Tugboats and Trains

Tugboats and trains perform distinct and separate functions in real life.  Tugboats operate on water.  Their mission is to push, nudge and help direct the barges and large vessels that cannot turn very precisely in the confined areas of a harbor.  Trains are designed to pull and transport heavy loads over steel rails to a specific destination.

In business, to be successful, you must have both the tugboat and train.  You need people who are tugboats.  And you need people who are trains.  As a personal business coach in Houston and The Woodlands, I have seen successful businesses. the necessity for both over a forty-year career in business.

Read more

What Causes Networking to Become Not Working- Part 1

Let’s assume that you are out and about and networking regularly.  What that means is that you consistently attend the same meetings.  That is good.  It is not possible to build deeper relationships without being consistent in your networking.

Yet, things aren’t coming together.  You are spending the time, but you are not getting to have deeper relationships.  As a business coach in Houston and The Woodlands I have had clients who get frustrated.  In fact, over my career I have become frustrated, too.  I join a group and believe that good things are going to happen, and they don’t.

Read more

Networking Is One Letter Away From Not Working Part 1 The Origin of the Word “Network”

Networking is something all of us do in one way or another.  It could be with business associates, the checker at the grocery store and the list goes on and on.  When collaborating with small businesses as a business coach in The Woodlands one of the things that is brought up is networking.

Specifically, the owner wants to know if he or she needs to do it.  And, if it is needed, how to be most effective in going about it.  Yet, before we get into whether or not to network, let’s take a look in this post as to the origins of the word networking. Read more

Indifference: The First Enemy From Within

We are not born with courage. And, we are not born with fear. Both courage and fear are acquired through our business and life experiences. Collaborating with and supporting clients as a personal business coach in The Woodlands and as a personal business coach in Houston we encounter fears that are holding us back, yet we don’t recognize them.

One such fear is indifference. It is certainly okay to be indifferent at times. But, if indifference is dominating your reactions and thought processes it will lead you in a bad direction. Indifference is about a fear of setting priorities or knowing how to set priorities. Read more

Building a Winning Culture: Establishing a Clear Purpose

In previous posts I have looked at building safety and sharing vulnerability which are two components to building a winning culture. A winning culture is one where people want to work at the company they are at. It is where, in your personal relationships that people want to be with you.

The third component to building a winning culture is to establish a clear purpose. I clear purpose is critical to guide the actions and decision making within a company or in relationships. Read more

Group Culture Is a Powerful Force

As a personal business coach in Houston I have the opportunity to work with teams in corporations. In my personal business coaching in The Woodlands, I get to work with small businesses and the teams within the businesses.

Whether the organization is large or small there is a desire to have good culture. It has been shown in studies that a strong culture can increase income by several hundred percent! We know that a good culture works. We are generally not sure why it works. Read more

How the Kindergarteners Won

In the previous post I related an experiment that was done to highlight aspects that create a good culture in which teams can be productive. As a self-improvement business coach in the Woodlands one of the areas of focus in corporations and small businesses that I collaborate with has been regarding culture and how culture impacts not only a team’s efficiency but effectiveness.

The kindergarteners in the experiment won against teams of business students. They also carried the experiment to other groups. The kindergarteners defeated lawyers and CEOs. So, what was going on that created this unexpected result? Read more

Keys To Success: Get Rid Of The Bus Stop Mentality

distractionIn my personal coaching business I find that one of the most important keys to success is to recognize the “bus stop mentality.” And, having recognized it, do something about it.

What is the “bus stop mentality?” It’s a pattern where you

  • Allow yourself to be distracted
  • You fail to accomplish what you need to accomplish
  • You have a sense of frustration and reduced energy

Keys To Success: What Are Your Distractions?

Distractions can range from always checking email, to surfing the web, to Facebook, to the impromptu meeting, to the phone. There are others but those are some of the major ones. As a self-employed business owner the first step is to become aware of your distractions. The second step is to take control of them. Read more

Keeping The Momentum

You will take your new found self awareness and continue to embrace the process of self improvement over and over again as you change your thinking, your habits, your activity, your results and ultimately your life. Read more