| September 23, 2008 |
Vol 9, Issue 29
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 Get Ready to Lead!
"It's simple. We're just changing the world."
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Get that "coach power"
| Greetings!... I just returned from research trip to discover evidence about the impact of coaching skills on a person's level of success. I came back with more than 50 academic studies revealing that:
- coach training can yield a return on investment of six times the cost
- coach training is correlated with goal achievement, stronger evaluations (from direct reports, peers and bosses), personal well-being, and workplace satisfaction
In difficult times, those who learn and apply new skills such as coaching have an edge.
That's why I invite you to take a bold step and register for a Conversational Leadership course. Applying the principles of professional coaching can significantly boost your leadership skill (and parenting skill, as we'll see in the story below).
Our 8-page prospectus proves how beneficial this training can be to your advancement. Get your copy here.
Make it a great week!
--Jeff (e-mail me)
Jeff Myers, Ph.D., President
Passing the Baton International, Inc.
P.S. Please pray for my son Graham and me as we travel today to Poland and Belgium for Passing the Baton.
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Can you actually coach kids to higher performance?
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The power of powerful questions
 A few weeks ago I spoke at the Texas State Homeschool Conference on "Winning the hearts of your children without losing your mind." I looked at my watch and realized I had 15 minutes of material but only five minutes left to present (imagine that!).
I told the audience, "We're just about out of time, but if you'll look at your notes I'd like to briefly look at some powerful questions you can ask to coach your children into being thinking leaders rather than passive followers."
I went through the questions so quickly I wasn't at all sure they would be helpful. Yet an hour and a half later one of the attendees told me, "I just coached my six-year old son."
"Really?" I said, stunned.
"Yes. I'm thinking about homeschooling him, and I brought him to the children's program. But he cried and didn't want to go. Instead of forcing him, I just sat next to him and calmly asked the questions from your notes."
"What happened?" I asked.
"It was amazing," she said. "After just a few of the questions he stopped crying, analyzed the source of his fears and came up with a resourceful solution."
What did this mother do differently?
 In talking with this mother, I realized that she had used a simple set of powerful questions to approach a difficult situation in an attitude of compassion and curiosity. The actual conversation was quite simple:
"What is going on?"
"I'm afraid to go to the children's program."
"Why do you think you're afraid?"
"Because I don't know anyone there."
"What would you like to see happen?"
"Well, I do have a friend in there but he was assigned to a different class than me."
"What are some things you think you could do?"
"I could ask the people if they would let me be in my friend's class. Then I wouldn't be alone."
"What if they are not able to do that?"
"Then I guess I will try to be brave and have a good time."
This mother just asked questions, listened and helped her little boy solve his own problem. No manipulation. No bribing. Just successful coaching.
How successful coaches do what they do
Coaches succeed in helping people get breakthroughs by cultivating three skills:
1. Coaches learn to listen. Ninety percent of communication is listening, yet most people admit that they're not good at it (and studies show that their colleagues and friends think they're actually worse than they know).
Failing to listen means that you miss 90% of the information you need to relate to others. Imagine cashing your paycheck and throwing 90% of the money away. That is essentially what poor listeners do everyday.
2. Coaches ask powerful questions. Bad questions cause irritation and defensiveness. Good questions stimulate thought and lead to breakthroughs. Studying the art of question-asking leads to clarity and trust.
Coaches practice asking powerful, open-ended questions that enable them to walk alongside people as those people take responsibility for their own leadership development.
3. Coaches help people set worthy goals. Most people have some idea of WHAT they are doing but almost no idea WHY. Goal-setting is a life-transforming skill that can be learned in just a few hours.
If you're a leader, helping others set goals reinforces your credibility and encourages them toward more God-centered, purposeful lives.
For a modest investment of time and money, our new Conversational Leadership course can enhance the leadership skills you need for success in parenting, church, work, community organizations. Our free 8-page prospectus demonstrates how this training could be transformational for you.
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MORE: Jeff's testimonial about this life-changing new course
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As you can imagine, I've studied just about every leadership book and program out there.
But this new program is the best leadership training program I've personally ever participated in. It has brought transformation to the way I lead as a parent, husband, teacher, church goer and organization leader.
Conversational Leadership gives you the practical communication tools you need, based on the best practices of professional coaching, to find a new level of success as a leader. At the end of this course you'll be confident of your leadership and able to grow your team like never before.
We have three Conversational Leadership courses starting this fall and I'd love to see you join one. Go to www.passingthebaton.org for more info.
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