From Fired to Fired Up
A note from Marlene...
Looking back, it seems as though I sort of stumbled into my career as a business coach.
Craig and I, both native Texans who met and married here, found
ourselves in the early 1990’s located in Newport Beach, California when I
got my big break. My *boss at the time fired me as his secretary. I was a terrible secretary, and he didn’t miss the opportunity to let me know this.
He then hired me as a business coach.
At some point, he realized I was much better at talking to his attorney clientele on the phone than I was at typing and filing. He had just taken a group of attorneys through a one-year breakthrough program, and I then began coaching some of them with one-on-one support to continue their growth. It was fascinating to me and we realized I was pretty good at this.
I learned so much from that time in my life, and I am truly grateful to
Scott for speaking straight and having the courage to be that honest with
me. It gave me the opportunity to apply the nearly ten years of
self-development training and volunteering I had participated in, towards
leadership and organizational transformation.
A few years later, Craig and I started our own company, over time built a wonderful team of consultants, and have continued to grow and develop our leadership consulting and executive coaching practice into what it is today. One of our key fundamentals has been an on-going commitment to constantly improve how we do things so we can better serve our clients.
One of the changes we eventually made in our one-on-one executive coaching was to make sure we always included the person they report to in their first and last sessions.
This small change has led to breakthrough results:
It creates a triad of support for the person being coached.
It raises the bar on their boss to become a part of the successful outcomes from the work we’re doing.
It creates seamless transparency in what we are forging together.
From the get-go, we are placing any concerns, opportunities, or issues on the table. It facilitates the ability to immediately SPEAK STRAIGHT, RESPECTFULLY, and move the action forward.
What are some of the things you find yourself focusing on during this new world reality?
Have you had the chance to be silent for a few moments and thoughtfully
consider your life, your business, and the impact you are making...at home
and at work? Which for a great deal of us right now, involves both.
Oh yeah, so who’s this boss that steered me into the direction of my dreams? His name is *Scott Hunter, and to this day, he is still a magnificent speaker, author and leadership expert, and he’s my friend. You can learn more about his organization here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unshackledleadership/
All my very best,
Fundamental of the Week #26: CONTINUOUSLY SEEK TO IMPROVE THE IMPACT WE MAKE Always seek a breakthrough approach. Our job is to improve the lives and work of the people we serve. This path takes planning, diligence, and thoughtfulness.
