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May 16, 2014 by Jodi Davis

Achieve Your Potential with a Coach

No sports team has won a championship without a coach. During the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup finals and even the Super Bowl, have you noticed all the cut-away images of the coaches? The players (clients) are at their work, but the coaches are pushing the players to their peak performance.

In the non-sporting world, the International Coach Federation defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” In my book, The Promise of Potential, I highlight that coaches are your partners in power. This means that coaches harness and amplify your power.

There are many different types of coaching: executive, career, performance and personal life coaching to name a few. The foundation of each coach-client partnership is in the value placed on the individual’s life experience and goals. It is a very integrated process. At its best, the client sets the agenda and the coach facilitates goal attainment. By design, it’s a power alliance.  You identify your goals and the coach guides you through the process of achievement.

Some ask, “Why do people hire coaches?” Especially when they see an individual with a supportive family, great friends, strong manager or talented mentor. A coach is different from this list of supporters. Coaches use specific techniques to help the client find the answers, resolve the issues and attain the goals. Coaches are trained in reflective listening and in using deep inquiry to gain personal insights. These skills lead to their success in helping their client move forward toward set goals. The coach has the questions. The client has the answers.

The coach is also trained to hold the client accountable. Not surprisingly, when individuals pay money for a coach, there is often an increased perceived value in goal attainment. We are more likely to do our homework to avoid throwing money away! There is a symmetry to coaching—a sense of balance and appreciation for work and life. In reality, we pursue and achieve our goals in the midst of relationships, work environments, personal challenges and professional demands.

To be clear, coaching is not therapy. Coaches may use assessments to help formulate ideas for their clients, but these are not psychological instruments. Coaching focuses on individual needs within the context of the entire game of life. In this way, personal coaching is actually more synonymous with its sports coach counterparts.

So if you want more for your life—more achievement and fulfillment—get a coach! They are your partners in power and can help you to achieve your potential.

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Filed Under: Career, Featured

April 1, 2014 by Jodi Davis

Is Your Board Working?

JD Coaching & Consulting produced a benchmark study regarding nonprofit board performance. The results formed a framework that helps boards attain high performance.

Since then numerous boards have worked with us to analyze performance. The result? Their boards are now better able to safeguard the mission, vision and assets of the organizations they serve.

Interested in assessing your board’s performance? After some initial consulting, here’s how one aspect of the assessment works:

1. Your board takes the survey and the results are compared to the benchmark study.

2. We analyze the results to uncover your board’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. We report customized details of what is—and isn’t—working for your board.

4. We present the results to your board.

5. We recommend targeted solutions.

Ultimately, your board can focus on improving key areas. Your board gets stronger, and the nonprofit organization benefits.

An interesting fact discovered in the study is that 98 percent of respondents thought their board had the potential to improve its performance. Can your board be improved?

Interested in reading our benchmark study? Request your copy today. For help on improving your board’s performance, contact Jodi Davis.

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Filed Under: Featured, High Performance, Leadership, Nonprofits

March 7, 2014 by Jodi Davis

Five Tips for a Fabulous Résumé

Today recruiters are speaking out—they want to see a résumé that is clear, concise, comprehensive, current and clean. As a résumé writer, I’ve worked with professionals at all levels of the employment spectrum, from college grads to senior executives. They share a similar need: to craft a résumé that will successfully advance their career.

Writing about your own strengths and accomplishments is a challenge. Some of us lack clarity on which transferable skills and talents will actually attract prospective employers. Others draft pages of detailed job responsibilities that drown out their true value and employ-ability. Many people make the mistake of writing about their own objectives, failing to focus on the employer’s needs.

What makes for a winning résumé? Be authentic, have integrity and present yourself with passion. When JD Coaching & Consulting works with clients, we tailor our services to their specific needs. A résumé service that touts the thousands of people they’ve helped is likely developing boilerplate résumés. While that may be helpful for some job seekers, a more personalized service is often more benefical.

Follow these top recruiter tips to create a résumé that resonates:

  1. Be clear about the qualifications you offer, including career experiences and transferable skills.
  2. Be concise and articulate measurable achievements. Don’t use fluffy adjectives – they will dilute the power of your accomplishments.
  3. Provide a comprehensive summary of your career—education, employment, advanced training, awards and contributions.
  4. Keep your résumé current with your most recent position and success. Always keep a personal log and track current work accomplishments to strengthen your next job search.
  5. Design a résumé that is clean. The document needs to have significant white space, making it easier to read. A cramped résumé will get crumpled quickly!

Remember that while your résumé is an essential element of a career strategy, networking is also critically important to your success. People read résumés, people open doors, and people are the ones who offer jobs. Be sure to network with people during your search!

Executives who utilize the services of a résumé writer are not only saving time, but they are adding value to their career advancement. Spend your time and money wisely. Instead of writing your own résumé, network to meet that next great opportunity!

Learn more about our résumé writing services by contacting Jodi@JodiDavis.com.

 

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Filed Under: Career, Featured, Leadership

February 21, 2014 by Jodi Davis

Transforming The Leadership Paradigm

Imagine a world where all individuals are empowered to develop their full potential. Imagine the strength of an organization that is able to tap into the intellectual capacity, resourcefulness and creativity of its entire workforce. Imagine the employees who are embraced for their innate talents and unique gifts – producing quality results with a profound sense of fulfillment. Imagine the possibilities in your organization and in your life.

Today, people and organizations are being pushed to perform. There are increasing competitive demands for productivity and growth. Leaders are being called upon to guide and inspire their teams to achieve desired results. Effective communication, collaborative teamwork and quality leadership have never been more important.

In response to the critical demand to develop effective leaders, a variety of leadership approaches have been proposed and popularized. Well-known authors and leadership experts such as Peter Senge, Ken Blanchard, Jim Collins and Stephen Covey have offered their own strategies and tools for developing leaders who inspire and empower others to be their best.

All of these contemporary leadership authors identify essential competencies that an individual should possess and practice to be an effective leader. These attributes are vital if one is to become an authentic, strategic, collaborative and visionary leader. Furthermore, many of these prominent leadership approaches are synergistically aligned with the leadership philosophy conceived of by Robert Greenleaf in his essay “The Servant as Leader. “

His paradoxical term, Servant Leader, has created a quiet revolution and a paradigm shift in management philosophy during the past forty years. Written in 1970, Greenleaf’s thesis highlights characteristics of a leader who successfully serves the needs of others. Upon close examination, the same attributes that Greenleaf espouses are either explicitly or implicitly present in today’s most popular leadership training methodologies.

Servant Leadership draws its strength from Greenleaf’s premise that “the first and most important choice a leader makes is the choice to serve, without which one’s capacity to lead is severely limited.” The focus is clearly on serving the needs of others. Leaders who possess these qualities have the ability to recognize the intrinsic value and unique talents of others. Their capacity to affirm other people’s self-worth is what initiates growth and unleashes potential.

For more information visit The Greenleaf Center.

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Filed Under: Featured, Leadership

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