How to be top

I read an article on 'How to be top' in the Times Online magazine earlier this week and wanted to share some of the key points. What I found beneficial about this article is that the executive consultant who wrote this actually appeared to communicate based on experiences with her clients rather than a lot of coaches who just appear to make crap up based on what they think. As my pyschology professor said to me it doesn't really count if you have a theory that appears great on paper - you always need the evidence to support your hypothesis.

Some of the key points mentioned by Heather Dawson (author of Faster, Faster) were;

1. Successful executives are in control of their lives

They understand choices, know what is important to them and what they want to achieve. And they are positive about the journey they are making.

2. Make time to think and focus

Those who succeed create time and opportunities for interrupted thinking.

3. Ability to lead in time of uncertainty and ambiguity

Senior executives are comfortable in this situation and adapt in the way they respond to the people around them. They know what they are doing and what it is going to provide.

4. Know when to recharge

Those who cope best recognize when they are running on empty and need to recharge. Make sure they get enough rest, eat healthy and make room for some downtime.

Underlying these are three foundation skills; understanding you cannot do everything and therefore need to surround yourself with complementary skills, ability to process conflicting information and work out what is going on, talent for thinking ahead and planning.

The message was not all of the high performers follow the exact same process but they do intend to follow the same principles. Also the feeling of being in control is not like that of a dictator...more in that they knew themselves and self-reflected extremely well.

How do we plan our life if we don't know our personality?

So you think you consciously control all of your actions? If you say yes then you'll deluded and good luck to you. If no, then how do you think your actions are controlled and what are you doing to become more informed?

As a professional coach and consultant I've attended many self-development (some may say self help) seminars including Tony Robbins, Landmark and NLP in London and New York. The basic aim of these programs are so you can fulfill your potential, your dreams and move forward not based on the past - whatever that may be. But what I have seen, like many of our new year resolutions, is that out of sight is out of mind and after time out of the programs we resort back to our old habits. Funny thing habits....humans know they are often not right for us but damn they are comforting because they are familar.

However one thing we, humans, are not very aware of is that of ourselves, our personality, motivations, behaviour patterns etc. Many of us go through life doing things, making plans that we have no basis to say for certain that they will be achieved. Humans are constantly faced with hindsight..."if only I had done this or that" but do they truly ask themselves why they didn't follow through? Do they ask why after attending a self help or development seminar such as Robbins or Landmark that the feeling, the results don't keep occurring? I do recognize that for some people, and I'll say a small percentage of all event attendees, that life changes are made permanent. This, I would hypothesize, is that they were at the right point in their lives and they shared a similar disposition to the seminar leader.

Many of us though cannot move forward unless we know where we are and the vehicle we are using to get to our destination. Not knowing who you are and where you are is like trying to predict how long it will take you to travel (for example) to Sydney, Australia not knowing where you currently are and whether you'll have to drive, walk, fly, boat etc.

Each person's journey is different and starts at a different place and moves at different speeds. You cannot assume that you can take the same path as your neighbour, colleague or friend. So make the effort to know yourself and design your own life path.

The life conundrum - what life choices should you make?

I was thinking today that there are generally two types of people; those who are constantly learning new skills based on the direction they choose to take at a particular time and those who will not consider a new direction but therefore have the opportunity to develop experience and skill in a single area.

The next question to myself was what was I? The second was what should I be? It's a tough one to answer because some of us stick with a few skills whilst others want to continually learn new ones. The bottom line though is that whatever choice you make it will influence your life path. But then I thought why can't I have my cake and eat it too. Why can't I learn new skills and develop them whilst learning even more new skills? Answer to that is I can but I'll need a lot of one thing. That thing is TIME. Unfortunately along with death and taxes (for the poor and middle class at least) the clock ticking down on our existence is a foregone conclusion. Until 2050 when the cure to eternal life is discovered of course.

What I figured is that I could be both and I could find the time. However it would require sacrifice because there would be a lot of things I would have to give up. And there you have it, the conundrum of life - you can have anything you want but not everything you want. You have to make a choice and live with it. You can retrace your steps but of course the clock is always ticking. Therefore be a man (or person) with a plan and stick to it with no regrets.

What to look out for when hiring a life coach

Now don't get me wrong about what I think of coaches....I'm a qualified coach myself through a number of certified schools. I am additionally a graduate student in psychology and just as important coach only in areas where I am expert because of experience and skills gained. However some of the risks the coaching profession faces in respect to its long term perception in society is the number of coaches who are neither not qualified, qualified but not skilled or qualified but coaching in areas where they are not skilled.

I continually see sites where the one coach will offer coaching in career, relationship, personal finances, business start ups etc and all they have as a qualification is a graduate diploma from a college and a couple of years experience as a coach. In many cases there is no qualification or certification at all. Now I am now saying that these people are not inherently talented, but there is no way to measure their effectiveness or skill level. Further without experience in all of the areas they coach in how is the client obtaining the best coaching service? I noted something like this on www.psychologies.co.uk within the 'life coaching diaries' section. What I read was someone with a diploma from a university in Newcastle, but nothing about her own experiences that would enable her to coach in all the areas she mentioned including; dating, business ventures, career, motivation and executive coaching.

Another concern I have is that coaching associations are enrolling members for fees but not certifying them whilst enabling them to use the associations branding. An example of this is the International Coaching Federation which basically gives same rights to it's members as it does to those who have certified with it. A coach colleague of mine, who pays $200 a year membership, stated her clients think she has been certified by the International Coaching Federation when she has not.

My message for the public is this - make sure your coach is certified, has the necessary experience and skills. Ask them about their coaching models and concepts, use of psychology and philosophy and what structure they have in place to ensure a client's progress. This will limit the risk that you end up with a coach who may try hard but produce little results.