My mind is filled with thoughts of coaching these days. Perhaps it is because in about 2 hours 100 minutes we will be kicking off our Coach and Be Coached event on RemarkableTV.com.
One of the things I hear from leaders is that they “don’t have time” to coach. In most cases it isn’t that they don’t want to coach, or develop others, it’s just that they “don’t have time.”
To them, (and you if you are nodding your head in agreement) I say . . . Bull . . .
I know you are busy. (So is every other leader on the planet).
You don’t have a time problem. You have a priority problem.
I know that there are days when we all have pressing matters on our plates, and our priorities might not include helping others grow. I get that. Today is one of those days for me.
But if we play the “I’m too busy” card all the time, what we are saying is, “coaching isn’t really important enough to spend my time on.” (Here’s a post about the fallacy of busy).
And I hope, if you are reading this post, that isn’t really true for you. Which means our first coaching challenge is to put our actions in alignment with our beliefs.
If we want to grow our results. . .
If we want to grow our team . . .
If we want fewer fires in the future (because others are avoiding them – or are able to manage them themselves) . . .
If we want the satisfaction of helping others succeed . . .
Then we must invest time to coach.
If you are reading this on March 16, I hope you make time to join us between 11 am and 3 pm Et for our Coach and Be Coached event. You will gain more insights into coaching than you thought possible in a short time.
This week’s Resource Recommendation – Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It By Marshall Goldsmith
Some call it a hot streak; others use words like momentum, flow or good karma. Marshall Goldsmith, one of America’s top executive coaches, calls it mojo, and he has written this book to define it, explore the components of it, help you see why you want it and how to get it.
In an early chapter Goldsmith shares what he calls “The Mojo Paradox”:
Our default response in life is not to experience happiness. Our default response in life is not to experience meaning. Our default experience in life is to experience inertia.
From this paradox, he moves forward to help us get past that inertia in thoughtful, conscious ways so we can create more happiness, more meaning and more mojo.
The book then explains the four building blocks of mojo and how to use them in your life. Those blocks are:
- Identity
- Achievement
- Reputation
- Acceptance
Often in this space I recommend books that have a pretty narrow focus and might only be applicable to some readers based on their professional interests. This is NOT one of those books.
If you are interested in having more happiness and a more meaningful life, this book is for you (and who doesn’t want that). It will help you think about getting more happiness and meaning – and give you specific ideas about how to make that happen. And, it all comes from one of the best executive coaches on the planet. That makes the few dollars spent a darn good investment!
I’ve read this on my Kindle and wish I hadn’t. Not because I didn’t want to read the book, but because this is one of those books I would have taken a few notes in the margins and highlighted some sections.
This book challenged me to think and reflect and will help me both professionally and personally to get – and keep – my mojo. It is hard to beat that!
Final note – Marshall will be one of our guests on the Remarkable TV event Coach and Be Coached tomorrow, March 16. Register now (for fr/ee) for all the details. Plus, as a registered guest, you can find out when he is scheduled to appear!
