Executive Coaching | Life Back West

January 21, 2010June 19, 2012

[Coaching] 2 Ways to Increase Your Effectiveness: Two Sides, Same Coin

The challenge for most of us is to do more with less: less time, fewer resources, and do it more efficiency and effectively. Sounds like a tall order but grabbing a moment to pause, think, and then act will frequently help you do all three.

Pulling rabbits out of hats?

Nope. Just performance basics that any successful executive, or a parent with more than two kids will tell you: figuring out how to sequence work so you pick up some efficiencies or batching things to time of day to optimize how effectively you work with them.… Read the rest

January 17, 2010May 16, 2019

[Talent Keys for Entrepreneurs] It’s Not Just About “A” Team Players

Sachin Rekhi’s post PayPals Wars and its Lessons for Today’s Entrepreneurs caught my attention as I surfaced between US professional football (NFL for the locals) league play-offs this weekend. While there is much about the post that is spot-on right – strong vision coupled with short term pragmatic goals, push decision-making down as far as possible, etc. – Sachin makes the case that “It’s all about assembling an A-team.”… Read the rest

January 15, 2010December 9, 2024

[True Stories] Facts – and Fiction – of the Effective Use of Virtual Teams

Virtual teams continue to be popular but the reality is that not all virtual teams are created equal – nor are many even “teams.” The news from recent research is hardly comforting; “1 in 3 executives believe virtual teams are badly managed.”

The post below, first published as a white paper by Dr. M. J. “Jo” Whitehouse and me in late 2007 is based on our direct experience with several start-ups in the challenging biotech drug development world, provides a clear roadmap to the steps to take – as well as the steps to avoid – in using the potential and leverage of virtual teams effectively.… Read the rest

January 9, 2010December 9, 2024

[Coaching Tips] Ask “What,” Not “Why”

As a king of curiousity, there are lots of ways to get information: some are just much better than others.

But in the land of curiosity and getting information, some ways of asking questions are better than others – and the case of Why versus What, one is considerably more effective.

All this came to mind courtesy Dan Martell‘s tweet “I ask ‘Why?’… Read the rest

January 7, 2010December 9, 2024

[The Job Hunt] What 6 Things Should You Know About a Company’s Reputation?

The year’s started, and the job hunt scramble (see a piece from the NY Times here) looks as if it’s begun. Like high school boys at the singles dance eying prospective eligibles, people have targeted the places to work that are cool and hot, and which places are not unless you’re really desperate for a job – or a dance.… Read the rest

January 5, 2010December 9, 2024

[Coaching Tips] It’s the New Year: Now What?

Like sprinters accelerating after the blast of a starter’s gun, this week marks for some a rush to get things going toward a new job, a new employer, and/or a new career. The New York Times, for example, has a piece yesterday called Getting Back in Shape for the Job Chase. There is a reason the we feel this way: it’s a New Year and that implies a new start.… Read the rest