CorporateCoach eNewsletter

Issue No. 64, 21^st June 2004

CONTENTS

1. Editorial: Asking for money
2. Coaching notes : The keys to the CASTLE

1.     Editorial: Asking for money

I continue to savour learnings from my week with CoachVille at Orlando.

I had the privilege of doing a coaching exercise with a wonderful young lady who told me that she was "The Collection Goddess". She could make people feel good about agreeing to pay their debts.

One of the problems that many people suffer when they first go into business is asking for money. The Collection Goddess gave us some advice. Give 21 people a dollar each (I guess £5 would do in the UK), and then later contact them individually to ask for your money back. She chose 21 people because she understands that 21 days is as long as it takes to change a habit.

Brefi Group associate Andrew Halfacre has another exercise for learning to ask for things without embarrassment. Go into a MacDonalds hamburger outlet and ask for a pizza. Keep a straight face and ask in the expectation that they will be able to supply you.

Regular readers will know that I have decided to give up believing that it is honourable to be a virtuous pauper. I have had two demonstrations recently of how a respect for one's own earnings has led to a positive outcome.

I have a friend who teaches presentation skills and public speaking. Last year she attended an international conference in Durban, South Africa. She was approached by a group of women from Malawi, saying that they had been impressed by her contribution and wondered whether she would go to Malawi and teach their club. Her reaction was, "But I have to earn a living," and she did not expect to hear from them again.

Some months later, she had a call. These few women, whose club had had only £70 in its coffers, had contacted the main companies in Malawi and set up five days of training for senior executives. Would she now come, and then give two days training to their club. This she has recently done and had a fantastic time. The outcome is that not only did she have her expenses and fees paid, but the local club made a profit of £2,000!

The 'Dream Coach' at Orlando, Marcia Wieder, had a similar story. Marcia is keen to pass on her training to young people. One day she met the head of the Girl Scouts - I think in the ladies' restroom - and they struck up a conversation. A few days later, the lady contacted her and asked whether she would run her programme at the summer camp. Marcia agreed but asked "Would it be OK if I found a sponsor?" In fact she obtained sponsorship from a major New York bank. So she did her value based voluntary work and was paid – and, no doubt, the sponsorship might have led to some other benefits for the Girl Scouts.

When I was in Orlando I purchased a set of CDs for CoachVille's Phoenix Certified Coach Intensive. This was a two day workshop led by Thomas Leonard and Dave Buck. It is a training that goes through the path to becoming a certified coach, which consists of: -

• 15 coaching proficiencies
• 15 clarifiers
• 15 deliverables
• 15 frameworks and
• 15 stylepoints

It is a wonderful system. We already have a set of competencies for management, developed by the Management Charter Initiative, standards for directors and boards developed by the Institute of Directors, and pre-suppositions and competencies for NLP. I had not previously encountered these CoachVille standards for coaching and welcome them in addition to the ones for coaching and executive coaching from the International Coach Federation.

In September we shall be launching our programme for successful professionals who wish to become successful consultants, incorporating an NLP consultancy practitioner certification. During the summer it is my job to devise or discover a similar set of competencies for consultancy.

By nature and training I am a systems thinker – it is part of my skills set as a consultant. I often notice occasions where systems thinking has not been applied. I was on a course at Henley Management College many years ago. Lunch was a buffet. I was just saying to someone "Why do the caterers not think and provide the wine at the end of the buffet table rather than at the beginning, which means we have to carry a full glass while we are collecting food?" when someone turned to me and knocked my glass of red wine, spilling it all!

Similarly with the wonderful set of CDs from CoachVille. They all have the same cover on the jewel case, though the CDs themselves are numbered. This means that it is difficult to pick out the next one to play from the total set of eleven. Not consumer friendly. Then I discovered after playing number three, that the next one is also three and there is no number four. An own goal, which rather proves my point. Now I have to get a replacement from the other side of the Atlantic. Never mind, it is excellent content.

One of the stories told by Dave Buck at the beginning of the series is of his wonderful working environment - his home, a house on a lake. Recently he had had an injury playing football that included a cracked skull. His doctor had warned him that he would not be able to return to work for many weeks. Dave asked "Would it be alright if I just stayed at home and spoke to people on the telephone?" "Yes, that would be OK." replied the doctor. "So I can work then," said Dave.

I listened to this and thought – that sounds to me like having a job. Fancy having to be stuck in one place all the time. I love what I do and, in particular, I value the freedom and variety. Having to be tied down to one place at specific regular times would be purgatory for me. However, for many coaches, the attraction is that they can work from home.

We are all different. And one of the advantages of the Brefi Group associates team is that we have different styles and interests, along with common skills and values.

USEFUL LINKS:

• CoachVille

2.    Coaching notes: The keys to the CASTLE

Last week I reviewed Lance Secretan's book, Inspire, and described his thoughts on developing a Why-Be-Do.

Lance progresses his theories through the concept of Higher Ground Leadership. Later in the book, he says that the higher ground leader is guided, in life and work, by six principles; what he calls the CASTLE principles: -

1. Courage: Nothing happens until we become brave enough to reach outside our existing paradigms. We are gripped by fear, we become ineffective and our performance is diminished – at work and at home. It all starts here. To strike out on the journey toward Higher Ground Leadership requires great courage, but courage overcomes fear and provides new, bold lenses with which to see life at home and work.
2. A commitment to Authenticity: Showing up and being present in all aspects of life, removing the mask and becoming a real, vulnerable, and intimate human being, a person who is genuine and emotionally and spiritually connected to others.
3. A desire to Serve: Departing from an old sorry, self focused, fear based mode, and instead focusing on the needs of others by listening to them, identifying their needs and meeting them - and thus inspiring them.
4. A passion for and commitment to the Truth: The refusal to compromise integrity or to deny universal truths - even though in these turbulent times, avoiding the truth might, on the face of it, seem easier.
5. The capacity to Love: The source of a Higher Ground Leader's ability to inspire others, and the spiritual and psychological antidote to fear, stress, and anger, which, when freely given, results in people who are:
6. Effective in all aspects of life.

Lance Secretan claims that these concepts are within us already, but yearn to be recalled. So, how far are you towards being a Higher Ground Leader?

USEFUL LINKS:

• Inspire, Lance Secretan
• The Secretan Center Inc

DIARY DATES :

Here are some dates when I shall be travelling to meet subscribers and potential business partners. If you would like to meet me, please contact me.

• 22-28 July, Dubai, UAE
• 29-31 July, Mumbai, India
• 2-4 August, Singapore
• 6-10 August, Melbourne, Australia
• 19-22 Sydney, Australia

We aim to make the Brefi Group web site the premier developmental site for teams and individuals in organisations, so do please send us your suggestions and requests for further development. And let us know what you think of this newsletter, and comment on the content.

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Brefi Group is a change management organisation that provides corporate coaching, consultancy, facilitation and training. Be sure to visit the Brefi Group web site at http://www.brefigroup.co.uk

We hope you enjoyed this issue of CorporateCoach. If you would like to learn more about how we can work together, then please contact me, Richard Winfield:

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E-mail: editor@brefigroup.co.uk