Impactbank: The Kickass Koach

  We land on conclusions largely because of assumptions we have made. These are based on a bias.   What are you assuming that makes THIS true?   Bias is also the enemy of truth.   We need to be willing to seek clarity to find truth.   We must learn NOT to believe everything we think.   In today's episode I examine how bias clouds our judgment in the context of seeking clarity of thought. We must recognize where our biases guide our conclusions if we hope to make rational decisions.   Join me on the journey for clarity, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help.   Walk with me using one or all of these options: Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendencies. Book a complimentary

For what are you optimizing in 2023? For me it is for clarity. When we fall into the blame game we cloud our capacity to see with clarity. Our language patterns can be a means to recognize when we fall into this trap. Today the episode returns to the story of how language reveals and informs our mindset.  I argue that when language reveals a victim mindset we may be using blame to cloud clarity, unintentionally of course! Join me on the journey for clarity, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. Walk with me using one or all of these options:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendencies. Book a complimentary  Exploratory Conversation to get a taste of my services. Foll

Optimizing for Clarity requires not only paying attention but remaining in learning mindset. In this episode I revisit SOBs and consider the importance of challenging our own conclusions and perhaps biases. As leaders we must be mindful of not simply the message we send through our words and actions, but the message that is received. The actual message is the one that is received NOT the one that is intended. THIS was a critical lesson for me as a leader. When we fail to dig deeply enough before landing on a conclusion, the unintended consequences can cause irreparable harm. Join me on the journey for clarity, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. Walk with me using one or all of these options:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where t

What's your EXPLANATORY STYLE? It is good to know what it is so it doesn't negatively influence your capacity to deliver on that for which you seek to optimize. In this episode I explore it with the help of an old Johnny Cash song. Join me on the journey, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. Walk with me using one or all of these options:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendencies. Book a complimentary  Exploratory Conversation to get a taste of my services. Follow or Connect with Me on LINKEDIN  

Be ready to let your hair down and soar like you are riding the wind. FIRST get out of your head, which limits you. FIND your inner wild and enjoy the ride! I refuse to sit where I am put and turn to stone. How about you AND what are you doing to fight this very common human trend? AND, in this effort WHAT are you Optimizing for in 2023? In this episode I reflect on the spirit of the over-sized mare I enjoyed as a child. She helped me learn what it means to soar with full abandon losing sight of time and expectations. Join me on the journey, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. Walk with me using one or all of these options:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendenci

  Do you have your version of a Blue Jay feather to focus you on clarity? For WHAT are you Optimizing in 2023? In this episode I reflect on how negative thoughts can sabotage and how we benefit from developing helpful interventions of creativity and imagination to break the limiting thinking these cognitive distortions generate. Join me on the journey, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. In Episode 362 I share my version of the Farmer's Allegory.  I will drop an image with the original allegory in my LinkedIn this week as well. Walk with me using one or all of these options:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendencies. Book a complimentary  Exploratory Conversatio

Flow State is a profound state of being. A state of being that just may be key to me optimizing my clarity this year. For WHAT are you Optimizing in 2023? In this episode I reflect on how to use that childlike skill of engaging in mind-wandering. I did land on a few points of clarity to kick start my work this year. I am more excited about what I can learn from this theme. Join me on the journey, NOT specifically on my path, but on the journey along your own path. I'll hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. Walk with me using one or all of these options:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendencies. Book a complimentary  Exploratory Conversation to get a taste of my services. Follow or Connect with Me on LINKEDIN  

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."  - Albert Einstein For WHAT are you Optimizing in 2023? NOT, what are your goals but rather what is  the means to achieving those goals. Focus on THAT and the path to the desired outcome will appear. I am optimizing for clarity. Clarity of vision and purpose to guide me through a difficult transition.  Optimizing for clarity I suggest, will help me focus differently on exercising my curiosity and imagination effectively. I will continuously build questions and inquiries to fuel clarity. Questions like: what am I seeing? What am I missing in this picture? Who might be able to share a perspective that will increase my view?  Join me on the journey, NOT on my path but your own. I will hold space for you while you explore for what you need to optimize and how. This is the focus of my coaching practice. I welcome a chance to chat with you about how I can help. Walk with me:      Take the GRIT Scale and see wh

"Curiosity has its own reason for existing."  - Albert Einstein Who are you? How do you know?  If you know yourself through your stories, experiences or accomplishments, is this knowledge limited to certain parts of your story or the entire being that is you? Who we are or who we believe our self to be, determines our patterns, decisions and even our beliefs. Being aware of what motivates us or grabs our attention is essential to understanding who we are. How well do you know yourself? What if your feelings of wellbeing, that dictate the quality of your life, are also determined by how well you allow yourself to be seen? That starts with knowing who you are! Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. With deeper self-awareness, compassion, and empathy, meaningful success is more attainable. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinki

Wellbeing for all, built by dynamic, fluid human agency using a healthy accountability and responsibility.  Specifically how responsibility and accountability is fundamental to building, supporting, expanding and sustaining our shared need and  desire for  wellbeing overall and for all. The wellbeing of people, structures, systems and growth itself in every form is only possible at least at its highest potential form with a broad appreciation and understanding of accountability and responsibility. Let's innovate for greater well-being and performance! How well do you know yourself? Are you rooted in compassion and are you able to put space and time to work to expand your feeling of wellbeing.  Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. With deeper self-awareness compassion, empathy, and ultimately meaningful success is possible. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build

What is the best design for the 21st Century workplace? Who is equipped to answer this? NOT THE OLD GUARD, I submit.  Who will take on the challenge an iterate and innovate us into a new workplace that recognizes the importance of valuing every voice in the interest of expanding engagement, collaboration and contribution? We seem to be arguing about in-office, remote or hybrid BUT the real innovation looks past this limiting thinking, if you ask me? I joined the workforce, for real, in the wild 80"s and was shocked at how it was still modelled on a military hierarchical model with org charts and command and control at its heart. HOW HAVE WE NOT MOVED COMPLETELY AWAY FROM THIS? Let's innovate for greater well-being and performance! How well do you know yourself? Are you rooted in compassion and are you able to put space and time to work to expand your feeling of wellbeing.  Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. With deeper self-awareness compassion, empathy, and ultimately meaningful success i

When entering a dark period, whether in an experience or a mindset, do you see the precious gift it might offer? Are you prepared to dig for it, even dig for it? "What is the last thing on earth you would expect people to see in you?" - Thomas Moore If you want to be a presence of real substance, refuse to miss the opportunities presented by the dark nights. How well do you know yourself? Are you rooted in compassion and are you able to put space and time to work to expand your feeling of wellbeing.  Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. With deeper self-awareness compassion, empathy, and ultimately meaningful success is possible. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbeing?

What is your duty of care? First, do no harm. Perhaps this old principle or standard is the foundation of expanding well-being. As a leader, questioning your duty of care, may assure your principles are firmly based.  In this episode I speak to this foundation and two pillars that arise out of it as areas of inquiry: patterns of language and patterns of thought. How well do you know yourself? Are you rooted in compassion and are you able to put space and time to work to expand your feeling of wellbeing.  Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. With deeper self-awareness compassion, empathy, and ultimately meaningful success is possible. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbei

Compassion is a source of our personal well-being. AND, Well-Being is the path to personal success. Perhaps compassion is the root while space and time is the means with the ultimate goal being a deep and abiding feeling of well-being. How well do you know yourself? Are you rooted in compassion and are you able to put space and time to work to expand your feeling of wellbeing. AND, in doing this have you found a path to success. How is this impacting your relationships? Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. With deeper self-awareness compassion, empathy, and ultimately meaningful success is possible. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbeing? A Coach, as thinking partner, c

The nature within you that rises to the surface is the one you feed most. Do you know yourself well enough to see what part of you is surfacing in any moment and are you able to adjust when necessary? In this episode I speak to how our nature, if appreciated and recognized, can serve both our own well-being and our relationships more effectively. this is particularly true for leaders. How well do you know yourself? When are you consistent in your behaviour and when do you confuse others? How is this impacting your relationships? Self awareness is a core competency in leadership. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbeing? A Coach, as thinking partner, can help you see your metacognitio

I am not passive aggressive! Do I need to say it again? In this episode I explore the importance of self awareness. Not one of us is without foibles and problematic traits. I have plenty but knowing them ensures I know when to accept the judgement of others appropriately and when to reject it. How well do you know yourself? Do you find yourself ruminating uncomfortably when you hear someone label you in person, behind your back or in a 360? If so, perhaps more work on self awareness will make you a more effective leader. Self awareness is the best place to start and then you can work on situational and systems awareness which I also address in this episode. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings

Systems thinking is an essential leadership skill.  Systems are all around us and we have learned to shield ourselves from individual and even collective responsibility by placing it under the column called systemic: systemic violence, systemic racism, systemic misogyny, etc.. As leaders we can do better than hiding our opportunities to grow and learn in this way. In thinking about it I landed on systemic thinking and the mastery and discipline Peter Senge and his team of researchers at MIT outline in various books and articles. When we think in systems we find ways to solve the problems created by and in systems. Isn't that our core responsibility as leaders? Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelin

Walk with me to expand your focus on who you are being. It will make you a super-star leader or manager.  Listen to my story about using this approach to build a new opportunity for your team/department to co-create and enhanced engagement. In this time of the "BIG-Resignation" OR "Quiet-Quitting" leaders need to leverage their skills to fully engage their teams for excellence and collaboration. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbeing? A Coach, as thinking partner, can help you see your metacognition, allowing you to leverage it for greater success in any endeavour. Walk with me:       Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate w

How does the decision-making of a Ukrainian refugee fleeing a Russian invasion teach us all about the benefit of blending a willingness to listen to our intuition with exercising critical thinking. Listen to Lili's story and consider lessons for leaders here. I close the episode with a plea to anyone who is hiring or knows someone who is hiring in Toronto and welcomes learning more about a highly educated and very thoughtful young woman. Any employer would be lucky to add her to their team. Message me with your offer of help on LinkedIn and I will make the introduction. Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbeing? A Coach, as thinking partner, can help you see your metacognition, allowing

"I think, therefore I am." Rene Descartes Descartes suggests that thinking, as a means to process knowledge, is the core to existence. He may be right and yet, thinking about our own thinking processes may be even more important. Meta Cognition, when properly leveraged is a key to improving our feelings of wellbeing.  Walk with me and we'll explore how to expand your agency by building efficacy, optimism and imagination. Be fiercely responsible and accountable in meaningful ways. Build the capacity to examine your own thinking to turn every challenge into growth for a career and life you love. How will examining your own thinking processes improve your own feelings of wellbeing? A Coach, as thinking partner, can help you see your metacognition, allowing you to leverage it for greater success in any endeavour. Walk with me:    Take the GRIT Scale and see where you land. Take the VIA strengths survey TODAY to evaluate where to focus. Try out The BIG SIX and learn about your personality tendencies. Boo