Better Business Coaching

Building Effective Business Relationships

As a  Business and Personal Development Coach, I consider Time to be the most valuable commodity man has at his disposal. You can bank money, but you can’t bank time! So my communication style is by getting directly to the point, to save time. Some see it as refreshing, as they may be surrounded by ‘yes’ people and others find it a challenge to begin with, as they are not so used to someone being so direct with them.

As a Coach, I reflect back what I hear and see. I am considered to be a compassionate and considerate person by all that know me well, therefore, my honest and immediate communication is considered my strongest asset and will become yours too, if that is what you wish to accomplish.

Time is Money

Our business time is valuable and your work/life balance in today’s society is becoming more and more compromised. Stress is a killer, so we must all learn how to manage ourselves and our time, in order to overcome the biggest threat to business’.

Sickness levels are on the increase due to stress. Business’ are losing thousands of pounds productivity every second due to time off sick, or the so called ‘Duvet Days’! To use a metaphor to explain the impact of stress on our emotional and physical wellbeing; compare yourself with a bottle of fizzy drink, the pressures of balancing our work and personal life is like shaking ourselves consistently and we all know what happens when you shake a bottle of fizzy drink consistently!

The Art of Effective Communication

I would not wish to waste my time or any others, by ‘dilly dallying’ around any important communication deficiency I detect. Time management teaches us to prioritise and that includes our communication, as it is the key to any successful relationship. So now I have introduced my style to you business people out there, let us get straight to the point: Here are some questions for you to reflect on…

How do you communicate to others in order for you build and sustain effective relationships?

Do you communicate with immediacy?

Do you use negative words or positive words when communicating?

Self Reflection raises Self Awareness

“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” – Napoleon Hill

Perhaps, until now, you may have never reflected upon your style of communication. As you are aware, effective communication is the key to any relationship, be it in business or personal relationships.

Communication is a style that you have role modelled from your significant others in your early years – however, anything can be developed if that is your desire. We may all wear business hats when at work, however, our style of relating to others has become a habit, therefore, if you have a dysfunctional way of relating to your family at home, you may just be creating a dysfunctional family at work.

Contrary to popular belief, there are many i’s in a team.  Every member of the team is an individual working toward a common goal, however, we are all still individuals with our own unique communication styles to integrate successfully or not into team work.

“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” – Virginia Satir

You may have heard people mention their Dr’s bedside manners, or lack of them; well this is a prime example of how the way we relate and respond to others, affects our customer and working relationships. It is time to take note of how you respond to others, in order to build and sustain excellent and effective business relationships.

The Solution to Better Communication

Listening skills are something that we all, at one time or another, need to improve upon.

How often do you feel listened too?
How often do you actively listen to others without interruption?
Are you able to put yourself in the shoes of the person who is communicating to you?

Do you constantly interrupt people when they speak to you?

Take notice of how people respond to you when you communicate with them to help you improve your techniques. If your bold enough, ask them how your communication makes them feel!

“Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” – Peter T. McIntyre

Active Listening Skills Exercise

Allow someone to speak to you without you saying a word. Simply listen to them without judgement, for as long as it takes for them to speak and then reflect back to them all that you have heard and understood to seek clarification that you heard and interpreted correctly. I have asked clients to undergo this exercise many times and the feedback from the individuals were:-
1) How difficult people found it speaking without interruption, as they are just not used to it.
2) How difficult people found it not to interrupt the speaker, as they are not used to just listening.
3) How empowered and relieved they felt, after having the ability to speak and then clarify in order to feel understood.

The Freedom of Speech

The freedom to express ourselves is something we are given as a human right and the right to be heard is also a profound development tool.  Front line to CEO, we all need to be heard and understood; it is not only essential for a successful business, it is also essential for our physical and emotional wellbeing, as we have evolved into ‘word’ communicators.

“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

We have evolved so that we no longer need to beat our chests or grunt!  We need to communicate in order to feel heard and understood. More importantly, everything is subjective and open to interpretation, which is why reflecting back what we heard is important for clarification, especially when dealing with customers requirements and enquiries.

As a Coach, it is my duty to empower people. Empowering others to empower themselves and others, is my skill and I consider this to be a skill I wish to help others to develop and pass on. Communication is empowering and as we are the only species that use words to communicate and express ourselves, I believe we need to select our words with care, in order to build and sustain effective business and personal relationships.

Mirroring

NLP teaches us to mirror the other in order to build rapport. Mirroring others is an essential tool; however, we need to be aware that some of our clients or colleagues verbal and non verbal communication styles can not be mirrored, otherwise we are just colluding with ineffective communication styles.

Sometimes, we have to be more empathically direct and honest, in order to help others create better communication styles in order to help others feel understood and also to improve business and customer relations.

The customers pay your salary!

Solutions – Positive Communication

Reflect on your communication style…accept it may need improvement – then take action.

Use positive words and metaphors.

Smile often.

Hold your head up when solution seeking and communicating.

When you wake every morning think immediately of 10 things to be thankful for.

Think of the people who love you and have an attitude of gratitude for all that you already have.

Coaching Summary

Ask someone you trust for honest feedback on your communication style, both verbal and non-verbal – constructive feedback is always good!  It may even be time to get a Coach!

Positive words and metaphors along with smiling, will automatically change your style of communicating with others.

Positive thinking and solution focus will transform your communication.  Be thankful for and put a positive spin on any experience – ask yourself – What have you learn’t and how can you develop from this experience?

Spend only 10% of your time on a problem and 90% of your time on the solution to that problem. Most importantly,  laugh at yourself at any given opportunity and have as much fun as you can, whilst developing yourself and your business’!

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

Having survived the threatened year 2K technological apocalypse, where at the stroke of midnight, planes were going to fall from the sky, computers were going to self destruct in 3 seconds and banks would lose any trace of our savings; I think we are fairly safe now a decade later….or are we?

Swine Flu, Global Recession, UK under threat of insolvency…I mean, come on you guys of the media, give us a break, doom and gloom is ever upon us in dear old blighty, or should that be blighted!

As a qualified therapist, albeit having now hung up my therapeutic ballet shoes to become a Business and Personal Development Coach, I am not surprised that there was a trend of suicides in the last decade, most documented, those in Wales amongst young adults. What did they believe they had to look forward too, if they believed everything they read or heard!

When watching the news, I can hear Frazer from Dads Army saying in his wonderful Scottish accent… “We’re all dooooomed Captain Mannering”!

You really have got to laugh, it is a crazy world we are living in!

So, what are we as business class individuals going to do about this decade then?

The Evolutionary Process

Darwin was indeed a genius and provided us with the knowledge that change is inevitable and in order to survive, like nature, we must learn to adapt! Change is happening all around us, this country and indeed the world is changing and developing. Any business needs to ensure it can adapt to the current trends and ensure that our services meet the needs of the ever evolving customers and of course their expectations.

Do we choose to continue to believe all we read and hear about recession and business growth or decline, or are we going to be Christopher Columbus’ and board our personal and business ships and set sail toward the horizon and see for ourselves if we drop off the edge of the world! Before Columbus weighed his anchor, he had received endless media style messages that the world was flat. He chose not to believe them and took a risk, without any Prince 2 training or SMART business plans! However, he took a risk to develop his business and in doing so he developed the world.

The world needs more Columbus risk takers who are also able to plan ahead – Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail – so come on all ye brave hearted shipmates, weigh your anchors and let us conquer the Oceans of Negativity and let us unite in assisting this country to adapt in order to help this country to become GREAT Britain once again.  Don’t forget to pack your vitamins, I wouldn’t want you to get scurvy, or rickets now!

Challenge your Limiting Self Beliefs

‘Do not fear risk. All exploration, all growth is calculated. Without challenge people cannot reach their higher selves. Only if we are willing to walk over the edge can we become winners’. Statement from the families of the challenger space shuttle disaster.

We need to challenge and change our beliefs, step out of our comfort zones to evolve and survive. Out dated beliefs are all that are holding us back! We now know the world is not flat and also that money DOES indeed grow on trees; bank notes are made of paper after all!

The common denominator of all successful business entrepreneurs is dogmatic Self Belief who essentially plan and follow their steps to success.

5 Steps to success

1) Have a Goal

2) Take Action

3) Notice what’s working and what isn’t

4) Change direction if it isn’t working

5) Never lose sight of your goal

About Joy Andrews

I am a qualified Freelance Business and Personal Development Coach and my specialisms are Consultancy in Customer Service and  Career and Confidence Coaching. I have many years experience in Business and Personal Development Coaching.

My skills and expertise took me across the country, where I have sat on many Focus Groups and Information Sharing Groups. I have met many MP’s including Gordon Brown and have given presentations to Councils, along with training groups on building better communication and employability techniques.

For your next break why not enjoy a skiing holiday?

When you’re approaching your retirement and still suffering from debt problems, you must seriously think about debt help options to secure your retired life. Excessive debt can become a hindrance in your objective of achieving financial stability during retirement. Financial stability is the most important element in your retired life. Your retired life can be more enjoyable if you can become debt free. There are some debt relief plans or programs that can help you come out of debt when you’re nearing retirement. Some of the useful programs among them are explained below.

Reverse Mortgage
If you’re 62 years old or above and you own a home which is your primary residence, then you can qualify for a reverse mortgage loan. You can use the proceeds of a reverse mortgage loan for paying down different loan obligations. The proceeds can be utilized for home renovation, tax payment or debt settlement by depositing it into a special purpose account.

Using the Proceeds of your Life Insurance Policy
If you’re insured by a life insurance policy that has cash value, you can use its proceeds to eliminate your debts. When you terminate your policy, you receive the cash value which is basically a dollar amount. You also have the option of obtaining a loan against this investment account. If the policy is in place for quite a number of years, then you can certainly gain from a higher cash value.

Go For a Home Equity Loan
If you’re not deemed eligible for a reverse mortgage loan, a home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC) can be another option for you to alleviate your debt burden.

Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy should be considered as the last resort for debt-struck people. Retired persons don’t feel confident about filing bankruptcy. If you qualify for bankruptcy, you can have a clean slate and your finances can be reorganized. The filing requirements under the new federal bankruptcy law are stricter. You also have to go through a credit counseling session prior to filing for bankruptcy.

Remember some important advices. You have to stay within your means, which implies you should spend less than what you make. Know how your debts can be managed more efficiently. Try to pay down your loans quickly. If possible, go for debt consolidation. Use all-inclusive savings plans like setting up a Roth IRA.

Despite the fact there are different techniques to get rid of debt when you attain your retirement age or have already retired, it is always wise that you don’t allow debts to pile up once more. This would ensure that you get the cash that you need to tackle contingencies or severe illnesses.

Author: Robin Williams

One way to promote your business and at the same time increase internet traffic to your business website is to offer an incentive for your existing customers and new customers alike,to get in touch.

A free to enter competition with a good price usually works, especially if you offer a cash price!

Most internet users in the UK will be familiar with the MoneySupermarket price comparison website, it is among the most popular sites for comparing prices through a whole range of products including money and finance, insurance, shopping and utilities.  By promoting a free to enter and fun to participate competition small businesses as much as household names can increase their traffic and public awareness.

For example, MoneySupermarket have launched a competition challenging customers to make a short video showing how they spent the savings they have made by using their website; and here’s an example of how one customer used the money that she had saved to buy her dog Benson a Batman outfit!

You can see more video entries and register to take part at ‘Let’s Have The Savings‘ here. The funniest and most viewed video will win the cash prize of £500.

So if you think you can come up with an amusing video check out the site now for full details and register your chance to win the cash!

“I guess I’m just lucky to have a job at the moment.”

This is the most common response that clients give me when I ask how things are going at work. With so many redundancies, people feel grateful to still be in gainful employment and relieved that it’s their salary rather than savings that will feed the family and pay the school fees for another month.

The problem with feeling grateful, whether it’s towards an employer or the markets at large, is that it can leave you feeling trapped and powerless.  Any plans you had to advance your career, change role, start a new business venture or move house have been put on hold, and when our power to make decisions for ourselves has been diminished, dissatisfaction and unhappiness are sure to follow..

And it’s not just your work life that suffers; the reverberations can be felt in your relationships and your health. Even if you still enjoy the content of your work, the fear of loss of income or lack of flexibility tends to reduce your motivation levels. Professional insecurity leads to low personal morale which in turn does nothing to improve the atmosphere in the workplace or the faith of the people you manage. Whether you are aware of it or not, it’s your own sense of vulnerability which will prevent you from progressing in these volatile times.

As with most situations that are out of your direct control, the best course of action is to change your attitude towards them. Adapting your mindset won’t fix the situation but it will make you feel like choices, and thus power, are still yours.

Here are a few tips on how to regain control and feel the reins firmly in your hands again:

Act as if: Work as if you think this year will bring you the largest financial bonus of your career….after all, it may be a reality as soon as next year. There is a fine line separating constructive optimism and blind delusion. Use your common sense – you know the difference. Draw that fine line and decide to tread on the right side of it. You know the risks involved, you are happy to take them. Conviction is key.

Fight the fear:  If you want to move job roles – ask if you can. It’s business as usual. The fear isn’t real – its just in your head. Still being engaged in your career progression will help you feel in control and show Management that you haven’t tuned out and you won’t accept excuses. You’re displaying personal traits of confidence and resolve – the traits of a true leader. By taking action and leading you feel more in control, positive and powerful.

Know your market value: There may not be much movement in the job market but firms are still hiring, especially for more senior positions. Making some enquiries will at least let you know your current worth, help you gauge what your next move might be and identify the skill gaps that you should be working on now. It will help you and others reassert your conviction to the job at hand. Opportunity never disappears, it’s form merely changes over time. Not everyone can see this. You can.

Have a life: Easier to say than do when you have picked up the workload of everyone who’s departed over the last few months, but spending time with friends and family doing sport and relaxing will all help you cope better with the stress in the long run. Striking the right work/life balance should never become secondary. Your life engagements need to be prioritised correctly much like your work one’s are. An unhappy personal life will ultimately reflect on the quality of your work.

Now is the perfect time to stop feeling grateful but trapped and start recognising the opportunities and the power you really have.

About Jo Geraghty

Jo Geraghty is managing Director of “Beyond the Ladder” and is one of the UK’s leading coaches for executives and entrepreneurs. Her clients are either current or past employees of large US or European corporations. Some are looking to climb the ladder still further, others want a better work/life balance and many have branched out on their own and now run successful businesses.

Jo has over 14 years experience working for US investment banks in a variety of roles from FX trading to Client Relationship Services and HR Management and was formerly head of HR for Goldman Sachs France and Switzerland.