Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “Curiously Listening” which was about listening to understand what another person is really trying to tell us, rather than listening with the intent to reply.

You can see all of my previous blogs below.

As you have probably gathered by now, I have a thing about listening!

I’m not perfect and like any other human, I can be forgiven for those times when I don’t listen as well as I could because I’m stressed or whatever. What all of us can do is to listen as well as we possibly can and strive to be a better listener.

And here’s the thing; when someone is talking to us and we are already thinking about our reply, how well are we actually listening?

If only every citizen of the World listened to each other with empathy and compassion, imagine how different it would be!

Some may ask why it’s so important to listen? I would ask them how they feel when someone really listens to them and gives them space and time to think.

And that’s a real gift.

In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned a book that I read when I was training to be a coach; “Time to Think: by Nancy Kline.

How can you create and be in a thinking environment where everybody thrives? Here are 10 ways of being with others that generates creativity, good thinking, motivation, open-mindedness towards each other and trust …

Ten components of a thinking environment: –

1. Give your full attention and listen. If you give attention and take a genuine interest in what the person thinks and will say next, they will think better around you than they would if you interrupt them or listen only in order to reply.

2. Create an environment of equality. If you regard the person who is thinking as your thinking equal, regardless of any power differential between you, they will think better around you, than if you see yourself as better than, or less than, they are.

3. Ease. If you are at ease inside yourself, regardless of the degree of urgency and rush outside you, people will think better and faster around you than if you are in a hurry yourself.

4. Appreciation. If you genuinely appreciate people 5 times more than you give feedback to them, they will think more clearly and imaginatively around you than if you focus on their faults.

5. Encouragement. If you encourage people, build with them the courage to go to the unexplored edge of their thinking, by championing their excellence, they will think better around you than if you compete with them.

6. Feelings. If you welcome the expression of peoples’ feelings, and are relaxed in the face of their tears, or anger or fear, they will think better around you than if you race in some way to anaesthetise them.

7. Information. If you offer accurate and complete information to people and if you show respect for them facing what they have been denying, they will think better around you than if you collude with their assumption that what is true is not true, or that what is not true is.

8. Diversity. If you’re interested in the diversity between you and others, the differences both in your group ideas, group identities and cultures, they will think better around you, than if you indicate (however subtly) that being just like you is best.

9. Incisive Questions. If you can ask people an incisive question, one that replaces an untrue limiting assumption with a true, liberating one, they will think better around you, than if you abandon them to limiting assumptions and beliefs.

10. Place. If you can prepare the place where you and they think together, so that it says to them; “you matter”, they will think better around you, than if you allow the place to be intimidating, inaccessible or culturally and aesthetically barren.

It’s from that quality of thinking that people make the best decisions and, even if you only do ONE of these things, you will be improving peoples’ thinking. And you will see that people are grateful for any one of them, any chance they get!

On a Leadership Programme with Thrive Coaching & Training, we will immerse ourselves in these components.

“How far can this person go in their own productive, original thinking before they need mine?”
-Nancy Kline-

[President of Time to Think, an international leadership development and coaching company. She is also a published author and public speaker].

If you’d like time to think with me, I invite you to book a FREE consultation. You can choose your slot HERE 

So, I hope this Thought for the Week has inspired you, even a little bit and I will sign off on that note.

Have a great week and I’ll be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “Expectations for Today” which was about how our expectations are at the root of so many misunderstandings.

You can see all of my previous blogs HERE

So, if peoples’ expectations are at the root of so many misunderstandings, I believe that another huge barrier is when we don’t listen well!

We are all human and there are times when we don’t listen as well as we could for a number of reasons such as; our mind being on other things, we aren’t interested in what the other person is saying, we think it’s irrelevant to us, we have a very short attention span, or whatever.

When at a party socialising, we are likely to communicate differently to when we are at work or with clients, right? And in social situations, people are often talking over each other and not listening that attentively to each other.

“There’s a lot of difference between listening and hearing.”
-G.K. Chesterton-

[English writer and philosopher]

“The word ‘listen’ contains the same letters as the word ‘silent’.”
-Alfred Brendel-

[Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer and lecturer]

So, in what kind of situations should we be better listeners then?

I’m sure you can think of many situations and don’t need me to tell you! Essentially, I think most people would like to be better listeners in general and many believe they are already great listeners. Let me ask you a few questions …

1. In conversations with colleagues at work, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of the talking do you usually do?
2. In meetings, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of the talking do you usually do?
3. If someone comes to you for advice, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of the talking do you usually do?
4. If you are giving someone a performance appraisal, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of the talking do you usually do?

So, you will see in which situations you do most of the talking.

Now, replace the word ‘talking’ with ‘listening’ and ask yourself the same questions.

What did you notice?

“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”

-Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart-

If you’d like to explore this further for your team or yourself, I would like to invite you to book a FREE consultation with me. You can choose your slot HERE 

So, I hope this Thought for the Week has inspired you, even a little bit and I will sign off on that note.

Have a great week and I’ll be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

P.S. Download this FREE Checklist: “10 Mistakes that Could be Stopping You from Being a Really Good Communicator“:

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Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “The Acceptance Dilemma” which was about how we receive thanks and compliments and it is not easy for everyone.

You can see all of my previous blogs below.

To many people, Valentine’s Day is perceived as a commercial ploy to get us to part us with our well-earned dosh and can put us under pressure with partners – especially if we don’t share the same opinion about what’s expected!

Whether or not you acknowledge Valentine’s Day, it can be an opportunity for connection and communication (and not all about romance).

When you think about it, so much depends on our expectations doesn’t it!

And this is where so many people come unstuck in their communication.

I mentioned last week that I had a realisation about a compliment being a gift when I was training to be a counsellor years ago … around the same time, I learned about expectations too.

When we meet a new person for the first time, they would know very little about us, let alone about our expectations because that’s so personal.

We know that first impressions are so important and we make up our mind about someone in the first few seconds of meeting them.

So, how much are these first impressions to do with how we expect others to greet us when we first meet them?

For instance; do we expect them to shake our hand? Would we judge them for not shaking our hand?

After the pandemic, we know that people have different views about shaking hands. How do we communicate that?

If we don’t want to shake hands, we have to communicate that in an amiable or even jokey way don’t we! Anyway, that’s just one example of how we communicate our expectations.

When we start a new job or role, we want to know from the outset what’s expected of us don’t we. How can we get started if we aren’t clear?

When another person speaks and behaves in a certain way, we may feel disappointed. But how would they know about our expectations if we haven’t told them?

I don’t know about you; I have had to check in with myself to see what my expectations are of others and keep an open mind. So often, expectations are at the root of misunderstandings.

So that’s food for thought for you today! Just gently notice what your expectations are of others as you go through your day and see how this improves your communication with them.

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.”

-Donald Miller-

[Author, public speaker, and business owner]

If you’d like to explore this further for your team or yourself, I would like to invite you to book a FREE consultation with me. You can choose your slot HERE 

Have a great week and I’ll be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

Korinne Le Page, Thrive Coaching & Training

P.S. Download this FREE Checklist: “10 Mistakes that Could be Stopping You from Becoming a Really Good Communicator”

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Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “The Balance of Thanks” which was about how we show our thanks and appreciation.

You can see all of my previous blogs HERE

Last week, I left you with this quote …

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
– Maya Angelou –

[World-renowned author best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style]

So, following on from last week, I have been giving a lot of thought around how we accept gratefully, i.e., appreciation from others, gifts and compliments etc!

For example; when someone thanks us verbally, in a genuine way, for something we have done for them, we can tell that they really do appreciate it. We will feel happy they are happy and will probably respond with a simple “You’re welcome” or similar.

That will feel right for many, but not for everyone (for instance; many more tend to be more reserved and / or less confident and may even feel embarrassed in situations like that – even if they are happy the other person is happy!)

Going back to my 20’s (a long time ago now and my memory still serves me well!) I used to feel embarrassed when someone gave me a compliment. It’s only when I trained to be a counsellor that I realised that a compliment is actually a gift. People take the time and trouble to pay us a compliment and they don’t have to!

In fact, as we get busier and busier in our daily lives, people often forget to give compliments and show appreciation, even if they intended to.

So, it can be quite rare to receive a compliment, or for someone to go out of their way to show their gratitude and appreciation. And that is a real gift and also needs to be accepted with gratitude.

If someone gives us a physical gift, it’s unlikely we would give it back or cast it aside in front of them, so why would we do that with a compliment?

“Accepting a compliment isn’t a violation of humility. It’s an expression of gratitude for an act of kindness.

Deflecting undermines the gesture—and discourages them from praising others. Even if you’re struggling to believe it, saying thanks shows that you value their words”.

-Adam Grant-

[Organizational psychologist and bestselling author who explores the science of motivation, generosity, original thinking, and rethinking. Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for 7 straight years]

• How do you show your gratitude to others?
• How do you receive thanks and appreciation?
• How do you receive gifts?
• How do you receive compliments?
• When was the last time you gave someone a compliment?

If you haven’t already, l would like to invite you to book a free consultation with me if you’d like to explore this further for your team or yourself. Choose your slot HERE 

Have a great week and I’ll be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “The Anchor of Trust” which was about how the bonds we have with people in our lives are anchored around the level of Trust between us.

You can see all of my previous blogs below.

If you did the exercise last week about what anchors you to each of your relationships, whether with colleagues, professionally or personally, you will appreciate another really important area here is how we communicate appreciation and gratitude.

We are all different of course and where one person would have certain expectations around this, another would see things quite differently.

Saying “thank you” is simple enough – but how about saying it in a truly meaningful way? 

How do you show your gratitude to others?

• Through words such as “thank you”?
• Through actions and / or gestures?
• Through tokens of thanks, such as a card, chocolates or flowers?
• You don’t express as often as you would like to or think you should?

What means the most to you when someone thanks you?

For me, what means the most is when someone is genuine in their appreciation, like when they make eye contact, use gestures (such as placing a hand over their heart as they say thanks) and things like that.

Their non-verbal language means a lot to me, more than a gift.

It’s very interesting because how we like people to thank us may be different to what others expect, but unless we know them very well, how would we know?

It will also depend on what it is they did for us as well and the level of gratitude we feel. For instance, if they gave something up for us, we might want to replace it or make up for it in some way.

If in doubt about what to do, I believe the best place to start is by saying a genuine “thank you” (using their name and making eye contact) and why you appreciate what they did, said or whatever.

“The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become.”
– Robert Holden –

[British psychologist, author, and broadcaster, who works in the field of positive psychology and well-being]

And not to forget the balance to giving thanks is how we receive them …

 “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
– Maya Angelou –

[World-renowned author best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style]

If you haven’t already, l invite you to book a free consultation with me if you’d like to explore this further. Choose your slot HERE 

I will leave you on that note and will post again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “Challenge & Excitement” all about being creative and realistic about our strategy and goals whilst being exciting and stretching us!

You can see all of my blogs below.

So, by now, I am sure you will have a plan that you feel inspired by and anchored to, because that’s what we need as professionals isn’t it? To be anchored to a strategy in a fluid way that allows movement to go with the flow, whilst keeping us steady on our course.

I like to use this metaphor of an anchor too when it comes to our working and personal relationships and how we interact with each other.

The ‘anchor’ is whatever the relationship is about and what holds us together. And of course, the degree of this will vary between more professional and personal relationships.

Have you thought about what anchors you in each of your relationships?

• Loved ones
• Social friends
• Colleagues
• Team
• Clients
• Service partners, etc.

How we interact with each of these people in our lives, will depend on what anchors us to each other and the level of trust between us.

It’s an interesting exercise to think about this level of trust you have with each person on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being high).

Then think about how you communicate differently depending on that level of trust?

I’d love to know what you think so please let me know!

l invite you to book a free consultation with me if you’d like to explore this further. Choose your slot HERE 

“When the Trust Account is high, communication is easy, instant and effective”
-Stephen Covey-

I will leave you on that note and will post again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,
Korinne

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “About Business Trends” and how, by tapping into creativity, individuals and organisations will be the trend-setters and lead the way.

You can see all of my blogs below.

We can feel under pressure to start each year with some kind of major declaration and mission for the year to come can’t we!

A new year gives us a clean slate in many ways and a chance to refresh our thinking and revisit outdated habits, processes etc.

We know all about New Year’s resolutions! They can be very positive and at the same time can be unrealistic and set us up for a sense of failure if we don’t fulfil them.

So what’s the answer?

Personally, I like to take an objective ‘helicopter view’ of my life, my business, my strategy.

I then look at how that dovetails with what’s happening in the World and how effective I am in helping people to get results right now …

• What am I doing that’s really working and should leave as it is?
• What do I need to tweak or change and why?
• What smaller and realistic steps can I take to make changes?

Then I tap into my creativity to think outside the box and come up with fresh ideas around how I move forward.

When it comes to setting goals, we are all familiar with “SMART Goals” (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely).

Well I introduce my clients to another very simple model that also includes 2 very important elements that are not included in SMART. These are around our goals also being “Challenging” and “Exciting”!

If we don’t have these in the mix, we often don’t feel anchored to a goal and motivated enough to make it happen.

And when it comes to making changes, I have found that, rather than setting a “New Year’s Resolution”, making small and realistic changes and committing to these really does work.

I’d love to know what you think? Leave a post and let me know!

l invite you to book a consultation with me if you’d like to explore what you most want to achieve in 2023 and beyond. Choose your slot HERE 

“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.”
-Albert Einstein-

“If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.”
-John Cleese-

I will leave you on that note and will post again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes

 

 

 

 

I hope 2023 has started well for you! The last Thought for the Week I sent out was; “What Impact will you have in 2023?”

[You can see all of my blogs below].

“I happened to come along in the music business when there was no trend”

-Elvis Presley-

What trends have you noticed around business and how we work and communicate with those around us?

My clients range from Solopreneurs to leaders within larger organisations and they are telling me that things are changing hugely within their organisations, especially around recognising the relationships within an organisation and externally too and this takes time to build. A “one-size-fits-all” approach certainly does not apply!

The fast growth of the coaching business is credited to some of the best business trends emerging in recent years. And this is because it gives people space to think outside the box and come up with innovative and sustainable advantages.

Over time, with recent changes in our World, values and expectations have changed more than ever. You will know only too well how people are our greatest asset and, in turn, they are now expecting more from employers. No longer will they stick around if they don’t feel valued.

Teams are complex and diverse and it is so important to recognise the talent that diverse workforces can bring in. People need access to support and so leaders and entrepreneurs have had to grow and develop more than ever to acquire agile leadership skills to be the best they can be.

Many of my clients have recognised how invaluable Coaching is in developing a growth culture, and I’m talking about how they have learned to Coach effectively, as well as working with me as their Coach.

And the way Coaches are coaching has become more and more flexible; for instance, when my clients feel they are working on screens all day long, sometimes we go for a walk along the beach or in the park. This really helps them to expand their thinking and tap into their creativity.

I’m seeing clients looking more and more at how they can use coaching in areas where they have been unable to use it before. This is because they now recognise how powerful it is in helping people to find themselves and discover their power and confidence. And there are still many more areas where coaching is yet to have an impact.

Experimentation and collaboration over competition is happening more. This is because people are increasingly confident that what they bring to the table is adding real value.

When it comes to trends though, would you rather be the one to set trends or do you tend to follow them?

 

“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion”.

-Jack Kerouac-

[A pioneer and icon of the beat generation]

 

So, what initiatives are you pursuing to blaze your own trail towards the future?

There are companies who buy coaching packages for their people, and some organisations are training and nurturing their own internal pools of coaches who can help and support people within the workplace.

Either way, people are being encouraged to tap into their creativity, come up with ideas and forge the way!

Nowadays, around 60% of my clients are funded by their Company and 40% are self-funding as they see the incredible value in their self-growth.

l invite you to book a consultation with me to explore what you most want to achieve in 2023 and beyond, and how you can forge your own roadmap with your own unique stamp on it.

Choose your slot HERE 

“When looking at trends I always ask myself basic and timeless questions about business, and the one I seem to always come back to is, ‘How is this different than anything else in the marketplace?”

-Daymond John-

[Hip-hop fashion designer and founder and CEO of clothing label FUBU]

I will leave you on that note and will post again soon with more thoughts and tips.
With best wishes,

I wish you a very Happy New Year and I hope 2023 brings you all of the positive impact, success, good health and magic you wish for … and deserve.

The last Thought for the Week I sent out was; “Do you believe in Magic?” and I hope that brought at least a little sparkle to you!

[You can also see my “Thought for the Week” blogs below.

If you or your children are into Harry Potter, you will be familiar with the term “Magical Impact” and, how much impact has J.K. Rowling had on us and our families!

Now let’s face the truth about a New Year …

We’re all starry eyed with all the hopes of what a new year might bring. I spoke last week about believing in magic and we must.

At the same time, in what will seem like a blink of an eye, another 12 months will have whizzed by! And nothing will change … unless we do.

• If you are a business owner, is it time to get serious about scaling your business?
• If you are a leader, how will you elevate your leadership with all that well-earned wisdom and experience?
• How can you up the bar on how you communicate with impact as a professional?

If what you have tried in the past hasn’t worked for you, it won’t work for you now.

What’s working now – for professional people like you, is support that is customised for YOU, your goals, and your business model …

So, l invite you to book a complimentary one-to-one coaching session with me to explore how you can have more positive impact in your life in 2023 – choose a slot HERE 

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique”.

-Martha Graham-

[Considered by People Magazine to be among the female “Icons of the Century.”]

I will be in touch again with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

I hope you had a magical Christmas, even in the smallest of ways, whatever you did and wherever you were.

The last Thought for the Week I sent out was; “The Power of Self-Compassion” and how looking after our own emotional, physical and mental well-being helps us withstand the challenges that life throws our way, and better support those around us.

You can read all of my previous blogs below. 

Something reignited in me just after Christmas when I was with a friend. I was telling her how I was due to travel to France on Friday and sailings were being cancelled due to bad weather. And how I had a connecting flight from Rennes within hours of arrival.

At times like this, we can get stuck in our own head can’t we! So absorbed in looking at alternative options, we forget that positive and even magical things can also happen and to allow for that possibility!

She reminded me of this and I sent out a positive thought and trusted that somehow all would work out.

Within just 3 hours, guess what happened … I heard from the ferry company that a window in the weather was expected on Thursday, so they had put on an additional ferry that day (and the timing is actually much better as I arrive a day earlier in good time for the connecting flight!). How’s that for a little bit of magic!

Remember when you were a child and looked at life in total wonder and awe? Life was magical and exciting, and the smallest things were utterly thrilling to you; the frost on the grass, an unusual coloured butterfly or something like that.

When you lost a tooth, you were full of excitement because it meant the Tooth Fairy would be coming that night!

I would count down the days to Christmas Eve as, not only is it my birthday, I also looked forward to Santa Claus visiting on that magical night. Even though I had no idea how he could get to visit every child in the World in one night. somehow he managed it and never let us down!

As children, our imagination knew no limits and we believed that life was magical! And then we grew into adults and responsibilities and challenges took their toll on us.

Many of us became disillusioned, and the magic we once believed in as children evaporated. Perhaps that’s why as adults we love to be around children, so that we can experience that feeling we once had, even if it’s just for a moment?

As the year draws to a close and a new one approaches, how can you recapture at least some of that magic in your life?

What needs to change for that to happen for you?

The answer has to be something within you that has to shift. Whatever it is, are you ready to experience the magic again?

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it”
-Roald Dahl- (1916-1990)
[Writer]

As always, I will leave you with that thought!

If you would like to book a complimentary one-to-one coaching session with me to explore how you can create more magic in your life, you can book a slot HERE 

I will be in touch again with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes,

Korinne