Coaching and Training
for People and Organizations

May 2004 Online Newsletter

Action Learning Associates, Inc.

www.action-learning.com

We invite you to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues
CONTENTS:
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
  1. Coaching. Most small business owners complain about two problems: Time management and managing people. These are expensive problems that often determine whether they are successful or not. When coaching, I help people become more accountable to their goals by asking questions such as, "What activities are helping you generate revenue? How can you develop others to do the work that you do not need to do? What is the minimum cash flow you need for sustainability?"
     
    The rest of us can ask similar coaching questions about our energy and activities. "What activities are helping you attain your goals? How can you develop those around you? What energy do you need to expend to meet your goals, and what is time lost or unneeded energy?"
     
    Coaching is an active process of accountability toward your goals, whatever they may be. I provide expert life and executive coaching for the athlete or leader within each of us. Give me a call for a free 20-minute sample session or tell me who would benefit from such a free sample phone session. I'll give them a call immediately!
     
    Or, go to www.action-learning.com for:
     
    • free sample coaching session
    • free self assessment
    • free chapter to Adventure Coaching; A guidebook to Work and Life
    • free articles including one published in the Business Monthly
    • your satisfaction is guaranteed.

     
  2. New Discussion Forum. Come visit the new discussion forum at www.action-learning.com. There are many posts by leaders and clients and you can ask and learn too! Categories include: Management training, leadership training, workforce motivation, customer relationship, emotional intelligence, and introduction to the forum. No need to be a lurker when you can add postings!
     
  3. One More Adventure Day! Want to add some high adventure to your life? Invite your friends, clients, colleagues, teammates, office staff, even prospective clients! These adventure days are active leadership training sessions at the ropes challenge course at Sandy Spring Friends School, north of Silver Spring, MD. You can celebrate, have some fun, build teamwork, develop trust and take some risks up to 40' in the air. These are also great networking opportunities. Half-day or full-day options on Saturday, May 15. Pre-registration required by Tuesday May 11, tax deductible. $40. half-day per person, $60. full-day per person with bag lunch. Come join us!
     
  4. Adventure Coaching: A Guidebook to Work and Life. This book is designed for coaching professionals, anyone in the service of others, and anyone seeking adventure in their lives. Download a free copy of chapter one, and share it with your friends or colleagues.
     
  5. Free Tele-classes ahead. Each Monday from 11:15-11:45 EST is a free tele-class sampler to get your week started in good form! Weekly topics vary and include: coaching and personal development, leadership and group training, emotional intelligence, managing conflicts, physical intelligence, or adding adventure. To pre-register contact us for number and pin code extension. Limited to 30.
     
  6. Training programs ahead. In a recent Inc magazine article, they cited a 2003 study that said 38% of managers and project leaders will be looking to change their jobs in 2004. That suggests a lot of movement, a lot of unstability. We would love to offer training programs for your work group. Titles include: Emotional Intelligence at Work, Managing Interpersonal Relationships, Improving Customer Satisfaction, Change Management, Leadership Development, Creating Adventure at Work. How can we help your team reach its goals?

Many thanks to our clients and customers!

Of course, the bottom line belongs to each one of our clients. You represent a tremendous range of people working in many unique environments. However, each of you is wrestling with some questions or challenges about yourself or your work. That is the essence of action learning. If you recall, the Action Learning Cycle is an endless one with four points: Deciding, Doing, Reflecting, and Connecting. On behalf of the ALA associates, we thank each of you for the opportunity to connect and we hope that you continue to do good work!

GOOD READS:

Excerpt from Adventure Coaching: A Guidebook to Work and Life, by Doug Gray

This was the third time I had tried this race, but the first time as a team of four. When Brian and I raced last year we tried to push off exhaustion and hypothermia by stopping to eat an instant food ration somewhere nearby, while bushwhacking on the Endless Wall. By the time it heated up we were asleep. We woke up shivering and disoriented. The untouched food had frost on it; our sweaty clothes had frozen. Two years before Joe and I had made it to the last checkpoint when my bicycle's rear derailler broke. I couldn't ride any further. I had rashes in my crotch, my feet were blistered, my spirit was broken. But Joe was able to finish. That was his fifth attempt. Now he was our support person, curled up in a warm car somewhere ahead.

Tired. Cold. Scared. The next team was 24 minutes ahead, and I knew I should just suck it up and get over the edge. We had a good chance of catching them, if only I could get my feet to move. The climbing guide had mentioned that there was a camp fire down below. Warmth. Comfort. A place to rest. My teammates said, "It's time to go. We can't miss you 'til you're gone. So get going!"

YOUR ADVENTURE CALLING

You are on a similar edge. You are about to drop into a dark, less familiar place. It may seem cold and scary. Your adventure is unique. It may be indoors, with another person and a candlelight dinner. Your adventure may include some goal that is clearly defined, like a career transition within four months, or a goal that is hazy, like the feeling of uncertainty.

Thankfully you are not alone. This book is a tool, like a climbing rope. It connects you to a strong anchor, safely tied to the earth. You have friends and family, a support team, loved ones who are encouraging you to take your first steps. And you have a coach, me. We are the external forces impelling you into action.

Internally, you have the call for adventure. Something magnetic, stronger than gravity, is pulling, pushing, or forcing you to take the steps away from the familiar. Perhaps that face in the mirror has suddenly become unfamiliar. Your call for adventure may be carrying you away from old results and patterns. The challenges in your day timer, on your calendar, no longer excite you. Perhaps you have had an illness or accident or loss that has shocked you. Regardless, now you know there is another way to be. Another way to live. And it has something to do with stepping into your adventure.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

In the last few months as the earth has warmed and flowers and blossoms have decorated the landscape, I have been noticing changes. Clients speak about terrorism. Employees speak about trust. Parents speak about uncertainty. This is a season of newness, freshness, possibility. What is possible for you? What is something that you would like to develop in your world?

One CEO recently stated that this year, more than ever before, he needs me as his coach so that he can focus on the goals that will help him and his business. Another friend, an organizational development specialist, describes his company as "in battle with itself. The managers and the employees are looking for ways to upset the other side." There is a need for balance in our world. Springtime is the season to explore possibilities.

What are some things you would like to change? Who do you know who would benefit from coaching or training? I would be glad to offer a free sample coaching session and also glad to compensate you for that referral. I appreciate your trust in me.

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© 2004 Action Learning Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.