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“Writing to Be Heard” was posted on July 16, 2007, the first time I used my blog.  After writing hundreds of posts since then—especially this year—I decided to share my favorite posts of 2011 with you.

The posts below all have a story behind them, a reason to share the information, and a desire to help you on your career journey.  The posts could have been written to address an issue that came up during a coaching or consulting meeting, a topic that was discussed in a management class I teach at the Zicklin School of Business, an opportunity to expand horizons, etc.  The focus of each one is categorized by one or more of the tiles above the post which include Career, Coaching, College, Culture, Economy, Health, Leadership, Life Business, Management, Technology.

Below is a month-by-month list of posts that I hope you will find relevant, inspiring, and even fun.

January 17:  Are You Afraid of Feedback?  The topic emerged from two different threads.  The first was to offer guidance to decision-makers who were working with a very resistant executive.  The second was the loan of an academic colleague’s DVD on feedback.

February 21:  The Price of Ignoring Corporate Culture  As I told my students in an “Organizational Behavior” class, teaching corporate culture is my favorite unit to teach.  It is because of the environment executives create and how it impacts employee’s behavior.  In this particular case, the executive did not take into account his behavior in an established culture.

March 10:  Women’s Month 2011: Shake the World  To acknowledge the progress women make in a range of fields, I wrote about their accomplishments including that of Justine Siegal who had fulfilled her dream of throwing batting practice for the Cleveland Indians in spring training.

April 4:  Lasting Impressions  I am impressed by the number of people who even when we have not seen or spoken with one another for months or years, still remember me and the work I do.  The need to make a good first—and subsequent—impact on everyone you come in touch with is an important part of career development.

May 27:  Shakespeare in a Management Classroom  In April 2010, I attended a workshop on teaching Shakespeare in the workplace.  To my delight and my students’ reluctance, I developed a class session on emotional intelligence by having students get on a stage with a partner and recite excerpts from scenes in Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet, their favorite because they get to yell!

June 17:  Ten Guideposts on Your Reinvention Highway  Exploring a new career can be stressful and tiring.  Since I have reinvented myself a few times—I like to call it evolution—I share ideas on how to practice active patience to realize a new career.

July 7:  Holistic Professional Resume  In addition to teaching a business course, I also teach a program called “SuperCharge Your Career” at Zicklin.  What I don’t see on many resumes is Activities or another heading that can fill out the profile of a candidate and give an interviewer a sense of their lives outside the company.

August 30:  Career as a Farmer:  Sasha J. Farkas  Not everyone wants to work in an office in New York or any urban environment for that matter.  USA Today’s headline on December 26, 2011, “More Young People See Farming Opportunities,” confirmed that those in their 20’s and 30’s who have been downsized or unable to get a job, are seeking ways to survive on a farm.

September 13:  LockerDome:  The Facebook of Team Sports  Gabe Lozano, Co-Founder and CEO of a website for young athletes, read my post Women’s Month 2011: Shake the World and left a comment.  That comment led to a conversation, two interviews—his and Justine Siegal’s—and my own profile on LockerDome’s social media site.

October 29:  Disability:  A Second Career for L.I.R.R. Workers  Last year, I wrote about the ethical behavior of Long Island Railroad workers who claimed disability when they were obviously fine since they played golf sometimes daily.  Recently, I read that the cost of disbursing those on disability can be close to $1 billion.

November 12:  Walking Meetings  One of the many takeaways I had from reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson was learning the pleasures of a walking meeting.  A friend gave me that opportunity and I’m very grateful for it.

December 24:  Dear Santa:  My Wish List  It had been ages since I wrote a “Dear Santa” letter so I put tongue in cheek and infused my humor into the serious requests I made for the greater good—and not just the sweater and earrings I hoped Santa would bring!

Thank you for your time to browse and read my posts.  Looking forward to writing more in 2012!

Very best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Creating a list of New Year’s resolutions is a common activity.  A resolution is a declaration of what you want to achieve, like earning a promotion or getting a raise or losing ten pounds to look better in your business suits. 

A resolution is a goal, and goal setting is good.  But how are you going to achieve that goal?  New Year’s resolutions need to include solutions as to how you will achieve your goal.

For instance, your resolution is “I want to earn a promotion in 2012.”  Okay, that’s a good resolution.  Now, what is the solution that will earn you a promotion?  Let’s say that you go into your manager’s office and state, “I feel it is time for me to be promoted.”  What’s next on your agenda?

One solution in this case is offering documentation to be able to explain how you feel a promotion is warranted.  For instance, you should present monthly reports of your achievements you’ve kept for just this reason.  What about copies of e-mail testimonials on your outstanding performance from senior colleagues or customers?  Adding in that management class you took on your own to be a better supervisor is also part of your case to get a promotion.

Making a resolution is a good start to identify your goal.  Just be certain to have a solution that is doable, affordable, and one that yields the results you seek.

Cheers!

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This week I’ve written posts about business gifts of music, books, plus power and influence.  Today, the ‘business’ gift of coaching is the focus, a practical and meaningful present to give yourself.  If you are interested in coaching with me, the first half-hour of coaching on the phone is complimentary!

“Coaching done well may be the most effective intervention designed for human performance,” Atul Gawande wrote in his article “Personal Best.  Top athletes and singers have coaches.  Should you?” that appeared in the “Annals of Medicine section of The New Yorker on October 3, 2011.  The bio on his website reads that “Gawande is a surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He is also Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health.”  As the author of The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, a New York Times Bestseller, he shares the importance of following step-by-step procedures to be thorough, efficient, and effective in procedures and projects.

“No matter how well trained people are, few can sustain their best performance on their own. That’s where coaching comes in.”  Gawande writes that after eight years as a surgeon, his “performance in an operating room has reached a plateau.  I’d like to think that it’s a good thing—I’ve arrived at my professional peak.  But mainly it seems as if I’ve just stopped getting better.”

My experience coaching executives, leaders on their way to the executive suite, managers seeking ways to be more productive and profitable, recent M.B.A.s and other graduate students starting out in their career fields, and those looking to enhance their career potential has helped my clients to ‘get better.’  Getting better is a process that makes the client vulnerable and my warning to potential clients is that they will need to “move out of your comfort zone.”

Many corporate employees I know who need coaching refuse to get it.  Executives especially are stubborn to the point that they put the blame on others for a failed initiative and do not clearly see how they are holding back the progress of their small companies or large divisions.  They resist change in order to maintain their image and/or ego and do not take into account the greater good.

In case you are wondering, I follow my own advice.  That is, I have signed up to resume coaching with an excellent coach I worked with previously.  In January, I will undertake a major project and know that my investment in having someone to listen carefully to what I say—and not say— then ask appropriate questions can lead to specific appropriate actions and the realization of my goals.

If you are not interested in my coaching services, you should be wary of other coaches who do not have the specific experience you seek or lead you in the wrong direction.  For instance, when I had a small project, I called a coach who was offering a free session.  When I told her about my interest in starting a career coaching group, she told me that when I started marketing the program I had to offer a guarantee that each person would get a job.  That was not a wise coach who thought strategically since no one could guarantee a job for someone else.  I didn’t follow her advice since I wanted clients who would trust me and could be guaranteed that I would be honest about the career coaching I offered.

 To help you get an idea of what working with a coach is like, you might want to sign up for “Leigh’s Leader Offer” (on the right of this page).  If you are already interested, below is a general overview of my coaching process and session development:

-       Initial Conversation: Each potential client has a half-hour telephone conversation with me to articulate reasons for seeking a coach and identify outcomes from the coaching process.

-       Good Fit Decision: The client and I decide if there is a ‘good fit’ for both ‘coachee’ and coach in order for the coaching process to be successful.  Fees are discussed with the potential client.  Being comfortable talking about what investments in career development are worth is part of the coaching process.

-       Assessments: Client completes appropriate formal self-assessments such as the “Coaching Report for Leaders” or informal assessments such as writing a “Life Story.”

-       Session Focus Form (Optional but suggested): Client writes up their progress in specific areas; this document then becomes the agenda for a coaching session and a way to track progress toward a client’s goals.

-       90-Day Goals: Client sets reasonable expectations for achieving three goals within a 90-day period.

-       Conversation: Client and coach engage in honest interactions during which client is invited to express deep-seeded ideas or wishes. I listen carefully to what is said and not said in order to discern and offer effective strategies for client success.

-       Action steps: Client and coach agree on a series of specific ways to help client get ‘unstuck’ and on track to realize goals.

-       6-Month Planning Guide: Client identifies specific projects and places them on a calendar for completion.

-       In-Between Sessions: Client and coach discuss ideas to help the client build on the insights gained in a coaching session and/or engage in new behaviors to avoid missed opportunities.

Signing up for coaching isn’t major surgery.  All you have to do is e-mail me at Leigh@ltr-nyc.com and we can set up your half-hour complimentary telephone coaching session.

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“Coaching is Hot” according to the headline for an article by Vickie Elmer in the September 5, 2011 issue of Fortune Magazine.  The question “Is It Right for You?” leads into Elmer’s summary that “Once seen as the last step for an executive about to fall off the ladder, leadership coaches now help smooth a promotion, teach outsiders about their new culture, and tune up talent.”

At the end of her article, Elmer offers four ways to make your coaching experiences a success:

1) It’s critical to find the right match:  From my experiences coaching executives and those working to be a leader, it takes the right chemistry to have a good coaching experience, one where trust and authenticity can help the client move forward.  As every good coach should do, I had a coach, actually more than one to find the right fit and to work with those who were specialists in different areas.  One coach I consulted about a workshop series I was starting told me that I had to promise my audience that they would get jobs!  That high-profile woman wasn’t on the same wave length; I would never promise something I didn’t think was achievable.

2) Be aware of your company’s expectations:  Individuals, managers, and human resources personnel together set performance goals and monitor the progress the client is making.  There are an array of assessments and various tools that coaches can use to assess the client’s change.  These costs for these items can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the issues for which the client needed coaching.  Yet, the results are worth it to gain insights for the client and a game plan to improved performance for the coach.

3) Make sure you get what you pay for:   Rates for executive coaches can range from astronomical to a reasonable $200/hour—plus, if needed, travel expenses.  Executives, who seek a coach on their own, may find they will pay from $200-500.  Most coaching engagements start at three months and may go up to six months or a year—to start.  Change doesn’t happen over night; it might take three months for the client and coach to confirm that they are a good fit to work together.

4) The coach needs to see you in action:  Shadowing a client is the best way to understand the executive’s performance challenges and to pinpoint the ways that it can be improved.  Written assessments do provide feedback on performance.  Seeing—and experiencing—the client’s day-to-day behavior provides perspectives and knowledge about the daily interactions with staff.

Caution: not all coaching works for a variety of reasons.  The client needs to be open to growth and address, not avoid, the impact of his behavior on others.  As an adviser to an organization seeking a coach for an executive, I strongly suggested that the company not engage the coach that was initially chosen.  The reason for my reluctance was that the coach had five different college degrees—but he had no coach training and no corporate experience.  The challenge for the client needing a coach was that he was also highly educated in a field similar to the coach—but that similarity was not the reason the company sought a coach for the executive.  The coaching initiative was to help the client better understand business, especially how to delegate.  We needed to find a coach with the expertise that could bring about an improved workplace performance.

Below is an example of a coaching engagement with a client who was about to ‘fall off the ladder’—or, in my own words, a two-strike leader.  If you want to find out more about coaching, sign-up for the “Coaching Report for Leaders” and experience a sample coaching session with me.

Coaching an Older Executive to Upgrade his Performance

The Client

Mike, a vice president at an international high profile company (real names of clients are not used), was on the verge of losing his job. Mary, Mike’s manager, was frustrated. Mike’s operational skills were outstanding; it was his behavior that needed upgrading. During their weekly meetings with him, Mary tried to help Mike improve his communication skills with his colleagues and meet deadlines. When she didn’t see any improvement, Mary requested Lisa, a vice president in Human Resources, begin the process to fire Mike. Lisa, knowing Mike’s skills and the cost of finding an employee equally qualified, requested that Mike be given another chance. Mary agreed but soon was back again to request Mike be terminated. Lisa countered Mary’s request with the suggestion that an executive coach be brought in to work with Mike.

The Challenge

The challenge Leigh took on was to help a technically skilled but professionally challenged older employee adapt to a ‘newer’ corporate culture, revitalize his team of young adults, acquire more effective communications skills, and be a stronger mentor to his direct reports.

The Process

—Mary requested that Mike take a 360° assessment to gather input from Mike’s circle of influence: Mary, his direct reports, colleagues he dealt with regularly, Lisa, etc.

—“They’re wrong,” Mike said wiping away tears when he saw the ‘blind spots’ others pointed out on the 360° assessment. Mike had rated himself more effective in all but two categories; he didn’t want to accept how others felt about his performance. The turning point of Mike’s acceptance came when Leigh asked, “What if they are right?”

—Mike’s playing field had ‘obstacles’ keeping him from performing at his best. One of them was that he had never worked for a woman before and he was not willing to accept her as a leader. Leigh explored this with Mike and addressed how he needed to resume the weekly meetings with Mary he had stopped plus acknowledge gratitude that she was investing in keeping him on staff.

—Leigh observed Mike at team meetings. He was using ‘old school’ behaviors that provided him steady work for over 20 years but which were no longer effective. Leigh pointed out ways he could ‘upgrade’ his language and approach to be more effective.

—Mike and Leigh—joined at times by Mike’s direct reports—had many conversations about the ways he could make smarter decisions, communicate in a timely and professional manner, redirect his attention, and focus on the bottom line of performance.

The Impact

Gradually Mike’s behavior began to change. His relationship with Mary improved along with his performance and communication skills. Mike learned how to take down barriers that locked him into old habits and went on to successfully manage a major technology upgrade.

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“I don’t mean to be confrontational.  I do mean to be direct.”

That’s what I said during a conference call a few years ago.  The phrase has stayed with me since then.

I first used the phrase when planning the debut of the Executive Coaching learning track with other types of coaches for the International Coaching Federation’s global gathering.  The conversation wasn’t moving forward but was stuck in minutia that could be easily resolved.  Frustrated at the time this discussion was taking, I jumped into the conversation and said, “I don’t mean to be confrontational.  I do mean to be direct” and offered some options that settled the issue.

I had forgotten the phrase until one of the coaches on the call and I spoke a few weeks later.  He told me that he liked the phrase so much that he wrote it on a 3×5 card and posted it on his bulletin board over his desk.

The phrase stuck with me on and off until recently when I find I am using it more and more.  Why?  It summarizes that I’m not angry or upset or disruptive.  Instead, I want to cut to the core of issue and resolve that in a straightforward manner.

Too often during a committee, staff, board, or other type of meeting issues that are off topic or generate strong emotions seep into the tone of the discussions, sidetracking the process.  Valuable time is then spent dealing with the emotional tenor and not the substance of the issue on the table. 

I’m a good listener and I hear some of my coaching clients go around in circles before they discuss or even address an issue.  They linger for what I think is too long in the process and avoid the decision that they need to make in order to move forward.  That’s when I step in to guide their decision-making.

My style of being direct became an issue when I was in training to be an executive coach in 2000.  My instructor, his assistant, and my seven classmates were all psychotherapists.  When the students took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator—Team Report, six students demonstrated preferences as ‘feeling’ and ‘perceiving.’  The preferences for a colleague and me were ‘thinking’ and ‘judging.’  My overall type preference was ENTJ — extrovert, intuition, thinking, judging — a preference that can be unsettling to those whose preferences are introverts, sensing, feeling, and perceiving.

Previous to taking the report, I would encourage my colleagues to make a decision or move forward while they, using their therapeutic approaches, would often linger and revisit the issue without making a decision.  Once the results of the “Team Report” were shared, my classmates understood my directness and we were able to communicate in a more informed way.

What’s your favorite phrase?  What words do you carry with you working to be a leader?

A free version of the basic Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can be found online at http://similarminds.com/jung.html

To purchase more detailed basic assessments of your preferences—or other versions of the MBTI like the Team Report or a Work Styles Report that can enhance two-way communication in the workplace—contact me at Leigh@ltr-nyc.com

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Greetings from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is cloudy and cold this morning but that is not diminishing the peace and relaxation I feel in this environment.

When I was in a local store, the topic of me being from New York City came up. “You must be in culture shock!” a woman said. Well, yes and no since I’ve been in this area before.

The yes comes when I read the area’s daily paper to learn about the region. The Union Democrat is well-written and delivers content that if I were to live here, I would like to know about. The Modesto Bee writes of the city of shopping malls and car lots for new and used cars.

One thing that interests me is that education is the lead story for most of the editions that I’ve read. It is important for those whose desire to not continue in the family business of farming, cattle ranching, or other fields but instead get a college education and move to a big city.

“Columbia Stock Market Class in the Black” was the top headline in the Union Democrat on April 20, a story about sixth to eighth grade students using a California stock market simulation. The writer states that, “Wall Street stock brokers and investors could take a lesson from Columbia Elementary School teacher John Russell and his stock market class students.” A good read to capture the essence of the trades that students are seeking and enjoying.

“Arkansas, Mississippi lead cell-only trend, 18% in California have no land line” by Alam Fram of The Associated Press appeared in The Modesto Bee on April 21. I found this line of much interest, “The states where the smallest portion of people depend solely on wireless phones and no land lines: New Jersey and Rhode Island.” Why the two top states: residents can save money giving up their land lines.

“Number of Sacramentans with jobs near 10 year low,” appeared in The Sacramento Bee on April 21. Like those in other areas, “The number of people wanting to work has grown by almost 100,000.” It is estimated that not until 2014 will unemployment drop below the 10% level.

“How Genius Works” is the cover story of The Culture Issue of The Atlantic magazine, May 2011. This issue traveled with me to California and I’m still reading the creative thinking of people such as Paul Simon, Sarah Ruhl, Frank Gehry, Tim Burton, and others. Creativity, innovation, thinking outside the box, willingness to take risks…these are the traits, skills, needs for the workplace now and in the future. (The Atlantic

Education on the stock market, giving up a land line for a cell phone, unemployment in the state capital, and the thoughts of a genius’ creative thinking. Enough reading and writing for me. It’s off to go for a walk and enjoy the day here in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

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How do you create a lasting impression?  Whether you are in sitting in a job interview for the position you really want, taking a call from a potential client, or preparing for an exit interview during a downsizing, you need to make the very best impression that you can.

In 2001, Meg, a woman I did not know previously, contacted me with a question about her business.  I gave her some answers and also some coaching advice for her son.  We talked just a couple of times and we might have exchanged two or three e-mails until our correspondence went silent after a year or two.  On May 2, 2008, I got a call from a woman named Lori Ann who told me that her friend Meg suggested she call me.  Lori Ann was seeking an executive coach to help her with a career transition.  I was a little stunned that Meg still remembered me after almost seven years and that she gave my name to Lori Ann (she hired me).

In 2002, I was asked to be the chair of the first Executive Coaching Track for the ICF International Conference (International Coach Federation).  One day, I was on a conference call with the other chairs of the other committees developing learning tracks; the issues being discussed gradually became confused and the interactions weren’t productive.  To bring about some order to the group, I stated, “I don’t mean to be confrontational; I do mean to be direct” and went on to make a few suggestions.  A few weeks later, the chair of the New Coaches committee called me to talk about executive coaching.  And he mentioned that he thought my statement so succinct and to the point that he wrote it out and posted it above his desk.

Last October, I traveled to Los Angeles to attend my very first high school reunion.  The Saturday evening event started with Stephan, a co-chair of the event, welcoming the 125 in attendance, reading a list of those who were not able to attend, and remembering those who had passed away recently.  He went on to share a list of the locations people came from in order to be present.  Since I had traveled the furthest, he read my name last and, much to my surprise, the banquet room echoed with applause.  “How nice,” I thought.  Yet, there was another thoughtful gesture; one that moved me to tears.  A woman walked up to the table where I was sitting and asked if I was at the table.  As I was standing up, she said, “My name is Edna and I heard Stephen announce your name.  I just came over to thank you.  You were the nicest person to me in high school.”  (Read more about my reunion in “The Roots of Leadership.”)

How do you make a lasting impression in a job interview, in the workplace, or with friends while you are working to be a leader?  Since I was a child, I had tried being someone else behind a patina of what I saw as acceptable.  That really didn’t work for me; I kept on stumbling over the obstacles that I set up for myself of trying to live up to others’ and my own expectations.  (Read more about my background in “Diversity of Social Class.”)

Below are some basic ideas to help you create a lasting impression:

Be yourself.  Authenticity is a key to being a leader others want to follow, to being an effective manager employees will respect, to being a job seeker an interviewer wants to hire.

Be grateful.  See the glass half full and not half empty.  This simple mental image can make a world of difference in your attitude toward developing perseverance and overcoming challenging situations.

Be hopeful.  I start almost every e-mail I write with a “Hope you are….” then fill in the rest of the sentence with reference to the weather, the season, or a similar topic that the receiver and I have in common.  I want the best for those with whom I communicate via electronic messages.  I hope for their best day, weekend, etc.

Be sincere.  There have been so many times at a professional gathering when someone looked me up and down then said, “Oh, great outfit,” with a look that told me, “She really doesn’t know how to put an outfit together.  I saw those clothes three years ago in stores.”  “I like the colors you chose” is a complement, a sincere way to avoid judging how I put an outfit together and instead, commenting on the colors I chose.  If the colors really didn’t work, comment on a pin, a pair of earrings, or the weather.  Be sincere, though, with anything you say.

Be open to growth.  Look inside yourself and ask, “What more could I be saying during this conversation or at work that I’m not comfortable with saying?”  Push yourself to get out of your comfort zone and take a chance to make your voice be heard.

Dance in the moment.  I love to dance but I don’t get on a dance floor often.  However, when coaching, consulting, speaking for an audience, or teaching a class of students, I am ready to do what needs to be done on the spot by dancing to the beat of the client’s needs.  I’m not spontaneous as much as I am in the moment to follow the steps that have worked for me before or are related to previous work that I have done.

‘Dancing’ is a term that can help you be in-the-moment and authentic.  Most of all, it’s a good approach to make a lasting impression while you are working to be a leader.

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To find one set of answers, go to “The Wall Street Journal How-To Guide to Management” which contains tips from the Journal’s reporters and columnists.

The article I found of interest is “What is the Difference Between Management and Leadership?” since I get that question a lot in my management classes.  It is also something that my coaching clients need to understand while they are working to be leaders.

Basically, the articles states, “The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate.  The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate.”  Most managers have the responsibility to motivate their employees.  I’d substitute the phrase ‘envision the future’ for motivate.  However, in our pared down workplaces, there are a numerous number of overlaps between what a manager does and what a leader is expected to do.

Included in the article is reference to the book On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis published in 1989.  My updated copy of the book that contains a 2003 introduction contains sticky notes on what seems every other page to mark what I thought of value to my clients.  I sent a client a copy of the book with the assignment to read it so that we could discuss it during our coaching sessions.  This client had been promoted from manager of his department to a leadership position.  My starting him out reading the Bennis book was a basic introduction to what could be expected of him in his new role.

The online “How-To Guide to Management” has eight sections:  Developing a Leadership Style; Managing Your People; Recruiting, Hiring and Firing; Building a Workplace Culture; Strategy; Execution; Innovation; Managing Change.  A book The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management by Alan Murray published by Harper Business is now available.

I recommend the “How-To Guide to Management” as a great introduction for anyone working to be a leader.

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Your career path can be littered with a series of obstacles blocking your optimum performance and career advancement.  How do you overcome these barriers?

When doing a search on Google to take the pulse of how others are framing this issue, I came across an interesting PDF entitled “Performance Obstacles and Suggested Manager Actions” produced by the Human Resources Department at Rice University.

The document is set up as a table with one column of ‘Performance Obstacle Category,’ and another ‘Manager Actions.’  I recommend downloading this document by managers and others working to be a leader.  Reading through it you can gain the language and learn suggested steps to remove specific performance obstacles in your employees.

What about the road blocks on your career path?  How do you overcome those?

Below are five ways to reduce or eliminate what is blocking your most effective and efficient performance.

 Jump over Obstacles.  You have power, often more than you know in particular situations.  However, your power has to be applied in the right areas and for the appropriate purposes.  For instance, “Are you talking about the past and what was done to you?  Or are you in the present and thinking about how you can break through previous ‘small world’ training to embrace a wider horizon of opportunities.”  My evolution from an elementary school teacher with a master’s degree in early childhood education to teaching at the Zicklin School of Business without a Ph.D. was facilitated by taking my blinders off and using my curiosity to take me on a meaningful and rewarding path.  (Read my post on “How Do You Reduce Silo Thinking?” for more information on jumping barriers.)

Cut through the Elements of an Obstacle.  What is really blocking you from moving forward to fulfill your dreams?  “I’m miserable but I can’t financially risk a move to another job?”  “I like the people where I work?”  “I’m not smart enough to take another job?  I strongly suggest you read, “The Real Reason Why People Won’t Change” by Robert Kagan and Lisa Laskow Lahey (Harvard Business Review, November 2001).  The first page explains the takeaway from the article, “How to explain employees’ inexplicable resistance to change?  Uncover their unconscious goals.”

Keep a Journal.  Keeping a journal is a form of meditation for me.  Seeing my thoughts emerge on paper helps me assess where I am and what I’ve learned.  Also, article topics and development flow from my pen when writing on a page where punctuation doesn’t count—as do ideas for what I could contribute to a client session.  It is also a helpful place to diagnose what did and didn’t work during a coaching or classroom session—or a marketing initiative.  (See “Keeping a Journal During a Job Search” and “Worldly Achievements” for other perspectives.)

Hire a Coach.  That coach doesn’t have to be me—nice if it was—but find someone who can be objective and observant of where you might be creating your own obstacles to success.  A coach is on the sidelines to hold you accountable to jumping over obstacles, cutting through the elements of an obstacle, keeping a journal of ‘worldly achievements’ or a job search; continuing learning for professional development.  A coach doesn’t have all the answers; but together with her client, a coach can help remove barriers and move her clients forward on their career paths.

Interested in setting up a complimentary one-half hour coaching session with me?  Send an e-mail to info@ltr-nyc.com

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“Why do you use the word ‘room’ in your company name?”

One of my executive coaching clients asked me that as he was writing out a check to me after his coaching session.  My brief explanation was that the word ‘room’ creates a sense of space where an executive, leader, recent college graduate, or professional can utilize the services I offer to improve their workplace performance and advance their careers while they are working to be a more effective leader.

According to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of ‘room’ is “an extent of space occupied by or sufficient or available for something.”  The example the online dictionary used was “room to run and play.”  In a sense, that’s what happens during a coaching or training session:  clients have a chance to run with ideas and play with the options to enhance their presence and effectiveness.

Our professional—and personal—time is fully scheduled and most of that time is taken up with responsibilities to others.  Finding the time to fulfill what we need or want to do for ourselves is a challenge, an obstacle that can keep someone from getting the assistance they need to level their playing field.  Adding the name ‘room’ to ‘leadership training’ creates a sense of place, an environment where professionals for one hour can express their concerns and generate ideas to resolve them.

Leadership Training Room was launched in the fall of 2000.  Reflecting on the choice of my company’s name, I see that a thread of my decision evolved from my childhood.  Specifically, it was the first few weeks of school when I knew I wanted to be a teacher.  In school, the classroom was a specific area of my daily life that exposed me to learning, to being present, to understanding more and more about history, geography, math, history, etc.  It was a place where I learned even more manners than what my family instilled in me and a chance to make some friends and listen to an autoharp.

In junior high school, I joined Future Teachers of America and periodically presented a short lesson in one of my classes to fellow students.  On the back of the senior class picture, my friend Lionel wrote:  “Go easy on the kids, please, Teacher!”  Lionel forecast the essence of my classroom teaching and leading styles, a tough (but caring) way of presenting information so that a student would be challenged to do their best and be their best.

After earning a master’s degree in early childhood education, I went on to work in public and private elementary schools.  Looking back, I can see that although I received praised from parents and students, I was working on a very small playing field—one that didn’t allow me to be challenged intellectually and to teach in a more challenging, adult space.

To expand my horizons, I made a career transition and began working at a college and then corporations.   In 1982, I was an Administrative Assistant at Brandeis University and took it upon myself to organize “9 to 5 the Brandeis Way,” a panel discussion on workplace issues for campus staff during Women’s History Month.  Although I had been told by a professor to expect only a few people, over 75 staff, students, and faculty showed up.  Other seminars followed on topics such as job sharing.

Adult education felt a natural course for me.  I went on to develop workshops and lectures as well as be invited to present for colleges, associations, churches, and even the U.S. Army.  Each space which I stepped into while I was working to be a leader was a further confirmation of the need for time to learn at any age and to allow me to transfer my knowledge to others.

You might be wondering now, “What about the other parts of the name of your company:  leadership and training?”  That’s a good question, one that is easier to describe.

For over five years on my path of working to be a leader, I was a temporary secretary at the quiet giant of Wall Street, Lazard Frères & Co. (now Lazard Ltd.).  Around the same time I started at Lazard in 1989, my youngest niece was beginning her senior year at a women’s college.  Sitting at the right hands of the gods of Wall Street and observing and experiencing their behavior, I knew that her classroom instructors weren’t giving her the same eye level view of leadership I was getting.  My niece’s education—plus disrespectful and arrogant banker behavior—inspired me to record my experiences so that one day I could share my workplace intelligence and teach those in business how to be better leaders.  (Click here for “A Reader’s Guide to Temping with Tycoons: Lessons from My Leadership Reinvention” and download your copy of the special report.)

I finally left Lazard and became a consultant at a hotel marketing company.  Downsizing became a buzz word in the economy and that is just what happened to me after about 18 months:  I was downsized.  Not wanting to go back to temping, I decided that I would find a job in technology for a level of security.  Before I took a long-term assignment in the Marketing & Communications Department at Merrill Lynch & Co., I presented training programs at Texaco.  One of the classes I was asked to teach was Exchange—later called Outlook—and my audience was made up of employees from the Accounting Department.  The students started arriving, and I noticed that they were subdued; one man, who turned out to be the manager, came in his three-piece suit.  While waiting for the rest of the staff to attend, I became a little anxious because they seemed so stiff.  I needed a way to enliven the group.

“I was sent here because of my credentials,” I stated to the group after introducing myself.  “I have a master’s degree in early childhood education.”  The group roared with laughter, including the manager.  The spell of subdued behavior was broken; my approach helped them know that in the space of learning how to use the new e-mail system, they could play and have some fun.  And they did!

Today, I teach a course in “Organizational Behavior” in the Management Department at the Zicklin School of Business within Baruch College, part of the City University of New York.  My approach to teaching has not changed dramatically over the years.  I’m a tough instructor; but students come away with more knowledge and self-awareness than they imagined gaining in a classroom.  I’m also a caring, creative instructor who uses my own experiences and that of my clients to address how to navigate obstacles in the workplace.  I’m also a cheerful instructor who brings a good sense of humor and a positive attitude to the classroom environment.

Each time I go into my college classroom, I know that I am bringing not just information from the experts quoted in the assigned textbook, Harvard Business Review, or other articles.  I know that I can convey the knowledge I’ve gained from my workplace experiences but also from working with clients through Leadership Training Room, a space that provides a time to run and play.