Back in 2007 I published an article by fellow coach Vanessa Vinos called “How Do You Measure Success?“. Three years down the line, this question is just as relevant - if not more so. That’s why this video by Chip Conley caught my eye, who set out in search for a business model for happiness.
Do you have your “business model” for the success and happiness you need in your life? How does your career or business factor into that model? Most importantly: What do you do to regularly double-check that you are still on track, and that the track is the one you are supposed to be on?
“Five Coaching Questions About…” is a content-rich, year-long dialogue between me and a selection of inspiring international business professionals who are willing to share the stories of their own personal and professional development with me – and with you! Each month I will continue to highlight such pivotal “life drivers” as
For many years I was the head of what was arguably the largest internal training unit of a major international ad agency in continental Europe. It was not only my responsibility to outline a program and deliver key training modules myself. I also vetted interesting and innovative speakers to come and inspire our agency’s staff by reminding us all that there was something more to advertising than how quickly branding was establishing after the onset of a commercial or how large the packshot was at the end of the ad. These people came from many walks of life; e.g.:
You do know that I have a second Creating Tomorrow blog, right? I use Creating Tomorrow: TLC as a place to post some articles from this blog, as well as workshop descriptions and other miscellaneous things.
In the past two weeks I have uploaded a few of my worksheets and flyers to that blog. These worksheets are based on ones I use in my actual coaching practice. They were designed to give you an idea of the areas in which coaching can facilitate change in your professional life, as well as support you in your own self-coaching process .
Especially working with young professionals, I like to talk about finding joy in what you do. We spend much too much time on the job to simply consider it a way to earn money. How can we expect long-term happiness and any type of real success in our work, if we don’t get the feeling that we are using our strengths and talents while growing by doing?
Take a look at the important professional goals you set for yourself for 2009. Is there a goal on that list that you know you won’t reach by the end of the year? If so, why not?
Is it because
…in the greater scheme of things it became less or unimportant?
…your plan to reach it wasn’t well thought through or detailed enough?
…you didn’t put enough continuous effort and dedication into take the action to actually reach it?
If the first reason above is true, then you can skip reading the rest of this post.
Here is a link to an interview I was asked to do by my Twitter-friend Craig Pelky-Landes for examiner.com. A testimony to making meaningful contact - 140 characters at a time!
“…Trina Roach of Creating Tomorrow: The Leadership Consultancy, is a coach and consultant based near Duesseldorf, Germany, with a fascinating life story and a strong and growing international practice in her discipline. I met Trina after making a snarky comment about business coaches on Twitter (another lesson in being careful what you say online.) In hindsight I’m glad I did, though, or I would not have gotten to know Trina. She responded in defense of coaching, and we began a lively 140-character-at-a-time correspondence.
Trina was a natural choice as I explore the role of coaching over a number of posts in this space. Following is an interview conducted with Trina while she was on a trip back in the States:…”
Like many of you, I am a member of several social media sites. And like most people, I ‘ve had to make a concerted effort to define for myself the significance of these media in both my private and professional lives in order to use them as efficiently as possible.
While I enjoy being re-connected to people I knew in high school and college, and like being up-to-date on what’s going on in my extended family, my main objective in using social media is further penetrating my professional brand presence. In my case, that also includes selective access to my more personal side. While some people prefer to keep these two aspects of their life neatly separated, I am well aware that as a coach and trainer only part of what I have to offer professionally can be summed up by focusing solely on objective factors such as experience or knowledge and information. A significant part of the value I add to any business relationship is deeply rooted in the interconnection between my qualifications and my personal qualities. The (potential) clients I want to work with want to be seen as 3-dimensional people, and prefer to work with someone who not only treats them as such, but is also unafraid to present themselves in the same way.
Here is a brief overview of some of the social media I use, and how important I think they are for me professionally:
