Greetings!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The E 4 Path Newsletter from Larry Hayes Partners. There's a lot going on in the world these days, and monthly we will send out some thoughts, ideas and new perspectives to help you think through your goals and personal/professional change process. Thanks for reading and we always welcome your feedback and comments. Send them to Larry Hayes Partners |
| Goals and Obstacles
A Plethora of Rabbits, A Dearth of Eagles
| After many years of living in upper floor apartments and condominiums, we moved to Dublin, Ohio and decided to buy a house this time. I wanted a large yard with room for a big vegetable garden and lush flower beds. Last autumn I created a space for my garden and laid out the flower beds positioned for optimal sunlight (with a little help from my landscaper - ok, ok, a lot of help), brought in lots of rich topsoil, added some dried manure from my sister's farm and got it all ready for spring planting. It was a big goal for me to have lots of fresh vegetables and beautiful blooming flowers all through the summer.
Over the winter we had a lot of snow, and I frequently noticed fresh rabbit tracks in the new snow all around the yard and on my front porch. Because the snow covered EVERYTHING, I was trying to be a good guy by occasionally leaving out some lettuce or cabbage or carrots or celery to feed the bunnies. After all, there was two feet of snow covering all their natural food supply, and they were chewing the bark off of my weeping cherry tree. Every now and again I'd see a rabbit or two munching away contentedly on the food I left out for them, their whiskers twitching and floppy ears all so cute!
Spring arrived and I planted my vegetable plants and seeds and new flowers. Each day I'd check on them to see progress. Much to my chagrin, the plants were eaten off at the ground level. The lettuce was decimated, the spinach never even got to leaf, the Japanese Iris were munched off to the dirt level, the cabbages were cabbage stumps. The tomato, pepper and cucumber plants were left alone, but the produce must have been tasty, as many were munched. It seems that rabbits really enjoy a good burpless cucumber. The rhubarb - well, it was left alone. Each morning I'd look out my kitchen window and there were RABBITS! Lots of them!!! Rabbits sitting in my garden and in my flower beds, contentedly munching away on my newly planted flowers and vegetables. And this time it wasn't cute - not at all.
So I went to a big box hardware store and bought "rabbit fence" and set it up all around my vegetable garden. A few hundred dollars later I learned that rabbits can skinny themselves down and WALK RIGHT THROUGH rabbit fence. Very frustrating.
Needless to say, the produce from my garden was quite limited, and a lot of planned-for flowers never came into bloom. Often I sat on the patio wanting to see an eagle swoop down and remove these pesky rabbits, but it was not to be. I don't live in eagle country, it seems.
What does this have to do with GOALS and OBSTACLES?
I had a GOAL. I'd built an action plan. I invested resources. I invested my labor. What I did not do was plan for the OBSTACLES - the pesky rabbit varmints.
In my coaching work with clients, we often encounter situations where GOALS are clear, the action steps are well-thought through, resources and labor are invested, steps are implemented, the beginnings of progress are seen. And then come the OBSTACLES. Anytime one tries to make changes in their work or life, OBSTACLES are only logical. We, ourselves, resist change. We have old habits to overcome, out-dated beliefs that get in the way. Sometimes we even feed our own obstacles, as I had fed the rabbits through the winter, not even thinking about how I was creating a future problem despite my intentions. People around us resist change. They are accustomed to things working a certain way, and if my client changes, then they may have to change too. Sometimes the resources needed are greater than planned, or the effort needed ends up being more than planned for.
In any change process - and setting new goals is a change process - its important to think through obstacles and plan for them also.
I am interested to hear from you - what goals are you working on? How are things progressing? What obstacles are you experiencing? What obstacles have you already overcome? How did you do it? What obstacles are still staring you in the face, yet to be dealt with? What new options do you have? Send me an email at Larry@LarryHayesPartners.com and lets discuss possibilities. |
An Interview in CMH Business Magazine
Training for Triumph
| I was recently interviewed as part of a larger article on Training, Coaching and Consulting for CMH Business Magazine. Please take a look:
Training for Triumph - CMH Business Magazine
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Who We Are
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Larry Hayes Partners, LLC is a Coaching organization, working with private and corporate clients in the areas of Leadership Development and Business Development. We work with leadership teams, high potential talent, and sales people and teams to help them clearly define goals for growth and change, develop action plans, anticipate and work through obstacles, implement actions and measure results. Additionally we are available to do keynote presentations at meetings and conferences, and facilitate offsite meetings. If it is time for you or someone in your organization to work on new goals and change, contact us. Our first session is complimentary. You can see more on our website: Larry Hayes Partners
Sincerely,
Larry Hayes, CPC
Executive Coach and President
Larry Hayes Partners, LLC |
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