Blog posts
Do it when you want to find real problems and answers to them. Old people say: “Where is the illness there’s a cure”. In business world it means that people who are in the front line dealing with problems are first one who will notice them and find the answer. Just they have to be motivated to do that. Otherwise they will just complain about their destiny. So first you have to motivate them to escalate the problem to you. Make competition that every week all employees will send by email the most difficult situations.
Choose the hardest and give price to that person. Now for next 7 days all people will have to think about solving that situation. Choose the best answer and give price to that person. At the same time competition will be for the next difficult situation. So, from now on, every week you will have two competitions. First, for the best problem and second for the best answer for situation from the previous week. Just imagine how strong your team will be in a year. Special note: It is not allowed to give money for the price!
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What was the worst business situation that you have experienced in last 3 years?
2. Just imagine that you are looking at yourself dealing with that situation. What do you observe?
3. How satisfied you are with that you on a scale from 1 to 10?
4. What would you suggest to that other you?
5. How to talk? How to behave? What do you also notice?
6. What will be the best scenario you can suggest to that other you?
7. Tell that scenario to that other you and ask him/her to rehearsal it!
8. Imagine that other you have done it perfectly. With that feeling welcome back to the present and write down situations where you can use skills that you have practiced.
Thank you and good luck!
Do it when you want to train decision making. So many times we have to choose between to do or not to do something. If only we could predict the future. For instance, we are planning to invest in our business but we don’t know is situation on the market going to be better or worse for our business. But after the battle it is easy to be the general. Before the battle we can (only) use matrix 2 x 2. Now we have 4 quadrants. In first we do the action (invest the money) and situation on the market is going to be better for our business. On second quadrant we are not investing money and situation on the market is better. Obviously we miss the chance to invest in good business. In third quadrant we do the action, and situation in the business is worse. So we are very sad for losing money. In fourth quadrant we don’t do the action and situation is worse in your business. Ironically we are happy because we haven’t invested in bad business. If you cautiously discuss situations in every quadrant you will notice that in 2 situations almost always you will have bad situation and good situation in other 2.
Now it will be much easier to make decisions what to do.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you can predict situation on the market in next 3 years. How it will look like?
2. Explain it in 3 sentences.
3. How that situation will affect your market?
4. How important for you on 1 to 10 is that you know that situation?
5. Knowing that information what will be the first thing that you will do?
6. What will be your following steps?
7. Make time frame for all your steps?
8. What will be your strategy if something goes other way?
9. How satisfied are you with this plan?
Thank you and good luck!
Do it when you want to train decision making. Often we say that while making decisions is good to exclude emotions, using only our logic. At the same time, there are so many emotional decision making techniques. Even with what we believe are rational decisions, the very point of choice is always based on emotion. It is much easier to understand if we say that emotions are signals from the subconscious mind. Now, we can start game. Divide participants in 2 groups. First group has to prepare presentation of one of your products using only logic. Presentation has to include poster and sales speech. Other group has to do the same thing using only logic.
Give them 15 minutes for preparation. Then they will do the presentations.
Objections and questions from the other group are the most important part.
Answering them each group can use bith, emotion and logic.
Coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your career is guided just by your intuition and that you can fail. How confident will you be on a scale from 1 to 10?
2. Beside confidence, what other your values will benefit?
3. How your life looks then? Explain it in 3 sentences?
4. What is stopping you from reaching that goal?
5. What can you do to raise your present level of confidence?
6. What further steps can you make?
7. How can you make system for constantly boosting your confidence?
8. How committed you are to implement that system?
9. When are you going to start with your system?
Thank you, I can feel your confidence right now!
Do it when you have to organize your day. Some people believe that they are delivering Time Management training. I don’t think that is possible. You can only manage your actions, not time. I am not playing with word. When you realize difference you are on the right way. So I am asking you to fulfill two identical circles. One with actions that you are doing right now during 24 hours period. Then do the other which is called your dream 24 hours. Then compare the difference. All you have to do is to make action plan how are you going to manage the difference. And that is managing actions in time. Take time and do this. Remember what Seneca said: “If not us, who, if not now, when?”
Now, more coaching questions for you:
1. Looking at your dream 24 hours, tell me what kind of person would you be with that kind of organizing your actions?
2. Who else will benefit from that?
3. How satisfied will you be on a scale from 1 to 10?
4. What will you be able to do to have that kind of life?
5. What will be the time frame for succeeding your goal?
6. What will be the best start for making that change?
7. Write down all actions that will help you reaching your goal.
8. Where are you going to put that action plan and 2 circles so you can see your progres?
When you succeed send us your circles, and we are going to post them on comments 🙂
Do it when you have to explain the importance of change. Give a flip chart paper to participants. Their task is to draw. First, in lower left part they have to draw them in present time. Their faces are toward center of the paper. Then in upper right part of the paper, they have to draw themselves in 5 years. Again faces turned to the center of the paper. Now they have to connect those 2 pictures. They can choose type of the line. It can be straight or more in the waving mood. But it has to start from left lower corner and finish at upper right corner. Now they have to draw and explain critical moments in those 5 years. What they predict has happened and how they have overcome it.
Crucial is that suddenly they will come to the idea that they have to change themselves.
At this moment mankind posses only 5% of the knowledge that it will have in 2060.
So we have to invent and to learn 95% of it. 
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine yourself going in year 2060 and taking that knowledge. Remember now you have only 5% of it. Who would you be in your business?
2. In which area of your business would you make the biggest change?
3. What type of changes it will make in that area?
4. What will be your first step in implementation?
5. Having that knowledge, make a list of all steps that you will make.
6. What from that list could be made in next 1 year?
7. Choose and make an action plan for achieving it?
The amazing thing about life is that you choose how you react to things that affect you. With coaching we can go into future and anticipate our reactions.
Happiness is a choice. Make it.
Do it when you have finished your training. It is always good to see how participants have accepted training and what are they going to implement. On one page of handout give them matrix 2 x 2. In 4 quadrants give them headlines: I will do More, I will do Less, I will Stop and I will Start. On every quadrant make at least 3 lines so they can fulfill them. At the end of that page make a space so participants can sign. This is very good commitment that they will really follow their action plan.
And remember that We Can Not Change our Past but We Can Change the Future.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Find area in your life where you want to make improvement. Which area is that?
2. How important on a scale from 1 to 10 is it to you?
3. Whom will you be when you make that improvement?
4. To make that improvement you will have to start doing something differently. Name 3 things!
5. You will have to stop doing something. Name 3 things!
6. You will have to do something more than you are doing now? Name 3 things!
7. You will have to do something less than now! Name 3 things!
8. Now you have 12 things that you will do. What will be the first thing?
9. Make prioritization for other eleven.
10. How satisfied are you with this plan?
Thank you and good luck!
Do it when you have to develop participants’ management of details. Napoleon was genius of military tactics and strategy. One of his core values was his brilliant management of details. He never forgot a single point of advantage. He has remembered every soldier, river, stream, mountain, hill, valley, and ravine down in his mental note book. Let’s see why and how we are going to develop similar skill in our business. Each one in our group has to create a mental picture of one of our customer. Write down as much as possible data about him (name, address, company, age, gander …). Now we can go deeper in Master details. Explain his/her look, color of hair, eyes, any characteristics, what he/she likes, favorite product, his/her family, favorite places…). When you finish there is even deeper level. Subordinate Details which means detailed look of his/her office, accent, details in body language, characteristic words that are used, changing of skin brightness, changing in voice, changing in tempo…) Lets count how many you have counted in each column.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your core value is brilliant management of details, like Napoleon’s. In which area of your business it will be the most valuable?
2. Who will you be with that value?
3. How important on a scale from 1 to 10 is it to you?
4. How will you know that you have it?
5. What other skills will be then within your reach?
6. When was the first time you have noticed that you possessed it?
7. Explain that moment in details in 4 sentences?
8. What would be beneficial action in developing that skill even further?
9. What will be other good moves?
10. What will be the elements of system that will be helpful to you whenever you have to recall that brilliant management of details?
11. Now, all you have to do is go through your list and say how satisfied you are with your plan?
Do it when you want to show importance of change. Give to all participants colored paper balls. Ideally, there are 14 of participants. On your sign they have to throw paper balls to each other. Every time someone has to catch just one ball. On sign everyone will have new ball. Do that 8 to 10 times. Then ask them to wrap up all paper balls.
On every paper should be just one word. Give them 3 minutes to make sentence.
Correct answer should be “If you do what you always do you will get what you always get.”
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you can restart your life, starting from the year that you are now. But, you can work your dream job. What it will be?
2. How will you know that it is your real dream job?
3. How satisfied would you be on a scale from 1 to 10?
4. Who would you be working that job?
5. Who else will be proud of you?
6. What type of resource you have?
7. What would you be ready to do to achieve that dream job?
8. What would be your first step?
9. How would you know that you are coming toward that job?
10. Write full action plan. What will be the time frame for reaching that job?
We know that nothing can stop you from reaching your dream job. Thank you and good luck!
Do it when you are asked: “How can you guarantee that participants will accept skills from your training?” I have applied at some French company for delivering soft skills to their managers. In application form one of the questions was: “How can you guarantee that participants will accept skills from your training?” If you have any experience in training than I am sure that you have seen curve explaining that training without mentoring and coaching sessions will make maximum 10 % improvement. So I come to the following idea. I will guaranty that participants will gain any percentage that we would agree was acceptable. And after a month we will do evaluation. If participants fail, company will have to pay 3 times value of training. In that way I am 100 % sure that they will find way for coaching, mentoring, refreshing and everything that is necessary for successful learning. What are your thoughts?
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you have to deliver training to a very important group of managers. How would you prepare?
2. How important is that training to you?
3. Who will also benefit from it?
4. Who are you in eyes of people that you respect after that training?
5. What kind of positive visualization will be beneficial to you?
6. Visualizing your successful training what do you see, hear and feel?
7. Explain it in 5 sentences.
8. What was the most crucial part of presentations for your success?
9. What would be some other good idea for that training?
Write down everything and share with us your success. Thank you!
Do it when you want them to think outside the box.
All you need is flipchart. Draw following:
1
11
21
1211
111221
Now they have to continue. Give them 5 minutes. Help them by giving a clue:
_ _ _ _ _ _
Answer is in reading. First line is one one which is explained in 2nd line. 2nd line is two one which is said in 3rd line. 3rd line is one two, one one which is said in 4th line.
Next we continue with one one, one two, two one said in 5th line.
6th line will be 3 1 2 2 1 1 (three one, two two, one one).
All over the world 20 % of children 3rd grade solve this problem.
You are clever to; Just, we all have to think outside the box.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Think what is it in your business that at this moment no one is doing because it is impossible?
2. Make a list of 20 items. What from that list would be the most important for your business?
3. What would be the first step towards solving it?
4. What would be the idea that only you can see?
5. Where you could find similar ideas?
6. What kind of your previous experience you can modify?
7. How you can combine your experience with new ideas?