Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays

As we come to the end of another year (and what a year or three!) and the beginning of the holiday season we naturally get into a more reflective state.

If you do find yourself looking back, here are some categories you may wish to consider:

1) Highlights – what have been some wins, successes and achievement you feel good about?

2) Lowlights – what have been some challenges or struggles you have had or are working through.  Remember there is no shame here – we all suffer from the human condition!  🙂

Acknowledgement and ownership are the initial steps in any breakthrough.

3) Unexpected – what have been some things which were unanticipated or a surprise?  Typically this can be a mixed bag of ‘good’ and ‘not so good’ stuff.  How did this pan our?

4) Learnings – what did you learn this year? This is more than the domain of learning new skills.  What did you learn about life, other people, relationships and most of all, yourself?

Self-awareness is the foundation of developing your emotional and spiritual intelligence.

5) Gratitude and appreciation – what are some things and who are the folks you want to acknowledge both in your thoughts and outwardly?

Looking ahead at 2023, think about what you may want to create/focus on/set goals and advance both personally and in your work and business life?

But most of all in this newsletter, I want to wish you nothing but the best of the festive/holiday season with your whanau or whoever you are celebrating with.

Take care and thank you for being part of my newsletter community.

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Life changes, Self-Compassion, and Well-Being

It has been said the three certainties in life are death, taxes, and change.  And more than ever, we have had such unprecedented changes these last three years – the likes of which most of us have never experienced. Businesses have struggled too with a downturn in customers, staff shortages, high inflation and interest rates, supply issues, having to find new ways of doing business amongst other financial and psychological challenges.

While we have had to come to terms with events that we have had little control over such as the global spread of the pandemic, this hasn’t been easy.  The roll-on effects of this massive occurrence persist.

With any change, the ‘endings’ can be gradual such as finding new ways of running your business and managing your workforce or sudden such as an unanticipated diagnosis or job loss.  All these changes whether sudden or gradual, planned, or unplanned have a compounding effect on our health and well-being.  Even positive changes such as moving into a new house, starting a new job, or traveling can be stressful.

Take a minute now and reflect on the changes you have endured in the last two to three years.  How is your tally looking?  As one person said, “We have endured a lot both personally and, in our business, and the worst thing – it isn’t over yet!”  Or perhaps you are one of those lucky ones who is saying, “it has been pretty much business as usual, or we have done even better!” Congratulations, if that is the case.

The reality for many is that we often underestimate the number of changes and their impact on us. When you are in the throes of change – trying to keep your “head above water” and or experiencing a grave sense of grief and loss of what was – it can be hard to see an emergent future.

This can engender reactions like trying even harder, getting frustrated angry, and despondent, feeling stretched beyond capacity, and generally finding yourself in the quagmire of a negative downward cycle.  Just “treading water” is how one person described it.

With our outward focus, what we forget to do is what is perhaps needed the most.

Self-compassion.

Self-compassion is the moat that gives us a buffer from the torrents of change. It provides self-caring armor as it fosters psychological resilience. It helps us re-orient our thoughts, feelings, and emotions from a negative judgmental space to a more generative, space where new seeds of possibility can arise.

The three components of self-compassion as articulated by Kristen Neff, a research psychologist and leading authority on this topic are:

  1. Mindfulness – being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the moment. Whatever these are, instead of avoiding or resisting these feelings, it is letting ourselves experience them.
  2. Self-kindness – bringing the same attitude of kindness to us as we have towards others. Rather than self-flagellating, it is about having a caring attitude toward us. Instead of “mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings”, it is about being kind and gentle with ourselves.
  3. Common Humanity – this is recognizing that as human beings we are all flawed and imperfect.It is about learning to accept and forgive us /ourselves for our flaws. It reminds us that pain and suffering are part of the human experience and that every such moment can also connect us to others. We are all in this together with our various issues and challenges.

Life is cyclical and change is inevitable.  Invariably change inherently also poses the birth of the new.  Can you see any ‘silver linings’ beckoning amidst these transitions?  Within the changes you and your business have endured, what are some things that you are still grateful for?  Rather than some “feel good mumbo jumbo” research shows that a sense of gratitude helps us tip the balance to being more mindful of what’s still working, what’s good, and the strengths and opportunities we may otherwise overlook or take for granted.

And finally, if you are still feeling like you are treading water currently along with self-compassion just remember, “this too shall pass!

P.S. If you are going through some changes personally or professionally currently, are feeling stuck and or would value a set of fresh eyes and new ideas, drop me an email – jasbindar@jasbindarsingh.com to set up a time for a 20–30-minute laser coaching session at a heavily discounted rate as my special offer for a limited time.   I look forward to hearing.

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Coaches: Team Coaching and Team Leadership Alert

SM Post 7 | OCT 13 | 24 Hours Left for Super Early Pricing

If you joined the live Team Coaching Accelerator: Advance to the Leading Edge of Team Coaching and Team Leadership session, and it resonated with you, now is the time to become a member of the Global Team Coaching Institute (GTCI), lock in your personalized learning path, and get the best possible value.

This global educational center dedicated to Team Coaching is ready to welcome you. Once you’re in, a member of the GTCI Team will help you to tailor your learning to your needs as a coach and what you want to offer your clients.

You have a small window left to join now and to get your course for the lowest price it’ll ever be!

Join the Global Team Coaching Institute and begin mapping out your path

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

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Coaches: Embrace team coaching to thrive in 2021

This post is to draw your attention to an upcoming complimentary team coaching and team coaching session from two of the industry’s best thought leaders.

Some years back, I attended a team coaching workshop by Peter Hawkins.   Peter’s  methodology embraced  a systemic ecological perspective to teams, organisations, leadership and coaching which was rather impressive and refreshing. I remember thinking what a difference it would make to organisations if more managers and coaches had exposure to Peter’s work.

David Clutterbuck’s workshops were also brimming with tools and and techniques for expanding one’s coaching skills and repertoire.

And now I am very pleased that they have teamed up to do a complimentarylive session:

Team Coaching Accelerator: Advance to the Leading Edge of Team Coaching and Team Leadership

This is your chance to learn live from 2 of the industry’s greatest thought leaders. Peter and David are passionate about helping coaches like us develop masterful skills to handle difficult and emerging client challenges.

Secure your complimentary seat for the LIVE accelerator

In this complimentary accelerator, you’ll learn:

•  Why team coaching is one of the fastest growing sectors in coaching
•  Why the “Heroic Leader” model no longer works in a VUCA world
•  The elusive nature of the “high performing team” and more constructive ways of thinking about performance
•  The exponential complexity of team coaching and how to reinvent yourself to effectively coach teams
•  To distinguish between team coaching and other interventions, such as team facilitation or team building

Gain valuable insight into the transitions necessary to move from 1-to-1 coaching to the much more complex world of team coaching. Ready to unlock a new paradigm of leadership and teamwork that’s vital to your future success? Join me at this session.

Register for the complimentary, LIVE Team Coaching Accelerator

Hope to see you there!

Nga Mihi
Jasbindar

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Under 24 hours reminder!

By now, you already know how excited I am about WBECS.

So many great sessions by leading global coaches including psychologists:

I was reminded by Professor Martin Seligman about the importance of PERMA (Look this up if it’s new to you – uplifting stuff!) for our happiness and well-being and for us to move beyond languishing (legacy of Covid)  to THRIVING again.

Michael Bungay Steiner asking this powerful question – “How do let yourself down?”

Nir Eyal spoke on controlling your attention – moving from distraction to traction, Due Quach on the neuroscience of wisdom and so much more…!

This is exactly why I wanted to send you a short reminder today: The prices for all Full Summit tickets will go up in under 24  hours.  If you receive this post in the morning then it will be more like less than 12 hours!

I’m sure you want to get in now while you can still save half the price.

Get your ticket now at 50% off before Super Early Bird pricing expires.

WBECS is not just an online summit, it’s a global community of professional coaches striving for excellence, together. I would love for you to be a part of it.

Are you curious to know more?

Feel free to ask me any questions about my experience. Or, if you are ready to join me, get your half-price ticket here:

https://coach.wbecs.com/summit-2021/a6572

Warmly
Jasbindar

P.S. WBECS is constantly upgrading and enhancing the summit experience. Check out their new and exciting features  A favorite is the continuous access to pro-coach marketing materials and business development masterminds.

 Secure your Full Summit ticket here

 

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The Best Online Coaching Event of the Year – Are You Coming?

As coaches, the quality of our coaching is one of our most valuable asset. That’s why I believe that constantly educating ourselves is crucial for long-term success.

You may know that last year I attended WBECS – the World Business and Executive Coach Summit. I loved learning the latest methodologies and connecting with a community of like-minded colleagues.

At WBECS – which is a live, online summit – you get to learn from over 40 of the most brilliant minds in the coaching profession. They share their best tools and strategies and even do live coaching demonstrations (which I have found to be especially valuable!).

Over the years, I’ve personally benefited lots from the summit and would love to invite you to join – seats are complimentary. The amazing presenters at WBECS cover a wide range of topics and coaching disciplines.

You are welcome to register for as many sessions as you’d like. WBECS has also created a NEW, exclusive Online Coaching Community where you can connect with and ask questions to coaches around the world! This is part of the experience when you join the free Pre Summit!

Here are just a few examples of all the coaching experts you’ll be able to learn from live during the complimentary Pre-Summit:

  • Martin Seligman – Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania
  •   Hubert Joly – Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Best Buy
  • Michael Bungay Stanier– Bestselling Author of The Coaching Habit & Renowned TED Talker
  • Dorie Clark – No.1 Communication Coach in the World (Marshall Goldsmith LGC Awards)
  • Erica Dhawan – Named by Thinkers50 as “The Oprah of Management Ideas
  • Sharon Melnick – World-Leading Authority on Women’s Leadership & MG 100 Coac
  • Garry Ridge – Author, Chairman, and CEO WD-40 Company
  •  Plus SO many more!

Interested? Then reserve your spot for the complimentary WBECS Pre-Summit now:

Register for the WBECS Pre-Summit now – it’s 100% complimentary.

I promise you will gain incredible value from it!

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Seasons Greetings

What a year this has been!

With all its unprecedented challenges, I hope that there were some unexpected silver linings for you as well?!

And whatever form these arrived in – some new insights and learnings, stronger relationships, gratitude and appreciation or other personal, career or business growth and development opportunities, I trust that you can build on these in the New Year.

And with that, I would like to wish you and your whanau (family and friends) all the very best for this festive season. And here’s hoping for a less disruptive, more settled and a brilliant 2021 for us all!

Take care.

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Soft Skills vs Hard Skills?  You’re Asking the Wrong Question.

I am delighted to bring you this guest blog by my very talented and cutting-edge friend and colleague – Gihan Perera

A few weeks ago, the Australian Government announced changes to the funding of university degrees, prioritising the jobs and professions they said would be most in-demand in the future – especially in a post-pandemic future. Predictably, the industries with more funding were happy, and there was an outcry from those with less funding – in particular, the humanities.

As an example of the latter, one humanities professor was quoted this way in the media:

Given what is happening in the world right now, she said the skills taught on these [humanities] courses, including critical thinking, communication, ethics, creativity, innovation and human-centred decision-making, are more important than ever.

I don’t want to open the Pandora’s Box of the politics of university funding, but I do want to comment on what I think is muddled thinking here.

Obviously, this professor is pushing her own barrow here, and this is a nice sound-bite for a media article. But this kind of thinking is completely wrong.

Well … not COMPLETELY wrong.

Let me take that back. I 100% agree with her these skills are more important than ever. But she implies they are taught only in humanities courses, and that’s simply not true.

Even 30 years ago, in my science degree, we learned critical thinking, communication, creativity, and innovation – in fact, they were essential skills for a software developer. And I’m sure the contemporary version would teach human-centred design. And ethics is taught in courses such as physiotherapy.

This is not about arts vs science!

It’s easy to make this a debate about which disciplines are more important. The government has made some decisions based on future job prospects, and we can argue endlessly about these decisions.

But instead of taking sides based on industry, discipline, or profession, let’s talk about the skills for the future.

In a nutshell: We need “deep” skills and “wide” skills.

Deep skills are the skills unique to a job, profession, industry, or discipline. You want a cardiologist to know about heart surgery, an auto mechanic to know about cars, a cellist in an orchestra to know how to play the cello, an Instagram marketing consultant to know about Instagram marketing, and so on. If you don’t have those skills, you can’t do that job.

You expect these people to learn those skills through university, TAFE, or some other source. And then you expect them to keep up-to-date – through their professional association, attending conferences and seminars, doing online courses, or whatever.

We also all need “wide” skills.

These are the transferable skills that span different disciplines, and they apply whether your deep skills are in science, humanities, or any other discipline. Yes, these include the things that humanities professor mentioned – like communication, ethics, and problem-solving.

Some people refer to these as “soft skills”, usually to suggest these are more about people than technology. But that’s the wrong distinction because they include technology-related skills that aren’t specific to a discipline. That’s why I call them “wide” skills because they are transferable and span many disciplines.

The Institute For the Future, the World Economic Forum, and many other organisations have identified some of these wide skills. Here are just a handful of examples …

We’re bombarded by more information than ever before, and it’s not possible to shut it out in the hope you can catch up later. That’s why we need the skill of Cognitive Load Management, which is about being comfortable (or at least, not too uncomfortable) with managing this information. Rather than feeling stressed and overwhelmed, you have strategies to filter and prioritise it effectively. In the olden days, we called this time management or goal setting. This is the new and improved version, which incorporates those older ideas, but recognises we’re now operating in a faster world with exponentially more inputs.

With the wider range of communication tools now, people want their leaders to have Leadership By Influence. You have followers because you’re influential and respected, not just because you have greyer hair, a corner office, a better job title, or a higher income. This is about being a leader because you are an authority, not because you have authority. In the workplace, managers must also be mentors; and in the community, leaders need to earn respect through well-considered decisions based on evidence.

The explosion in online communication tools leads to importance in the skill of New Media Literacy, which is about being comfortable with the constant changes in how we communicate – for example, online communication platforms, new social media tools, multimedia, storytelling (and how it’s changed), and shorter attention spans. We need to be willing to access, adopt, and adapt to whatever media are most appropriate and effective for different audiences.

Our education system is woefully inadequate in building numeracy skills. Instead of being able to do times tables in your head (a useless skill, now that you can ask Siri or Google), we need the skill of Computational Thinking. This is about “being good with numbers”, in the sense of being able to present and interpret data, charts, and statistics – and ask intelligent questions about them. For example, during the current coronavirus pandemic – which affects everybody – we should at least have a basic understanding of “flattening the curve”, logarithmic scales on graphs, and “excess deaths”.

The World Economic Forum predicts we all need about 25 days (yes, five weeks!) of training each year to “upskill” for the future. That’s why we need the skill of Active Learning, which is about proactively choosing to be a lifelong learner, and actively engaging in learning, re-learning, and even “unlearning” what’s no longer true. It’s also about using your skill of cognitive load management to choose the best learning channels – online and offline, digital and physical, alone and with others, and so on.

How are YOU helping your people develop their deep and wide skills?

I’ve only listed a few of these wide skills, but I think you get the idea. The key is that these are transferable skills that span multiple disciplines, and are not just “soft skills”.

In my experience, many organisations have clear learning paths for deep skills, but far fewer learning opportunities for wide skills. Even when those latter skills are taught, they are often taught in specific circumstances (For example, a small cohort of “emerging leaders” might be taught leadership skills).

If you’re a leader, manager, or HR professional, ask yourself these three questions:

  1. Are we biased towards deep skills at the expense of wide skills?
  2. For each person in our team, what wide skills could help them perform better?
  3. What am I doing to develop my OWN wide skills?

I said many organisations have neglected these wide skills, but that’s not true of everybody. I’ve also been fortunate to work with some exceptional organisations that put the resources into teaching wide skills because they know these are the skills for future-proofing their teams and organisations.

 

If you or your team members are active life long learners and would like to develop your wide skills including communication and leading with influence skills, do check out: 

Learn.jasbindarsingh.com

You can call also me on 027 280 3335 or send an email – jasbindar@jasbindarsingh.com

I look forward to hearing!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash


Posted in Careers, Emotional Intelligence, Performance and Productivity | Leave a comment

Coaches: Having the Uncomfortable Coaching Conversations

Are you looking for a way to create life-changing results for your clients quickly and consistently?

Then you need to get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations and asking difficult questions!

This month, former ICF President and multi best-selling author, Marcia Reynolds will host a complimentary masterclass called Keys To Breakthrough Coaching. I’d love you to be my guest.

In this live masterclass, Marcia will show you how to have a greater impact on your clients, their organizations, and the world. You’ll discover how to turn the uncomfortable conversations and difficult questions 99% of coaches avoid into your standard mode of operation.

Get high-impact strategies you can implement in your very next coaching engagement!

Register for the Keys To Breakthrough Coaching Masterclass now.

If you’re interested, I recommend that you sign up. Coach training sessions like these often reach full capacity quickly.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me about this session. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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Coaching in the New World

Marshall Goldsmith is considered Thinkers50’s ‘World’s Most Influential Leadership Thinker’ (2015 and 2011) along with being an award-winning coach and best-selling author. He is the author or editor of 35 books, which have sold over two million copies, been translated into 30 languages and become bestsellers in 12 countries.

He was a recent speaker at a value-packed WBECS full summit for global coaches. Marshall Goldsmith answered questions from coaches about his philosophy on life and coaching, his upcoming book, The Earned Life, and the current pandemic and its effect on the coaching profession.We benefitted from some wonderful personal and professional reflections from the world’s leading coach.

He is just a few nuggets from the session

  • Mindfulness is very simple. Ask yourself one question. Am I being who I want to be right now?
  • Have a clear mission. My mission is helping successful leaders get even better.
  • If you want to be successful, follow people who know what they are doing. Try to be like your heroes because they represent your “real values.”
  • Marshall asked the audience to thank their heroes – send them a note or call them up, tell them they are your hero and why.
  • Ask yourself two questions. Did I do what I thought was right, and did I do my best? If the answer is yes, I did what I thought was right and I did my best, that’s all you can do.
  • We’re not here on earth to prove we’re smart or right. We’re here to make a positive difference.
  • As I’ve gotten older, my level of aspiration is going down and down, but my impact up and up. Why? I quit worrying about what I’m not going to change.
  • Show a little humility and have a little fun. Try to make a positive difference but don’t get so hung up.
  • The first person you need to forgive is you (self-forgiveness).
  • Everything you have was inherited from previous versions of you. Ask how can you earn it?
  • Marshall asked the audience to write a letter to the “future you.” One year from today, what do you want to give to the future you?
  • Hindu philosophy – Never get fixated on results. When we get our ego attached to results we’re headed for trouble.
  • Just let go. Accept what you can’t change. Acceptance of what is – you don’t have to like or agree with it.
  • Pragmatic optimism – face the reality that exists and ask what you can do with it.

Click on the link to register for other standout sessions – WBECS 2020 Full Summit

And most of all, in these unsettled times, do take care of yourself –  keep well and keep safe.

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