tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:40:29 +0000The Present Perfect captures how we were in the past; what happened or didn’t happen to us, what we hoped would happen and the possibilities of the future. I am a coach. I believe in the value of embracing what is perfect about the present moment, and using that platform to launch all the possibilities of the future. The path to that embrace comes from the self awareness of who we are and how we got to this present, perfect place. You don’t believe the present is perfect? Check it out.http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)Blogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-7907251623450466811Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:05:00 +00002009-11-06T13:40:29.284-08:00New York Times" choicesTodd MayThis week, the New York Times posted its last segment of the blog "Happy Days: The Pursuit of What Matters in Troubled Times." As the Times described it, "Happy Days is a discussion about the search for contentment in its many forms — economic, emotional, physical, spiritual — and the stories of those striving to come to terms with the lives they lead."I have not been a regular reader of "Happy http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/11/infinite-value-of-limited-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-7686309725981389305Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:12:00 +00002009-10-31T23:15:54.979-07:00Albert J Bernstein PhDJohn BaldonileadershipAfter posting Albert J. Bernstein's list of 15 Signs Your Workplace is Dysfunctional, I worried it might leave the impression that most workplaces are so screwed up it doesn't matter where you land -- the workplace is doomed to equal dysfunction.That why I'm happy I came across a recent column by leadership consultant, coach and speaker John Baldoni. He's author of the book "Lead your Boss: The http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/from-dysfunction-to-function.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-8454078961403911559Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:38:00 +00002009-10-29T11:25:36.810-07:00Albert J Bernstein PhDdysfunctionA friend passed along this column by Albert J. Bernstein PhD, author "Am I the Only Sane One Working Here? 101 Solutions for Surviving Office Insanity."His list -- 15 Signs Your Workplace is Dysfunctional is so spot-on that many people will think he's been hiding in their office, taking notes. That certainly seems to be the conclusion of the readers who chose to comment on the page.Notice how thehttp://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/fun-in-workplace-dysfunction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-1749492904991274203Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:45:00 +00002009-10-29T10:38:04.833-07:00careersMartin KaplanAnnenberg Norman Lear CenterintentionA recent article in the Los Angeles Times chronicled the latest round of musical chairs among moguls in the entertainment industry. Too rich for my blood, but I paused to focus on this quote from Martin Kaplan, who chairs the Annenberg Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California:"The era of lifelong loyalty is long gone. People don't have careers, they have jobs, and their http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/every-man-one-for-himself-themselves-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-1847503520537788926Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:58:00 +00002009-10-27T14:25:53.171-07:00Jill GeislerleadershipPoynterOne of the things I most love about coaching is that there are about as many ways of being a coach as there are people to coach.There are life coaches, dating coaches and parenting coaches; career coaches and executive coaches; coaches who specialize in biotech research, law firms, philanthropic organizations; myriad variations that I could not begin to list here.I think everyone can benefit fromhttp://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/coaching-for-everyone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-5700083777481876015Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:14:00 +00002009-10-18T15:24:29.224-07:00AARPThis clever video, produced for AARP, shows how you can take the same words, put them through a different frame, and come to a different conclusion:http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/different-frame.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-7847941245989760598Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +00002009-10-15T12:14:34.464-07:00Washington PostPaul SchmitzSteven PearlsteinmistakesleadershipThe Washington Post website offers a series of of video interviews offering opinions on various qualities of leadership. Today's feature focuses on a personal crusade of mine: the ability to admit mistakes.Paul Schmitz, CEO of the nonprofit organization Public Allies, tells Washington Post business columnist Steve Pearlstein "why fessing up about your failings strengthens your role as a leader."http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-suck-at-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-7249424583750604986Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:50:00 +00002009-10-13T20:12:04.962-07:00Human beings are rational, right? That's what separates us from other mammals, our ability to make rational choices, right?So why do people chose to cling to an opinion even after they are presented with verifiable but contradictory evidence?An article by Lane Wallace in The Atlantic Magazine examines research by multiple social scientists which shows that people often employ "motivated reasoninghttp://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-would-you-give-up-to-be-right.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-7561401868540759306Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:34:00 +00002009-10-03T15:07:42.686-07:00"Point bein', even in the contest between man and steer, the issue is not certain."Movie fans reading this will recognize these previous words as a quote from the Coen brothers Academy Award winning film, No Country for Old Men.I'm a big fan of the brothers Coen, going back to the bizarre and hilarious Raising Arizona through Fargo and beyond. I love their ear for sharp, memorable phrases that http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/issue-is-not-certain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-2398749224985941454Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:32:00 +00002009-09-28T09:03:30.938-07:00strengthsMarcus BuckinghamHuffington PostReading this new essay by master coach Marcus Buckingham, I am reminded again why I am drawn to coaching as a vocation and its power to illuminate the basic truths that can lead to happier, more authentic lives.As part of a series of essays Buckingham is writing on Women and Happiness for the popular Huffington Post website, he poses these five critical questions to drill down on how to chose http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-key-questions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-8919428381881462854Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:21:00 +00002009-10-31T23:24:56.594-07:00This is another entry/salvo in the social media wars.A dear friend of mine is somewhat of a social media maven. She gives presentations to nonprofits and other groups about how they can utilize Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. as communications tools to expand their message, their audience and their brand.Recently, she noted that while participating on a panel with other presenters, some of the http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-school-communicationsold-school.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-1676840513044920066Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:19:00 +00002009-09-08T16:02:36.847-07:00As a baby boomer, I grew up with more than a passing awareness of astrology. I know my sign (Taurus); I know the basic characteristics associated with the 12 astrological signs. I've even had my chart read -- more than once.Overall, I'm not much of a follower of astrology. I can't say that I even read my horoscope with any regularity. But there is one astrological phenomenon I track: Mercury http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/09/mercury-retrograde.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-4655136563244706796Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:33:00 +00002009-09-07T12:39:35.280-07:00Happy Labor Day!At this traditional transition point of the end of summer and the start of fall's more serious pursuits, I thought it was a good time to revisit a theme that plays out in countless offices and households everywhere -- the myth of multitasking.Academic research deconstructing the multitasking myth continues to multiple. The latest was published about a week ago by Stanford http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/09/multi-labor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-169708983970474322Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:15:00 +00002009-09-02T11:37:12.120-07:00ventingJill GeislerPoynterManagement coach extraordinaire Jill Geisler hits the mark today in her regular podcast for the Poynter Institute. She's talking about how smart managers can benefit from creating a "Safe Venting Zone" for themselves.(A link to Jill's management blog, "Leading Lines," can be found on the left rail of this page, just a few scrolls down).Jill recognizes that everyone can get overwhelmed sometimes http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/09/safety-first.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-2063487980098105110Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:09:00 +00002009-08-30T14:40:07.305-07:00This is a bear in trouble. Somehow, the bear got trapped in a Colorado skateboarding park and couldn't get out. After spending the night in the skating bowl, an employee of the Snowmass Colorado Parks and Recreation Department lowered a ladder into the pit which permitted the bear to climb out. You can see the whole sequence here.Ed, a coach friend of mine shared this image with me. I suggested http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/08/find-ladder-or-lend-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-4787640763717242775Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:51:00 +00002009-08-29T15:39:17.163-07:00Time to 'fess up.Readers of this blog have noticed (hopefully!) the lack of activity over the summer. I wrote about it recently, attributing my absence to the heavy workload I carried over the past few months. That's true, but it's not the whole story.It's not just work that's laid heavily upon me. It's been more a question of mood, of atmosphere. A sense of uneasiness.Or just plain meanness. Thehttp://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/08/confessions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-3416164807708004832Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:34:00 +00002009-08-26T11:10:37.130-07:00I Googled myself today.It wasn't the first time, by far. Curiosity had led me to that practice many times in the past.But I hadn't be so motivated for some time. Until today.It wasn't an exercise of vanity. Instead, it was a form of self-preservation.Washington Post writer Kathleen Parker prompted my search. Her column today details legal activity surrounding a Vogue model and an anonymous http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/08/google-thy-self.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-823560091500953498Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:34:00 +00002009-08-14T20:56:01.087-07:00Oh boy.I was afraid to see how long it had been since I'd posted to this blog.Wow.I'd think about writing something to explain my absence, but then it would seem lame and I was busy, so I let it go.The truth is a little more complicated, but not by much.I had a lot of work. A LOT. Which, in these challenging times, is a good thing.I would get up early and stay up late into the tonight to balance http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/08/begin-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-3083103937528166299Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:25:00 +00002009-07-06T12:43:24.109-07:00Are you familiar with Tim Toady? I just made my acquaintance today. Tim Toady is someone all managers and leaders should know. In fact, we call can learn from Tim.Actually, "Tim Toady" is not a He, it's a phrase. More accurately, it's a acronym for a philosophy. TIMTOWTDI.Which means "There's more than one way to do it."Rumor has it that the phrase originated with computer programmers praising http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/07/tim-toady.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-1764943234955341184Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:21:00 +00002009-06-22T06:56:01.392-07:00"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." Satchel Paige US baseball player (1906 - 1982)There's sitting, and then there's sitting.A growing number of elementary school teachers are experimenting with a different seat for their students -- a stability ball.Yes, those ubiquitous personal fitness devices, found at gyms and work out studios everywhere, and finding their way http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/keeping-focus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-1691595857236875916Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:56:00 +00002009-06-18T11:00:55.097-07:00Readers of this blog know that if I hear or see a good idea, I will share it. I claim no pride of authorship; good information should be shared no mater what the source.Today, I have to be honest: I wish I were Melinda Beck.At least, I wish I had written the excellent article Melinda Beck posted Tuesday on the Health page of the Wall Street Journal website.Beck's article exposes the Inner Critic http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/that-inner-voice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-6719025028507050021Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:10:00 +00002009-06-11T15:36:08.239-07:00I've been saving a link to a Washington Post article published last month that analyzed social networking and other communications choices against dating profiles.Reporter Monica Hesse writes: "Today, you can be a phone person, an e-mail person, a text person, a Skype person, a Facebook wall person, a Twitter person, an instant-messaging person, or you can just stare creepily into your webcam http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/talk-to-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-7586268312812467099Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:49:00 +00002009-06-11T11:51:15.521-07:00pandemicsickness presenteeismswine fluA common feature in many offices is an unspoken culture of "illness stoicism" -- you know, the unsaid assumption that unless you have a fever north of 104 degrees, you WILL be at your desk.It's a requirement for executives, managers and rank-and-file employees. It shows your commitment and loyalty. And especially in these times of recession and layoff -- who wants to take the risk of missing http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/you-make-me-sick.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-8025535817259104793Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:49:00 +00002009-06-04T17:08:02.106-07:00strategiesPeter BregmanHarvard BusinessI am not a big sports fan, but I have enough sports fans in my life so that I can fake a certain amount of knowledge when major sporting events come up. And I can match a respectable amount of sports "smack" for my beloved Cleveland professional sports teams.(And no, we cannot talk about the NBA. Not now. There's a large reserve of resilience that's required to be a Cleveland sports fans, but I http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/play-game-you-know.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6939125468330345966.post-1171559993894426080Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:16:00 +00002009-06-14T10:18:34.603-07:00rainbowsrainThis is one of my favorite commercials right now. Not that I am endorsing Sprint or Nextel or any other wireless company. My favorite moment comes about seven seconds in -- you might call it Words To Live By:http://presentperfectcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/embrace-rain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (CoachWrite)0