My Weblog

Who Needs A Coach?

When people ask what I do and I respond executive coaching…they often say “Oh you work with athletes.” Well not really, my clients are executives and business professionals (check the testimonials on my web site: testimonials) you will see who we work with.

This question started me thinking, why do athletes have coaches? These are individuals who are at the top of their fields, they are not looking to learn how “to play the game” so to speak. They are looking for increased performance and better results.

They are not looking for a cheerleader, but someone who can provide honest feedback about what they are doing, priorities, strategies and week-to-week progress with what must be done.

ABC’s top ranked show, Dancing With The Stars, has been dominated by athletes, Emmitt Smith, Apollo Ohno, Helio Castroneves, Shawn Johnson and Kristi Yamaguchi. Their dance partners have all commented on how their success was directly related to their willingness to be coached. These individuals know from life experience, that in order to reach their goals they must be committed, dedicated and have the guidance and support of a coach.

They also know that in order to reach a goal they must leave their comfort zone. This is not easy, no matter how hard you push yourself; you need someone to provide that feedback from the sidelines. Where does the coach stand on the field? The sidelines.

Fast Company recently conducted surveys on coaching. They found that from 2004 to 2011 there has been a dramatic increase in the use of coaching. The biggest change is from coaching being used as “a fix it tool” for leaders with problems, to helping successful leaders get even better. In many firms having a coach is seen as a badge of honor.


The most exciting thing I can hear from a client, is when they say, “This experience has changed my life.” The results are real, the results are lasting.

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201.445.2822

Paul Anovick

Who Needs a Coach?

When people ask what I do and I respond executive coaching…they often say “Oh you work with athletes.” Well not really, my clients are executives and business professionals (check the testimonials on my web site: testimonials) you will see who we work with.

This question started me thinking, why do athletes have coaches? These are individuals who are at the top of their fields, they are not looking to learn how “to play the game” so to speak. They are looking for increased performance and better results.

They are not looking for a cheerleader, but someone who can provide honest feedback about what they are doing, priorities, strategies and week-to-week progress with what must be done.

ABC’s top ranked show, Dancing With The Stars, has been dominated by athletes, Emmitt Smith, Apollo Ohno, Helio Castroneves, Shawn Johnson and Kristi Yamaguchi. Their dance partners have all commented on how their success was directly related to their willingness to be coached. These individuals know from life experience, that in order to reach their goals they must be committed, dedicated and have the guidance and support of a coach.

They also know that in order to reach a goal they must leave their comfort zone. This is not easy, no matter how hard you push yourself; you need someone to provide that feedback from the sidelines. Where does the coach stand on the field? The sidelines.

Fast Company recently conducted surveys on coaching. They found that from 2004 to 2009 there has been a dramatic increase in the use of coaching. The biggest change is from coaching being used as “a fix it tool” for leaders with problems, to helping successful leaders get even better. In many firms having a coach is seen as a badge of honor.


The most exciting thing I can hear from a client, is when they say, “This experience has changed my life.” The results are real, the results are lasting.

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201.445.2822

Paul Anovick

You Can Choose To Live Your Life On Purpose

Estimates currently place the number of unemployed at 20 million.  I often encounter people who consider themselves underemployed or are in jobs they do not care for. Now more than ever you need to find and connect to your purpose…what is it that you do well?

“I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau

A client recently shared this comment about being laid off, “You can look at it as a ‘pink slip’or a blank sheet of paper.”  Meaning that you can see your job loss as a defeat or the greatest opportunity to liberate yourself for the rest of your life. What would it look like if you choose the latter?

Living on purpose is doing the things you are good at and having positive results. When you get out of bed in the morning are you excited about the day ahead? Early in my career I had the opportunity to work with successful entrepreneurs, they loved what they were doing.  When I work with clients and hear the leader of an organization say, “I love this business!” I know this is a successful company that will continue to grow.

The economic disruption of the past two years has forced many people to reinvent themselves.  Even companies have been compelled to focus their business model and change their market plan.  In helping organizations or individuals do this I always begin with the question, “What do you do well?”  If you answer this question you begin from a position of strength, in order to build value you must focus on your strength. Planning Tool The SWOT analysis of Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats will yield a clear path in building your plan.

You will be working for many years to come, possibly the rest of your life (I plan to).  Does it not make sense to be doing what you love.  Many people plan for months or longer to take a two week vacation, how much time do you invest to plan the rest of your  life? CoachAnovick It is your life—control your own destiny.  Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201.445.2822

Paul Anovick

Are You Born With Talent or Do You Develop It?

This past spring I wrote a blog titled Are You Realizing Your Full Potential; we received many emails and calls regarding it.  The issue is how much of our performance in a chosen area is genetics and what amount do we develop? For example, it often appears as though athletes are blessed with natural abilities.

 

Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” provides several examples of how this is not necessarily so. Over 40% of the top hockey players in Canada are born over the first quarter of the year.  Is this a genetic factor? Player selection in Canada has a cut off of January 1^st birthdate. Gladwell explains that the 9 to 12 month difference is a determining element in the development of the young players. The players born in the first quarter tend to be larger, faster and more coordinated than their younger competitors. Therefore they are selected to play on the top teams with the best coaching. By the time they’re 17 they have experienced 10,000 hours of better coaching, selection on travel teams, and more intense competition and the developmental factors that make a 17-year-old junior hockey star. Certainly the eye hand coordination of a top athlete is a blessing of nature, both ingredients are essential.

 

It appears the most important factor is how you think about challenges. In the “Effort Effect” Carol Dweck describes how many gifted individuals often become “risk-averse” and gave up trying because of their fear of mistakes.  High IQ can impact self-image, ego and inhibit the development of greater skills and results due to fear of failure. Those who produced the greatest results were “mastery oriented” they view failure as temporary and do not give up. They believe that intelligence and ability can be developed. Have you known a person that had great “natural talent” but never learned to work? Failed to “live up to their POTENTIAL”?

 

A high GPA will get you into College…but your focus, hard work and your never give up attitude will propel you towards graduation. In many Asian countries schools provide feedback based on EFFORT rather than innate intelligence (IQ).  Talent is built through slow methodical practice. Toyota grew from the early 70’s by dedication to KAIZEN, a Japanese term for continuous improvement. If you have experienced the evolution of the Lexus over the past 20 years, you know what I’m referring to.

 

In David Shenk’s “The Genius in All of Us: Why everything you have been told about genetics, talent and IQ is wrong” he states, “Genius is made, not born.” We have been told that talent is hard wired, it is in the DNA.  Shenk writes, “Talent is not the cause but the result of something. It doesn’t create a process but it is the end result of that process.”

 

The challenge of investing 10,000 hours sounds daunting, however, every journey begins with the first step. Lean economic times have a way of tapping our primal forces of motivation and desire in ways the good times don’t. One of the side benefits of the downturn in the economy is you now have the time and solitude to begin your journey.

 

Tell us what you think. NATURE or NUTURE? Are you born with talent or can you develop talent? What do you say?

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201.445.2822

Paul Anovick

Are you worth it? Are you investing in yourself?

Hopefully you are having a great summer and vacation. Perhaps you took a trip with your family, indulged in fine meals, rented a home or vacationed at a resort.  When was the last time you invested in yourself professionally?

Think about it--would you want to get advice from a cardiologist, or oncologist, who wasn't abreast of the latest medical advances? In fact, getting any type of imaging done with older, less sophisticated equipment could be dangerous from not only the lack of diagnostic capability, but unnecessary exposure to radiation.

Conversely, if you are still doing business "as usual" you might not only be impacting your potential, but those of your co-workers and employees. Why not exceed your own expectations in 2011-2012?

As a coach, my take-away from the last 3 years is that the successful leaders and organizations invested in themselves when the going got tough. They didn't see the recession as a time to cut corners, or sit tight and wait this one out, but rather as a time, an opportunity, to improve upon themselves. A lot of pruning occurred in the business world, and that was not necessarily a bad thing. Businesses that existed in spite of themselves, when the economy was flush, quickly went under. Truly, it was "survival of the fittest".

It takes a lot of courage and vision to realize that your skills and those of others around you could be finessed. For so long we've heard "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Well that didn't hold true during the downturn. With all the technological advances taking place in our world we need to be constantly reevaluating how current we are.

So, as you forge ahead with your resolutions I'd like you to ask yourself what could you do to improve your well-being, besides eating well and exercising? Give yourself the greatest gift of investing in your future, by investing in your professional self.

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201.445.2822

Paul Anovick

 

Is The Annual Performance Review a Waste of Time?

We are half way through the baseball season; imagine the coach waiting until the end of the season to provide feedback to the players. Students receive report cards on a regular basis (often quarterly). Why in the corporate world have we created this worthless "Annual Review"? The intent no doubt is to improve performance. In order to change behavior and have positive outcomes feedback must be provided on a consistent regular basis.

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." John Maxwell

Effective feedback is one of the most crucial elements to help improve performance. People want to be heard and understood. Experience shows that problem solving without listening is almost always ineffective. Listening gets to the REAL issues. Effective listening builds trust.

Top performers want and need feedback -- they know this is how they improve. The goal of feedback is not to flatten someone's ego but rather to give them encouragement and to challenge them to improve.

Elements of Effective Feedback:

• Focus on performance, not personality
• Avoid: using always, never & worst
• Who, what & where are perfectly acceptable.
• Be supportive
• Use questions to give yourself leverage -- why sounds accusatory (avoid)
• Be specific
• Share information (not advice)
• Feedback should be well-timed, better when the receiver asks for guidance.
• Ensure clear communications
• Allow time for questions and follow-up

As a leader your ability to provide effective feedback and coach others will have a direct impact on the results you can produce. We are all being crushed by the time demands of today's marketplace, also the pressure of the "tyranny of the urgent', however, the development of our people is the most critical factor for success.

As an entrepreneur, coach and parent I have found the above guidelines very helpful and effective. Feedback when needed and when appropriate is result producing, why wait a year? What has your experience been with performance reviews?

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201.445.2822

Paul Anovick

 

How do we get the economy moving?

Create jobs, get people back to work.

 

In January 2009 CoachAnovick started a support group for men who lost their jobs in the Wall Street collapse. Men In Transition started with three gentlemen who felt by keeping the group men only they could share their concerns and feelings more openly in a safe environment. Twenty-seven months later we have had 42 men come through the group and most have gone on to successful employment. Many have started their own businesses and others have made lifestyle changes that they feel positive about.

 

The economy has remained challenging for job growth and therefore we continue to have men come forward seeking help. Currently we have 15 active members who attend the weekly sessions in Ridgewood. Several weeks ago WCBS TV heard of the group and filmed a session to tell our story. 

WCBS TV News at 11

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201-445-2822

Paul Anovick

 

 

How do we get the economy moving?

 

Create jobs, get people back to work.

 

In January 2009 CoachAnovick started a support group for men who lost their jobs in the Wall Street collapse. Men In Transition started with three gentlemen who felt by keeping the group men only they could share their concerns and feelings more openly in a safe environment. Twenty-seven months later we have had 42 men come through the group and most have gone on to successful employment. Many have started their own businesses and others have made lifestyle changes that they feel positive about.

 

The economy has remained challenging for job growth and therefore we continue to have men come forward seeking help. Currently we have 15 active members who attend the weekly sessions in Ridgewood. Several weeks ago WCBS TV heard of the group and filmed a session to tell our story.

Check it out:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/category/video-on-demand-news/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=5637857&flvUri&partnerclipid

 

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201-445-2822

Paul Anovick

"Are You Worth It? Are You Ready to Invest in Yourself?"

Hopefully you had an enjoyable holiday.  Most likely, you gave and received many gifts to friends and family. Perhaps you took a trip with your family, indulged in fine meals.  When was the last time you invested in yourself professionally?

 

Think about it--would you want to get advice from a cardiologist, or oncologist, who wasn’t abreast of the latest medical advances?  In fact, getting any type of imaging done with older, less sophisticated equipment could be dangerous from not only the lack of diagnostic capability, but unnecessary exposure to radiation.

 

Conversely, if you are still doing business “as usual” you might not only be impacting your potential, but those of your co-workers and employees.  Why not exceed your own expectations in 2011?

 

As a coach, my take-away from the last 2 years is that the successful leaders and organizations invested in themselves when the going got tough.  They didn’t see the recession as a time to cut corners, or sit tight and wait this one out, but rather as a time, an opportunity, to improve upon themselves.  A lot of pruning occurred in the business world, and that was not necessarily a bad thing.  Businesses that existed in spite of themselves, when the economy was flush, quickly went under.  Truly, it was “survival of the fittest”. 

 

It takes a lot of courage and vision to realize that your skills and those of others around you could be finessed.  For so long we’ve heard “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.  Well that didn’t hold true during the downturn.  With all the technological advances taking place in our world we need to be constantly reevaluating how current we are. 

 

So, as you forge ahead with your New Year’s resolutions I’d like you to ask yourself what could you do to improve your well-being, besides eating well and exercising?   Give yourself the greatest gift of investing in your future, by investing in your professional self.

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201-445-2822

Paul Anovick

 

 

 

Dealing with Stress

By now you have ascertained life is not a 50-yard dash. Yesterday I walked into a building in NYC for an appointment, the woman at the security desk asked to take my photo for the visitor ID card. When she took the photo I smiled a big smile and she laughed and said that was very rare, when people come in the building she asks them to smile and she said only 5 out of 100 ever smile at the camera. We talked briefly and she reached out to shake my hand as I left her, I told her “life is beautiful.”

Why do so few people smile? We hear about stress, we see people rushing from place to place, we experience aggressive and rude drivers on the highways, what is going on? If you are living your life “on purpose”, meaning most of the time you are doing the things you want to do, moving in the direction you want to go, then life is a very joyous and energized experience.

Many people will take fifty weeks to plan a two-week vacation; however, will not invest two days to plan their lives. This is why one becomes reactive rather then proactive in living day to day.

A qualified coach can help you achieve more of your business and personal potential. That’s what CoachAnovick is all about…helping people at all levels achieve their true potential. Individual coaching is the single best way to accelerate your own progress and realize your personal, professional and other life goals. It’s an active and engaging process that will stimulate success in all areas of your life.

You are worth it, take time and invest in yourself. Feel free to call me at 201-445-2822 so we can talk about you and your goals and discuss you live the life you’ve envisioned. Live your life on purpose.

CoachAnovick

Developing Potential, Producing Results

201-445-2822

Paul Anovick