Tag Archives: executive coaching

Strategic Coaching for Sustained Growth: Doing the Right Job, Right Way, and Right Now

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From my associate, Janice Giannini.

Close your eyes for a moment and create a picture of your company where 70% of the leaders are resilient and empowered to be adaptable and innovative. Then, create a picture of the competitive advantage the entire organization creates by working in this way. Is that a place you would like to lead and work for? That is what Strategic Coaching can deliver.

‍Why is it important to be resilient, adaptable, and innovative?

  • ‍Actively planning where you are going short, mid, and long term and understanding how to stay ahead of the competition is critical.
  • Effectively managing risk, balancing the risk of change, and staying the course is the difference between success and defeat/stagnation.
  • Operationally, doing the right job at the right time in the right way closes the deal!

 

Do any of these thoughts surface periodically and get in the way?

  • ‍Are you doing the best you can, or are you doing what you need to do to accomplish your growth goals?
  • What is the risk of change versus continuing down the same path you are on, strategically and operationally?
  • What gets in the way of changes that will close the gap between where you are and where you need to be?
  • Are you dealing with too many artifacts of past success, such as outdated processes or resistance to change, versus what is needed / appropriate for the world you live in today?
  • What would your revenue, profit, innovation, and market presence be if your leaders and associates performed at their peak on a regular basis?

 

‍If the answers to the above questions do not immediately come to mind, immediate reflection and action need to happen.

Does the leadership team have the same clear understanding and ability to articulate?

  • What does the business need to accomplish, and what are the risks and constraints? It is critical to be honest with yourself and others.
  • When and how does the environment enable a leader to openly say, “I don’t agree or understand,” and the team responds, “Let’s spend time getting on the same page?” Or Not?
  • When is Change a dirty word in your environment versus an opportunity for success?
  • What do you need to give up to achieve your goals/mission?
  • What are you willing to give up?
  • When the need to let go is greater than the willingness to do so, change management is required! Lack of alignment of the need and willingness to let go dictates less or rocky growth, lower innovation-impaired competitiveness, and lower market presence with revenue and profits left on the table.

‍‍A Strategic Imperative on the critical path to growth and innovation

Coaching is a time-proven process that decreases the gap between need and willingness to change. This will close the gap between where you are and where you need to be to achieve your growth, innovation, and profit goals/mission.‍

Let’s look through 3 different lenses to understand how coaching can be a performance multiplier:

  1. The coach’s perspective
  2. The person being coached perspective
  3. The Sponsor’s (Executive or other leader in the organization, including self) perspective

The Coach’s Perspective

‍I invite you to consider an Executive Coach as your growth catalyst as you navigate the turbulent waters and transform yourself and your leaders to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly changing world.

‍The relationships and personal growth catapult the leadership team to greater results. Coaches grow and evolve along with their mentee/ client/ leader/ associate. Coaching helps the mentee recognize the roadblocks, blind spots, limiting patterns of thought, and under-utilized/recognized strengths that constrain professional and, therefore, company growth.

As the coaching process is a two–way street/relationship, the coach and the mentee grow. As the coach goes through this process with their mentee, both parties better understand how to work more effectively together to accomplish the mission and goals.

This leads to implementing a tiered strategic-minded coaching approach; the senior leaders embrace personal coaching themselves and, as a result, become more adept at coaching the organization itself. In the process, the senior leader is reshaping how they see themselves and how others perceive them in the organization. The senior leader also becomes more aware of how their struggles contribute to or interfere with team alignment. What would a 20% increase in team alignment enable the business to achieve or avoid?

The Person Being Coached Perspective

From the vantage point of closing the gap between where you are and where you need the company to be, coaching helps individuals reframe and transform how they see themselves. This transformation from manager or technical expert to a visionary leader results in greater confidence, resilience, and adaptability. Additionally, it causes an increased ability to inspire and positively impact those around them. It can help people’s willingness to step out of their comfort zone with the confidence to recognize and drive strategic initiatives that strengthen the company and themselves.

While a person initially may not see themselves as a natural-born leader, they will become able to see themselves as an influential voice, inspiring others to work more confidently, to fully engage, focusing on insights and more immediate changes that yield significant impacts for the business.

Additionally, people more quickly recognize a lack of alignment and develop the ability to speak up, identify, and collaborate to find better alternatives, enabling growth. These changes in leaders’ self-perspectives drive necessary changes that ripple across the company and its success.

It is important to recognize that progress is often incremental. It may not be the”Big Bang Theory.” It may be smaller incremental movements that, in the aggregate, can be huge progress and success. These smaller successes cascade upon themselves, driving people to want to do more to help the company’s continued growth.

This perspective on coaching leads to considering, as another tier of the approach above, to identify the multiple less-experienced associates in the company, who may and may not have the title manager behind their name, as significant beneficiaries of coaching. Therefore, a coaching plan typically becomes a hybrid approach, continuously using professional coaches as needed and in-house leaders. The benefit of external coaches is that they do not eat/ sleep/breathe in the same environment and can see areas for growth and reinforcement more objectively.

The Sponsor’s Perspective

Sustainable and long–term growth is a function of doing the right things at the right time and in the right way. Companies and enterprises that accomplish long-term growth have a strong, positive, empowering culture that recognizes and values people to make results happen. Coaching is a critical risk-reduction activity that boosts competitiveness, growth, and innovation. It is not discretionary; it is a mission-critical investment for growth.

In the rapidly changing world we live in today, an ecosystem of continuous learning, flexibility, resilience, and adaptability is imperative. ROI is reflected in revenue, profit growth, and innovation, which is essential for marketplace competitiveness.

Coaching ROI tracking checklist:

  • ‍Improves critical team retention. More or less turnover is less optimal and more expensive. (American University Exec coaching industry results: 48% increase in retention and organization performance)
  • Improves team engagement. Team leaders observe less divisive conflict and a greater willingness to respectfully speak up and resolve issues.
  • Increasing associates’ satisfaction scores. Associates initiate more positive collaboration themselves versus directives from a manager. (American University Exec coaching industry results: 50% increase in collaboration and team performance)
  • Coaching surfaces heretofore hidden leadership potential in associates for the future (near, mid,long term), avoiding leadership gaps. Use annual reviews for succession planning to avoid critical gaps.
  • Improvement in leadership performance metrics across the company.
  • Aligning with business needs happening more quickly than in the past. Is there a more remarkable ability to let go of what is and to adopt what needs to be with a positive attitude across the board? (American University-industry results: 48% in performance with revenue above expectations)

 

‍I encourage all leaders to view coaching as a Strategic Imperative for themselves and others in their company. Coaching is about investment in the current and future strength of the company’s business results and culture.

‍The reality and risks of the business world today require different capabilities at most levels in any organization. One or two executive leaders cannot do it all. They must recognize the issues, implement change management to enable growth and develop the associates’ capabilities to stand strong and follow through.

‍Are you ready to create a future-oriented organization with committed, resilient, flexible, and empowered leaders who now create immediate and impactful change? If not now, when?

Fix ‘Em or Fire ‘Em: Tough Choices in Leadership

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From my associate, Grant Tate.

Many leaders, especially in government and large institutions, struggle with underperforming employees who drain productivity, morale, and resources. My colleague and I experienced this last week: an organization director, overwhelmed with frustration, has multiple cases of long-term underperformance but feels constrained by bureaucracy, fear of legal retaliation, and a workplace culture that resists decisive action.

‍What can leaders do to navigate this dilemma? Here are some ideas:

‍

1. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Strategic Coaching

While some employees may simply be a poor fit, others may have the potential to turn things around with the right guidance. Before moving straight to termination, a leader should explore whether coaching or structured interventions could make a difference.

‍By setting specific goals and providing a clear improvement plan, leaders give employees the opportunity to either step up or self-select out of the organization. Those who genuinely want to improve will welcome this guidance, while those who resist will demonstrate that they may not belong in the organization. Ultimately, this process can foster growth and, in some cases, even rehabilitate performance issues.

2. Look Beyond the Individual: Impact on the Organization

Underperformance has a ripple effect on the organization. Poor performance rarely exists in a vacuum. In this director’s case, morale was down across five departments, each impacted by poor-performing employees. This affects the team’s productivity, morale, motivation, and overall workplace culture.

‍Leaders need to see these issues for what they are—systemic challenges, not isolated problems. By addressing underperformance as a cultural issue, leaders create a message of accountability and a clear commitment to high standards.

‍3. Create a Culture Where Performance is Valued

Government agencies, like the one in this scenario, often operate in environments where job security is prioritized over performance. This can create a culture where underperformance is tolerated, sometimes for years, with little risk to the employee. However, effective leaders push back against this status quo. Leaders should establish clear performance expectations, set achievable goals, and provide regular feedback. When employees understand what’s expected and know their work is consistently evaluated, they’re more likely to rise to the occasion.

‍This may require a cultural shift and a willingness to hold uncomfortable conversations. But the long-term impact on morale, productivity, and employee satisfaction is worth it. Creating a performance-focused culture empowers high achievers, motivates mid-level performers, and makes it clear that chronic underperformance won’t be ignored.

‍4. Document—Then Act Decisively

The director diligently documented the poor performance of one particularly problematic employee, creating a file over an inch thick. We all know documentation is the evidence that managers need to support their case for action. However, documentation is only part of the solution. For it to matter, leaders must be prepared to act on it.

‍Many managers hesitate at this point, worrying about possible legal implications or backlash. Yet, allowing poor performers to hang on, especially those who poison the culture, harms not only the team but also the organization’s effectiveness. If the employee cannot or will not improve, termination may be the best option—not as a punishment but as a necessary step for the health of the entire team.

5. Address the Fear Factor

Managers may fear the repercussions of making difficult personnel decisions. They worry about lawsuits, appeals, and the potential for backlash, especially if the employee has taken preemptive steps, like hiring a lawyer. While these concerns are valid, they should not paralyze a manager into inaction.

‍For leaders, courage is a vital quality. Managers should work closely with HR to ensure that all procedural steps are followed to the letter. If they have provided constructive feedback to the employee, documented issues thoroughly and treated the employee fairly, they are legally protected in taking corrective action. HR departments, for their part, need to provide steadfast support, empowering managers rather than creating roadblocks.

‍6. Take a Stand for Organizational Health

Leaders should remember that taking corrective action isn’t about punishment—it’s about protecting the health of the organization. Every employee who is allowed to underperform sends a silent message to the rest of the team: “We don’t prioritize excellence.” On the otherhand, when leaders make the tough call to help under-performers improve or let them go, they set a precedent that the organization values productivity, morale, and the success of the whole team.

In the end, addressing poor performance effectively isn’t just a management issue—it’s a statement of leadership values. By standing up for accountability and making the tough calls, leaders can inspire loyalty and respect, creating a culture where every employee knows that they—and the organization—are held to the highest standards.

So, next time you find yourself in the fix-or-fire conundrum, remember: decisive action speaks louder than a thick file folder.

Developing Enterprise-Wide Perspective in Senior Leaders: A Coaching Guide for CEOs

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Introduction

I have often observed that upper-middle managers will remain too deeply rooted in their specific departments or functional responsibilities. This results in a limited, vertical perspective. To be viewed as promotable, aspiring executives must develop a horizontal perspective that aligns with the organization’s broader objectives, demonstrating an understanding of enterprise-level dynamics essential for executive roles. This broadened view fosters a deeper understanding of interdependencies, enabling leaders to make balanced, informed decisions and collaborate effectively across functions.

This guide provides a high-level coaching framework for CEOs to use with their teams.

Initiate Cross-Functional Exposure

  • Objective: Encourage managers to interact with peers across departments regularly.
  • Coaching Action: Begin by setting up monthly or quarterly rotations where senior managers spend enough time in other departments to understand cross-functional processes and objectives. I suggest shadowing or project collaboration across departments to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. For instance, they should focus on gaining insights into operational dependencies, pain points, resource constraints, or opportunities for collaboration that benefit both     departments.
  • Discussion  Points: In follow-up coaching sessions, ask, “What processes or decisions surprised you in this department? How could that influence decisions on your own?”

Facilitate Strategic Alignment

  • Objective: Help managers connect their departmental or divisional team’s objectives to overarching company goals.
  • Coaching Action: Organize brief, regular workshops to align team goals with organizational strategy. CEOs can facilitate these sessions to review company goals and ensure each manager understands how their area supports or complements these aims.
  • Discussion Points: Use questions like, “How does your team’s work influence our strategic priorities? What adjustments could align your outcomes more closely with our enterprise goals?”

Encourage Problem-Solving from a Broader Lens

  • Objective: Shift focus from immediate team or department challenges to enterprise-level solutions.
  • Coaching Action: Encourage managers to look beyond internal problem-solving impacts or dynamics to anticipate the impact on external stakeholders such as customers, partners, and suppliers before they approve solutions.
  • Discussion  Points: Questions like, “Who else in the company and within our customer or supplier base could be impacted by this solution? Have you considered their perspective?” can deepen their awareness of interconnectedness.

Develop KPIs with Cross-Departmental Impact in Mind

  • Objective: Foster a sense of responsibility for outcomes beyond departmental KPIs.
  • Coaching Action: Work with managers to identify one or two KPIs that depend on or affect other departments. Where practical, tie these cross-departmental or cross-divisional KPIs into their annual compensation packages because, as management guru Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets managed.” This exercise drives them to understand how their work influences broader performance metrics. Add quarterly review meetings to assess progress on cross-departmental KPIs to your cadence to ensure a continuous focus on organizational impact.
  • Discussion Points: Ask, “How can your team contribute to KPIs that benefit our entire organization? Who else should be involved to ensure success?”

Implement Peer Mentorship and Accountability

  • Objective: Reinforce horizontal perspective through peer mentorship.
  • Coaching Action: Pair managers with counterparts in different departments, encouraging them to meet monthly to discuss challenges and ideas. CEOs can guide these mentorships to ensure they focus on enterprise alignment. To maintain accountability, ask each manager to briefly summarize insights or action items from these mentorship meetings to ensure that alignment is continuously reinforced.
  • Discussion     Points: Questions such as, “What have you learned from your peer about our organization’s needs? How does this change your view on your team’s priorities?” can deepen learning.

Conclusion

Adopting an enterprise-wide perspective is critical for promotability and long-term leadership success. By following this framework, CEOs can regularly coach their senior managers toward a broader understanding of organizational needs. This shift from a siloed to an interconnected approach ultimately strengthens strategic alignment and drives better outcomes for the entire organization. By embedding this framework, CEOs can cultivate a promotable team with the strategic insight to lead at the highest levels.

Why Would Someone Want or Need a Coach?

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From my associate Janice Giannini.

Has anyone ever heard these comments: “Do I have time for one more thing to do?” Or “Coaching helps a little, but I’m not sure it’s worth it.” And, “I’m pretty good at what I do.” The biggie is, “Nobody else understands my business the way I do.”

While the thoughts above are all noteworthy, do any of the following scenarios crop up in your business?

  • We are very good at planning and knowing content and delivery dates. Unfortunately, meeting deadlines is not happening to the degree they need to.
  • We can’t always know if the feedback tells the complete picture or if critical elements are getting glossed over or left out.
  • We make decisions when we need to, but the process is stressful and disorganized at times.
  • We love what we do, but I wish I had more time for my family and hobbies. I barely have time to take a walk some days.
  • Sometimes, I feel as if I’m talking to a brick wall. I don’t think folks understand what I’m saying and why.
  • Are my developmental needs getting in the way of my business growth? Do I fully appreciate my weaknesses?

If any of these thoughts resonate with you, please consider that not everyone has the same worldview. Consequently, leading a team with many different views can be challenging.

Regardless of your priorities, consider insights from McKinsey in a recently published article:

  • Only about 43 % of the employees are meaningfully engaged in their work and company.
  • That leaves 57% of the employees in some stage of disengagement. Ouch.

Query: If the 57% were more actively engaged, would your company be growing and healthier?  

In many cases, when there is a technical, business, or personal issue, people gravitate to addressing the symptoms versus actually solving the problem.

What if you could accomplish the following?

  • Ensuring people have meaningful work.
  • Maintaining reasonable flexibility in the workplace so that people were part of the solution and they understood the rationale.
  • Encouraging people to develop career goals and suggesting potential steps to get there.
  • Creating an environment where people are supportive of each other.
  • Maintaining a safe place to work (this is more than safe stairwells).
  • Developing inspired leaders so employees can feel it.

The McKinsey report listed the six observations above as higher priorities for the reasons people disengage.

Might there be a connection between the situations above in the first paragraph and the 47%? If there might be a connection, could coaching be a systemic approach to addressing the root cause versus just the symptoms?

More productive outcomes might be:

  • A clearer understanding of what the company does and why
  • More complete feedback to run the company
  • A deeper understanding of the rationale for decisions and their impact on short-term, midterm, and potentially long-term
  • More consistent and less stressful delivery of milestones
  • Highly effective communication so everybody gets it and is on the same page
  • Better work/life balance with time with family and hobbies
  • Better understanding of how the leadership team needs to grow for the company to grow into the unknown

If the scenarios in the second paragraph are accurate and the outcomes in the last paragraph are desirable – coaching might be worth the investment!

Can AI Be My Coach?

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From my associate, Grant Tate.

I’ve been working with generative AI since ChatGPT was released in 2022, primarily exploring how to use the system in the practice of consulting and coaching.

‍I’ve been coaching professionals and executives for over fifteen years, helping them be successful in their jobs, building confidence, honing their decision-making process, becoming more adept at solving problems, and dealing with the complexities of balancing career and home conflicts. I design the coaching process to the client’s needs and objectives—and do not use a predetermined set of steps.

ChatGPT gives me a new set of tools to help my coaching clients. It helps me design the coaching process based on my initial interviews with the client and the data generated by the client’s personal assessment results. As the client and I interact in the person-to-person sessions, ChatGPT helps me generate solutions or data for the client and I to discuss in the next session. In other words, AI helps us explore a topic in more nuanced and complete ways.

Just yesterday, AI helped me develop a fifteen-page summary to address issues my client and I discussed last week. This summary will be the guideline when we meet later today. The document describes the issues we discussed and provides alternatives for dealing with a difficult personnel situation. It is also a complete guideline for using crucial conversation techniques for an important interview, criteria for selecting and recruiting a key executive, and an agenda of a critical all-hands meeting in the last part of this month.

Seeing this document yesterday raised several questions in my mind. If this client could use AI as well as I, would he need me? In what way would he need me? What human skills do I bring that make me an important player in his life and career?

Those are important questions every coach should ask. And I am still digging deep to find the answers. My encouragement, my mentoring, and my understanding of this client makes me a critical component in his success and development. My ability to ask the right questions at the right time, requiring him to think in new ways, challenging him to strive for more excellence, and helping him build emotional intelligence are some of the most essential components of our work together. Are there more? Yes, I need to keep thinking about these questions.

However, there are some new questions on the horizon. AI cannot fulfill all those human traits, but could the client have used AI to generate his own guidelines for our session? Yes!

‍That raises a new set of questions.

  • Could AI be my coach?
  • Can AI help me build confidence? Possibly not, but it can generate strategies to build it.
  • Can AI help me solve business or finance problems? It can generate solutions and a plan, but I’d have to do the work to implement it.
  • Can AI help me develop better ways to work with people? Yes.
  • Can AI help me develop a strategic plan for my business? Yes.

So, AI can help me with many questions I might discuss with a coach, but it will not help me implement the solutions. It can tell me how but will not give me the will to do the work.

Someone or some organization will soon build an AI-driven website where a client can get coaching advice directly with no human intervention. Such a site can provide answers to many of the issues professionals and executives face.

‍We coaches have challenges ahead. AI may not replace us, but it can change our role.

‍We coaches need to understand that role and make sure our human empathy, judgment, ethics, and values shine through in everything we do.

Uncovering the Mysteries of Coaching

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Today the growing pressures of global competition fuel the demand for more-effective business leaders at every level. It is their responsibility to set the tone and style for their organization and affect any cultural shifts to meet changing values and expectations of the marketplace. Managers and future leaders must themselves change and be prepared to continue to change.

An organization would only develop a long-term strategic plan if it took stock of its current resources and historical data. The same principle holds for an organization’s cadre of professional managers and why Coaching is so important.

There is a common assumption that those who reach certain positions no longer need personal or professional development. This is seldom the case. Personal growth opportunities for people at mid-level or higher levels are rare. One major drawback of being at these levels is isolation from meaningful feedback.

Coaching programs like ours are recognized as a valuable privilege and a powerful tool for star performers who wish to shine even brighter–akin to the world-class athlete who seeks a Coach to excel. Paradigm Associates’ program is also applicable to the executive who has potential but, for some reason, is not delivering what is expected of them.

What is Coaching?
Coaching is a process through which managers and leaders get help to improve their performance and personal effectiveness. Our approach to Coaching offers the rare opportunity to stand back and take a fresh look at the experiences and assumptions of a lifetime. Our program:

  • Facilitates the identification of inner resources
  • Targets growth areas
  • Promotes a healthy balance between career and personal life that sustains the vitality necessary for effective leadership
  • Reveals the need to learn specific behaviors aimed at enhancing short-term or long-term performance.
  • Challenges underlying beliefs and values and invite more fundamental changes.

 

The Coach offers direction and assistance, but the choice rests with the individual. Their revealed self-knowledge forms the foundation for continued growth.

The Coach
The Coach has no internal links with the company. Therefore, they can be confided in freely. The Coach fulfills the roles of supporter, co-creator, political confidant, and scrutinizer. Within each of those roles, the Coach brings specific skills:

  • Supporter: Counselor, Advisor, Advocate, Listener
  • Co-Creator: Problem Solver, Ideas Generator, Opportunity Organizer
  • Political Confidant: Challenger, Influencer, Debater, Decision Facilitator
  • Skills Developer: Innovator, Thought Expander, Trainer, Mentor

 

Having a mentor from within the company may appear to be a good option, but a Coach has particular merits that a peer cannot satisfy:

  • Independence
  • Impartiality
  • Objectivity
  • Wide knowledge and experience
  • Different viewpoint
  • Experience weighing opportunities, risks, and rewards

 

The Process
The Coaching process can take several forms depending on who the individual is and who is asking for Coaching.

There will typically be a briefing meeting to discuss the situation and to decide whether Coaching is the best approach to achieve the objectives.

A meeting is held between the person and the Coach in order for them to become acquainted and for matters of confidentiality to be decided. The style of the program is formulated based on their discussions and the outcomes that have been agreed upon.

The Coach questions the person in depth and may give them questionnaires to complete. Depending upon identified needs, they may even watch the client at work and, in certain circumstances, will interview their bosses, peers, and subordinates.

Both participants review and then identify key strengths and weaknesses as well as developmental needs and put together a plan. They work together on the agreed objectives. This process generally ebbs once the executive has established a steady attitude towards continuous improvement of leadership abilities and has developed an organizational support mechanism for ongoing growth.

Outcomes

There are many benefits of Coaching depending on the precise form and style of the Coaching relationship.

Coaching helps people have clarity and well-ordered priorities. It can give them confidence in their position because they learn how to think matters through thoroughly. It is not just a silly adage to say that a “problem shared is a problem halved,” which has nothing to do with devolving responsibility, just gaining clarity.

The Coaching process is used to identify the skill sets needed to develop the next stage of their career and the resources or actions required to achieve this.

The Coach also brings their experience of similar situations from other businesses. While people like to think that their problems are unique, they rarely are, and getting another industry perspective can be refreshing and enlightening.

The recipient of the Coaching process will gain the following:

  • Greater Clarity
  • Greater Focus
  • Improved Decision-Making Skills
  • Enhanced Creativity
  • Improved Balance in all Aspects of Life
  • Greater Effectiveness and Better Performance

 

Final Thoughts
Coaching for professional development is often the best way for an individual and an organization to grasp the nettle of change in today’s ever-demanding atmosphere. The process of hiring a Coach is highly personal. The decision must be based on trust and commitment. Only when both are established can the relationship begin to move forward in a positive and successful direction.

Spending More Time in Quadrant II

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From my associate, Ellen Nonemaker.

Stephen Covey – Habit #3

“Things which matter most – Must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.”
Goethe

Spend More Time in Quadrant IIFor years I have been a great fan and follower of Stephen Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People* was first published in 1989 and has been published numerous times since. It has been my bible in book form, cassette tapes, and now CDs. Repetition, we know, is one of the best ways to learn – and with a career that requires a lot of travel, listening and learning are natural ways to pass the time.

Although learning and practicing all seven habits is important, I find that the one most difficult for many of my coaching clients to practice is Habit #3 – Put First Things First. In order to be successful at Habit #3, Covey stresses how essential and prerequisite Habits 1 and 2 are. Habit #1 – Be Proactive and Habit #2 – Begin with the End in Mind, give us the principles of personal vision and personal leadership. Habit #3 – Put First Things First, gives us the principles of personal management.

Many people struggle with time management and prioritizing, juggling busy personal lives and professional responsibilities, only to miss important meetings and memorable events – feeling frustrated and stressed. What Habit #3 gives us is the ability to understand “Self-management vs Time management”. Habit #3 provides the groundwork for a balanced life.

There are only twenty-four hours in every day and seven days in a week. Understanding that we don’t control time, but we can control how we use that time is key in avoiding the stress of multiple priorities. Having a TO DO list is great, but prioritizing that list is even more important. If we start at the top, we may not get to the more pressing task further down the list. Today, emails, texts, and cell calls can totally disrupt our focus, sometimes causing us never get back to our list.

Most businesspeople have been made aware of the Seven Habits, Habit #3 and the Covey’s Time Matrix** through classes, managers or coaches, but how many actually successfully apply these principles? Many of my coaching clients have difficulty with “time management.” They look to me to help them create a system. They will always struggle and be frustrated until they understand that it is not “time” but their activities that need management. Until they learn to take time for themselves to learn and refresh, they will be stressed.

We all know someone like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, continuously checking their watch and exclaiming. “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!” The White Rabbit spends most of his time in Quadrants I or III, where everything is Urgent – whether or not it’s Important. Step back and prioritize our daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly activities. React to less critical matters, saying “no” to things that don’t fit our purpose, while focusing on those activities that move us forward give us the greatest reward.

Spending time in Quadrant II means planning, strategizing, and being creative. We are doing important things that are not urgent now and key to our future. If we spend more time in Quadrant II, we will eventually spend less time in Quadrant I. We can create a window for genuinely urgent matters, like a sick parent or child or unforeseen pressing problems.

As we progress throughout the year, reviewing our Time Matrix and scheduling time for Quadrant II activities can be a vital step. We will be channeling our efforts for more positive results while creating less stress and greater balance.

*Covey, Stephen R., The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, The Free Press, New York

**Quadrant I – Urgent & Important
Quadrant II – Important, but Not Urgent
Quadrant III – Urgent, but Not Important
Quadrant IV – Not Urgent & Not Important.