11 Reasons why Gold is a Good Thing

I hope you were able to join Ali Brown for her call "Your 11 Best
No-Cost to Low-Cost Marketing & Business Strategies for 2010!"
She's so generous with her proven methods, and it makes me just
want to soak it all in like a sponge.

During the call, Ali touched on her Millionaire Protege Club
coaching that she offers and shared that she's launching a new
level--the brand new Gold Tier. For those of you who can't
participate at the 5- and 6-figures level of coaching, the Gold
tier is the low-cost solution for solo-preneurs who want to learn
simple strategies to take their business to the next level.

Eager to learn more? Go here.

Here's a sampling of what the Gold tier covers:

1. Social Media - How to Maximize These Free Marketing Tools
Without Wasting Your Days Away

2. Website Must-Haves: 7 Components of an Irresistible Website

3. Grab Their Attention With Your Online and Offline Powerful
Marketing Headlines

4. Ezines, Blogs, and Print Newsletters: New Ways to Use Them to
Build Your Professional Fame

5. Your First VA: A Step-by-Step System to Finding and Working
with Your First Virtual Assistant

6. Online Shopping Cart Basics: Your Simple Guide to E-Commerce

7. In-Person Networking Secrets to Building Your Business with
Personality and Confidence

8. Teleseminars: A Quick and Easy Guide to Hosting Your Own
Cash-Creating Phone Calls

9. Webinars, Podcasting, and Video – Multi-Media Alternatives
that Get Your Brand More Attention

10. Joint Ventures and Affiliate Marketing: Create Passive
Income With Strong Relationships

11. Speaking and Hosting Your Own Events: Behind-the-Scenes
Truths

Why pull your hair out creating your own marketing and business
growth strategies when this program is laid out so perfectly for
you and delivered as monthly training calls, Q&A calls,
recordings, transcripts, and many other added benefits.

Ready to jump in now? Here's one more enticement...

BONUS: Be one of the first 50 to join and receive a
complimentary audio: "Ali's Biz Quickies: 25 Easy Tips for Fast
Business Growth!"

I'm seeing GOLD in your future!

4 Coaching Tips to Help When It's Time to Let Go and Move On!

Ideas are for a season - businesses are too.

Recently I heard a story of a business owner with a really great idea. Their idea was so good, they just knew that it was going to revolutionize their SOI - Sphere of Influence. As they nurtured their idea to reality, they were met with severe opposition, at every juncture. Yet the opposition or resistance was not something they viewed as reason to stop moving on their idea.

How many of you know that there are times when being met with an opposing force can actually be good for your idea. It can help you gain clarity around what you are doing and what the outcome may look like. But the question is, do you know when it is time to let go of an idea because ideas can actually be for a season?

Depending on how you answered that question will tell you how to proceed through this post. Knowing with all clarity when an idea may be for a season is key for knowing when to let go and move on. It is in the times when we keep pressing in and forward on an idea, without calibrating our steps, that can cause serious wheel spinning. What is significant is increasing one's ability to identify when letting go is actually more beneficial than hanging on. Even if it is more than an idea, it's a business, or partnership, or employee.

Once you have identified that letting go and creating a plan for moving on from your idea or whatever it is you are hanging on to is your next best step, here are 4 coaching tips to help you.

Tip #1 - Make your list. Write out the pros and con's to moving and/or sticking with it. Attach your feelings and emotions to the list - how do each on make you feel? When we clearly know the "why factor" and the feelings it evokes, the letting go can be smoother.

Tip #2 - Write an Affirmation. We know that affirmations are powerful as we move toward the changes we want to make in our lives and businesses. Much research has been done that supports using affirmations daily increases our self efficacy. Well using affirmations can be powerful for the things we 'don't want' just as they are for the things we 'do.' So, write an affirmation the supports your transition and say it two times a day.

Tip #3 - Acknowledge the work you have done. Often times when we make a decision to let go of an idea and move away from it, we leave out acknowledging the many hours and work that went into it to this point. When we set aside self-promotion and advocacy for a dismissive attitude or simply just by ignoring our efforts, we aren't gifting our mindset with the opportunity to celebrate, even failures. There are learning opportunities everywhere, even in our failures or course corrections. Don't deny yourself that gift by neglecting to honor your work.

Tip #4 - Make a To-Do list. Now that you have your Pros and Con's, Affirmation and Acknowledgment, it's time to make your list for next steps. It's the "what will I do differently" list. The one that will help move you to the next level in your journey. Remaining open to possibility in this transition is so key to the success on the other side of it. Most successful people fail many times before they hit their stride. By letting go of an idea, partnership or even business is not the end,it is only the beginning. And as we do at new cross-roads, we gain clarity around what to do next. It starts with a list which turns into an agreement and an action plan for the future.

By applying these four tips to your transition, you will navigate well through the ever changing waters. Sometimes it takes going back and reassessing multiple times, writing new affirmations and keeping up to date on your list. And when you are faithful to the process, you will feel more in control of the change happening around you.

What's your perspective on change?

At all levels, making career transitions can be among the most challenging to navigate. I know this personally because about 5 years ago now I embarked upon a major career change of my one. Leaving what many perceived to be a "secure" job with government for the Private Sector and Entrepreneurship. It left many people wondering and doing a bit of head scratching, truth be told.

People could not get their head around why I would leave a job like I had for something so unpredictable and solely reliant upon, me.

Looking back now, I see that the transition that I made was not only for me, it was for who would be come my future clients. Interesting perspective right? Most change really is easier to handle and balance out when we look at multiple different perspectives. It is how we handle the decision process, in general, that makes up how we navigate change. Let me explain.

The perspective that I held closely on change was and is a very positive one. I believe that change, when planned and thought out can be very good. I also believe that those changes that catch us off guard can be equally as (if not more) gratifying. It is the frame of mind we look at the situation with that counts. Getting locked on to the way it "was" or "should" be can derail us real quick and in a hurry.

What works well, whether change is handed to us or we seek it out on our own, is to know the strategy necessary for the smooth transition. That comes from knowing and understanding your heart motive during the transition. While it may be handed to you without choice you can transition through very easily when you know what is important to you. Seeking ways to find the opportunity in the midst of transition will give you a greater sense of efficacy in the midst of sometimes challenging circumstances.

Coaching Question: How do you handle change? What has derailed you in the past with transition? What commitment are you willing to make to yourself in support of smooth transitions?

4-Steps to Cultviate a Single Idea that May Change the World

Last week brought to a close a project that had been on my books for many months. That was the Puget Sound Coaches Association, coaching conference. Coaching: Creating Conscious Choice and Change. It was an exceptional event with extraordinary outcomes.

While in the midst of preparing for the event in Seattle, Washington, I learned of a fascinating story from one of our corporate sponsors, IRC Print and Design. The owner of the company, Trisha Ferguson and her team have a history in the world of flight that has forever changed the lives people around the world. IRC prints the seat pocket safety cards that are on most major Airlines, including the US Airways Airbus A320 that ditched in the Hudson River on January 17, 2009.

These little cards, (that most of us likely would 'reluctantly' admit that we don't read them on every flight,) are being attributed as one of the key indicators of success for the US Airways crew getting all passengers off that plane. These cards, a little annoyance to many in the pre-flight getty-up, were a single idea by one man who saw a need and filled it. A single thought that turned into not just a thriving business but a life saving tool used around the world.

What I noticed as I watched the faces around the room as that story was shared at the coaches conference was a bit of a pause and then the light bulb effect. You know the one, the type that when we allow it to land in our heart or center of being it takes root and the potential from that point in is limitless. It's when eyes and minds begin to wander, "what single idea do I have that when detonated, can change the world."

The conference on February 5, 2009 in Seattle was much of that type of effect for people. There were nuggets of information and idea sharing that were seeds planted and some took root in the minds and action plans of coaches from around the world. There was an extraordinary energy in the air with all the ideas a flutter, with people prophesying what could be that next world changing thought.

Many of you may have had a similar experience recently. One where you heard an idea and your creativity and heart just took over and from it something marvelous was birthed. Well, if that new ‘thing’ were to detonate, what might the outcome be? Consider these 4-steps to nurturing that new idea into something world changing.

Step 1: Write it down and make it plain. Often we have great ideas that are wrapped in our heads and we never make them plain on paper. When we do that, we open up our creativity with our visual effects of seeing it in black and white.

Step 2: Identify the pieces to the puzzle. What are the components of this new idea that when they come together you will have your Monet on paper. Create your vision with pictures and words to create a feeling that is palpable.

Step 3: Gather your panel of experts. Often we work in silo’s of isolation that can hinder our creativity. Bring together your own executive panel or panel of experts to support you, encourage you, brainstorm and create with you what you want to manifest with your new idea.

Step 4: Affirm that you have what it takes to turn this single idea into something extraordinary. Dr. Albert Bandura study behavior and found that ‘our mind will not let us see what we do not believe we can achieve.’ When we affirm what we are moving toward, we become acition-oriented with our approach. Affirm what you see and be ready to make it so!

What one idea do you have that may change the world?

I invite you to share your success and thoughts with us. A robust conversation always benefits the exploration.

Waging Battle

Recently I was struck by a couple of interesting thoughts. So, as the questioning Coach that I am...I began exploring with a series of questions. I have shared them with you below. These are powerful questions, ones that will take time to explore the truth and meaning for you, your life, your business or whatever great endeavor you are up to.

These came to me as I was affirming thoughts and goals around Breakthrough and how I was looking for a touch of that in my life. You know how sometimes we get to going down our path and we can miss out on the breakthrough or win? Most-likely it's caused because we don't stop to reflect or celebrate when we do notice and tally in the WIN column. Well, I was in one of those spaces and realized that I was so busy moving, as in networking, crafting, building, meeting that I wasn't taking care to look at my successes. It got to feeling like I was just spinning and not well...winning. I was stuck in a box (container) and could feel the pressure building to battle the containment.

As I began to go wage warfare against what I perceived to be holding me back from my wins, the pressure began to build. But build in a good way. It caused me to wage battle from a place of violent action. Think about it, violent action. Not against anyone (oh my no!) but against the box I put myself in as I was building, crafting, networking etc. What I needed was a time-out in order for me to breakout! For me at that moment, in the midst of pushing and pushing, staying up late and getting up early to do more, build more and meet more - it was time to stop and that felt as the most violent action I could take. It was so against what I had been doing, it was not a welcome stop. But, it took me being bold to say 'time-out' in order for me to break the proverbial box I was in.

In that space of stopping was where my total breakthrough happened.

As coach I help my clients find their breakthrough, get out of their box and get into action. As coach, I am not perfect nor do I have 'it' all figured out. And, I know that in taking a deeper look at myself, gives me more clarity with my clients and makes me a stronger coach. Often times we don't expect to have the same struggles our clients do, we think we 'should' be beyond it, right? Well, no not so much. We are human beings who make choices every single day that impact our tomorrow. Taking time to just reflect is the key for me. When I do that action step, to be in gratitude for what I am creating, causes me to stay fresh and clear and on purpose. Just like many of you, when I get to forging my path without respit, I lose site and feel boxed in and lacking breakthrough. Ha, guess I am human too!

Coaching Exercise:

1. When was the last time you stopped to acknowledge your wins? How do you track them?

2. What might it look like to begin waging a battle against containment?

3. What is keeping you from your Total Breakthrough?

4. If you were to take Violent Action against your situation, to get out of the proverbial box, what would that look like for you?

5. What support do you want/need around you to take action and care of your current situation?

6. Will you journal your inspirations of gratitude at the end of each day for a week so that, you may reflect after 7 days on the powerful difference you make?

4 steps to Resolution - Part 2

Last time we left off on point two of this 2 part series and today we reveal the final two elements of taking positive action toward your resolution - even if you are a little fearful.

We now have identified the elephant in the room, named it and begun to build an action plan.

Today we pick up with step three, your communication strategy.

3) Build a communication strategy around the move. This stage of the action step is highly critical. We build a communication element into the resolution so that the leader can gain support or at least feel that they are not alone when making this action step. It is essential to giving the appearance of transparency that is so necessary in any leaders reign – when a leader appears transparent with their action items, even the tough ones, it builds and fosters trust at all levels. The way things are communicated is key to that. Now, we all know there are decisions that are made that cannot be communicated about up front, and I believe that you can still prepare people for those pending decisions in such a way that is supportive. The communication doesn’t start after the ball has dropped, it happens all along the way.


4) So the final step in supporting positive action in the midst of perceived fear is what others have also named. Face it. I would add, face it with integrity and zeal. Leaders become leaders because of the decisions they make. We can sit and choose to be a lame duck leader and I guarantee that action is not sustainable. Or we can be an action oriented, integrity agent. When a good leader works from that place of personal integrity and considers what is the action that is best for the whole body, they will find that zeal for taking action in spite of the perceived fears.


While leaders often feel they are in a box all alone when it comes to tough decisions, I have found that with the C-level clients that I work with as an executive coach, they are looking for a sounding board or neutral partner, they crave it. It is interesting because each of them have been so use to working alone, 'the buck stops here so I must not reach out.' and what they enjoy most about coaching is they have that partnership they have been desiring and not able to name. If I could give leaders one thing, it would be the benefit of knowing personally they are more powerful when they reach out vs. keeping everything close to the vest. That act of reaching out is what moves great leaders to their full potential as a human being.

I had a client who is president of a mid-sized company that has been hit with a crunch on revenue with the shift in the economy this year. The decision he didn’t want to have to make was the one he feared the most, layoffs. When (in the midst of breakdown) we identified the elephant, named it and built a strategy around handling it, while the meeting was tough to have with staff, he prepared them in advance for what was likely to come and ensure them that it would be fair and equitable for the ‘whole.’

After the fact, he found that the planning the meeting to tell everyone what was going on was much harder than the actual action step itself and…had he not had the meeting in advance (communication strategy) the affect on the entire workforce within his company would have been much worse. As would have the trust factor he held with his employees.

I recall him saying (breakthrough), “it was the worst meeting I have ever conduced in all my years here and our employees really stepped up and rallied around for the good of the company as a result. I was blown away. I realized they can handle more than I may have given them credit for, or protected them from.”

Here are some coaching questions for your consideration based on this article:

Coaching Exercises

1. How would you describe and evaluate your support structure for decision making?
   
   
2. What has your communication strategy been for communicating the hard stuff? What changes have you identified that you want to make for the future?
   
   
3. What value do you see that will be added by introducing a neutral partner to your inner circle? How might you use this strategy to strengthen your leadership?
   
   
4. When have you noticed yourself working in isolation vs. asking for support? How did that serve you?
   
   
5. How will you know if you are keeping it too close to the vest? What will you do different the next time?

Lack of Trust = loss of workforce

As many of you know I have been enjoying my online networking efforts and the community that I am building. What you may not know is the reason behind the why. Bottom-line, the community is rich. It encourages me to see things through different lenses and causes me to express myself and my own personal power differently. That focus (or clarity) is a great motivator as a solopreneur.

Today an online friend posted something on his blog that really delighted my senses and I couldn't wait to share it with you. Mark Herbert of New Paradigms, LLC is a management consultant specializing in helping organizations effectively and successfully embrace change and engage their workforces. I have enjoyed getting to know Mark this summer and have been enriched by the new relationship. His recent post on his blog is rich and I believe it will bring a new perspective.

What he posted today for our reading pleasure was in truth, a challenge. It was a call to action for me personally and I hope for you also. The call is from the place where I want to dwell more often, the clarity of the light that shines through me to affect a change in the world around me. To perhaps even...change the course of the field around me for something so great that it may not even be evident to me during my lifetime here on earth. Imagine that possibility for a moment. The thought that what you do today with clarity of purpose, may impact the greater whole for generations to come. It is supported in the planting of seeds for a harvest in the future, a principle law of nature. What might that mean for you as a leader in your field?

The blog post Why Build Lighthouses by Mark Herbert is rich with the exploration of the Trust Factor in organizations. Something that I too have written about and explored with many of my executive clients. Mark notes a staggering statistic on the avoidance of building trust in the workplace as cause for rapid failure of new managers within an organization.What I find staggering is that in avoiding building trust we are not only dis empowering our workforce, we are shorting perhaps brilliant leaders their ability to lead and masterfully gain momentum in their career or for the organization. So why are we losing mangers due to lack of trust, when we might think it would be competency? What is happening at the mid-line level of management that is assaulting our workforce and leaders?

Many studies are showing the positive impact coaching is having at the mid-manager levels of organizations. We have seen the effects of mentoring programs and how they support short-term efficacy however, it is with coaching that long-term change takes root. Keep an eye out for more on Coaching in Organizations and check out Mark's blog post, I think it will be a call to action for many business leaders out there. In the meantime, have you hugged your managers lately? Ok, maybe not and maybe you don't need to, and...What are you doing to build trust within your organization?

Tammy Redmon
Executive Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders