In the last post, we looked at gratitude, happiness and serving others and how your self-talk can guide you in these areas. The result of your networking will be to increase the odds of building deeper relationships.
In this post we will go under the hood of self-talk, so to speak and explore the mindset that is necessary to good self-talk which will manifest itself in a positive way to others allowing your networking to accomplish its primary goal, to build deeper relationships.
Your self-talk, what you say when you talk to yourself, is a key to keeping your networking working. In the previous post, we looked at ways to improve your self-talk, which in turn, will enhance the possibilities of building deeper relationships through networking.
What I find interesting is what very successful people say to themselves in order to overcome significant challenges. Regardless of where their inspiration comes from which could be a situation, a person or a goal most truly successful people are happy. That doesn’t mean that they don’t get down or have doubts. All of us do. But their self-talk causes them to overcome what is challenging them and in the process of moving beyond the challenge they create happiness.
In the previous posts we looked at several factors that can keep your networking working. In the last post we looked at the culture you bring into every encounter. A large part of your culture revolves around what do you say when you talk to yourself.
Your self-talk is critical to your success, let alone happiness. Why is this important? What you are saying to yourself on the inside will manifest itself in your words and actions on the outside. Obviously, this will be a key determinant in achieving the goal of networking, to build deeper relationships.
In the previous post we looked at some factors that can take your networking to not working. Lack of soft skills, people skills is the biggest challenge in today’s fast paced world. For networking to work we must be effective with others which means being truly interested in them and willing to listen.
One of the keys to success in your networking is the culture you bring into every interaction. Your culture is a reflection of how you think and care about yourself. Remember, the goal of networking is to build deeper relationships. If the culture you are bringing is toxic that will not happen.
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.
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
In the previous two posts we have looked at the fear that is based on indifference and indecision. In this post we will look at doubt. And, like the other fears, doubt has a valid time and place. Yet, if you let doubt rule you, your circle of accomplishment and your feelings of self-worth will be very small.
As a personal development business coach in The Woodlands and as a personal development business coach in Houston I have seen doubt sabotage talented people. When I had businesses of my own, some as large as eighty people, I let doubt creep in and keep me from greater accomplishment. Read more
Here’s another look at sharing vulnerability to build on the previous post. A winning culture starts inside of you. Then, in your business and relationships, you spread your beliefs about yourself, your world and most importantly how you care for others. Culture, in a business or in personal relationships, is defined by how you care for others.
One of the key components in building a winning culture with others is to create an atmosphere where you can share vulnerability. Sharing vulnerability is not easy for most people. If you share vulnerability you may say to someone, “I don’t know.” Or, “I need your help.” Another way to share vulnerability is to ask for someone’s opinion or expertise. You are not asking for direct help in this case. You want their opinion to help you gain clarity on something where you are stuck or confused. Read more
When you come to the end of a calendar year, it is a wonderful time to reflect on our past year. What did you accomplish? What were our disappointments? What did you learn? These are a few questions that can get you started on reflecting and evaluating.
I have learned over the years in my personal business coaching in The Woodlands and surrounding areas, that this reflection is good to do annually, yet if you truly want to stay on track with your goals, it works even better to do a quarterly evaluation. If you are getting off track, you can more easily alter your course to refocus on your goals. If you get too far off, the difficulty and energy required to get back on track is much greater.
In a way, your life is like a football game. If you divide your year into quarters, you can see how you are doing at the end of each quarter and make the necessary adjustments to win, to achieve your goals. That’s what football coaches do.
At times, a large part of what I do when I collaborate with clients has to do with their personal development in their business. Yes, we find ways to improve processes, hire better people, streamline operations for efficiency, be more effective in our communication in the teams we have, create and execute a better marketing plan and the list can go on and on. To achieve these things, the client has to embrace the idea that self-improvement business coaching will accelerate the process of his or her successful performance.
Quite simply, you and your business will only rise to the level of your self-improvement, which in essence is your personal development. Fortunately, the clients in The Woodlands I have collaborated with over the years understand this. They understand that something has to change on the inside before it will manifest itself on the outside in attaining their goals both business and personal.
To start on your path to having your best year yet ask yourself these three questions as regards your business and life. Why look at your business and life? As a personal business coach in the Woodlands, or anywhere for that matter, I see that there is always a dynamic link between your personal and business life. If you achieve a goal on the personal side, it may have a great effect on the business side and vice versa. Once you have your answers to the following questions, write them down. Writing down your answers increases the odds of taking the necessary actions to have your best year yet. Here are:
1. What did I accomplish in the past year? Or what did I accomplish in the last 12 months? You can start having your best year yet at any time.
2. What were my major disappointments?
3. What did I learn?
Those three questions will get you started. In the next post I will give you three more questions to accelerate your process of having your best year yet!
Since 2005, I have been a personal business coach in The Woodlands. Whether you are in The Woodlands, another state or a foreign country, all business coaching is personal. Good business coaching is always about a person or persons, in the cases where I collaborate with and support teams.
Today, there are many different types of coaches who can fill various needs. There are health coaches, financial coaches, life coaches and the list goes on and on. Regardless of the type of coach you are, all business coaching as well as coaching in the other disciplines does include some aspects of self-improvement business coaching, self-improvement coaching or as some call it, personal development business coaching or personal development coaching.
All coaching is geared in some way to your self-improvement and personal development. The one foundational principle behind all types of coaching is this. It is your willingness and ability to stretch. When you stretch you are looking for ways to grow, learn and develop. And when you hire a coach, whether it be a personal business coach, life coach or some other coach you are saying that you are willing to stretch and, most importantly to be held accountable for the results of your stretching.
When you decide to stretch you are saying that you no longer want to be the same today as you were yesterday. Only when you stretch and bring more value to others will your business and life change. It will change because you have decided to improve yourself.
You are like the rubber band. As a rubber band, if you choose to stay in the box or the bag as a rubber band, you are worthless. The only value a rubber band has is when it is stretched. Unlike the rubber band, you have some inherent value. It’s only when you decide to stretch that you become of more value and can hold more of the good things that business and life have to offer.
No matter what type of coach you collaborate with: business coach, personal development coach, personal business coach, self-improvement business coach, life coach, health coach or coaches in other disciplines, be ready and willing to stretch. That’s what the coaching experience is about.