kimlmiles.com

Reflection of September 2013

By Leave a Comment

September was filled with lots of movement, not only for me but many people in my sphere.

The Denver Metro area of Colorado experienced the worst rain fall/ flooding it has in 100 years.  Many people lost their homes and some even lost their lives.  As always, our local community stepped up to support those in need.  It is not a surprise the way Coloradans come together in love and support but to be quite honest, I feel the requirement for it due to tragedy has happened way to often as of lately.  I would love for Coloradans to have a few years without tragedies such as fires, floods, shootings, and rockslides.

In business I have been fortunate to have gained new client relationships with leadership teams and executives.  I am engaging in more corporate type mandates and getting to work with more and more clients that are motivated, engaged and excited to have a greater impact on their clients and ultimately the world.  I also am partnering with amazing people like strategic illustrators and other coaches so that we can deliver extremely valuable programs to clients.  I am so blessed to be able to do the things I am truly passionate about – executive and leadership team coaching, strategic planning events and workshop delivery.

And personally…well, my family and I got to work together to clean out the flooded basement which gave us an opportunity to clear some clutter and create a space that we love (it will be finished in 2 weeks).  My daughter is adapting to middle school and got great grades the first quarter.  And I have been working with my personal trainer for over a month now.  It’s all still a work in progress which is what life is all about 🙂

Through everything I feel I have developed some perspective, skills and tools to help me navigate this wonderful thing called life.  Here are the coaching topics that life has shined a light on this last month.

  • Perspective – Awareness that the basement flood was an inconvenience for us, not and earth shattering event.
  • Focus on the right things – opportunities ahead of me…new basement space, great clients and valuable offerings.
  • Team work – with the support of family and friends, the Miles Family and Colorado can accomplish any task put before us.

Coaching Question:  What do you have to reflect on from the last month that will positively influence your business or life?

Company Culture…What’s all the hubbub?

By Leave a Comment

You can’t go anywhere in the business or corporate space without hearing the word “culture”.  Companies boast about their culture and/or employees complain about it.  In my opinion the word culture is far often used and overused without awareness, intention or thought.

Corporate Culture:  A blend of the values, beliefs, taboos, symbols, rituals and myths all companies develop over time ~Entrepreneur’s encyclopedia

I agree with this definition and feel the most unfortunate part of it is that many companies don’t intentionally develop it.  Rather it gets developed and passed on from leader to manager to employee without awareness or acknowledgment of the true impact culture has on it’s employees and worse yet, it’s customers.  

I have worked for companies with cultures of workaholism, micromanagement, disrespect for functions other than the services sold, and abusive verbal communication.  And not one of those companies had any of those things in their mission, vision, and values statement.  As a matter of fact, I was not aware if some of these companies even had a values statement.

Could you imagine working for a company who told you in the interview “We work our people 80 hours per week and you get to be micromanaged along the way”?  Would you buy from a Apple if they said “We think people who aren’t engineering the latest iProducts are worthless and stupid”?  I imagine your answer would be no to both.

Intentionally creating a Mission/Vision/Values (MVV) statement  is becoming more of a mainstream focus for organizations.  In the past, the exercise of creating an MVV was reserved for the large corporations with an executive team, but that is no longer the case.  Companies of all sizes are interested in actually designing and living their Mission, Vision and Values.  And with the three generations (baby boomers, gen X and millennials) of people in one workplace, companies have to find a way to get everyone on the same page of the same book so there isn’t disengagement and discourse.

In my work with executives and leadership teams, the “creating the right culture” conversation happens every day.  The amazing people I get to work with are truly interested in and investing in creating a culture that intentionally attracts and keeps engaged, committed and connected team members.  These leaders are using language like “team members” instead of “employees”, they are getting input, agreement and consensus so that everyone on the team feels valued and values each other.  As the organization grows and moves forward, everyone is not only sure that they are on a bus taking them where they want to go, but they are sure the bus has like minded people who care about the same things they do.

So what IS all the hubbub about creating the right company culture?  It is about business sustainability, growth.  It is about employee engagement.  And it is ultimately about business and personal fulfillment!

Coaching Exercise:  Identify the gap in what your company culture IS and what you WANT it to be.

Body Language Confidential by Traci Brown

By Leave a Comment

Have you ever been talking with someone and the words coming out of their mouth doesn’t match the message you are receiving.  A great example of this is sarcasm.

Sarcasm is one type of communication that sends a conflicting message but what about all the other types of conflicting messages?  The limp handshake, the furrowed brow, crossed arms or rolling eyes.  I am specifically speaking about body language and my friend and colleague Traci Brown, is a body language expert who wrote a must have tool (aka book) for cracking the code of body language; Body Language Confidential.

This book gives you examples and pictures that help you recognize the meaning behind the movements that you witness with your colleagues, clients, spouse, kids and even people who find themselves on the evening news (politicians, athletes, criminals and others).

If you want to be better at communication you have to be better at understanding what is being communicated to you.  Body Language Confidential one of the best tools to have in your tool kit!

To busy the book, Body Language Confidential, and to learn more about Traci Brown go to her website.

 

When Does Being an Entertainer Work?

By Leave a Comment

The Commander, Organizer, and the Relater are the first three types in the CORE Multidimensional Awareness Profile® that we have looked at so far.  What have you learned about yourself through this information?  What have you learned about your choice in  the traits you use or don’t use?

Well, we have the last, but certainly not the least of the traits – the Entertainer.  Entertainers are emotional caring and supportive…in short, they love people.  They are outgoing, optimistic, motivational types who like to make a favorable impression. They like to socialize and, well, entertain.

While you are reading this you may immediately identify the characteristics within yourself or in someone you know.  Entertainer traits are the easiest to pick out and amazingly enough are sometimes the hardest to draw upon IF you are extremely introverted.  But believe it or not, even the most introverted access their entertainer from time to time 🙂

Here are coaching questions regarding the Entertainer:

  1. What situations would serve you best for your Entertainer to make an appearance?
  2. What characteristics about your Entertainer are most attractive?
Think of all of the times in your life when you have been or would like to be an Entertainer.  Think about how much energy it would take to be an entertainer some or all of the time.  How much effort would it take and what strengths would you draw on to bring the Entertainer out?

Your assignment is the same as last three weeks.  Take a personal inventory of when, in the past 2 weeks, you have been optimistic, supportive, and entertaining. When has your entertainer shown up – in work, at home, with friends, coworkers or family?

Over the past 4 weeks we have looked at all types, Commander, Organizer, Relater and Entertainer, of the CORE MAP®.  Next week we will put it all together – you won’t want to miss it!

When Is Your Relater Present?

By Leave a Comment

We have been looking at the CORE Multidimensional Awareness Profile® and explored the Commander and Organizer.  So what did you find about these two types?  How often does your Commander (see previous blog on Commanders) drive you?  What about your Organizer (see previous blog on Organizer)?

Now, let’s look at the “R”- Relater characteristics.  Relaters are flexible and easy going.  They are loyal and kind and enjoy helping others.  They can calm others and create a stable environment with the good listening and advising skills.  They are consistent, predictable, thoughtful and methodical.

So when do you access the Relater in yourself?  What situations do you perform or behave as described above?  Who in your life brings out theRelater in you?

The coaching questions for the Relater are these…

  1. When would being a Relater serve you best?
  2. What emotions or thoughts would you express or repress in being a Relater?

Relaters are introverts and we know that each of us has the capacity and maybe even the desire for “down time” when we have been burning the candle at both ends or running with much intensity.  But remember that introversion is where you get energy from within where as the extrovert gets energy externally.

Your assignment is the same as last two weeks.  Take a personal inventory of when, in the past 2 weeks, has your Relater has stepped in to calm, stabilize and become methodical.  And how energized did you feel when it happened.

For me, the Relater is something I work at.  I access the Relater skills more so when I need to and less so automatically.  It is intentional…I call on my Relater instead of my Relater driving me.

If you found being a Relater feels draining or takes intention, look back at your energy level with the Commander and Organizer and stay tuned for next weeks blog when we cover the last of the four CORE MAP® types, the Entertainer.