Tony's Coaching Tip The balancing act
November 2005

Greetings!

Welcome to the November 2005 issue of Tony's coaching tip.

OK, so I know this was supposed to be the first coaching tip to be released on a Wednesday, two days ago, and it's now December. So profuse apologies. It also didn't help that I put the wrong date in last month's tip. I said the 28th, which obviously should have been the 30th. Still I managed to miss both those dates.

If it had gone out on Wednesday it would have had a completely different topic, so maybe these things sometimes happen for a reason. I'll let you be the judge as to whether you would have liked a tip about your gremlin or the one below, on which the ink is only now just about dry.

Let me know.

in this issue
  • Quote of the month
  • Feature: The balancing act

  • Quote of the month

    "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose."

    - Woody Allen


    Feature: The balancing act

    For most of the last month I have spent a significant part of my working time designing and creating a pilot workshop to introduce senior managers of a multinational organisation to the benefits of using coaching skills with their direct reports. The work had the additional carrot that a number of similar workshops will follow if the pilot was a success.

    The workshop took place on the 30th November and the 1st December and I was still making adjustments up until an hour before I left home to deliver it. As a result, the coaching tip got squeezed and squeezed until it eventually disappeared. I simply ran out of available time.

    What I'm writing here is not an excuse, it is simply an examination of what was going on for me to let this happen. The point being that I had a number of important areas of my life to juggle over the past month - the workshop, 2 other workshops that took place immediately before the pilot, my coaching tip, my regular coaching clients, spending time with my family, running and painting our spare room (obviously not simultaneously) - to name but a few.

    When I look back at how I balanced my time over the previous month I can see that a number of areas suffered - particularly the coaching tip, running and painting the spare room.

    Two things have highlighted this for me over the past two days. The first is that I presented a session on balance to my workshop delegates only yesterday - funnily enough, a session that went down very well. However, I have to say that the penny didn't drop for me of how relevant it was to my current situation until later.

    The second event, and the clincher for me, was that waiting for me on my return home last night was a letter from the London Marathon organisers saying that I had been given a place in the London Marathon next April via the annual ballot. My first reaction was excitement. I had never won a place in the ballot before. Both times I have run it previously I have had to commit to raising thousands of pounds for charity in order to gain a place.

    The realisation then hit me that I had probably managed to run on average once a week over the past two months. Not a great basis for a training programme for the next four months. I also realised that I am going to need to seriously work on balancing my time over the next four months to fit in enough for my training, my coaching, my potential workshop delivery, my work on the new team building business I have been helping get going over the past two months, as well as business development, family and recreation.

    You see there is nothing wrong in consciously choosing to concentrate all your energies on one area to the detriment of others occasionally when the situation requires it. And for me, in hindsight I still think that my decision over the past few weeks was the right one.

    However, when the balance is out for extended periods of time or when it is not done from a conscious position of choice, it isn't healthy. Balance is not something you ever achieve and then stay there, you are always moving either towards it or away from it. Think of trying to stay on a bicycle with both feet still on the pedals as you slow to a complete stop, or try to balance on one leg with your eyes shut. You are constantly making adjustments to stay balanced.

    So my question for you this month requires you to look at the following areas of your life:

    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • Family
    • Friends
    • Fun & Recreation
    • Partner and/or Romance
    • Personal Growth
    Which area(s) are you neglecting or do you need to bring back in balance with the others?

    Now choose three things that you're willing to commit to doing in the next week to bring the identified area or areas back into balance with the rest of your life.

    Anyway, I'm just off for a run now before I put a second coat of paint on the spare room.

    Thanks for reading. If you've enjoyed this please pass it on to a few others who might also like it. Next issue on December 28th - honest.

    Until next time,


    Tony

    Tony's Coaching Tip is published on the last Wednesday of each month to challenge, stimulate and inspire people who hate to work and who want to live a creative, fun and full life. It is written by Tony Phillips, who coaches dynamic individuals and teams to swing out and play a bigger game. Worldwide.

    The names of coaching tip subscribers will never be shared or sold.

    You are free to use material from Tony's Coaching Tip in whole or in part, as long as you include the complete attribution, including e-mail link. Also, please notify me where and when the material will appear. Thanks.

    � 2005 Tony Phillips - All Rights Reserved


    Tony (cropped)


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