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Factors to Consider When Seeking A One on One Coaching Program for Business

Is one-on-one business coaching only for poor performers or successful employees?  If you are a business owner, would you consider paying for a program? How would you find one that adds value to your business?

If any of these questions pique your interest, here is what you need to know.

Why Coaching for Your Business

Starting and running a business is more complex than it sounds. Many entrepreneurs attest to launching a business only for it to fail within its first year of operation. The reason being there is more to learn and apply about business development. The mistake people make is to assume they can teach themselves. Sure, there is a ton of information available online but, it’s not specific to your business needs.  That said, business coaching programs provide custom advice and applications that will benefit both the team and the company.

They will help to unlock your employees’ potentials and improve the work output.

Factors to Consider in a One-on-One Coaching Program

The truth is all coaches are not the same. Some are better than others. So what should you look for when shortlisting a coaching program for your business?

The Experience

This one is a no-brainer. Before hiring any person, the first aspect we all want to be sure of is how far they have walked the journey. And in business coaching, it is so much more vital. You need to know that your mentor is a business owner who will use his talents and experience to grow yours because it will translate into how comprehensive the program will be.

What’s in the Package

Before signing up for a program, find out what is on offer. It is the only way of knowing how meticulous the course is. Explore the details of the training to ensure they are practical and can apply in the real world.

Customizability

Learning is only successful if the lessons can translate into clear outcomes in the real world. Any suave consultant can share ideas and head knowledge but what you want is someone with formal training. A great coaching program uses scenarios and examples that you can relate to your business. This way, the lessons can align with the operations of the company.

Framework for Tracking Progress

An excellent coaching program will also have a proper way of tracking the measures you implement. It must have a framework for determining success by helping you set goals, remain accountable, and find solutions when not reaching those goals.

Does it Have a Research Foundation?

Another way to authenticate a coaching program is to figure out its foundation. The best education curricula usually have their basis on extensive research. The same should apply to business coaching. Find out if the model they use has research backing and if it has gone through successful implementation-testimonials.

Overall coaching is the modern way of improving employee performance and long-term business success. You can use these pointers as criteria to sift through the massive online coaching programs until you find the right fit.

Do you know other factors that can help narrow down the search for authentic one-on-one coaching programs for businesses? Do share in the comments.

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leadership women leadership skills

Top Five Leadership Skills that Shift You into an Iconic Leader

Top Five Leadership Skills that Shift You into an Iconic Leader

Leaders emerge from all spheres of life. Taking quick look at the most memorable ones like Martin Luther King or Bill Gates proves so. At some point in their life, they were ordinary men in society.

So, what catapults a person into the status of an icon. It appears the secret is in the unique leadership skills each one commanded. From Winston Churchill to Arianna Huffington, here are the top five skills you can learn from these exceptional leaders.

Creativity

Creativity is not top in many leadership programs as a skill to learn. But it may very well be the x-factor to outstanding leadership. It creates endless opportunities for problem-solving, goal setting, and motivating the team. To become iconic, you have to break the status quo and lead differently.

Coaching

There are many proven leadership skills that people have used over the years to achieve greatness. Yet, the one mark of modern leadership is coaching. It is the ability to help the employees do their work. Today’s iconic leader shows the team how to set goals, identifies areas to improve, create a plan of action, and provides motivation. The types of employee coaching can exist as on-the-spot coaching, mentoring, or performance coaching.

Building Teams

Modern-day companies are increasingly relying on teamwork. They find it essential to gather people with different skills and talents to handle the changing industry needs. Most leaders graduate into these positions. They join already existing teams without practical knowledge on how to build one. But highly sought-after leaders learn how teams work and develop through the four stages of team building- forming, storming, norming, and performing. They apply these to turn them into productivity machines.

Leading Change

The world evolves at an accelerated pace. That means organizations that don’t keep up lose out on new market shares. To move from ordinary to an iconic leader, you have to pick up on the trends and run with them.

Inspiration

The true mark, however, of a leader that impacts is his capacity to inspire. Inspiration is the ability to influence people on an emotional and logical level. Learning and successfully applying this skill relies on emotional intelligence, trust, and a strong vision. It makes memorable leaders because they are the people that create lasting change in lives.

Final Words

Here is the truth, there is no manual to becoming an iconic leader. You only have to learn and master leadership skills that set you apart. That is what will be your legacy.

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business ideas leadership women leadership skills

5 Guaranteed Ways to Make Your Leadership Exceptional

Leadership Exceptional

In the previous posts, we have addressed the skill set and qualities of excellent leadership. All this is well and good. However, being exceptional means going beyond tradition. Think of it as personal branding. Today we look at ways that guarantee you will be the talk of your team for ages- becoming exceptional.

These are some ideas to look into;

Build Relationships with Employees

Exceptional leaders aim to connect with their team members. Beyond work requirements, they know that these are humans first and foremost. A great leader is courteous with the janitor but an exceptional one remembers his birthday.

Encourage Contribution and Openness

The willingness to welcome other people’s ideas is the easiest way to encourage participation. When the team collaborates freely with the leader, it speaks volumes about him. Although you have the final say, you allow the employees to bring in their ideas and plans. It makes you the leader that not only delegates but is open to contribution and true teamwork.

A Practical way to do this is using project assignments that foster engagement. An example is pairing people that don’t regularly work together. Another one could be assigned responsibility to a few people over smaller groups within the team.

Be Willing to Trim

Letting go isn’t cruelty. It is setting a standard for the team’s performance. Exceptional results most of the time mean upholding high standards. So when an employee is under-performing or doesn’t contribute as required, it’s kind to let them go. It is common for some employees to become redundant when organizations undergo changes or evolve.  Why is this the kind thing to do? First, you are allowing him to grow elsewhere and not languish where they are not adapting. Secondly, you are encouraging learning and career progression.

Try New Things- Ideas and Strategies

You are familiar with the saying necessity is the mother of invention. Nothing new comes from a place of comfort. In this case, leading and working in the same old routine will not make you exceptional. Always look for and incorporate new and exciting schedules, contests, reward schemes, and ways to develop the team.

Be Ruthless Towards Grapevine

While it’s necessary to create an atmosphere that encourages open expression, be wary of unofficial cliques, gossip, and back-door communication. Left unchecked are damaging and harmful to the team’s cohesion.  Exceptional leadership dictates that the leader shows fairness and firmness at all times.

Exceptional leadership is people-oriented. It’s about communicating with people, developing them, and rectifying. These simple ways focus on the team rather than the leader. They indicate genuine care and leadership spirit. Your employees will for sure be talking about you outside the office.

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Get the Best Leadership Training for Start-Ups and Let Success Be Your Thing

leadership training

Founders aren’t necessarily leaders. Gone are the days when anyone could wing their way into entrepreneurship.

The business world is rapidly changing and becoming more competitive. Each dawn seems to bring with it new trends and innovations. Therefore, some form of business training is indispensable if you want to stay sharp.

There are short courses, coaching/training programs, workshops, books, and other resources that provide a wealth of practical knowledge for leading start-ups to success.

Start-up leadership training is one opportunity that builds high-performing business leaders.

It is a unique program that empowers founders, leaders, and innovators to become successful start-up CEOs.

Why Leadership Training for Start-Ups Makes You a Winner

See, a start-up leadership program is not like general or professional leadership training. It is custom-made to give you pro tips for successfully running a business venture.

As the head of a start-up, you need the right skill set to launch and manage all aspects of your business. Be it money, people, processes, and strategies. Turning those creative ideas into a thriving business needs a proper understanding and management of the business elements. Otherwise, they won’t survive past the launch phase. Take a look at these success tips you will gain from training for business leadership.

Setting and Executing Vision and Goals

Create a vision and set goals. These are the motivational phrases we hear every day until they now sound like a broken record. The fact is, it’s not that simple.

At the initial stage of business planning, the ideas are like monkeys jumping about in your mind. They need calming and focusing in the right direction. That path is creating a vision and applying it to SMART goals.

Training helps you streamline your ideas for easy execution. That is by outlining the short-term goals, long-term goals, and how they will build up towards the vision.

Teaches How to Manage Costs Well

Managing costs is critical for all start-ups and existing businesses. You will learn the principle of cost management- not paying more than you need to.  The working knowledge and assistance in evaluating where the money goes will stabilize the cash flow and keep you in the game.

Evaluation of Personal Strengths and Weaknesses

Growing a successful business calls for the ability to overcome challenges. A fete that largely relies on understanding individual strengths and weaknesses. You will get realistic and unbiased help in assessing these areas to utilize the strengths and address the shortcomings. Business training not only offers assessment but practical suggestions.

Successful start-ups depend on effective leadership. It is one of the reasons enrolling in the best leadership training places you at an advantage. It equips you with the three secrets to a victorious launch and operation- outlining the vision, managing business elements, and maintaining direction.

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business ideas women leadership skills

Essential Tips for Selecting the Best Business Consultants

business consultant

Best Business Consultants

Sometimes consultancy appears to be an ambiguous/vague profession that implies jack of all trades. For many, that’s enough to put them off the idea of getting one for their business.

Entrepreneurs by nature are solo risk-takers who hold their businesses close to heart. They are not comfortable with outside influence on the baby they found and know how to raise their way.

But, when it comes to business, no one knows everything. You have to be willing to seek counsel if you are to create a formidable brand.

Having said that, how do you know the right fit for your needs? There is no absolute way to be sure but having a screening checklist is the starting point to clear doubts.

You can use these smart tips the next time you want to hire the services of a business consultant.

Specialization

To hire or not to hire a specialized consultant.

On this matter, conflicting views are out there. Our take is specialist professional services and diversity in the industry sector.

Consider the market they serve, are their professional services for B2B or B2C. That is vital because these two are very different.

However, the industry focus should be wide, such as law, healthcare, marketing, etc.

The approach is better for these reasons;

  • When a consultancy micro-targets an industry, there’s a risk of staying comfortable with the usual standards and trends. You won’t get value.
  • Industry-specific consultants can easily fall into the temptation to use the same ‘template’ on every business.
  • There is a limited influx of ideas and insights with a single sector consultant.

Tangible Experience

A suitable consultant for your business should have experience in the challenges and opportunities you face. The best pick is an entrepreneur. Since what he brings is his experience dealing with similar issues.

Past Client Relationships

Another great way to determine if a consultant is right for your business is to look at its clients’ history. It’s an indication of companies that fit its profile. Professional ones will list on their websites this information such as clients, case studies, and testimonials. Some can even include a CEO interview to demonstrate the value they bring from a client’s perspective.

Content Depth and Delivery Method

It’s not enough to look up a business consultant online. Go a step further and skim through their plan, and ask questions on how they execute.

Consultants are knowledge workers, and that is what you should be getting. It means a comprehensive list of available resources on their site like white papers, e-books, videos, and guides that CEOs can use to make decisions.

The consultant you settle for must have depth. Other than the industry experience, can he write? Does he have fresh ideas? How does he communicate these ideas? What consulting approaches does he utilize?

Ask these questions before signing a contract.

Why is this important? It shows a consultancy that is actively engaged and not just selling services based on their resume.

The Bottom Line

Finding the best business consultant for your business is a daunting task. It doesn’t matter if it is on the start-up, growth, or mid-market stage. Use this list to narrow down your search and identify the correct partner.

Have you worked with a consultant before? What other selection criteria did you use? Use the comment section to share your experiences.

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business ideas leadership women leadership skills

Special Programs for High Performance Leadership Development

Leadership development

There is an increasing demand for leadership development programs. Leadership development is very vital in an organization. In response to the changing world in management, special programs for leadership are increasingly becoming popular. Leaders are finding innovative solutions to implement methods that will enable them to improve performance and remain effective in an organization. Due to limitations in administration, there is an emerging trend towards leadership development programs aimed at collective and power-sharing.

Why are leadership development programs important? These are the reasons why this program is crucial in an organization.

  • Improves communication
  • More employee engagement
  • More innovation
  • More productivity
  • Customer retention
  • Proper leadership

Leadership development programs are one of the success strategies for businesses. That is why most organizations are investing in leadership development. So, here are the top 5 special programs for high-performance leadership.

Coaching program

Through coaching programs, leaders can influence the release of the full abilities of their direct reports. Coaching programs should be done daily. A leader with excellent coaching skills can turn these learning moments into valuable skills. This program will motivate employees and positively influence their engagement and efficiency. Leaders must provide guidance, motivation, and feedback to their employees in real-time. This will be possible through coaching programs.

Interactive e-learning

Due to geographical diversity between the leaders and their team members, interactive e-learning is becoming popular. Interactive e-learning leadership training will enhance leadership effectiveness and cohesiveness. This leadership development program can be accessed via video conferencing, downloadable materials, and collaborative tests. It will help leaders to gain soft skills that will enable them to empower, support, encourage and inspire teams.

Communication

How effective is your communication? Communication is important in leadership. It’s achieved via messages, videoconferencing, phone calls, texts, emails, and one-on-one conversations. Since it connects leaders and team members, it should be optimized to be applicable and up to date. This can be achieved through special programs for leadership.

Accountability

Leadership success depends more on the talents around them. Leaders are accountable for their outcomes and that of their teams. So, leadership development programs will enable them to understand their responsibilities and that of their teams and come up with the desired results.

Power of influence

Great leaders should inspire, encourage and influence others to understand their concepts. Leaders need to learn to be effective influencers and good representatives. It is not a matter of who is more powerful but, it’s about who is more influential to the team to realize better outcomes. To be more effective, effective leaders don’t command; instead, they inspire and encourage others to achieve better results. All this will be possible through special programs for leadership.

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leadership women leadership skills

Five Common Challenges Leaders Face Today and How to Overcome Them

leadership challenges

Five Common Challenges Leaders Face Today and How to Overcome Them

One of the main reasons people shy away from leadership is the difficulty of being in charge of others. You have to motivate a diverse group of people, improve their efficiency and get results. Such is the life of the modern-day leader.

Although leaders appear in all sorts of contexts and industries, they consistently face the same types of challenges.

Any individual or organization that desires to be successful must focus on these common challenges that affect leadership.

Why is this so crucial?
Leaders, especially new leaders, face various challenges including dealing with imposter syndrome. These challenges make new leaders lose confidence and feel like they do not deserve to be in that position. According to BetterUp, young leaders suffering from imposter syndrome may question their skills or ability resulting in indecisiveness. Some leaders do get burnout because they feel that they have to handle everything without asking for the necessary help. Additionally, some of these challenges prevent many individuals from taking up leadership positions.

That is why today’s post addresses some of the leadership challenges and how to deal with them.

1. Developing the Team

Leadership is fascinating. Unlike managers, leaders achieve goals by showing not commanding. They have a unique role in growing the skills and talents of the team members. There should be an increasing value of the team output. A good team consists of individuals with diverse skill sets, opinions, and backgrounds. However, diversity can be a weakness when teammates cannot agree on a specific objective. Therefore, the biggest challenge that leaders face when building a team, is the struggle to align individuals with completely different paradigms to work jointly towards a common goal.

There are two ways to handle the challenge of developing a united team;

  1. Leading by example: Unbelievably, the team learns a lot from the person in charge. The members will follow their leader’s guide in time management, presentation, and energy. Additionally, leading by example is proof that the rules and regulations are practical, as the members will witness their leaders implement them.
  2. Mentoring and coaching: Be intentional about developing the team’s talents. By providing opportunities to push and guide them, you can help grow their strengths. Wise leaders utilize mentoring and coaching to build successful teams. According to Bright HR, attaching a group junior employee to a senior mentor is the easiest way for junior staff to acquire new skills. Furthermore, the coach will be available to monitor the progress of the mentees and to ask their questions.

Are you a new leader or would like to refresh your skills?
Take our free 10-day leadership challenge:

2. Guiding Change

Change is inevitable. In professional settings, leaders often find that they have to drive such changes. That can be an uphill task in the face of resistance. Typically, change evokes unhealthy emotions such as fear, uncertainty, and frustrations that can easily result in conflict. Consequently, conflict can disrupt the operating schedule leading to losses or time wastage. Therefore, leaders need to learn how to overcome the resistance and handle reactions from team members.

The solution to guiding change is first, expect some form of resistance and think through what to do about it. Implementing change can cause setbacks; hence, a good leader can minimize their effect by identifying them before they happen. Secondly, involve the team in the process. You may not implement all ideas, but the team will appreciate asking their opinion.

Lastly, a study by Change-Walk-Me, proves that change cannot be implemented without proper planning. Correct planning involves delegation and appropriate transfer of vital information during the transition. Successful planning helps maximize the team’s potential and consequently increase efficiency.

3. Managing the Team and Resources

Micromanaging is a major challenge that leaders face in managing people and resources. The complex balance between giving members the freedom to work and overseeing the projects is not easy. Not to mention handling the team’s dynamics and making decisions that influence the organization.

One of the ways to handle this pressure is to empower others to take on some assistant roles. As a leader, you should assess the strengths of your team members and delegate tasks that suit each member. ZenBusiness observed that leaders using task management tools could evenly delegate tasks to all members without overburdening anyone. The management tool also helped leaders to match the skilled individuals with suitable job tasks, leading to high efficiency and success.

4. Conflict Resolution

Human relationships will always attract disagreement. The problem occurs when hidden agendas and opinion differences become personal. Workplace conflict can lead to a standstill and eventually loss of time and resources. When an organization lacks amicable means to resolve conflict quickly, a simple conflict can drag on for a lengthy time, leading to more conflict and misunderstanding.

When the team engages in conflict, the leader remains the one to step in and bring a resolution. The ideal method to deal with conflict is to face it squarely. Community Tool Box suggests that good leaders listen to issues presented by the conflicting parties and strive to resolve the problem without favoring any party. They remain objective and engage in difficult conversations until they find the cause and solution to the conflict. Additionally, successful leaders set the ground rules for solving future conflicts.

5. Criticism

Leadership means stepping from the shadows of crowds into the public domain or spotlight. That means exposure to uninformed criticism. As a leader, everyone is watching every move you make. Many leaders face judgment for their decisions and missions. Criticism always comes with accountability and therefore good leaders face it head-on.

A seasoned leader understands that adversity reveals a person. The key is not taking it personally. Leaders must train themselves not to be overly attached to their job. They must understand that the critics are criticizing their performance, not the leader as an individual. Moreover, Forbes reported that good leaders do not play the victim and do not react impulsively to criticism. Finally, brilliant leaders turn criticism into growth opportunities.

Conclusion

The best way to deal with leadership challenges is to address them early on. The first step is being aware, and then facing them. Take action by implementing these strategies on the rocky climb to effective leadership. Furthermore, modern leaders must accept that they are the agents of change, and they ought to be ready to handle the accompanying challenges, as people always resist change.
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Tonika Bruce offers one on one business and leadership coaching for entrepreneurs and professional leaders. For in depth training, schedule a consultation call: Book a Call.

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8 Best Tips for Entrepreneurs to Achieve Their Goals

best tips for entrepreneurs

Every entrepreneur has a goal. So, to achieve the set goals, entrepreneurs need to come up with a plan to accomplish their goals. Goal setting is an important part of any business. You should learn the best tips for entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. You can also learn from those who already achieved their goals or get a business coach who will help you achieve them. However, if you cannot find a mentor due to monetary hurdles, it’s not too late to learn the best ways to achieve your goals. Here are the best tips for entrepreneurs to achieve their goals.

  • Learn every day: As an entrepreneur, try to learn new things every day. This will enable you to garner more business experience.
  • Take the risk: Entrepreneurs are risk-takers. So, when opportunities arise, don’t let fear hold you from taking action. You need to overcome the fear and take the risk of trying diverse business strategies and plans.
  • Have confidence: Lack of confidence often prevents us from finding a way to succeed. Therefore, every entrepreneur should be confident in what they do.
  • Have a clear vision: As an entrepreneur, defining your business vision will help you stay focused.
  • Set goals: This is essential for success in any field. Entrepreneurs should be able to come up with their business goals and ways to achieve those goals.
  • Associate with successful people: The people you hang around determines your success. Therefore, associate with the people who are already successful. You will be able to learn one or two things you need to succeed from them.
  • Take action: When you plan without taking action, that is a wasted opportunity. Just talk about it and act on it. Entrepreneurship is all about walking the talk.
  • Be focused: Sticking to set goals is sometimes very difficult. The majority of people lose their way while trying to achieve their goals. It’s advisable to hire a coach or who did it before you to hold your hand. That person will help you to stay focused on your goals.

Finally,

Remember that an entrepreneur is a risk-taker. These tips are common among the best and successful people.

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business ideas women leadership skills

Which Are the Leadership Skills Women Can Acquire Easily?

women leadership skills

 Leadership Skills : Despite this being the 21st century, the world is still a patriarchal society. That means women have to work twice as much in the professional arena, let alone in leadership.

But time and current trends show that women indeed have the potential to do more than follow. They have natural abilities and qualities that can apply in leadership roles. These are some of the women leadership skills they can use to move up their professional ladder.

Although leadership is not gender-specific, men and women often display different styles. The distinct difference between their core traits makes some skills easier for a specific gender to adopt.

Empathy

The main reason many women are not in leadership positions is that they are too kind. Yet, to lead in the modern-day demands connecting with the employees and not just being an authority figure. Women have the empathy to appreciate and validate co-workers that helps to boost productivity and confidence.

Communication

In workplaces, open communication channels allow for clarity and smooth execution of tasks.

Ranking high on the list of women leadership skills is communication. It is easy for them to excel as communicators because they do it regularly, clearly, and more openly than men. Women leaders provide adequate guidance and seek feedback from the members. The scope here is not speaking only but reading and writing, body language, and active listening. A leader who knows how to communicate will have success in directing the team and achieving goals.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand emotions- an individual’s and others’. In recent years EQ has become one of the top leadership skills because it is not about commanding people to take action but inspiring them. Recognizing people’s emotions enables a leader to identify the best ways to connect with the team. The skill comes more easily to women than men since they are in tune with their emotions.

Collaboration

Women are more predisposed to work in teams. They promote cooperation and collaboration among the members. Being believers in team building, they will work towards ensuring everyone is part of the mission.

Their high capacity to serve and let others means they can make important decisions while relying on the team effort to make it work.

Motivation

Another leadership skill is the ability to help others tap into their potential. Women are nurturers. The natural tendency to care for and help grow can translate seamlessly to helping team members to succeed. Women seek to change the beliefs and attitudes rather than behavior through winning their hearts.

The list of women leadership skills above is not conclusive. However, it sheds light on the capacity for women to make exceptional leaders contrary to popular belief. It reveals that women have a higher success rate in acquiring these vital skills for leading.