Good communication with your employees is key to ensuring the effective operation of your business.
Your staff will feel compelled to perform if they know the expectations before them. But when bad communication engulfs a company, it can be disastrous.
Initially published through Forbes Coaches Council
15 members of Forbes Coaches Council share the most common communication errors they’ve seen by leaders and how they’ve helped these individuals overcome the issues.
You’ll feel the effects of poor communication through errors, missed deadlines and a complete cluster of bad decisions. Keeping the lines of communication open with your staff can help them engage more. They will be more successful in their roles and with their responsibilities, while your company will reap the rewards with improved operations.
1. Deliver A Clear Message
There’s often a mismatch between what we say and what we think we’ve said. Strong communicators use these three principles: 1. Deliver a clear and concise message. Less is more. 2. Perception check — was the message interpreted correctly? 3. What’s missing? What’s next? Explore gaps using open-ended questions to uncover concerns. – Christine J. Culbertson (Boyle)
, Coach Christine: Building Business, Leaders and BIG Lives
2. Work More On Listening
Leaders are often known for their brilliant words, but eloquence is far less critical to leadership than being a keen listener who can find, notice and cultivate the brilliance and creativity of their team. Learning to focus less on what you’re about to say, and more on what you just heard and how to encourage more exchanges, will pay greater dividends than inspirational pronouncements. – Amie Devero, Amie Devero Coaching & Consulting
3. Clarify Your Message
Two of the biggest communication problems I’ve seen with both my coaching and workshop clients are waffling and being too abstract. Waffling can be easily managed by the “power of three,” which focuses on the three key points they want their listeners to remember. Being too abstract can be solved by adding practical examples and by using metaphors. – Gabriella Goddard, Brainsparker Leadership Academy
4. Tell Nothing But The Truth
The pressure to say the right things not only handcuffs potentially powerful messages, but it also discredits powerful leaders. If you truly want to connect and inspire, just be truthful. – Derrick Bass, Clarity Provoked
5. Understand Your Audience
One of the most common communication errors is speaking from your perspective rather than the listener’s. When you shift your communication style to first understand the key motives and values of your audience, you can then communicate using the right words, tone and phrasing that will unlock their ability to see and hear you. Shift your talk track from you to them for the best results. – Michela Quilici, MQ Consulting and Business Training Inc.
6. Set Clear Intentions
One common communication error I’ve seen many great leaders make is verbalizing a message with heavy emotion (e.g., anger, frustration or disappointment) without providing a clear understanding of their expectations going forward. I’ve helped clients improve their communication styles as leaders by guiding them to enter conversations with an aim to come to an agreement. It helps to collect and write down all your thoughts before addressing situations. – Lakrisha Davis, Lakrisha Davis & Co.
7. Be Brief, Be Brilliant And Be Gone
Some leaders communicate too much, and some communicate too little. Many leaders cannot break their jargon habits and express dismay when their instructions are misunderstood. Make it Sesame Street-style by being clear and direct. Avoid the use of jargon and acronyms. Finally, remember the three Bs: Be brief. Be brilliant. Be gone. Leave your audience wanting more, not less. – James Chittenden, Triumph Business Communications Inc.
8. Mind Your Body Language
A major component to communication is body language. If you’re slouching or frowning, you might be sending the wrong signals that detract from your message. What we say is only part of the equation. How we say it is critical to effective delivery. Work on your posture, eye contact and facial expressions to make sure your body language syncs with your communicated intent. – Erin Urban, UPPSolutions LLC
9. Omit Undermining Language
A communication mistake leaders make is adding unnecessary words or phrases to their communication. Speaking directly and clearly helps leaders display confidence and authority. I coach executives to omit undermining language (e.g., words and phrases like “actually,” “kind of,” “a little bit” and “sorry”). One way to increase awareness and improve is to ask a stakeholder to listen and provide feedback. – Karen Dee, Accendo Leadership Advisory Group
10. Pick Up The Phone
Technology has caused many leaders to attempt to address important issues via email versus verbal conversation. Although an email often provides important documentation, it can also create a greater misunderstanding through back and forth exchanges. I help clients develop their verbal communication skills so that they can have difficult conversations. – LaKesha Womack, Womack Consulting Group
11. Remember Not Everyone Thinks Like You
Not everyone thinks, processes information or communicates in the same way. Not everyone shares the same core values and beliefs. When it comes to communicating, one size does not fit all. Don’t say much, but say it often, all over the place and in a hundred different ways. For Jedi status, encourage your leaders to ask this question: “So, in your own words, what did we just agree?” – Antonio Garrido, Absolute Sales Development
12. Act — Don’t React
The most common error in communication that I see leaders engage in is communicating when not in a clear, rational state of mind, which prevents them from attaining the outcomes they want to achieve. Whether frustrated, angry or experiencing physical pain, this is not the time to communicate. I have my clients develop an ingrained habit of taking a timeout to stabilize themselves prior to communicating. – Linda Zander, Super Sized Success
13. Don’t Make Assumptions
One of the biggest enemies of effective communication is assumption. It’s common to make our own conclusions based on our personal past experiences and, as a result, misinterpret what is being communicated to us. Instead of assuming that you know what the other person means and what is coming, it’s best to clarify. Repeat the message back in your own words, and ask if you understood correctly. – Masha Malka, The One Minute Coach
14. Stop Avoiding Difficult Conversations
A common communication error I’ve observed repeatedly in leaders I coach is avoiding difficult conversations until the situation is out of control. If an employee behaves in a manner that isn’t supportive of your team or organization’s goals, address it immediately and clearly articulate consequences of that behavior on the individual, team or organization. – Kimberly Jarvis, All Career Matters Inc.
Meet Coach Christine
Christine coaches with ROI top-of-mind. Many companies who leverage her coaching produce quick and long-lasting results transforming people, processes and culture, impacting their bottom line. Clients have seen upward of 200% ROI.
Her time with clients generates powerful results in:
- Business and Personal Development
- Communication and Relationships
- Sales and Sales Leadership
Watching and learning at the feet of titans of Canada’s Wall Street and other business leaders, Coach Christine was influenced by their success and built a corporate career and coaching business founded on proven business practices.
She is an award-winning business woman and contributor to Forbes publications; is an accredited coach with the ICF; a practitioner of Conscious Business practices; is certified by the IMPACT: Coaching with ROI program; holds her First and Second Degree Reiki and has studied Aboriginal healing for over 20 years. Christine loves the adventure of travel and has a knock-out collection of snazzy women’s shoes.
When you want more, are ready to bust obstacles and build your juicy, big life, contact me, Coach Christine Culbertson.
Together we’ll step into your untapped potential.
YES! I Want More!
![Business Planning: How To Craft Your Vision And Mission Statement [FORBES Publication]](https://coachchristine.biz/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/vision-and-mission-statement-girl-shutterstock-image.png)
A rudderless ship is vulnerable to the strongest blowing wind.
So too is your business if you’re focused only on the here and now, and your operation is perpetually reacting instead of proacting.
Leading professionals know that looking forward drives growth.
Photo by Shutterstock and a version of this article was originally published through Forbes Coaches Council.
Here, we’ll examine how to build a strong foundation. Now that you’ve spent time examining your “why” and the legacy you’d like to leave behind, we’ll discuss in detail how to craft your vision and mission statement. With this, you’ll have a blueprint for success and a target on the horizon to strive for.
Your mission statement is a set of words that defines and communicates the purpose of your business. It shows how you define success, make business decisions and ensure that everyone involved in the company is on the same, inspired track.
Google’s mission statement is a great summation of what the company does: “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Here’s Microsoft‘s: “We believe in what people make possible. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
Step 1: Establish The Framework
Define your purpose:
• Why did you choose this line of business?
• What is the best part of your business, and what keeps you going?
Who do you serve?
• Who is your ideal buyer?
• Who are your customers?
• How do you treat your customers and employees, and why is that important to you?
Establish your reputation:
• What do you do better than anyone else? Why should people buy from you?
• What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want to be known for?
• What keeps your competition up at night — what’s your “secret sauce?”
• What do you stand for?
Measure your success:
• What does success look like to you?
• What kind of goals have you established to make your business succeed? How will you measure them and how will you know when you’ve arrived?
Step 2: Refine Your Mission Statement
Now that you have broad objectives, it’s time to start narrowing them down. Ideally, your mission statement should be three to four sentences that capture your goals, purpose and your “why.”
Ask for input from your employees, and make it personal. It should be something everyone can buy into. Go for the big picture; the sky is the limit.
Keep in mind mission statements can evolve over time. Try different combinations until you find one that resonates with you and your employees. Use actionable words. It can be helpful to include goals in your mission statement, like “95% of the time we will …”
Remember, there are no wrong mission statements. If it resonates with you and your employees, your mission statement is complete.
Step 3: Create Your Business Vision
Now that you know what you stand for, it’s time to build the blueprint to get there. Here are key steps to follow:
Start with your history:
You have to look back to move forward — you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.
• When did you start in business, and how many employees did you have?
• Write all your company’s significant milestones on a piece of paper with a brief description of each, and turn it into a line graph with peaks and valleys. What are the positive and negative milestones and turning points, and when did they occur?
• What are the achievements you are most proud of to date? Any awards or innovations? Include big and small achievements.
• What are your favorite parts of the business? What are your passions?
• What other details need to be included in the history of your business for a complete picture?
Now, pretend your business history belonged to a third party. What do you notice? What are significant positive or negative business decisions and what was the outcome? What’s holding you back from moving forward? What were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?
Look at the present:
• What does your business look like currently?
• What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?
• What is your value proposition?
• What do you need to get to your goals? Resources, finances, income, employees, training, product launches?
• Do you have work-life balance?
• How is the company’s financial health? Sales, payables, loans, inventory?
• Is your technology current? Do you have a website, social media presence, infrastructure?
• Do you have key employees? Do they need development or training? If so, where are you going to obtain it and what is the return on investment?
• If you could make two or three changes to have an immediate impact, what would they be and how would you do it?
Plan for the future:
Picture your business three months, six months, one year, three years, five years and ten years down the line.
• What are your top short- and long-term goals, in order of priority?
• How can you best leverage your top three strengths?
• How do you define short-term and long-term success?
• What impactful ideas do you have that have not yet been implemented? What would it take to act on them? What’s holding you back?
• What should you start doing, stop doing or find a different way of doing?
• If you put energy into it, where could your business shine that it isn’t already?
• What three things would make your business a success in the coming year? How can you achieve that?
• What are secondary goals for success? How can you achieve them? What will the business look like if you do? What resources are required?
It’s a lot to think about, but it’s worth the investment of your time to create a clear vision for your company. Where you are and where do you want it to be?
Meet Coach Christine
Christine coaches with ROI top-of-mind and clients have seen upward of 200% ROI. Many companies who leverage her coaching produce quick and long-lasting results transforming people, processes and culture, impacting their bottom line.
Her time with clients generates powerful results in:
- Business and Personal Development
- Communication and Relationships
- Sales and Sales Leadership
Watching and learning at the feet of titans of Canada’s Wall Street and other business leaders, Coach Christine was influenced by their success and built a corporate career and coaching business founded on proven business practices.
She is an award-winning business woman and contributor to Forbes publications; is an accredited coach with the ICF; a practitioner of Conscious Business practices; is certified by the IMPACT: Coaching with ROI program; holds her First and Second Degree Reiki and has studied Aboriginal healing for over 20 years. Christine loves the adventure of travel and has a knock-out collection of snazzy women’s shoes.
When you want more, are ready to bust obstacles and build your juicy, big life, contact me, Coach Christine Culbertson.
Together we’ll step into your untapped potential.
![SALES SUCCESS: Want To Influence Others? Find Out How They Interact [FORBES Publication]](https://coachchristine.biz/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/want-to-influence-others-article.png)
I was once fortunate enough to watch a rainbow appear.
It grew and shimmered, and as we drove toward it, its color, hue and impact changed.
People and rainbows have much in common.
Both have many aspects, are structured in shape and can be complex because they’re filled with nuances and variations.
Photo by Shutterstock and a version of this article was originally published through Forbes Coaches Council.
Have you ever tried to catch a rainbow or been mystified by surprising changes in people? Would you agree that it’s your perspective, knowledge and skill that impacts your experience with others?
I am not a scientist, and I can’t help you catch a rainbow, but people and personalities is my area of passion and strength. So, let’s look at this complex world and discover tools to strengthen your people and communication skills.
Social Styles
Personality assessments can be traced back to Plato. There are many different variations, including Myers-Briggs, True Colorus, Enneagram or assessments based on the studies of Karl Jung. All seek to categorize character traits so as to better understand both ourselves and the people around us.
My go-to resource is the Merrill-Reid Method, which focuses on our social traits. Knowing what our dominant trait is and how to interact with staff, prospects and clients who may or may not be similar gives us an advantage in the business world. Here’s how it works.
Using the Merrill-Reid Method to understand personalities, there are four major types we can identify to help us understand the core characteristics of our prospects. It’s rare to be 100% one personality — most people are a mix. But people tend to default to one core type.
• Analytic
• Driver
• Expressive
• Amiable
We encounter all these social styles in our interactions. If we only worked with people whose primary position was similar to our own, we would miss 75% of our communication and influencing opportunities. Imagine the impact you could have on your team and operations if you were to use the best levers to reach people’s core communication style. Learning and applying this knowledge of how people think, what they need and how to work with their style will put you on the fast track to success in business.
The Analytic
Analytics are polite yet reserved. They are patient, ask many questions and are highly detailed. They opt for facts and statistics and are slow decision makers — they can get stuck without all the pertinent facts. They like to feel like they are right, are sticklers for managing time and are bottom-line driven.
The Driver
Drivers are “do-it” people. They’re quick to act, have a lot of energy and know what they want and how to get it. They prefer to work independently and like to focus on the positive. They are not conflict-averse (they’ll look you straight in the eye) and can be brusque and tactless at times. When it comes to drivers, be prepared for language that is direct and concise. They look for immediate results.
The Expressive
Expressives are good communicators and storytellers. They tend to be warm and enthusiastic and make decisions based on hunches. They focus more on generalities than facts and figures and may exaggerate or leave out details. They tend to be animated with their voice and hand gestures and enjoy being with people. As natural relationship builders, prepare for them to be quite talkative and ask you personal questions.
The Amiable
Amiables are diplomatic, social, patient and emotionally expressive. They need to build rapport early but will avoid direct eye contact with you. Like Expressives, they can be animated, and they want to build a relationship. They are known to be highly sensitive, soft-spoken and have the skill of and blending well into many situations.
Your Influencing Toolkit
Knowing your dominant style gives you perspective on yourself and your ability to see and understand other’s styles.
Can you identify your predominant social style? Chart your strengths on the following key items:
• Are you a quick decision maker or a slow decision maker?
• Do you ask people what to do or tell them what to do?
• Are you animated in conversation or reserved?
• Are you fact-focused or comfortable with generalizations?
• Are you an independent worker or do you prefer group and teamwork?
• Are you results-focused or do you like to have options and choices?
Given these social styles, what do you notice about others and their methods, behaviors and preferences? What’s their type? Now, how will you communicate with them?
As a leader, whether you’re communicating with a client, prospect or colleague, knowing and understanding their dominant style adds high-caliber communication skills to your toolkit. Think about it: Have you ever had a conversation with someone and felt understood, like the other person really got you?
By understanding people’s personalities and social styles, you’re creating a valuable experience because you’re communicating with them in their way, validating them, their wants and needs, and powerfully impacting your relationship.
Meet Coach Christine
Christine coaches with ROI top-of-mind and clients have seen upward of 200% ROI. Many companies who leverage her coaching produce quick and long-lasting results transforming people, processes and culture, impacting their bottom line.
Her time with clients generates powerful results in:
- Business and Personal Development
- Communication and Relationships
- Sales and Sales Leadership
Watching and learning at the feet of titans of Canada’s Wall Street and other business leaders, Coach Christine was influenced by their success and built a corporate career and coaching business founded on proven business practices.
She is an award-winning business woman and contributor to Forbes publications; is an accredited coach with the ICF; a practitioner of Conscious Business practices; is certified by the IMPACT: Coaching with ROI program; holds her First and Second Degree Reiki and has studied Aboriginal healing for over 20 years. Christine loves the adventure of travel and has a knock-out collection of snazzy women’s shoes.
When you want more, are ready to bust obstacles and build your juicy, big life, contact me, Coach Christine Culbertson.
Together we’ll step into your untapped potential.
What does it take to be successful at sales? The obvious answer: selling a great deal of products or services, have repeat customers and exceed your sales quotas.
But the answer to that question is much simpler than that.
To be successful at sales, you need to have customers buy what you are selling. And for that to happen, it’s essential to understand how they make purchase decisions (emotional, rational, logical) and their natural progression through the buying cycle.
Photo by Ramiro Mendes on Unsplash and a version of this article was originally published through Forbes Coaches Council.
Let’s think about it for a minute. For you to succeed, you need to have customers willing and able to buy what you are selling. If you can meet or exceed their needs and expectations, they will buy from you, they will tell their friends to buy from you, and they will come back and buy from you again.
Let’s say you need to buy a pair of black shoes. Maybe you have special requirements, such as width or arch support or heel height. Or maybe you need a specific style. You walk into a shoe store and tell the clerk you need a pair of black shoes in size 8. He immediately starts pulling any black shoe of any style. Or worse, he waves a hand toward a shelf with various shoes and walks away. You might find the shoes you need, but more than likely, you’ll feel ignored.
Now imagine if the clerk takes the time to find out why you need the black shoes, what style you need, what you need them for, what width and height you desire, then pulls a couple of pairs that are exactly what you’re looking for. You spend just a couple minutes choosing, and you buy the shoes.
Which clerk leaves you with the best experience?
The clerk who took the time to understand your “why,” listened to your needs and met them knew that it was about you, the buyer, not him the seller.
It’s about the buyer
I’m going to say that again: Sales isn’t about the seller. It’s about the buyer. Focus on the buyer’s behaviours and needs, and you will succeed.
There are five steps to follow to understand your prospective client and where they are in the buying cycle. Match their position to the right step in your sales process. Think of it as a dance you both take together.
Here are the five steps buyers take:
1. Identify a problem or need
2. Research and investigate
3. Evaluate alternatives
4. Make a buying decision
5. Exhibit post-purchase behaviour, like satisfaction or doubt
Remember, sales isn’t about you. It’s about the buyer and how you can meet their need or solve their problem.
Meet Coach Christine
Christine coaches with ROI top-of-mind and clients have seen upward of 200% ROI. Many companies who leverage her coaching produce quick and long-lasting results transforming people, processes and culture, impacting their bottom line.
Her time with clients generates powerful results in:
- Business and Personal Development
- Communication and Relationships
- Sales and Sales Leadership
Watching and learning at the feet of titans of Canada’s Wall Street and other business leaders, Coach Christine was influenced by their success and built a corporate career and coaching business founded on proven business practices.
She is an award-winning business woman and contributor to Forbes publications; is an accredited coach with the ICF; a practitioner of Conscious Business practices; is certified by the IMPACT: Coaching with ROI program; holds her First and Second Degree Reiki and has studied Aboriginal healing for over 20 years. Christine loves the adventure of travel and has a knock-out collection of snazzy women’s shoes.
When you want more, are ready to bust obstacles and build your juicy, big life, contact me, Coach Christine Culbertson.
Together we’ll step into your untapped potential.
The job offer you’ve been expecting has finally come, and you are excited beyond words, but once that initial moment of euphoria passes, you may start wondering about whether you will actually fit in at the new place of employment.
One major question you may ask is whether your future employer has the same values as you and how those values will play into your efforts to fit the organization’s corporate culture.
One way to identify a company’s core values is by taking a hard look at the people who work there. Above all, trust your gut. If it doesn’t feel like a good match for you, it probably isn’t.
Initially published through Forbes Coaches Council
POST WRITTEN BY Expert Panel, Forbes Coaches Council
To help, 10 members of Forbes Coaches Council explain how a working professional can decide if the company that has given them a job offer is in line with their values:
1. Ask Direct Questions
Determining whether to accept a job offer can be difficult. I believe the interview process should be a bit two-way. Both parties must be happy with the decision made. Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions. Ask why the position is vacant. Why did the person before you leave the position? The answer to this question can give you great insight about that company. – Mika Hunter, Female Defender
2. Check Their Reviews
We have the privilege of living in the internet era. You can find online reviews about almost everything, including companies. Visit Glassdoor and have a look at what current and former employees have to say about the company. You will learn information not found on their website or shared in the interviews. If you read something worrying, discuss it with the company before you join them. – Caterina Kostoula, The Leaderpath
3. Speak To More People
If, at the end of the interview process, you do not have enough information to make a decision, continue to ask questions. Let the company know that you want to speak to additional people. Asking questions is even easier after you have the offer. If you are unsure after speaking to others, I would pass (assuming you have other options). –Donald Hatter, Donald Hatter Inc.
4. Go With Your Gut
There are many theories about “best fit” and research you can and should do as a candidate. However, the little voice inside you knows. That’s your gut instinct. Think of a time when you went against your inner judgement and afterward thought, “I knew all along but didn’t listen to myself.” Use all of your tools, analyze your information, and tune into and listen to your gut feeling. – Christine J. Culbertson (Boyle), Coach Christine: Building Business, Leaders and BIG Lives
5. Assess Culture Fit
First, articulate your values. List them in three categories: must haves, should haves and could haves. Then have a good understanding of the company’s culture by going to Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Inhersight (particularly for women), etc., and talking to at least five employees for a more objective view. Then, evaluate. Full alignment is great. Otherwise, they should at least meet your must-have values. – Amy Nguyen, Happiness Infinity LLC
6. Leverage Social Media
People are more transparent than ever online. In addition to reading review sites, such as Glassdoor, check out social media profiles of company leaders. Read up to see what interests them, the content of their posts, who responds to them and whom they influence. This can tell you what they value and emphasize. If they bring up hot-button topics, these will probably also arise at work. – Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC, COPNS, CTTCC, An Expert Resume
7. Do Thorough Research Upfront
Research is a crucial part of creating an effective match between you and a company. It is imperative to find out as much as possible about a company’s values, culture, organizational structure, financials and growth opportunities before you decide to accept a job offer. Skipping upfront research may end up costing you and the company unnecessary time and money if the match falls through. – Lillian Gregory, The Institute for Human and Leadership Excellence
8. Know Your Own Satisfaction Drivers
If you have an offer, you should have already had many interview stages to get a sense of fit and whether you understand the goals and needs of the company. It’s your responsibility to ask questions along the way and to do your own research. Know your own satisfaction drivers. Ask about expectations, mission, communication styles, performance measures and what kinds of people are successful here. – Joanne Markow, GreenMason
9. Ask The Experts
The best way to discover if a company’s values are in alignment with your own is to ask the people who know best: your potential future co-workers. It is completely appropriate to ask if you can meet with some potential team members to gain insight on the role and determine how the company is living their values as experienced by their employees. They will be the experts with real-world knowledge. – Tonya Echols, Thrive Coaching Solutions
10. Find Out If They Live Their Slogans
Most companies have cute slogans and phrases on their websites. You should ask if they are real or only skin-deep. One way to find out is to connect to those who may have left the company. Not all are negative. Some may give you reasonable pros and cons of working there or their insights into how to start and build your career. Ask them in so many words if the company practices what its slogans preach. – John M. O’Connor, Career Pro Inc.
Meet Coach Christine
Christine coaches with ROI top-of-mind. Many companies who leverage her coaching produce quick and long-lasting results transforming people, processes and culture, impacting their bottom line. Clients have seen upward of 200% ROI.
Her time with clients generates powerful results in:
- Business and Personal Development
- Communication and Relationships
- Sales and Sales Leadership
Watching and learning at the feet of titans of Canada’s Wall Street and other business leaders, Coach Christine was influenced by their success and built a corporate career and coaching business founded on proven business practices.
She is an award-winning business woman and contributor to Forbes publications; is an accredited coach with the ICF; a practitioner of Conscious Business practices; is certified by the IMPACT: Coaching with ROI program; holds her First and Second Degree Reiki and has studied Aboriginal healing for over 20 years. Christine loves the adventure of travel and has a knock-out collection of snazzy women’s shoes.
When you want more, are ready to bust obstacles and build your juicy, big life, contact me, Coach Christine Culbertson.
Together we’ll step into your untapped potential.
YES! I Want More!
The hectic holiday season usually comes with plenty of distractions that can make it hard to focus at work. You may be dreaming of sugar plums and presents when you should be focusing on the task at hand.
As difficult as it may be to focus on your responsibilities at work, you can make the most of the last few weeks of the year by keeping your tasks firmly set in your mind.
Initially published through Forbes Coaches Council
POST WRITTEN BY Expert Panel, Forbes Coaches Council
Below, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council offer their best advice for staying focused and on-task at work during the busy holiday season. Here’s what they recommend:
1. Schedule Time For The Fun Stuff
Rather than squeezing in time for family and friends, make time to enjoy the holiday season. Schedule time to shop, brunch and other activities that make the season enjoyable so that, when you sit down to work, you are not preoccupied with thoughts of sneaking away. It should also help to eliminate the guilt of having those fun days because you know you’ve planned time to complete your work. – LaKesha Womack, Womack Consulting Group
2. Prioritize And Set Expectations
The holidays are a time to connect and celebrate, yet work demands increasingly compete for time. There are two keys to tackling this season: prioritize and set expectations. First, prioritize the schedule, say “no” to meetings that eat up valuable work time and say “yes” to chunking time to focus and execute. Second, set expectations with co-workers for uninterrupted time or collaboration time. – Carry Metkowski, Carry Metkowski
3. Develop Better Communication Skills
Talking is not the same as communicating and not everyone sends and receives communication in the same way. Ineffective communication can lead to procrastination, unaccomplished goals, poor scheduling abilities, lack of effective delegation and interruptions. Watch a webinar on behavioral styles and their communication preferences so you can communicate more effectively at work. – Kathi Graham-Leviss, XBInsight, Inc.
4. Set A Holiday Battle Plan
Before you quit for the evening, make a list of five things that support your immediate objectives for the holiday season and be okay with just getting the first two or three done. It’s the holidays, so give yourself a break and still feel good about what you accomplished, because you are focused and directed internally to get your tasks done. – Mitch Russo, Mindful Guidance, LLC
5. Don’t Lose Your Productive Routines
Most often, people get off track during the holiday season because they make excuses for distractions and time suckers in which they wouldn’t normally engage; eating too much can cause havoc with your body and you may lose sleep, and staying up later results in less energy the next day and, then, less productivity. While you can enjoy the holidays, be mindful of what your “extra” activities may cost. – Cha Tekeli, Chalamode, Inc.
6. Distinguish Between Urgent And Important
At year-end, projects come due right when we’re at our busiest outside of work. To meet your commitments and stay sane, laser-focus on mission-critical activities. To help prioritize, expand your thinking beyond end-of-year deadlines to what will have the biggest impact in the longer term. Are you cramming stuff in just to get it done? Distinguish between truly important activities and those that feel urgent. – Caroline Adams, Career Change, Transition, and Advancement
7. Don’t Overcommit
If you are an overachiever like me, you will want to do everything during the holidays. The fact is you just can’t. Pick key events, parties and engagements to avoid burnout. Stay focused by not overcommitting. It’s a fantastic time of year to network, but prioritize your events based on ROI. You still have deadlines to meet and customers to please, so be realistic and don’t forget to have fun. – Erin Urban, UPPSolutions, LLC
8. Take ‘Mini-Holidays’
During November and December, for the first or the last 30-60 mins of my workday, I drink coffee with eggnog, light candles and play holiday music I like. I give myself the gift of reading a book at least once a week during working hours, snuggled up with a cozy blanket and tea. I am still working, but I have a focus on reflection, learning and self-care. This is my gift to myself. – Courtney Feider, Courtney Feider, LLC
9. Establish Positive Habits
The holidays are crazy, as the work and commitments are piled up. You need to create and maintain positive habits to manage the stress that will come from it. Plan your goals for November and December, be conservative and concentrate on the big rocks. Then, leave a lot of empty space in your planning to handle the upcoming unknowns. Be diligent, limit your commitments and be prepared for the rush. – Tony Mickle, Big Box Coaching
10. Know Your Limits And Set Boundaries
Knowing your limits and setting boundaries are key steps for managing holiday stress and overwhelm. Stephen Covey’s four quadrant tool will help you prioritize your to-dos, giving you focus and a roadmap to follow. Now you have clearly defined priorities to communicate with your team and colleagues. – Christine J. Culbertson (Boyle), Coach Christine: Building Business, Leaders and BIG Lives
11. Choose Your Distractions
Creating a routine and following it consistently creates physiological energy spikes that can fuel us to power through a particular task in spite of distractions. Repetition of the routine trains our brain to reproduce that focus and keeps us operating at our peak. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes and often without warning. Be mindful of when you are most productive. Then, knuckle down. – Tracey Grove, Pure Symmetry Coaching and Consulting
Meet Coach Christine
Christine coaches with ROI top-of-mind. Many companies who leverage her coaching produce quick and long-lasting results transforming people, processes and culture, impacting their bottom line. Clients have seen upward of 200% ROI.
Her time with clients generates powerful results in:
- Business and Personal Development
- Communication and Relationships
- Sales and Sales Leadership
Watching and learning at the feet of titans of Canada’s Wall Street and other business leaders, Coach Christine was influenced by their success and built a corporate career and coaching business founded on proven business practices.
She is an award-winning business woman and contributor to Forbes publications; is an accredited coach with the ICF; a practitioner of Conscious Business practices; is certified by the IMPACT: Coaching with ROI program; holds her First and Second Degree Reiki and has studied Aboriginal healing for over 20 years. Christine loves the adventure of travel and has a knock-out collection of snazzy women’s shoes.
When you want more, are ready to bust obstacles and build your juicy, big life, contact me, Coach Christine Culbertson.
Together we’ll step into your untapped potential.
YES! I Want More!
