L.E. and her Out-To-Get-You Board President

L.E. came to me with a sterling track record as an Executive Director of a non-profit. She had created an organization where people loved to come to work. In recruiting "can do" board members, L.E. ended up with a Board President that not only could do but happily steam rolled anyone who got in the her way of her doing. It didn't take long for L.E. and the President to square off. L.E., despite her track record came to me with her confidence shaken, ready to quit her position.

First we assessed the situation and the history of the organization. Things had been working well up to the point this President took office. L.E. was quickly able to get back in touch with her talent, her commitment to her organization and to its good work in the community. We strategized L.E. taking back the reigns of the Board Meetings, strengthening her alliances with all Board Members and finally confronting the President.

Although it wasn't easy, she was able to set effective guidelines for Board process. The President, in strong reaction to being corralled, resigned in a huff. L.E. had hoped to preserve a friendly relationship with the President. Though that clearly wasn't going to happen, L.E. was thrilled with having her organization back on track. She went on to recruit an effective President that fit the culture of the organization was able to help the organization meet its mission and move toward its vision.

P.D. and the To Do List from Hell

A new client showed up for her first session in my office and pulled out her To Do list. It was one of the scariest things I had ever seen! It was a 2-page table with several columns filled in with red ink in very small print. I couldn't even look at it. Though I'm normally calm and assured, my confidence quaked when I saw that list. Her imposing To Do list almost did me in.

We jumped right in that first session with an issue about her adolescent son and his distractibility. He spends one week with my client and then one week with his dad, her ex-husband. He wasn't getting his homework done and the consequences were mounting. She devised a simple strategy for helping him stay accountable. We quickly shifted the focus to her and began to develop a big vision for her life.

By our next session she was able to report that the homework problem was resolved. Her simple strategy worked miracles. Happy mom. Happy kid. Happy teachers. Oh, and happy coach! And within a month, she had attracted some totally unexpected opportunities in her job that would move her towards her vision quickly. We never looked back at or talked about the To Do list again after that first few minutes in that very first session. She did find it recently buried in her coaching notebook. She pulled it out and we both laughed about the hideous thing. Like most monsters, it lost its power to frighten and intimidate when we stopped feeding it energy.

B.B. the Under-earner

BB was a classic under-earner. She was very in touch with her values and simplicity was close to the top of the list. Unfortunately she managed to translate living simply into living on the edge. She was torn between "doing what she loved" in a non-profit environment and getting paid well for her time in a business she wasn't invested in.

The first step was for B.B. to get clear about what she truly wanted and to know that she could have it. Her first income goals, though twice what she was making at the time, were still very conservative. She was challenged to double her double! She took a deep breath and agreed. She not only met her new higher goals, but exceeded them. She also managed to combine "doing what she loved" and doing what paid the bills. The two ways of operating had seemed mutually exclusive, but she found they were actually quite compatible. With greater financial stability, BB found herself stretching farther, really going for what she wanted.

B.B. continues to challenge herself while at the same time taking really good care of herself. In the past, she had a habit of staying too long in a familiar (though uncomfortable) situation. Now, she assesses her life regularly and releases what doesn't work and celebrates what does.

For a more complete look at the services and products I offer and which may be of particular interest to you and/or your organization, please review my Services page.