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Quote of the Month
"Welcome each new moment with open arms! If this practice is not yet alive in you, stay with it, and be gentle with yourself as you live and learn along the way."
~ Author unknown
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What is Coaching?
Using solution focused coaching methods, the coach can assist people to free themselves from internal mind tangles. Many individuals are trapped by small fears or confusions and held hostage by them. People with high aspirations move past these 'gremlins' through simply partnering with a coach. Their attention can then become relaxed around their ultimate direction towards excellence.
What do you wish to achieve? Take advantage of coaching and move toward your goals. Be the change.
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What Some of Our Clients Have to Say About Dynamite Coaching:
"Working with Coach Mark (my 1st professional coach ever) over the past year has been an absolute pleasure. I have worked within our family owned organization for most of my life and being 2nd generation in this family comes with its different set of challenges. Mark helps me overcome many of those as a neutral figure and friend. One needs to please understand that it is difficult to confide in another manager, employee, or your spouse since they already have pre judgments, goals or other objectives and aren't a neutral figure."
"With Mark, his goal is to help you develop your goals and ensure you meet them in a timely matter. He can help facilitate a journey deep into your thoughts and mind to which allows you to better navigate your time and commitments."
"Many within our organization have commented that something is different about me and that it is a good thing! I attribute most of this "good thing" to the time I am spending with Mark!" "
I would recommend him to anyone who is looking to further their career and life goals."
~ Best Regards, Rene Cloutier B. Mgt. Managing Partner Nordic Mechanical Services Ltd.
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Consider these "Rooneyisms" written by Andy Rooney, who died at the age of 92, perhaps best known for his editorials on the TV show, 60 Minutes.
"The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person."
"When you're in love, it shows."
"Just one person saying to me, "You've made my day" makes my day."
"Having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world."
"Being kind is more important than being right."
"You should never say no to a gift from a child."
"I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way."
"No matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with."
"Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand."
"Simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult."
"Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes."
"We should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for."
"Money doesn't buy class."
"It's those small daily happenings that make life spectacular."
"Under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved."
"To ignore the facts does not change the facts."
"When you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you."
"Love, not time, heals all wounds."
"The easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am."
"Everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile."
"No one is perfect until you fall in love with them."
"Life is tough, but I'm tougher."
"Opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss."
"When you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere."
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5 People, 1 Guitar
How many of you have ever been a part of a team? It could have been in sports, a club, a hobby, inside your career or something other. If you have you've experienced that sometimes it can be hard to work with others. Within the group there might have been differences in opinion, in viewpoints, in upbringing, in age, in beliefs, and in values, among other things, all of which may have led to dysfunction within the working team. Conflict can arise, disagreement, dissention, anger, frustration, apathy and resignation.
Has anyone ever worked on a team or in an environment like that before? I think it might be safe to say we've all had the misfortune or perhaps the good fortune to at some point in our lives have worked on a team like this. And I say good fortune because every experience is a learning opportunity if we choose to view it from that lens.
But what happens when a team works well together?
When everyone is pulling in the same direction and buying into the bigger picture, when everyone is appreciating the other members of the team for who they are and what they bring, not only recognizing their strengths but their blind spots too and addressing them in a way that allows for the recognition to turn into new found abilities.
You get a flow state. Like these guys.
Watch this video:
 | | Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth (Gotye - Cover) |
These 5 definitely color outside the lines of imagination around what is possible when we work cohesively. The expression might be "they make beautiful music together." Each person is enhancing the other person's abilities and everyone works fluently together to create the final product.
In this case the product is an easy listening tune that has a good beat and maybe you can dance to(I'm just saying). But there's much more to this video if we look a little closer.
What we're watching is the final product, the end result of a lot of hard work and....and a lot of communication. I would bet the farm that before we got to see this version of the video there was a fair amount of discussion around each person's role including each other's strengths and blind spots.
These 5 weren't afraid to try something that was completely different, but to get there and make the music we see and hear, they had to work as a team and move past their own individual goals and buy into the "team's goal."
1st they needed to develop a base of trust which meant being vulnerable in front of each other about their strengths and weaknesses. In so doing they had to be genuinely open with one another about their mistakes and their abilities.
2nd with a base of trust established they needed to be able to enter into unfiltered debate about their ideas and directions for the team. This would be key as it would be likely here that team members would not all simply agree at first on how things were to be done. Each would bring their own unique ideas and experiences to the conversation. Here each member would be free to enter into "conflict" with other members inside the safety of the meeting and perhaps agree to disagree on the direction the team should take.
3rd but with the freedom to express their opinions within the team and to be curious why others see things differently they can all grow to recognize each other's point of view. With each person communicating openly and "having their say" buy-in is being established. Each member's opinion is being heard and valued. Commitment is growing and a sense of team is beginning to show itself. Together a direction is being forged with action plans being developed that leads directly to the next point.
4th with open and honest dialogue created team members can commit to a common goal, a team goal. They've all had their say and aired their opinions even if they were different and controversial within the boundaries of the meeting and have now agreed upon the common outcome they want. This is important because what needed to be said has been said and members have been heard and respected. Now with the common goal known each member can fully commit to the project, thus agreeing to be "accountable" to their partners and to being called out by the other members if they are not fully holding up their end of the bargain.
And finally
The 5th step; with the common goal (the team goal) agreed upon, committed to and member's holding each other accountable, they can place their focus on "attention to detail," the details of the "team's goal." It is here where if the team had not established the ground work of the 1st 4 goals, team members would most likely not be working together but rather individually, and one would find they would be more concerned about their own careers and goals and not the teams.
If this was the case we wouldn't be seeing or hearing the 5 person 1 guitar song.
Each member might instead have chosen to work individually on their own careers and accomplishments putting their own goals above those of the teams. Trust might not have been established, nor comfort to state a differing opinion, or buy in, members might have held their tongue in the meetings, afraid to enter into conflict, and then only spoke after the meetings in the halls and corners of the building undermining the team by speaking in smaller groups and sabotaging the cohesion they tried to build inside the room robbing them all of team success.
And we never would have seen the 5 person 1 guitar song.
Thankfully these musicians/artists/individuals and communicators cared enough about themselves, each other, and a bigger picture that they were able to enter into what I am sure were some tough conversations behind the scenes that finally allowed the creation of the unique musical experience that I am sure will inspire others to think outside "their own boxes" and tap into their own imaginations to create something unique and unusual.
I've heard it said that life is simple until you add people, but what if when groups of people worked together life became greater and inside teams flow states emerged where something amazing was created that inspired others to raise their games.
In reality each and every one of us does work with a team, from our families to our friends, to our colleagues, to the world, so next time you engage with a group think about how you want to interact and what's at stake, and ultimately what's possible.
Be the change.
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Coach-Like Approach Techniques to Improve Your Communication Skills
Question: Who communicates for a living? Answer: Everybody! If You Live on Planet Earth, You Communicate For a Living.So how important does it become to have good communication skills? Communication can be the Number #1 determinant to your success; more important than knowledge, academics or experience. No one is saying these other areas aren't important, but if you can't get your message out, how much you know becomes irrelevant. Have you ever had someone say "I'm not sure I understand what you mean" or "been in a conversation where somehow it becomes confrontational and emotionally charged and you're not sure what to do?" How good are you at "dealing with conflict?" How well you communicate will directly affect your ultimate level of success or failure in any situation. So I invite you to come and participate in a fun and interactive class where you will learn great tips and techniques on how to bolster your "skills" and fill up your "communication tool box." Course: "Coach-Like Approach Techniques to Improve Your Communication Skills" Cost: Early bird fee $136.50, Register after March 15th $157.50 Register with a friend and pay only $105 each!! (all prices incl. gst) *Time: 2 day course 1:30pm to 4:30 pm MST each day *Date: April 14th & April 15th, 2012 * Location: Marked Improvement Fitness Studio 7112-101 avenue, Edmonton, AB *Who should attend: Anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding in how to communicate with others professionally, personally or socially. In addition learn the brain science behind what supports you and what holds you back from accomplishing your goals in life. Call now to register.
*Bonus: If you are in the fitness industry you are eligible to receive 4 CEC's from canfitpro upon completion of this course for the following designations; PTS, FIS, NWS, OAS, PFS, MBS and PDS. Please note that we reserve the right to change course times, dates and/or locations due to unforeseen circumstances. To register contact Coach Mark at coachmark@shaw.ca or 780-469-4800. "This course should be a compulsory part of our High School Curriculum and it should be included as part of basic training for all professionals. I recently had the honour of attending this course as part of Canfitpro's continuing education for personal trainers. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the skills I acquired during this course will not only help me in my professional life but they will (and have already) come in handy in my family life and more particularly in communicating with my two teenaged children." "Thanks Mark!"~ Charlotte Le Mellédo Clinical Research Consultant Personal Fitness Trainer
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Let's Talk About Dynamite Coaching
Who do I work with?
I work with exceptional and brilliant people, like you, who at times might find you're having difficulty in achieving your desired goals either in your professional or personal life, or both. Coaching is not about focusing on the problem or what's broken; Instead it's about focusing on creating the solutions and actionable steps that get you more of what you want.
Together, we explore and develop elegant pathways that lead to choice and change helping you review aims, set directions, and clarify next steps toward your ultimate direction of excellence. The power is within you.
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