person sends and receives around 100 emails a day. At his 50th Class of 1959 high school reunion, I told Ray that I forgave him from filling up my email box every day.
Sending a message is not the same as communicating a message. For effective communication to occur, the receiver must understand what the sender intended--not just hear or read the words.
The way many organizations conduct meetings leaves much to be desired. In fact, more often than not, people find meetings to be a waste of time. A few different studies have shown that managers and executives feel somewhere between 25% and 50% of time spent in meetings to be wasted.
Effective communication can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be. With a calm, clear mind and good intentions by both parties in the communication, it can be relatively easy to ensure even difficult messages are sent, received, and understood.
Most of us carry around the powerful illusion that we can pay attention to more than one thing at a time. We think we can drive a car while talking on the phone, participate in a meeting while checking emails, or engage in a conversation while writing a text message. But from a neurological perspective, we're not capable of focusing attention on two things at the same time.
The most important meetings in life don't take place in boardrooms or conference rooms. In fact, they're not work related at all. Life's most important "meetings" are the ones you share with your partner, your children, other family members, and your friends. These are the moments in which your full attention and presence are even more important and most precious. When you look back on your life, will you ever think about the meetings you had at work? Not likely.
U.S. labor force participation rate is at its lowest level in 38 years
By Elliott Wave International
Editor's note: You'll find a text version of the story below the video.
I was in the café of a bookstore recently and overheard a young man tell his friend, "It's hard to get a job these days, even with a degree."
Of course, this was just one comment, and anecdotes are not a substitute for statistics.
But much of the talk about the U.S. job market is that it's far less robust than it use to be, despite a steady improvement in the official jobless rate since the Great Recession high of 10.0% in October 2009. This October, the official unemployment rate was 5%.
In truth, the real jobless rate would be 9.8% if those who have given up looking for work and part-timers who want a full-time job were included.
The labor force participation rate is at its lowest level in 38 years.
This Federal Reserve chart (November 6) shows that only 62.4% of working-age Americans are employed or looking for work:
A record 94,610,000 Americans were not in the workforce in September. But the questionable health of the U.S. labor market doesn't stop here.
Even those who are working are struggling to make headway. This chart and commentary from our October Elliott Wave Financial Forecast explains:
The mean measure of U.S. personal income peaked in 2006. The median measure shows that half of U.S. citizens are earning less money in real terms than they were in 2000. The five-wave form of the rise in mean income is further Elliott wave evidence that the decline is about to accelerate.
And what about the 2.95 million new jobs that were created in 2014, and the slightly more than 2 million so far in 2015?
The numbers sound impressive until you dig deeper. This is from the Atlantic magazine (September 4):
According to new research, between 2009 and 2014, wage loss across all jobs averaged 4 percent. But for those in the bottom quintile, those losses averaged 5.7 percent. ... The [jobs] where declines in real wages have been the most acute -- are also the jobs that have hired the highest share of new workers during the recovery.
It's true that average hourly earnings increased by nine cents in October. Even so, the point is that many of the new jobs in the U.S. have been at the lower end of the income brackets.
Also consider that in September, the U.S. Consumer Price Index fell 0.2% and that the Producer Price Index declined by 0.5%.
All told, our stance remains that deflation is knocking at the door.
Currency devaluation's role in the developing global crisis
How the self-reinforcing aspect of deflation is already apparent in commodities trading
Why the top 1% of earners are in for a rude awakening
How Europe's biggest economies are screeching to a halt
The hair-raising future for U.S. stocks
Just recall how swiftly the 2007-2009 financial crisis unfolded. We anticipate that the next global financial crisis could be even more sudden and severe.
There are several elements that coaches need to keep in mind that can help them be successful in the relationship.
Here are some insights into areas that have impact on the coaching relationship:
Accept that the coach is not in control. Just as the tennis coach does not hit the ball, the business coach does not control the coaching conversation. The best results occur when the person being coached sets his or her coaching goal and takes the lead in accomplishing that goal.
Listen. Even though this skill is included in virtually every interpersonal skills course, most of us still have not mastered it. A good coach is able to listen with full attention, taking in information that leads to insightful questions and genuine understanding. Doing this requires listening at levels most people are not accustomed to. An effective coach creates a mental picture of the situation from the other person’s perspective.
Pay attention to what is not being said, as well as to what you hear. The detective model of coaching comes in handy. Keep looking for “one more thing” to be curious about as you piece together all the parts of the puzzle. Don’t hesitate to point out something that you still do not understand. Listening between the lines can move the coaching discussion from a superficial performance or development discussion to a deeper, more meaningful level.
Probe for information without conducting an inquisition. This is a matter of style and form. Questions such as, “Why would you do that?” can sound pretty threatening. “Tell me a little more about your thinking behind that” is an invitation to explore. The coach’s work is to find what is interfering with the other person’s ability to accomplish what he or she wants. Pulling information by using open-ended questions is far more effective than pushing with leading questions or requiring an accounting of someone’s efforts or behavior.
Coach, don’t judge. As a coach, when you evaluate an idea or behavior as good, bad, right or wrong, you may be arriving at a solution too soon; thereby, depriving the person you are coaching of problem solving. Instead, ask the person about the likely consequences of one course of action over another. This helps your client gain a sense of reality and the commitment to follow through on the actions selected.
Guide the other person to his or her other own solutions. This does not mean that you should ask leading questions. For example, “Don’t you think you should try this approach?” may be a good tip for the person you are coaching, but it does little to empower him or her to discover solutions. Instead, “Tell me what you’ve thought of” opens the door for exploration and ownership of the result.
Suspend your expertise. You do not have to know the answer to be a good coach. In fact, it is usually difficult for a technical expert to withhold opinions and solutions enough to coach well. Instead, in a team environment, someone who knows little about the technical aspects of product development may be the most effective coach for a design engineer who feels stuck. Without being encumbered by a need to understand the technical “symptoms,” the coach can help the engineer uncover the causes behind the problem.
Monitor your own beliefs. As you coach, it is easy to let past experiences with the other person or doubts about yourself get in the way. For example, during the discussion, you may remember that the person you are coaching has let you down in the past, or you may feel frustrated because you believe you should have smart options to suggest. Some of the beliefs that coaches often need to confront include: “I should have the answers;” “You are bright (or stupid);” “I’m a great (or poor) coach.”
Excellent coaching occurs when you are able to put aside what you believe about your roles, the other person’s ability, and the situation you are discussing. This opens the way for you to guide the other person to examine these beliefs realistically.
With employees consistently asking, "How do I get promoted?" it is no wonder nearly 2.5 million people quit their jobs every year due to lack of promotion.
When employees put the emphasis on advancing to the next level in the workplace, they lose important focus on their current career paths.
Rick Whitted, author of "Outgrow Your Space at Work,"answers this question of how to get promoted with a response many have never heard before.
Every super successful individual has two characteristics in common: their pursuits are marked by discipline and focus, and they're always moving forward. They have a remarkable understanding of career progression that distinguishes them from the average laborer in the workplace. In their view a promotion is a verb, not a noun. They see professional advancement as a process, not an accomplishment.
A promotion is a process, not an end goal. Your career (and your life for that matter) is a pilgrimage. Take your time and focus on the journey, not the destination. The biggest mistake you could make would be to rush through the job you have today. The two, three, or ten years in your present role are developing a critical knowledge base that will be needed a little farther down the occupational road.
Thriving is our birthright. No matter who you are or where you live, we all deserve to thrive.
The sad truth is that only one in four people in the world believe they are thriving, and 70% of people in the U.S. feel disengaged at work, which costs the U.S. economy up to $435 billion per year.
What does it mean to thrive? How do people who thrive perceive and interact with the world differently from those who settle or live in a state of survival? What does it take to move from one state to the other? These pivotal questions have guided the author's work and life for twenty-five years.
This book offers up a roadmap to making simple changes in one's everyday life so that we learn how to thrive and become all that we are capable of.
People who thrive possess: self-acceptance, the courage to face our doubts and fears, and the willingness to hold those parts of ourselves we're ashamed of with compassion. As we develop these three capacities, we cultivate a thriver's mindset.
The mindset of a thriver also includes an ability to trust in the "flow" of life rather than always needing to try to control it. We have to learn to hold things lightly, rather than grasping tightly to outcomes we feel compelled to achieve.
Self-awareness is the foundation of authenticity, and thus it is at the center of your compass. You develop it by exploring your life story. As you do this, you need to understand who you are at a deeper level. This is hard work but an essential step in your development as a leader. A foundation of self-awareness leads to self-acceptance and ultimately self-actualization so that you can fulfill your greatest potential.
Born between 1980 and 2000, raised by Baby Boomer parents to seek out and find information, question the status quo, and embrace their potential to make a difference. Millennials or Gen Y bring their generational mindset to their work as managers. Yet, due to their youth and exuberance, young managers are often dismissed by their bosses--and their peers--as too immature to be taken seriously.
"Millennials are highly subject to being stereotyped," co-author Chip Espinoza acknowledges in their new book, "MILLENNIALS WHO MANAGE: How to Overcome Workplace Perceptions and Become a Great Leader" written with Joel Schwarzbart. Espinoza offers valuable insights and concrete advice to help managers of a certain age--35 and under--refute reverse ageism while leveraging their personal strengths.
Baby Boomersare primarily the children of members of a generation who fought in World War II. Home ownership in the United States jumped from under 44% in 1940 to 62% in 1960. Most of this growth took place in the new suburbs. As home ownership for new families soared, so did the birth rate.
The oldest Boomers were in their teens when Sputnik was launched and the Space Race began. They were just entering their 20s at the start of the Vietnam War and the free speech movement. Boomers came of age in a time of plenty and were taught the importance of a solid work ethic.
Generation Xers grew up during a less optimistic time. The first Xers were born at the height of the Cold War. Xers were often referred to as "latchkey kids." As children, they often came home from school to empty houses. The divorce rate in the United States surged in the 1970s, and many children grew up in single-parent households.
Millennials grew up in very different circumstances than Generation Xers. Most parents of Millennials are younger Boomers and older Xers who vowed that their children would not grow up as latchkey children.
The Millennial generation entered the workforce at a challenging time. As a result, Millennials maintain some distance in their transitional jobs and continue searching for an employer offering better terms. Not wanting a repeat of what had happened to the X Generation, Millennials' parents spent as much spare time with their children as possible.
With more people working past the traditional age of retirement--some in part-time or consultant roles--the multi-generational workforce with younger workers managing older workers is here to stay. For the growing ranks of Millennials rapidly moving into management and for the executives invested in developing them as leaders,"MILLENNIALS WHO MANAGE"is a welcome guide.
"No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him." James Russell Lowell 
