Week 12 Focus – Systems Focus Question: What are the tasks and activities which need to appear seamless in your work, like the same person is doing it, whether the task is completed in Toronto, Las Vegas, London, Auckland, or Shanghai? Description Systems help us scale a business, reducing the time to do things, ensuring tasks are done consistently, and enabling us to accrue information so we can learn, and pass on to others as our team grows. In growing a virtual or coaching business there are five key areas which can be important to focus on. This is an area we continue exploring at both the Teams365 Leadership Lab (for virtual and remote professionals) the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (an annual group focused on coaching business development). If you are a remote or virtual worker, as the team context becomes more fluid with people becoming part of matrix teams where things may be one differently, systems create clarity and efficiency. They also help to capture key institutional learning as organizations grow, making it easier for people to step into roles that others once held. As a business, systems help us automate and scale, reducing the time to complete tasks that may not require as much effort. Common areas which entrepreneurial businesses or virtual workers may find a focus on are:
Activity Review the systems you have available to you in your business or work. What helps streamline? Ensure consistency? Allow you to scale? What are the areas you want to focus more around? Who can help you build your toolkit in these areas? Connection to the Workbook and Planner Refer to Section 3 in the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack for more on systems. Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram
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Week 11 Focus – Enabler: Habits Focus Question: What are the habits shaping your work? Description Habits are things that we undertake, almost subconsciously, to the point of sometimes not even being aware of them. As repetitive actions, habits are a powerful force, in shaping our work and business. Story At the beginning of each year, I find that conversation starts to flow towards dialogue around habits with my coaching clients. Perhaps this is because it’s time for a new year, or maybe because it’s a clean slate. Here’s what I wrote about habits at the Teams365 blog, “Habits and practices are things we do automatically, sometimes unconsciously, because they have come so ingrained. There are many schools of thought that create a link between habits and success. That habits lead to success.” As the tagline in the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack asserts: Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum Habits play a key role in shaping our regular actions. Habits are things we do automatically, and if we are able to instill regular go-to activities that can help us move forward, it can support automation of tasks and activities. As you consider your current goals and priorities: 1. What will help you be successful this year? 2. What are the consistent behaviors and actions you want to or need to undertake to move you towards your goals? 3. What could amplify, or magnify, those goals? 4. What's missing that could make a difference? 5. What small shifts would make a new ripple? 6. What does consistency mean for you around habits? 7. What could get in the way? 8. What is going to remind you about your commitment to your goals? 9. What do you notice about how your mindset is influencing your habits? 10. What is becoming automatic for you OR what needs to become automatic for you in your successful pursuit towards your goal.” (Source: https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1466-2018-kickstart-day-5-of-8-habits-and-practices-to-move-you-towards-your-goals) Activity Make a list of the top 5-10 habits that shape your work as a business owner, solopreneur or remote worker. What are the things you consistently do, no matter what? As part of the iceberg in Section 1 of the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack, you are invited to review pages 25 and 27 to identify your habits in work. Consider how they are helping and how they are hindering you. What are the changes you want to make in service to your goals? Connection to the Workbook and Planner Complete pages 25 and 27 in both the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack, to identify your habits in work, and how they are helping and how they are hindering you. Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram Week 10 Focus – Strengths Focus Question: What are your innate talents and strengths? How do you use these every day? Description Each of us brings our own unique and innate strengths. What are the strengths you bring to the table every day? Research/Story For many decades now, Gallup has studied the impact of strengths on work. They have found some very compelling statistics behind why we should focus more on helping people connect with, and leverage, their strengths every day at work. Did you know:
Author Marcus Buckingham undertook research and he writes that “1.5 Million employees on 50, 000 teams were surveyed, and they found that the most important lever to team performance was ‘Do you have an opportunity to use your strengths at work every day?’ (Reference: Go Put Your Strengths to Work) Those that “strongly agreed” found:
While we cannot always use our strengths at work every day, over time we may gravitate to jobs which do cultivate our strengths. As we set up businesses or work remote, being able to leverage strengths regularly can be an important motivational factor. When we are able to leverage strengths, we are more apt to move into flow and find greater job satisfaction. Strengths over-used can become a blindspot. We may over-lean into our strengths in times of pressure, urgency and resource constraints. Notice what happens when your strengths become over-magnified. Activity If you have not yet worked with strengths, spend some time identifying what your strengths are. There are several different strengths assessments you may want to explore including Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0, the Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder, as well as Positive Psychology’s VIA Character Survey. If you have not undertaken one of these assessments to ascertain your top 5 strengths, take a few minutes to do that this week, reflecting on the questions:
Connection to the Workbook and Planner There are several touch points throughout the planners to get you thinking about your strengths, including - Section 4 of both books which explores the Ecosystem as well as: What are your strengths, and how you can leverage them? Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram Week 9 Focus – Partnerships Focus Question: Who can help you in making your vision a reality? Description As a solopreneur, or virtual worker, we cannot go it alone all the time. Leaning into different types of partnerships – long term and short term, helps us get things done, expand our base, and possibly move into new areas. Partnerships can take several different forms. From Joint Ventures, to Co-Facilitation, to Collaboration, to Co-Coaching. What are the different partnerships you engage in? Research/Story Key ingredients which make partnerships include skills in the areas of:
Activity As you think about your year and the most important goals you have, make a list of the people who can help you. If you have not yet completed the Top 20 List in the workbook, do that now. Synergies with others – There are many times when we want to synergize with others in terms of a focus. As coaches, this might include co-facilitation, joint ventures or others. What are the key elements to help you as a business synergize? Questions to ask yourself:
There are many touchpoints with the Planner and Workbook including: Collaboration (pages 49 – 53 – CBB or pages 53- 56 – PDT) Top 20 List in the workbook (page 83 – CBB or page 87 – PDT) Phases of Partnering and Co-Facilitation Journey – pages 90 – 92 (CBB) and 92 – 94 (PDT) Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 8 Focus – Enabler: Mindsets and Beliefs Focus Question: As you move towards your vision, what are the mindsets and beliefs that will help you? Description Adopting a Growth Mindset In both workbooks I write a little bit about the Growth Mindset, a term that was brought to life by Carol Dweck. Mindset is below the waterline and shapes our perspectives, behaviors and motivation. What mindsets do you have as you approach your work? What are the things that are going to help you grow, persevere and succeed? Growth mindset is characterized by:
Activity What are the mindsets you are bringing to your work every day? Be specific in thinking about the last week or month. Note where you have been – in fixed, or growth mindset. What’s needed? Connection to the Workbook and Planner Mindset in Iceberg – pages 25 and 26 (CBB and PDT) Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 7 Focus – Resourcing and Past Experience Focus Question: What can you do to leverage what you already have done? Research/Story What helps coaches be successful with their work? As a professional it’s likely that you have already had many accomplishments. These can be leveraged for future successes.In this week’s focus you are invited to think about what pat successes you have enjoyed and created for yourself. Activity Take a few minutes to list the top 10 things you are most proud of accomplishing. As you identify the experiences, note:
Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 6 Focus – Enablers: Resourcing, Partnerships, Mindsets, Strengths Focus Question: What are the things that are going to help you as a business owner/coach/virtual employee? Description The term « enabling » is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as “making something possible or easier”. What, and who, is going to help make your vision and your key goals possible?Being able to lean into different areas is key for our business, especially when things get busy, or we are tasked with a big project, or one that stretches us.At these times it is important to lean into areas that will help us – or the enablers. That can include:
Activity Using the following worksheet - Identify the Resources, Partnerships, Mindsets and Strengths, and past experiences, that are going to move you forward with a current project. Connection to the Workbook and Planner Many of the resources in the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack workbooks help readers identify and focus on these areas, in particular: Additional resources that will support you in this area include:
Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking here. Check out past weeks of the 52 Weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Planning, Doing and Tracking Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 5 Focus – GOALS – SMART/Anchored In Vision Focus Question: As you consider your goals right now, what’s the one most important one that is going to move you towards your vision? Description Goals are at the heart of work, and the work we undertake with clients. Goals are also at the core of planning. Why it is important to look at this at when running a business? Goals are central to both planning and trackingGoals and planning:Goals anchor the planning process. An older project management adage is that 10 minutes of planning saves 2 hours of unfocused effort.In particular, goals help us with Focus. Goals help us focus our efforts. In focusing, they help us with distinction on what’s important and what’s not? As a small business, or remote workers, goals help to confirm what is needed for success, and being able to delegate the rest. Goals help us in making decisions and can support shifting fees, services and payments, as we grow a business. Goals also help with prioritizing where we are going to focus our efforts. When we are part of a matrix team, this is critical to understand and know how to support multiple teams.Goals and tracking:Goals also are core to the tracking process. Goals help us:
Research/Story "Goals help us stretch beyond what we think is possible and provide a yardstick to see how far we've come." - Jennifer Britton There are multiple frameworks to support coaches around goals. From SMART-E Goals, to what John Whitmore terms PURE GOALS. The framework I usually introduce to people I work with are SMART-E Goals. As a reminder these are: S - Specific - What specifically do you want to achieve? What will it look like? M - Measurable - How can you track progress? A - Achievable - With some stretch are these achievable? R - Realistic - Again, with stretch are these in range? T - Timebound - What's the time frame on this - next week, end of June, early 2015? E - And most of all, are these goals exciting? If they are not exciting, chances are they might got get done, or may get done only to get them checked off. Activity The entire Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack Workbooks are grounded in goal setting, planning and tracking.At the heart of this is the One Page Plan – page 277(CBB)/page 281 (PDT)This week take time to identify your top five goals for the month (or the quarter). As you are considering the goals consider the following questions:1. What's important about this goal? (it may be framed in the big picture? Short term? Long term?)2. What will success look like?3. What outcomes do you want?4. What might get in the way? (or what could be a roadblock?)5. What resources do you need to be successful? (OR What will help you be successful?)6. When you are successful with this, what's possible?Source: https://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2016/09/six-coaching-questions-around-goals.html (Originally Published September 19, 2016)Be sure to refer to your One Page Plans on a regular basis. Many professionals like to keep them visible and refer to them often, updating them with time. Connection to the Workbook and Planner The One Page Plan can be found at: Page 277 – Coaching Business Builder Page 281 - PlanDoTrack Download a one-pager to create you own annual analog resource. Enjoy! Jennifer PS - Share your vision and how you engage with these activities on social media. Use the hashtag #dscam2019 (It stands for Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum) Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 4 Focus – VALUES – What’s important to you? Focus Question: What are the values that anchor your business? Description Like a compass, values provide an important anchor for us. They influence our decisions, ways we work, and how we connect with others. What are the values which influence your work? Research/Story Working with Values as a Coach is a foundational part of what we do.There are many different ways to work with values as a coach including:
Activity Values Checklist Use the downloadable values checklist (found below) to highlight different values you hold. Once you have identified your top 5, give them a tagline or 3-4 adjectives each. For example: If one of my values is high touch, that also means – small group size, integrating 1-1 calls with group calls, and taking time to really connect. Connection to the Workbook and Planner Given that values are such a core part of our work, you are invited to review these several times throughout the workbook. As part of the Iceberg you are invited to identify your top 10 values for you and your business. Write these out on page 24 (CBB) or page 25 (PDT). You may want to read through this entire section from pages 23 – 29. There is also space on page 38 under “Be True to Who you Are” - The Micro-Vision on page 38 (CBB) or page 42 (PDT). You are invited to return to this in the Ecosystem in Section 4, noting your top 5 values as part of your anchoring system, grounding you (page 104 – CBB; page 108 – PDT). Note your top 5 values there as well. Download a one-pager to create you own annual analog resource. Enjoy! Jennifer PS - Share your vision and how you engage with these activities on social media. Use the hashtag #dscam2019 (It stands for Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum) Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Author of several books including: PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Effective Group Coaching (2010) Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected Week 3 Focus: What is your theme? Focus Question: What’s your theme for this year? Description Like the name of a book or TV show or movie, themes provide an overarching focus. A tag line for a year, or a program, helps to cut into the “essence of it”. Like a metaphor, a theme will often capture many layers of ideas in just a few words. As we wound down the year, I asked all the group members I worked with what their metaphor or theme was for the new year. Metaphors help us move to the bigger picture, 30,000-foot view, or what some coaching models call the Meta-View. In times of change and turbulence, leaning into our metaphors become extremely powerful. Spend some time thinking about what you want your theme or metaphor to be for the year. Research/Story There can be many ways of exploring and identifying themes. Many times, I like to go and select a card, or roll the “story cubes” and see what comes up.One of the three annual programs I run is called the Learning Lab and Design Studio, and focuses on support to professionals wanting to create their own learning programs (on-demand, coaching programs, webinars, retreats). Here are the nine icons which were rolled early last year, creating the following story around the LLDS 2018: The apple – As the first cube selected, I take the apple as a representation of Knowledge – very appropriate for us at the Learning Lab and Design Studio where the lens is about all things learning and creating engaging learning and growth experiences for the groups and teams we work with as coaches, trainers and facilitators. Magnifying glass – Every month in my annual programs (the Learning Lab and Design Studio (LLDS), the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (CGBL) and the Leadership Lab (Teams365 LL), a different theme gets put under the magnifying glass. As a facilitator myself, it encourages me to continue my pursuit of learning, keeping abreast of new trends in our field, and exploring topics I can bring in my own work to my clients. The Flower – As an avid gardener in the warmer months I was pleasantly surprised to see this come up. It got me to researching to see if different flower symbols have different meanings – and in fact they do – here’s a cool list. For this story, I’m taking the flower as a representation of the importance of building up your garden bed and taking time to appreciate the beauty they exist. I think that for many of us doing a lot of work with groups and teams we are moving so fast (like our clients are) that it’s quite rare to have a quick pause to take stock of what we have, and what we can do. The LLDS creates one of these important pauses. Footprints – The LLDS is also about taking action and leaving your mark. Once a quarter I host a 4-hour virtual retreat afternoon, geared to get you into action around your own work. This year I’ll also be hosting quarterly program hacks so you can do some real-time design work in a compressed time frame. Lightening Bolt – One of the two calls each month is a facilitation lab. In establishing this program in January 2016, I felt that it was really important to create a place where we as facilitators could try out different tools, and experience them as learners ourselves, before taking them into work with our clients. Book - There is an abundance of topics we cover throughout the year, and I’ve loved how there are now more than 24 sets of templates, articles, and almost 50 recordings for LLDS members to explore when they have time. Conversation – One of my favorite symbols (the conversation bubble which is also on the title of my newest book, Effective Virtual Conversations) was next in the storyline. The other element I love at the LLDS is the conversations that ensue. It is a small group conversation experience, and unlike larger group webinars where everything might be chat only, we engage every week in rich conversation. Fountain – The fountain to me represents the fact that there will always be a myriad of topics left to explore. Our work and professional field is not static. It’s ever changing and evolving. The LLDS provides a regular reminder to keep learning. Tree – For the last three or four years now I have been returning back to my roots as an environmental scientist in different ways, particularly as I speak and write about ecosystems. My work has always been very multi-disciplinary, and the tree symbolizes how at the LLDS many of our conversations span the different disciplines of coaching, training, learning, education, e-learning, facilitation, social change…. Source: http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com/2018/01/setting-new-year-intentions-at-learning.html If you work with a favorite card deck pull it out now and select a number of card randomly. If you have a set of Story Cubes, consider rollilng these to get your theme for the month (or year!). Share it with us using the hashtag #dscam2019 (Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum) Connection to the Workbook and Planner Every month you are invited to start your month with a blank page entitled “Monthly Plan for ____”. See page 147 (CBB) or page 151 (PlanDoTrack) for the first one in the series. When I run the month-end planning sessions, note that I make sure to ask the question, “What’s your theme?”. Like I have just shared, monthly themes can continue to pull us forward, particularly through the ups and downs experienced over the course of a month. Include your monthly theme on your Monthly Plan page. You’ll also note these theme boxes scattered throughout at the bottom of other pages - Monthly To Dos, trackers and others. Themes take us back to the bigger picture of business and can “infuse” the activities we undertake. What theme have you set for your work this month? Download a one-pager to create your own annual analog resource. Enjoy! Jennifer Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized - Specializing in support to virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs Award-winning Coaching Skills Training Join us for one of our 2019 Annual Coaching Groups - Teams365 Leadership Lab for Virtual Leaders and Team Members or Coaching Biz Growth Lab - for coaches and other virtual entrepreneurs (416)996-8326 Stay Connected |
AuthorJennifer Britton is the blogger behind the popular Teams365 blog, a daily,blog for team leaders and members since 2014. Her latest publication is the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner. Pick up a copy at Amazon. Pick Up a CopyUpcoming Programs
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