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)
What good reason is there for the customer to buy the product/service from my company or from another supplier?
Is this actually a "worthwhile" account? Is it worth the time and effort? WHY?
Should this call have priority over other calls to be made today? WHY?
What are the customer's real needs? Have I considered them from their point-of-view?
Is the purpose of this call to secure an order? What order? Is this goal realistic?
If not to secure an order, what is the purpose of this call--what do I expect to achieve?
Is this call an important step in the overall development of the account?
Who is the decision-making authority?
Whom do I plan to see? Is it the right person? What can I do about that?
How can I reach the decision-maker without antagonizing others?
Should a phone call for an appointment be made?
What is my basic strategy to achieve the desired results?
What kinds of questions might I ask to obtain information and involve him or her in the sales process?
Are there any specific sales tools, samples, letters, or proposals that I should use? WHY? WHEN? WHERE? HOW?
What can I do on this call, in addition to making a sale, that will lay the groundwork for another sale on my next call or in the near future? HOW? With whom? With what sales tolls, aids or samples?
If the customer is dissatisfied for any reason, why? And how will I handle the situation?
What other obstacles are likely to arise? Are they real obstacles? If not, what might be the real obstacle?
How might the obstacles be overcome? Have I considered the client's viewpoint? Can we talk about them openly? Is more information needed? Is the information meaningful to him or her?
When was my last sales call?
What happened? WHY? What am I going to do about it?
Learn how to use the Wave Principle as an effective trading tool
By Elliott Wave International
Jeffrey Kennedy talks about how the Elliott Wave Principle helps you identify trade setups. Watch this new interview to learn how the Wave Principle helps you trade with the trend, which waves are Jeff's favorite to trade and how to "keep it simple" when using the Wave Principle.
As Jeffrey Kennedy says, "The Wave Principle stems from 5 core patterns. If you focus on those patterns ... it will serve you well as an effective trading tool." In this free 16-minute video lesson, Jeffrey will teach you how to identify these five wave patterns on your charts -- and generate high-confidence forecasts.
This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline What Trading Opportunities Does the Wave Principle Identify?. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.
We know so little about our own brains...so it should come as little surprise that we know even less about "memory."
How does memory actually work?
How and why do we remember some things and forget others?
There are two primary kinds of memory: short term and long term. When we talk about "improving our memory," we are really talking about the latter. Short term memory has both a limited capacity and a limited duration.
In "Master Your Memory", author Ron Fry teaches readers ways to recall or retrieve information so that thought on the "tip of your tongue" or face out of context becomes both available and recognizable.
Memory is a lot like a muscle--you need to work it!
A time management book for working women---based on what has worked well for the female clients of North America's top executive women coaches.
Year after year, we have heard working women’s frustrations, and we have helped them deal with massive internal conflicts. Both society and individuals struggle with countless expectations, too much to do in too little time, and the fact that they receive little of the support or recognition they want—and deserve.
Men with little insight into—or appreciation for—a woman’s unique predicaments, biology, and socialization patterns have attributed her problem as one of time management! They then have proceeded to write a number of articles and books suggesting how she “fix” her problem. However, their suggestions are based on what works for men—and those suggestions are largely unhelpful for women.
Is it any wonder that the self-help books currently available don’t work well in relieving the pressures working women routinely face?
Executive coaches Barb McEwen and John Agno, have documented over three years, proven coaching solutions that have worked well for their career women clients. These exclusive self-coaching secrets discovered by successful women clients are now, for the first time, available to all working women.
The concept for the book came about because of very real, very important needs that their female clients repeatedly express. The book is intended to help you understand and work with your unique inner compass. As you read the book, you will be amazed at what you learn about yourself.
“Women and Time” delivers proven time management tips that reduce stress and help you reclaim your time and life. This self-coaching book is fully loaded with unique insights for time-strapped women:
If your brain tells you there will always be more to do, then this book is for you.
Creating a more holistic paradigm of balance to your work and personal life will help you from thinking you are running between compartments. This new dynamic equilibrium is meant to allow all the parts of life to work synergistically in a highly interrelated whole. Life balance isn't an "either/or" but an "and."
The roles you play at home and work must be in concert...not requiring you to play different roles. Although there are distinct competencies attached to each role, it is to your advantage to create a powerful synergy among all roles.
Effective time management allows you to be more flexible, not less flexible. It facilitates you doing the things you really want to do and to become the person you want to be. When you put these newly adopted coaching tips into practice, everything that comes your way becomes organized.
This inter-role synergy saves incredible problem-solving time and energy.
For specific "things to do" on time management, self-knowledge and other subjects, consider purchasing this paperback "Workbook Edition" of "When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women:"
time market research survey platform—Marriott Hotels
and Southwest Airlines are the most recommended
brands for holiday travel. Other interesting findings
include:
***HOLIDAY TRAVEL HABITS NATIONAL SURVEY*** A.PRICE MATTERS MOST WHEN IT COMES TO
HOLIDAY TRAVEL >> Q: When booking a flight for the holidays, how do
you make your decision? 1. I go by price (the cheaper, the better): 38% 2. I go by the most convenient departure and arrival times: 26% 3. I go by as few layovers as possible: 17% 4. I go by my favorite airline: 10% 5. I go by points: 5% B.AIRBNB LAGS BEHIND MAJOR HOTEL CHAINS ON
NET PROMOTER SCORE >> Q: How likely are you to recommend staying at
[hotel chain/Airbnb] for holiday travel to a friend or
colleague?
Net promoter score, aka NPS, measures customer
satisfaction and brand perception on a scale of
-100 to +100. (A positive, high score means
consumers actively recommend the brand; a
negative score could mean consumers actively
dissuade friends.) 1. MARRIOTT: NPS of +8 2. HILTON: NPS of +5 3. HYATT: NPS of -8 4. STARWOOD: NPS of -22 5. AIRBNB: NPS of -51 C. AIRLINE NET PROMOTER SCORES SHOW
PEOPLE CONSIDER FLYING A NECESSARY EVIL >> Q: How likely are you to recommend using
[airline name] for holiday travel to a friend or
colleague? 1. SOUTHWEST: NPS of -12 2. DELTA: NPS of -18 3. AMERICAN: NPS of -22 4. UNITED: NPS of -28 5. JETBLUE: NPS of -39 6. VIRGIN AMERICA: NPS of -48 Negative NPS results across several major airline
brands highlight the complicated nature of holiday
travel. Despite the hassle of holiday air travel,
Americans are willing to brave it for the positive
trade-off of spending time with friends and family. D.FACEBOOK IS THE MEDIUM OF CHOICE FOR
PRAISING AND BASHING BRANDS >> Q: Which social media platforms do you use
to share about your favorite brands, products,
and services? 1. Facebook: 31% 2. Youtube: 14% 3. Instagram: 12% >> Q: Which social media platforms do you use
to complain about brands, products, or services
that don't meet your expectations? 1. Facebook: 41% 2. Twitter: 12% 3. Google+: 9% Beyond Facebook, major brands would do well to
Providing executive coaches to high-potential performers is one way to get the most from untapped talent.
Unfortunately, many executives select a coach based on referrals from colleagues, without adequately considering personal needs. The person sponsoring the engagement usually sends a few coaches for interviews and asks the executive to select one based on “fit.”
In Your Executive Coaching Solution (Davies-Black, 2007), Joan Kofodimos says a coach should help the person-being-coached to achieve most of the following:
Strike a balance between supporting and challenging yourself.
Pick a coach for Support and the Ability to Challenge You
You’re more likely to open up to a coach who creates a safe, confidential and trusting environment. Coaches accomplish this in part by demonstrating they understand and respect your interests, values and concerns.
But coaches must also provide challenges that motivate you to perform beyond your habitual behaviors; confront you directly, yet nonjudgmental, with the impact of your actions; and probe the motives and assumptions underlying your behaviors.
Using a Coaching Relationship Well
The way you select your coach is significant. Do you see the coach as a subordinate? An outside consultant? An authority figure whose primary relationship is with your organization or boss? How do gender, race or other personal characteristics influence the way you interact with your coach?
Pick a coach who can raise issues impartially and show you how your behaviors affect others.
For Help in Developing Feedback Loops
At home, your spouse, partner or significant other will not provide you with critical feedback because he or she knows that it is more important to maintain the loving relationship versus communicating negative feedback. According to positive psychology expert John Gottman, there is a secret formula in relationships. Gottman’s research revealed that marriages are significantly more likely to succeed when the interactions between the couple are five to one, positive to negative. The secret formula is simple: Praise your mate often.
Your peers at work will rarely share authentic feedback with you. However, your coach should help you develop the skills needed to create relationships in which you can ask for honest feedback on an ongoing basis from your peers at work.
Instead of encouraging dependence, your coach should teach you how to self-coach and manage your development in the future. After an initial assessment, a good coach shows you how to form links with colleagues and how you can help them frame useful, specific feedback instead of vague judgments.
Your coach will teach you to ask for feedback and manage the conversation without being defensive. This includes learning how to determine which feedback is relevant and valid while prioritizing issues that you need to address and figuring out how to handle them.
For Help in Clarifying Values and Purpose
Skilled coaches help you clarify your developmental, career and life goals. Your coach should also teach you how to sort out your needs, wants, concerns and boundaries in any particular situation, which allows you to become more comfortable and act more consistently when completing goals, even in complex circumstances.
Here is what one of my executive clients had to say about clarifying his values and purpose during the coaching process:
"Have you ever watched, listened, and felt someone tuning a guitar or other string instrument? That is what it is like to have the good fortune of connecting with John Agno. He is a living tuning fork and you're that string instrument. Today, I have greater self awareness, am more in step with my calling, and better able to appreciate the journey, including the valleys, than ever before. Thanks, John for helping me get attuned with my life signature."
Structuring the Development Process
Your coach must help you manage each step of the coaching process:
For Guidance in Allowing Your Perspectives to Evolve
Commit to fully engage in the coaching process.
Get input from others
Review feedback and plan development
Hold regular coaching meetings to learn and practice new behaviors
Implement behaviors in your daily work and personal lives
Assess actual results in your personal and work lives
Commit to fully engage in the coaching process
Your coach should help you break free of any limiting beliefs and assumptions. A significant shift in perspective can occur when your coach:
Provides additional viewpoints
Plays devil's advocate
Looks at situations as others might
Asks new questions to allow you to reach those "aha" moments
Offers new approaches to put your new discoveries into practice
Help in Learning New Concepts and Skills
Good coaches present a mental model of what leadership means, what it takes to be effective and the key skills required. Your coach should teach skills relevant to your particular situation and assist with your implementation in daily interactions…to sharpen your interpersonal skills.
Choose for Confidentiality
Your coach must effectively navigate risky waters filled with sensitive, confidential information. Because there are no other relationships that must be protected, beyond the coaching relationship, both you and your coach can say the “unsayable” to each other in this safe, confidential and trusting environment; which helps you to reach an area of self-awareness where there is great leverage for developmental change.
Assistance in helping you Influence Others’ Views of You
You learn how to help your colleagues notice the changes you make by inviting them to become involved in your development through providing you with requested feedback in specific situations. A qualified, experienced coach can help you influence others’ views by:
Positively managing your relationships
Assessing key colleagues' willingness to share their feedback from participating with you in customer and internal company conversations
Helping you solicit ongoing feedback on relevant behaviors
Roles a Coach Should Not Play
A good coach will consciously avoid roles that hinder your ability to build self-coaching skills and take independent action:
Cheerleader: Coaches should not give positive reinforcement from the sidelines for everything you do.
Therapist: Coaches should not deal strictly with your personal adjustment and psychological issues, even if they’re qualified and licensed to do so.
Executor of the Boss’s Wishes: Coaches should do more than force you to conform to a superior’s expectations, even when given an agenda when hired.
Shadow Manager: Coaches cannot advise you on business decisions or act on your behalf.
One-Sided Advocate: Coaches must look at all viewpoints and resist taking one side.
Caution: Beware
Since the coach selection process is self-selecting, it is most important that you make your decision wisely.
Intuition is something we rely heavily on to gauge the course of our actions. Intuition is fast, automatic, unreasoned thought and feelings. However, we can be blind-sighted by costly intuitive errors when we over feel and under think.
Beware of deciding upon the look and feel of a good fit. Be sure to balance feeling comfortable with the person against your need to be challenged as you grow. You must believe the coach you select can help you change.
Every Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is "on the stage" the majority of his or her work life but needs pre-performance quiet and confidential time to be creative, bounce their ideas off someone in a safe environment, and explore the unintended consequences of their future actions. Engaging in a personal coaching conversation is a refreshing opportunity where the CEO can be completely open and creative in a confidential and safe place.
When asked what was the best advice he ever received, Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google, recognized it was from John Doerr, who in 2001 said, "My advice to you is to have a coach." Schmidt initially resented the advice, because after all, he was a CEO. He was pretty experienced. Why would he need a coach?
CEO Schmidt asked himself, "Am I doing something wrong?" His argument was, "How could a coach advise me if I'm the best person in the world at this? But that's not what a coach does. The coach doesn't have to play the sport as well as I do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best. In the business context a coach is not a repetitious coach. A coach is somebody who looks at something with another set of eyes, describes it to you in [his] words, and discusses how to approach the problem."
Schmidt said, "Once I realized I could trust him and that he could help me with perspective, I decided this was a great idea. When there is [a] business conflict you tend to get rat-holed into it. [The coach's] general advice has been to rise one step higher, above the person on the other side of the table, and to take the long view. He'll say, 'You're letting it bother you. Don't.'"
When a person faces a challenge and becomes stuck, he or she may seek the services of a personal coach. Once this commitment is made, the person begins to experience a different, more hopeful, world as his or her perceptions evolve in meeting the personal challenge. Professional coaches understand that the success of a coaching engagement depends on the willingness of the person-being-coached to commit to his or her personal development process.
So what is professional coaching and how does it differ from consulting?
Here is what Bronwyn Bowery-Ireland, former CEO of International Coach Academy, had to say about her coaching experience.
I decided some years ago that I wanted to travel to many places around the world. I wanted to meet up and connect with coaches and people doing business in this area. So I made it happen.
The way I made it happen was committing to a weekly one hour coaching session with my coach. Each week I call my coach and begin immediately to work on the areas I am focused on. The speed at which we move through things is dependent on me focusing on my coaching session throughout the week, thinking about what I need to work through this week or what I need to bring to the coaching conversation.
If my coaching session is not powerful or I leave feeling not so resolved then this is usually because I was not focused to begin with. I need to carefully plan out what I want to bring to the coaching conversation each week. Some weeks I feel as though I am too exhausted to have my coaching or don’t really have anything to work on. However I am committed to coaching and achieving my goal of growing greater self awareness. So I prepare and on those weeks of tiredness or seeming lack of focus, I leave my coaching session feeling motivated, focused and excited to be moving forward.
I have come to learn that to cancel a coaching session is to lose energy for a week and to lose focus. My coaching sessions are a way of clearing out any feelings or uncertainties in my week. They are a way of moving any negative energy from within me as talking out loud helps how I am feeling and where I am at and to stay present.
I often hear myself telling my coach that it’s painful sometimes to have to be brutally honest with myself and as he always explains, it’s best to be honest with your coach as they are a sounding board for you. Let’s think about this concept for a moment. If I didn’t have a coach then this conversation would be going on internally, with my inner self talk. As we all know inner self talk goes round and round and doesn’t actually go anywhere except in a negative energy field. It spirals down into a conversation of justifying and explaining why I shouldn’t do something. Controlling our inner self talk takes great skill.
Thus is the purpose of a coach. It is a conversation that is directed outwards and when we hear ourselves speak we gain clarity as to where we are going and what we are thinking and feeling. My coach asks me questions that get me to explore depths to my thoughts and to my feelings. He allows me a safe and supportive space to test ideas and thoughts.
In the last 12 months, I have achieved more things than I have ever achieved through regular, decisive coaching. To not have coaching feels like not eating or nurturing myself. Its just not possible."
See how beautifully India's 8-year long bull market follows a clear Elliott wave fractal pattern
By Elliott Wave International
Every day, the mainstream financial experts attempt to explain away fluctuations in stock market trends with some "fundamental factor" du jour, all of which boil down to this: good news causes a market to rise and bad news -- to fall.
Problem is, sometimes the experts end up using the same "fundamental" to justify the market's upward AND downward moves. A Recent case in point, from South Asia:
"Sensex Down 324 Points as U.S. Picks Donald Trump as President."
VERSUS
"Sensex Makes Recovery Amid Donald Trump Win."
How can the same event -- the election of Donald Trump -- be bullish AND bearish for India's stock market? You might as well say that it moves at random, as most people do.
But before you join them -- consider that there may be something other than "fundamentals" driving trends.
In the words of Ralph Nelson Elliott, the discoverer of the Wave Principle:
"The wild, senseless, and apparently uncontrollable changes in prices from year to year, from month to month, or from day to day link themselves into a law abiding rhythmic pattern of waves...
"Current news and political developments are of only incidental importance, soon forgotten."
Elliott saw the fractal, a pattern that repeats in form but not in time or amplitude, as the overriding design of all stock market progress and regress. This diagram shows you the Elliott wave fractal's idealized development and subdivisions:
As for a real-world example of the Elliott wave fractal formation in stock markets, investors need only look at the last eight years in India's bellwether Sensex index.
From the beginning, in 2008, the Sensex was mired in a bearish slump, with the market circling the drain of a three-year low, having plummeted 50% from its December 2007 peak to below the 9000 level. But instead of focusing on the doom and gloom on Dalal Street (India's Wall Street), our analysts honed in on a telltale pattern unfolding directly on the Sensex's price chart.
Here, our November 2008 Asian-Pacific Financial Forecast featured a special section on India and wrote:
"The Wave Principle teaches that the stock market is a self-similar fractal. That means that some pieces of its price record -- which Ralph Nelson Elliott called waves -- resemble other pieces elsewhere in that record. The weekly chart of India's Sensex shows just such an example.
"Notice how the up-down sequence labeled Intermediate waves (1) and (2) (in the small red box) is a microcosm of the larger up-down sequence from the 2003 low to the present (i.e., waves 1 and 2, in the large black box). In both cases, the wave-two correction retraced approximately 50% of the wave-one advance.
"If we have identified this 'nested fractal' relationship correctly, it means that Indian stocks are about to begin Primary wave 3 of the bull market that began in 2003."
From the point of that 2008 forecast, the Sensex more than doubled in value before hitting the breaks and turning sideways in early 2011. After a year, the December 2012 Asian-Pacific Finanical Forecast said the uptrend was about to resume:
"Conventional observers may say that the social malaise and political gridlock at present make a bull market in India unlikely. Elliotticians and socionomists, however, know that those conditions are merely lagging results of the corrective period of the past two years. They are also precisely the kind of conditions in which major advances begin. In fact, as Indian stocks now advance in wave (3) of 3 of III, India's future looks brighter than ever.
Indeed, from there, the Sensex took off like a rocket in its most powerful bull-market phase ever, soaring to an all-time record high above 29,500 on March 3, 2015.
India's 8-year long bull market isn't an exception to the mainstream "random" walk model. It's the rule for all liquid financial markets across the globe, where collective investor psychology creates trends big and small -- regardless of news and events.
Watch the Elliott Wave Crash Course. Stop reacting to news and fundamentals events. This free, 3-part video series provides a solid basis for why you should use Elliott analysis for your trading and investing decisions.
This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline India's Stock Market: Nothing "Random" About It. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.
Do you feel comfortable delivering bad news? Do you look forward to speaking in public? Do you enjoy networking? Is it easy for you to speak your mind and be assertive with friends and colleagues?
A professor of organizational behavior at Brandeis University's International Business School, Andy Molinsky, Ph.D., specializes in behavior change and cross-cultural interaction in business settings. He regularly writes for the Harvard Business Review and his work has been featured in The Economist, Fast Company, Fortune, Financial Times, The Boston Globe, The New York Times and NPR.
In his new book REACH, Molinsky explains why what often sets successful people apart is their willingness to do the things others fear. What's more, we have the false notion that successful people like to do these things, when the truth is they have simply found their own way to do them.
With REACH,Molinsky offers an enlightening and prescriptive guide based not only on the author's groundbreaking research, but also on his own quest to get out of his comfort zone.
The more emotional the market, the more predictable it is.
By Elliott Wave International
Last week's shocking spike in crude oil prices is +12% and counting, the biggest one-week gain in five years. Media stories blame one culprit: the November 30 OPEC agreement to cut production.
In absolute terms, the agreed-to cut is small: 1.2 million barrels a day, less than 2% of daily global oil production. Given the existing supply glut, that's a drop in the bucket (no pun intended). Yet, it was a bigger cut than the market expected; plus, the fact that OPEC members came to an agreement at all was enough to play a role in soaring prices.
The weeks leading up to the meeting were filled with anticipation and emotion. Oil prices went all over the place -- down 4% one day, 3% the next. Yet, those fluctuations weren't random.
The more emotional the markets get, the more influential the collective psychology of the market players becomes. That's why Elliott wave price patterns often get particularly clear when volatility strikes.
See for yourself. Below are excerpts from the forecasts our Energy Pro Service, edited by the veteran oil market analyst Steve Craig, posted for subscribers starting in mid-November.
November 15
-- Today's pop above 45.95 leads me to believe that wave A ended at Monday's 42.20 sell-off low. Trade below 45.28 would offer an aggressive hint that wave ((a)) is complete and I'll be looking for downside follow through...
November 18
-- Crude extended its slide from Thursday's 46.58 rebound high down to 44.55 and is attempting to reverse. ...trade above 46.58 should be a good sign that it marks an interim bottom and that the next leg of the advance is underway.
November 22
-- Searching for a top (49.20?). Crude extended its advance up to 49.20. The price action gives wave ((c)) enough legs to count it and the countertrend advance as complete.
November 25
-- A bearish stance seems warranted. Crude remains under selling pressure... The next big hurdle to cross is January's 45.18 wave ((b)) low. Ideally, resistance at 48.26 will hold.
November 28
-- Bearish against 49.20. WTI extended its decline to 45.14 ... if wave B has ended, the rally from 45.14 will prove corrective and set the stage for further decline.
The next day, November 29, oil prices indeed fell...
...and the day after, OPEC agreed to cut production. Oil prices soared, taking out the key resistance level at $47.65 you see circled in red in the chart above -- and, for the first time in weeks, negating our forecast.
This brief history shows that, while crude oil price gyrations may seem random and unpredictable, they are anything but.
It also shows you that even when an Elliott wave forecast doesn't work out, you almost always have a "line in the sand" which, if breached, tells you it's time to get out (e.g., $47.65 in the chart above).
And here's another interesting piece of information. Says CNBC:
"Since 1998, OPEC has cut production 15 times.
"A week later, U.S. crude rose 60 percent of the time...
"...But a month after cuts, U.S. crude was down 53 percent of the time."
We'll see in a few weeks if the second part of this pattern plays out.
The Elliott Wave Basic Tutorial gives you the foundation you need to start using the Wave Principle to improve your trading and investing. You'll learn:
This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline Crude Oil Prices: "Random"? Hardly.. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.
