Week 15 Focus – Partnership Mapping Focus Question: Who are the partners who can support you in your work? Description Being able to lean into others is really important in our work as coaches and virtual professionals. We may not be able to do everything. Being clear on what’s the key partnership are and what value you bring is important. Partnerships may range from coordinating projects together, to Joint Ventures, to Co-Design of Programs and Co-Coaching/Co-Facilitation. Research/Story
Activity In terms of mapping partnerships, it can be useful to identify what you are bringing and why. Connection to the Workbook and Planner 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
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“There are patterns which emerge in one's life, circling and returning anew, an endless variation of a theme” ― Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Chosen At the start of the year there is often a push to pick a theme to anchor the year. In my past few years I’ve had themes like – Waterfall (2013), or this year’s theme of Magnify. These anchoring themes can provide a valuable touchpoint in terms of focusing effort, creating momentum or even helping with decisions. For example, this year when I am faced with competing options I am finding myself asking the question – which one would help me magnify things more. Have you considered setting a theme as well for the month or quarter? You’ll notice in many of the planning tools I have included in the planner sections of PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder, that there is space for you to note the theme. To support you in picking a theme this year, you may want to take a look at some of the photos I share in a video I created earlier this year for setting your annual vision. You can view it here. What is your theme this month? Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) Week 14 Focus – Automation Focus Question: What can you automate in your business? Description There are many tasks in a small business which can be automated. Automation brings the benefits of scaling, supplication maximizing your resources. Think about these items:
Research/Story As much as AI (Artificial Intelligence) is feared, it’s also something which can be leveraged to further level the playing field for small business. Here’s a quick story. Flashback to 2014 and the introduction of offering on-demand video-based programs. Filming, voice over, selecting the graphics could take hours. In 2017, I found Lumen5, a video program which harnesses AI to provide quick creation and rendering of short videos. That platform now enables me to import content I’ve already created (think blog posts and articles) and then have the system convert it to a short video. Total timesaver and a creative tool! Check out the Fall 2018 quarterly planning video here. Check out the Vision video here. (3 minutes) Activity Consider some of the tasks that could be automated in service to your work and business
Connection to the Workbook and Planner Include any automation tasks in your workbook. Consider the systems you might want to automate (Refer to Section 3 - Pages 70 - 75 of Coaching Business Builder, or pages 73 to 80 of PlanDoTrack). 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 Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram For many years in my global career I faced multiple complexities which would get in the way of a regular work day. From regular periods of no electricity, to political and natural disasters which pulled work off course. I learned early in my career the value of two things which continue to help me flourish today – #1 – Focus – Focus when you can, even if it is for a short while. Productivity is not always about the long haul, it can also be about the short burst of focused effort. This is especially true in my world where I am regularly juggling roles, hats, responsibilities and clients. As much as I would love to have huge swaths of time to undertake my work, it’s unlikely. Therefore, focused burst of work, coupled with #2, help me (and the business) keep moving! #2 – Be clear on the top 3 – 5 goals for the day, week and month. My world was the world of contingency planning on steroids, so being clear on what top 3 or 4 to-dos were for the day, or the week, or the month, created a powerful anchor to planning, and also feeling satisfied when EVERYTHING on the list did not get done (which was almost every day). What are your top 3-5 goals TODAY? This week? This quarter? Do you review these regularly throughout the week/month/quarter and adjust accordingly? Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) “Journal what you love, what you hate, what's in your head, what's important. Journaling organizes your thoughts; allows you to see things in a concrete way that otherwise you might not see. Focus on what you think you need to…” – Kay Walkingstick Did you know that for the last few months I have been sharing weekly journaling prompts over at the Teams365 blog? Dedicating short amounts of time each week to pause and focus on what’s important to you can become an important practice in terms of reflection and learning. For many years I kept a regular journal, documenting my life and experiences while I lived and worked overseas. It was an important vehicle to capture experiences and memories, identify learning and work through insights. For many of us (myself included) life may seem pretty standard, it can be valuable to building reflective pauses on a regular basis. It can also be useful in business to create regular pause points to note what is working, and what is not. ` Here’s a selection of 9 of my favorite weekly journal prompts – Grab a pen and your journal and I hope that you'll enjoy capturing some thoughts as we usher in spring later today! Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) 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 “Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.” – Francis Bacon Making things more visible is key to productivity for some in today’s digitally distracted world. Our brains can only hold a certain amount of information - usually said to be 5 + or – 2. Think about how well you remember what you thought about doing yesterday at lunch. Research is also pointing to the fact that we also remember things differently when we grab a pen and paper and write things down, rather than put it in our device. How much energy have you spent this week trying to keep ideas in your head? Dedicating a small notebook to ideas, plans, and resources can be a great memory jogger, and creates a great capsule to reflect back on periods of your life on. I just came across a very small notebook (think smaller than the size of an index card) that accompanied me over 3 months of travel and work in Central America when I was 21. Just seeing it, unlocked a series of memories I had not thought of for years! What is the practice you want to get into in terms of writing things down? For those that like high level bullet-form ideas, be sure to check out the Monthly Daily Planner – One Line a Day in the PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder Planners. It only takes one minute to jot some ideas down! Enjoy your writing! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) 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 “The coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose in a spirit of harmony…no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.” – Napoleon Hill Masterminds are a popular collaborative peer conversation space, where peers are encouraged to bring current business opportunities or challenges which can be explored. The role of those listening may be to ask questions, provide insights or share tips around what they have done in the past. Masterminds have been part of the business landscape for many decades (think the last century). They are commonly attributed to Napoleon Hill author of Think and Grow Rich. Mastermind meetings are popular given their practical peer focus and practical advice. This may be why they are still similar to their roots decades ago. Masterminds can focus on shared themes – i.e. how to build your consulting business OR how to expand social media. The synergy of the group and their commitment to the process is key. Here are some great resources you might want to check out if you are considering getting masterminds started:
Enjoy your conversations! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) 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 |
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
Join us for the 21 For 21 Virtual Co-working Sprints - $21 US. Want to access the recordings and bonus worksheets? Join us at the Booster Pack $79 US early bird rate. Sign up at 21for21 Virtual Co-working - STAND OUT VIRTUALLY! Stand Out Virtually - Incubator - Running an online, virtual or digital business and want to get the word out to organizations? Join us for the 8 week Stand Out Virtually Incubator. Next group starts April 2021. Build out your brand, offers and proposals. Virtual Facilitation Essentials (8.5 CCEs)- Expand your toolkit for better remote and virtual conversations. This is a virtual train-the-trainer - 5 weeks: Fall 2021 programming starts in October $495 US Learn more and register. Coaches! Register for the 60 Day Coaching Business Builder Accelerator. Join us for 60 Days support and ACTION for coaches wanting to grow their businesses. On-Demand Course. PlanDoTrack Facilitator Training Program (24 CCEs) - Starts again in October. Contact Jennifer to discuss. Month-End/Quarterly Planning Session: Thursday September 30th - 8 -9 am ET Archives
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