I surrendered to the full spectrum of what it means to be human and allowed grace to do its job. I gave myself permission to feel all of it. Then I wrote a poem about it I want to share with you:

People love compliments; they appreciate the acknowledgment and pay no attention to the delivery. In business, “verbal praise was more effective than cash bonuses,”

When I pay attention to how I parent, I become a better coach. The two experiences have many similarities.

A basic tenet of our coaching practice at Momentum Consulting is accountability, an essential component of executive leadership training, both with individuals and teams. Those of you familiar with us have surely heard one of us say “…there’s no blame in accountability, and no accountability in blame”.

In relationships at work or at home, remember that assumptions remain in your own mind.  Explicit requests are spoken or written in detail. And most people will rise to the occasion if you give them the requirements and expectations.  

If a person is editing their thoughts out of fear you might blab, you may end the conversation with a feeling of vagueness and irresolution, sensing you still don’t know their genuine opinions.

The biggest mistake is resisting the resistance. It’s natural to resist something that thwarts your intentions, but actually, you just have two opposing forces.

“The only way out is through,” but I ask, “what about when the path through resembles a brick wall?”

I am reposting a blog I wrote last fall on recovery. It serves as a great reminder to care for ourselves, and I am literally practicing recovery by allowing a repost!

Isn’t it great when we’re with people who look past the bad stuff and try to understand what we intend to say? We call those people our friends, our trusted advisors, our coaches. They “get” us, not because they agree, but because they listen.

What story would people tell about you if asked? Do you honor your commitments to yourself and others? How do you handle it when you are unable to?

Check out this new article in Voyage Austin magazine, highlighting hidden gem Marlene Clark, owner of Momentum Consulting and transformational coach.

In doing so, here are some of the things I have learned:

1. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

2. Though you have transformed, never be ashamed of your story or who you used to be.

3. Your core values are who you already are. Own it.

4. Listening “for” is more than being open. It’s putting aside the need to “do” anything.

Conscious Capitalism is founded on four principles:

1. Conscious leadership

2. Stakeholder orientation

3. Conscious culture

4. Higher purpose

We guide our clients in a process of revealing their Core Values and coach them on the awareness of the positive impacts and the limitations of those values. These Core Values are instrumental in how we approach and achieve our goals. Everyone is different and unique and there are many different paths to our success. 

I’ve never seen the back of my head. Others can see it, but I can’t. With some neck gymnastics and a mirror, I can catch a reversed view of that balding area … but I myself am directly blind to it.

Feedback is vital to our development and growth, both as professionals and in our personal life. But harshly negative feedback, especially from a superior in the workplace, is only rarely effective, and can cause employees to fear speaking up, stop taking chances, spread resentment among others, or find a new job. 

Being a human co-existing with another for any period of time can make it that much more interesting. Have you been with someone long enough to have an epic “fight story” you can tell your friends over wine?

To address your overwhelm, ask yourself these questions:

1. How many things am I trying to handle at once?

2. What one thing is actually pushing that “overwhelm” button?

3. How can I relieve that pressure?

4. Who can I ask for help with that?

Is suffering overrated, or is it a choice? It brings to mind some choices we make in our learning and listening. Here’s help for breaking the cycle.