Joyce Weiss

I work with organizations and individuals who want to kick conflict and chaos to the curb - Queen of Conflict Resolution and Communication Coach

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Life Coaching Strategies: Falling Down Isn’t the Problem

Would you like to learn life coaching strategies the next time you make a mistake or feel stuck in your life?  If so, you are in the right place.  Life is fraught with uncertainty. No matter how hard we try to avoid the potholes, there’s always another obstacle looming on the horizon.

I just coined this quote, Resolving Conflict is just like riding a bike:  Shift gears to successfully navigate life’s potholes, ruts, and obstacles. 

How we recover from our personal and professional mistakes makes all the difference in the world. This article contains information from my second book, Take the Ride of Your Life!  You will find useful tools for making that graceful recovery.

Life Coaching Strategies # 1:  Look at those old patterns life coaching strategies

The obvious mistakes are easy to correct … it’s what we don’t see that causes the most damage. Have you ever noticed certain situations keep popping up? And some problems just get worse?

Start observing your rituals. This will help you decide which patterns are working and which ones are keeping you down.

Life Coaching Strategies #2:  Get some positive feedback

The most valuable and underused tool we have is input from our true friends. Who else can you trust when you’re stuck in a rut?

It’s difficult to recognize our own shortcomings, but a trustworthy friend can gently introduce areas for improvement. Open yourself to hearing what they have to say, and drop the defense mechanisms!

With your eyes newly opened, look for new ways of dealing with habitual mistakes, write down an action plan, and see how it works.

Life Coaching Strategies #3:  Forgive yourself

Our inner voices can be merciless! Forgive yourself. Quit carrying the guilt and shame around like a heavy suitcase. Torturing yourself with past failures helps you achieve … nothing.

Blame is another reason we don’t always get over our mistakes. We blame others for our mistakes, thinking this will shrink our guilt.

Once you get beyond guilt and blame, you can start enjoying the ride.

If you want to gain more tips on new facts about stress, check out the link for your own copy of the
life coaching book, Take The Ride of Your Life! 

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments here on what you do to overcome your mistakes.
You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers! 🙂

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve their quality of life.

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address life coaching strategies here.

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

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Why Conflict in the Workplace Research Matters: Part Two

If you are a manager or director, do you compare your conflict in the workplace with other managers or directors?
Would you like to find out what issues other managers experience?
Do you want to learn strategies how you can resolve some of your conflicts?

If so, the next two articles are for you.  They contain information I gathered from recent workshops on Resolving Conflict in the Workplace.  Let me know your specific stress so I can write about topics that fit your needs.

Read the first article in the series “Why Conflict in the Workplace Research Matters: Part One.”

Conflict in the Workplace for Managers and Directorsconflict in the workplace

I asked the following questions to managers and directors:

  • Where do you need support from senior level executives?
  • How would you rate the productivity of your meetings?
  • What do you need from upper management to help you achieve company goals?
  • What conflict in the workplace issues do you experience?

Here are some of their answers:

  • I need more staff because my team and I are all stretched to the max.  They tell us that they can’t afford to hire, but we’re all frustrated and the customers are starting to complain.
  • Star employees are leaving because we are not addressing their training issues.
  • Many of our leaders don’t know how to conduct a meeting; consequently, many meetings are a waste of time.
  • How can we reach company goals if I have to continually put out fires for my team?

Solutions to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace for Managers and Directors

  1. I need more staff because my team and I are all stretched to the max.  They tell us that they can’t afford to hire, but we’re all frustrated and the customers are starting to complain
  • Upper management needs to know about customer complaints.
  • Meet with other managers and directors.
  • Find solid evidence on how much the company is losing by not hiring qualified employees.

      2.  Star employees are leaving because we’re not addressing their training issues.

  • Ask them to find online courses that interest them if training and continuous improvement are on their list.
  • Proact and meet with star employees to discover what the company needs to keep them motivated.

   3.  Many of our leaders don’t know how to conduct a meeting and so many meetings are waste of time.conflict in the workplace

  • Amazon has are numerous books on How to Conduct Productive Meetings.
  • Purchase a few copies and conduct book reviews.
  • Each team leader will share what new strategies they learned and discuss these gems.
  • Ask employees how leaders can improve meetings.  This constructive feedback will be very helpful if it’s done with the right intent-positive feedback and not sarcasm!

4.  How can we reach company goals if I have to continually put out fires for my team?

  • Delegate to your team leaders.
  • Train them to resolve the conflict between employees or with customers.
  • This will allow you to work on company goals and free up your time to do what you need to do.

Let’s Get Real About Conflict in the Workplace

The comments above are typical of many of my clients who are managers and directors.  All levels of an organization share their frustration and they want to resolve this conflict in the workplace.  I suggest that you conduct your own research with your employees.  Take the ideas from the articles in this series as a starting point for your own issues to discuss.

I want to hear from you

Send me an Email with your questions or comments on your frustrations and conflict in the workplace. You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers!  🙂

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.  Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts.  Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

Read the first article in the series “Why Conflict in the Workplace Research Matters: Part One.”

This is Joyce Weiss, Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address career skills here.

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

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Three Important Executive Coaching Questions to Ask Yourself

Have you wondered what happens during an Executive Coaching session?
Do you want to move forward in your career?
Are you ready to ask yourself three questions to help you make important decisions in your life?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions you are in the right place.  🙂

My Executive Coaching clients work very hard at improving their career growth and leadership status.  Our conversations on the phone are action packed when they share what worked since our last session and what still needs to be resolved.  Together we focus on specific goals and action plans.  I’m there to hold clients accountable and the results are apparent.  The next few articles will give you a glimpse of how Executive Coaching works.  

Executive Coaching Question #1:  What do you need to change?

Executive Coaching | Joyce Weiss

It could be a shorter commute to work or starting a new exercise routine.  Maybe there are conflicts between your direct reports that never seem to get resolved.  The main idea is to ask yourself what parts of your life need changing.  Executive Coaching includes discussing areas in my clients’ life and career.  There are no limitations and most of these topics are connected.  The main idea is to discover the change that needs to be made.

Executive Coaching Question #2:  What do you need to keep?

Family, vacations, exercise, continuing education, or ongoing relationship building are examples of areas in our life that we want and need to keep.  These are parts of our life that are working well.  We need to recognize them in order to appreciate the positives. At times we take them for granted and we need friendly reminders to see the good that is in front of us.

Executive Coaching | Joyce Weiss

Executive Coaching Question #3:  What do you need to let go of in order to move forward?

This question isn’t an easy one to resolve.  There are so many issues in our life that we hang on to because they have become our part of our identity.    Examples are unresolved issues with our family, internal fights at work, watching too much TV at night and not reading as much as you want, being realistic that the commute to work is horrific.  You get the idea.  This is where an executive coach comes in handy because we help you discover options that you didn’t see before.  

One of my clients never had time to read when she got home from work.  She had the following routine – visit with her family, eat dinner, and watch two hours of TV before going to bed.  She had several books on her kindle and never had time to read them.  We found the perfect solution.  Instead of watching the news in the morning during her workouts, she watches her TV programs while she exercises at home.  She now has time to read during the evening because she is caught up with some of her favorite programs during her exercise routine.  Easy Peasy.  

Now for some reality

An important part of the process is that clients come up with their own answers once they are asked key questions. It’s like magic.  They thank the coach yet the clients are the ones who come up with the good stuff!  Executive Coaching is extremely rewarding because most clients work with me for a few months or less – depending on how many changes they want to make in their life.

So here is your homework.  Ask yourself these three questions to see where you are in your personal or professional journey.

  1. What do you need to change?
  2. What do you need to keep?
  3. What do you need to let go of?

Stay tuned for more Executive Coaching articles and videos coming to your email soon.

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments about your own Executive Coaching experience.
I always offer a FREE 30-minute mini session to discover if Executive and Career Coaching is right for you or your direct reports. 

Send me an email or call me at 800.713.1926 to set up our time together

 

This is Joyce Weiss, Executive and Career Coach

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address executive coaching strategies here.

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

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Secrets from an Executive Coach to Advance Your Career

As an Executive Coach, my clients ask me to address strategies on how to get promoted or get noticed in their company.

  • Are you ready to ask for a promotion?
  • Do you see others advancing in your company?
  • Are leaders listening to your suggestions?

There is a saying that I use quite a bit, “If you don’t toot your own horn, who will?”  I realize that there’s a fine line between being a braggart and being assertive.  I’m not asking you to put your ego on steroids! 🙂  The strategies in this article will take you on your own career path. They are discussions this Executive Coach has during accountability sessions.

If eighty-hour workweeks and impending layoffs are leaving you apprehensive about your career decision, you’re not alone. These days, countless professionals are yearning for more fulfilling careers.

Unfortunately, many professionals are going to their day-to-day work activities and feeling as if they’re pedaling a bicycle uphill in the wrong gear.

They secretly yearn for the feelings of freedom and self-reliance they used to have when they were children pedaling away on their very own Schwinn or Huffy.

How can we recapture those childhood feelings of independence, adventure, and joy?

Executive Coach Secret #1: Safely navigate work’s potholes, ruts, curbs, obstacles, and challenges.

executive coach

In order to excel professionally, you need the ability to learn from any past mistakes rather than dwell on them.

The truth is that the only wrong mistake is one we don’t learn from – when things go wrong, we have a choice. We can criticize ourselves and curse our own bad luck, or we can coach ourselves, extract value from what we learned, and focus on how we can handle that situation better in the future.

The next time something devastating happens to you, whether it’s a layoff or a failed project, remember there are lessons to be learned.  Believe me, I know what I’m talking about and remind myself of this strategy numerous times!

Executive Coach Secret #2: Take the direct route.

Many people are so confused about expectations at work.  They need to ask specific questions to receive clarity as to their job specifications.  It’s during these times that people need to use straight talk to solve issues.

Being Direct with Respect® means being able to communicate openly and honestly without hurt feelings. Encourage Be Direct with Respect® in your office by thinking about what you really want to say, writing it down, and practicing it.

The more you use it, the more comfortable you’ll feel, and the more your colleagues will follow your lead.

Executive Coach Secret #3: Stay balanced when the road is bumpy.

The majority of people are running on empty.

If your workday feels out of balance, the quickest way to identify what is missing is to know your core values.  What’s holding you back from achieving balance in your day? Can you say no to the things that aren’t consistent with your core values?

When you ignore your personal values for the sake of others, keeping balanced is a challenging ordeal.

To gain balance, you first must be true to yourself. When you can gear down, relax, and enjoy the flowers on the side of the road, you will finally see the right path.  You will find answers and become more focused when you think about what you want to do with your life and not concentrate on the negative parts of your career.

Executive Coach Secret #4: Stop pedaling in circles.

executive coach

How long has it been since you’ve tried something new and different in your work?

After evaluating yourself personally, ask people you trust to make suggestions on how you need to grow.

Use their advice to guide your education decisions. Do you need to take a computer class, a writing course, find an Executive Coach, or attend advanced leadership workshops?

To carve a new career or enhance your current one, you must take responsibility for your own future and learn new skills on a daily basis.  It doesn’t help when we stay in the status quo and don’t move forward.

 

Final Thoughts from Joyce

Your ability to safely navigate workday obstacles, use straight talk, stay balanced, and keep learning will help you recapture the feelings of your youth – when your bike was your ticket to exhilaration.

You’re the one in control! Sometimes the journey will be easy coasting, while other times it will be an uphill bumpy trek.

Either way, it’s up to you to shift your professional life in gear and create your own career path.

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments on what is and what is not working with your career advancement. What are the strategies that work for you?

Do you want to see how your communication skills are impacting your career?  
Take our FREE Communication Skills at Work Assessment HERE.  I will send you a personalized evaluation.

executive coach

Feel free to send me a private email if you have questions about your own career advancement.  I am here to support my loyal readers to improve their working condition.

 This is Joyce Weiss, Communications Strategist and Coach

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address executive coaching strategies here.

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

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Overcoming Barriers with Career Coach Tony Robbins

I have been a fan of Motivational and Career Coach, Tony Robbins for a long time.  Several years ago Tony presented his Turn Fear into Power:  The Firewalk Experience Training in Detroit.  His job was to encourage 500 of us to walk on hot coals during the training.  I decided to attend because I learned so much from Tony’s books and other training material.  I was changing careers from being a counselor to a professional speaker.  There were many fears floating in my brain and I wanted to explore the options. I had NO intention of walking on the hot coals.  I just wanted to learn and observe.  My family was taking bets on whether I was going to walk on the hot coals.  I told them to stop wasting their money since this was not my intention.  

Tony wanted us to focus on a real life fear that we wanted to eliminate.  If we walked on fire we would be able to use our fear and turn it into positive energy for future obstacles.  It sounded perfect for my needs since the transition from sitting in an office to traveling all over the United States and presenting to large audiences was going to be a big change.  

By now you probably realize that I walked on the hot coals.  Tony taught all of us how to use this experience to push ourselves.   There were two 12 foot fire beds.  The coals were red hot and were hot enough to burn aluminum.  Bongo drums were beating in the background and it sounded like an earthquake with all of the chanting from the 500 participants.  I had a knot in my stomach, my arms were tingling, I was a bit dizzy…yet I felt the energy from the crowd and before I knew it I was on the other side of the fire bed!  I did it.

People who did not believe in themselves and who did not follow the directions got burned!  We had to say “cool moss” as we were walking on the coals and we had to walk at a normal pace and not stop.  

Career Coach Lesson #1:  Turn Negative Thoughts into Positive Actions

There were people there who felt they could never ask for a raise, change jobs, or speak up to leaders.  I was standing next to 3 people who were skeptics and complained how this was a hoax.  I told myself to move from this group since  I was ready to change and their negativity would hold me back.  Don’t walk away from negativity…RUN!  

We need to look for the positives in a situation or a person even though we may only see the negatives at the moment.  What is one positive quality about your job or your coworker? It may take you a while to find it, but it is so important to start looking for one small positive in order to change the negative state that you may be experiencing.

Career Coach Lesson #2:  Remember the Firewalk Metaphor When Faced with Barriers

It helps when we are self-motivated and use mantras when faced with fear.  We need to listen to stories about people who faced challenges and changed their thinking to overcome these obstacles.  I remind myself how I was able to walk on the hot coals when I use Tony’s system which still works for me today.  

There are some groups who don’t want to attend my programs because the boss forced them to register and they feel that they don’t “need” to be there.  I tell myself to do the best that I can do.  Once I relax and push the negative doubts away, the group’s negativity diminishes and people start dealing with their conflict.  The audience sees that I’m really there for their success.  They sense doubt and fear in their speakers/consultants.  They also know when we really are there to support their career growth.  Of course, this works most of the time.  There are some groups who are facing many obstacles and don’t have the support from their leaders.  I do the best I can to help them look for options on communicating to their leaders.  Doing our best is all we can ask of ourselves. 

Career Coach Lesson #3:  Walk Confidently No Mater What’s Going On

This one lesson is something that has helped me tremendously.  Tony didn’t let people walk on the hot coals if they were not ready or doubted themselves.  He worked with them until they let go of their doubt and fear. I learned the importance of looking and feeling confident even if I didn’t feel that way at first.  Every time I walk into a hostile situation I hold my head up high and tell myself that I’m there to help them resolve the conflict.  They are not angry at me but at their situation.  Many of us take things personally and it usually has nothing to do with us.  

I want to Hear From You!

CLICK HERE to send me your questions on how you overcame a fear.  What action steps did you take as a result of a lesson that you learned?  What message did you receive from this article?  I really want to hear from you.  🙂  

Until next time,

This is Joyce Weiss, Communication Strategist and Coach

You can start tackling tough conversations once you learn the powerful strategies. I will do whatever it takes to help you improve your quality of life.  We won’t even walk on hot coals!  

Feel free to call me (248.681.5831) concerning your own team/executive retreats, workshops, and on-line professional growth coaching.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!

See YOU Next Week.

PS CLICK HERE to learn more about Joyce’s career coaching system and put your career on track to your next promotion

Read more articles and listen to podcasts at our Career Skills Knowledge Base https://www.joyceweiss.com/resources/knowledge-base/career-skills/

 

Contact Joyce

Email: joyce@joyceweiss.com
Phone: 248-681-5831