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janhoistad@drjanhoistad.com

A Coaching Approach to Strengthen Your Business Partnership

In the beating heart of every entrepreneur, business owner, and business partner, is a desire to move with ease and speed, to be one step ahead of the curve, to have a partner and team working smoothly in the flow, laser-focused on achieving mutual goals and agreed upon outcomes, driven to succeed. The article dives into the core benefits of a Big Picture Partner Approach to business coaching and how it can help you become strong and more successful together. A business is a fertile ground for partnering with one or more people, often with complimentary skills, energy and enthusiasm, sometimes investing money, bringing connections, or a book of business. Like many relationships, business partnerships are sometimes humorously referred to as a working marriage. Both are “working relationships.” Humor highlights the complexity such close relationships bring. And like the long-term commitment of a personal relationship, the spirit that brings people together in business also requires interpersonal skill and attention to make the business and the relationship successful over the long haul. Yet while business partners enter into their legal and working relationship with positive expectations, even enthusiasm, statistics show that anywhere between 50% to 70% of business partnerships ultimately fail. How do you inoculate yourself against such a demise? This article introduces an approach to navigating an important business relationship that should be a great asset to you and your business. It offers insight into the mindset, skills, and tools to work as Big Picture Partners™. This style of [...]

Four Choice Points Affecting Your Business or Career

A choice point is a wake-up call to reimagine your future. Over the course of business, career, and personal life you come to points when you’re dissatisfied, want growth, or desire change. A transition will happen no matter what, but what you choose will have a profound effect on the course of your life. How do you want to respond? Over the course of business, career, and personal life you come to points when you’re dissatisfied, want growth, or desire change. A transition will happen no matter what, but what you choose will have a profound effect on the course of your life. We call these “choice points” because you have a choice in how you respond or capitalize on them. Awareness of how decisions in one area of your life affect all other areas is complex. At a choice point you can move forward fully aligned, with confidence, or you can be reactive and become sidelined, resulting in future consequences you may not want. You can settle for less or you can take control of how you respond to the choice point so you build toward a better outcome. We’ll guide you so you confidently land on the best possible outcome that connects your immediate choices with the whole-life future you envision. With a ChoicePoint partner, you’ll transition with greater confidence and achieve the freedom you’ve earned.   “When an experienced professional adds ChoicePoint solutions, you can almost feel their body relax, they become excited again, more hopeful, they [...]

Owners and Partners: Facing Challenges of Leading Through Business Growth

All businesses and all individuals grow through natural stages of development over the course of a lifetime. Or they stagnate. They cease to grow. Natural growth spurts and transitions occur approximately every 7 –10 years for individuals; every so many millions in profit for business. This article speaks directly to business owners and partners who face the challenges of leading through business growth. Having a smooth functioning culture with happy employees who have support and resources for their personal and professional development starts at the top. For owners and business partners, a long-view toward future transition or sale puts markers for growth into perspective. When business partners are aware of these long-term objectives—and their partnering relationship is solid—communicating through growth stages and transitions, providing access to resources for individual development, and other cultural values naturally goes hand-in-hand with productivity expectations and profit markers.   Each stage of business growth brings many changes. Managing the transition and being prepared for different responses to the change requires leadership clarity, confidence and communication that frames employee response. Focusing on the desired outcome is key. Facing and Managing Challenges of Leading Through Each Stage of Business Growth Transitioning through stages provokes the need for change. Some owners are sensitive to changes on the horizon, anticipate, and plan ahead. Others are heads-down focused on the day-to-day demands. Such owners are often blindsided by unexpected needs. Individuals and relationships are strained. In business, with so much on the line, change requires understanding, negotiation, new [...]

5 Ways to Make a Global Career Relocation Successful For You, Your Mate, Your Company

Relocating for company or personal needs is becoming a more frequent choice point in many careers. This is especially true with increasing comfort in working remotely and the growing number of creative ways to meet company needs. Many couples and families are also finding the more flexible work from home option provides better integration of career and personal needs. These concerns have been fully tested during the time of the Coronavirus and social distancing lockdown. The enforced experiment may be changing the work world permanently. During this time, I've been curious about just how many people are currently relocating for their career. During this time, I’ve been curious about just how many people are currently relocating for their career. I’ve been working with coaching clients of all career stages moving—not only across the States—but around the globe. Some are moving to attend graduate school while a mate accepts a new job or works remotely for a company that values them. Some people in advanced careers are finding new career opportunities in cities or countries they’ve always wanted to explore. Some are moving closer to their grown children and grandchildren, some with mates who are retired and supportive of the adventure. This article will take on several subject matters regarding global career relocation: Highlighting the challenges Sharing 5 important tips for success Case study examples Keep reading... Challenges of relocation for work impacts not only your career trajectory, but also company profitability, marriage and family outcomes. An assignment overseas or in [...]

7 Tips When You Resent Being in the Lead with a Colleague, Employee, or Mate

  Ridding yourself of resentment of being in the lead means taking responsibility for your role in the ongoing dynamic,  then taking action to make positive change.  Try these 7 tips and let me know how it goes! Are you in a relationship where you secretly wish or overtly want another person to take the lead sometimes?  Do you find yourself thinking “I always have to…” or “He never does…” or “She never brings up…”? Whether at work or at home, some people have a tendency to let resentment about taking the lead build up.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  You can take that step to rid yourself of resenting being in the lead by encouraging others to participate and by asking for what you want…..after all, your colleagues, boss, employee, or partner can’t read your mind!  Here are some tips on taking the lead on banishing resentment and sharing the load: Specify What You Want Evaluate where you want the other person to take the lead?  On the job maybe you find yourself heading up every meeting when there are others who share responsibility?  Or perhaps at home you continually wish that your partner would decide where to go on “date night” and not always leave it up to you?  Make your list so you clarify what it is you want.  Be concrete in your request. You are asking for specific behavioral change. Clarify Territory Take a look at your list and make certain that you [...]

When Men Don’t Fully Engage, It Deprives the Women In Your Life of Growth

No matter how successful you are in your leadership, or in your business or career, many men still cringe when it comes to talking to the woman (or women) in their life, about making a change that would please them. Especially if that change would meet their own needs--needs for understanding, support, intimacy, closeness, or just plain picking up a consistent mess. While culture is changing, we can blame this on socialization and a bit of nature. Do any of the following statements resonate with you when it comes to your wife, girlfriend, daughters or your mother – even though you are a grown man?  Or maybe they remind you of your female boss or workmates. You want to please the woman in your life; sometimes you feel like you don’t know how. You sometimes feel like she doesn’t acknowledge what you contribute to your relationship and the family. You want her to be happy; when she’s unhappy it makes you feel helpless or shut down. You wish she’d let you know when she’s unhappy about something else in her life versus when she’s unhappy with you; you wish she’d do more things to make herself happy. You want her to simply tell you what she wants or likes – because you can’t read her mind or when she does tell you what she wants it sounds too vague or global and you’d like more concrete requests. If I were showing these statements to a roomful of men, you’d see [...]

Can’t See A Career Future? 7 Ways to Develop Your Skills Even in a Dead-End Job (While Looking for Another)

DJHP / Careers If you're just surviving at work, here are some ways to get your head out of the sand and personally thrive while looking for a new position. Face the Facts It's amazing how many people are dissatisfied in their everyday worklife. In a recent presentation, Jeffry Brown, President of Global CashSpot reminded his audience that 80% of employees report being unhappy. That today people work 164 hours longer than 20 years ago. That the average person spends 90,000 hours on the job over a lifetime, and that less than 55% of that time is productive. Where are you on this workforce continuum of negative statistics? So much time spent at work - shouldn’t you feel challenged, grow your skills. even enjoy it? If you don’t like your current employer, find your colleagues annoying, or do something that bores you to tears, you need to ask yourself why you’re staying put, how to make the most of it while you are there and then how to move on. After answering that question, it’s probably time to starting looking for a new position. But don’t just bide your time until you find a new one. It’s a waste of valuable hours. Be proactive and put them to good use. Go Beyond Survival No matter what your age or life stage, there are three cornerstones to life planning that are necessary to create a better future. These include self development planning, life development planning, career development planning and — if [...]

10 Ways to Cope with Transitions You Don’t Choose—In Your Business, Career or Life

Transitions are often stressful. Especially when it's not fully your decision. Like losing a job or promotion. They're also a choice point. So if you're facing a tough challenge, consider the following. 1. Take an honest look at yourself. What are your strengths, weaknesses, skills? How did those influence—positively or negatively—the change you are facing? 2. Step up your self-care. Major changes are physically and emotionally taxing. You need self-care now more than ever. 3. Engage your curiosity. What went wrong, or right? What could you have done better? What worked really well? What can you let go of. 4. Focus on what you want, and less on what you don’t want. Keep your eye on the prize. What do you want to take with you into your future? 5. Find support. Since your transition may affect your family as well, it may be wise to seek the outside support of friends or professionals. 6. Work on your thoughts. Mindfulness is key. Calm your fears and reinforce your sense of hope and happiness. 7. Reassure (or avoid for a time) those who are threatened by, or jealous of, the changes to come. 8. Create your own rite of passage. Ceremony and ritual help with all transitions. 9. Let go of how things were “supposed to be” and accept “how things are.” Find appreciation for what is. 10. Keep things in perspective. Or try on a new perspective. So you don’t get stuck.   Remember, the only constant is change.   [...]

Standing Still vs. Reactivity When Facing Career Discontent

Over the course of business, career and personal life we all come to stages when we are dissatisfied, want growth or desire change. Decisions made at these times can have a profound effect on the course of one’s life. We call these “Choice Points” because you have a choice in how you respond or capitalize on them. Awareness of how decisions in one area of your life affects all other areas can be complex. At a Choice Point you can move forward fully aligned, with confidence, or you can be reactive and become sidelined, resulting in a lifetime of consequences you may not want. You can settle for less, never knowing “what if,” or you can take control and strategically plan how you respond to the choice point so you build toward a better outcome. The internal or external circumstances leading to a career choice point are less important than how you approach it. Standing Still: A Proactive Start Instead of exiting a job dramatically, seeking a promotion with lots of over-zealous activity, or starting a new venture flailing about trying everything that the media says you should do, start by Standing Still. Standing Still is taking a breath, taking the discontent as opportunity to become more self-aware so you assess fully, listen to what the discontent is telling you and then, from that centered place opening to new possibilities that are right for you. If you scramble and make change in a state of anxiety or desperation, the chances [...]

Is Over-Focusing on Needs Of Others Keeping You From Feeling Success at Work and Home?

Do you find yourself so busy with work assignments and home tasks that you just collapse at the end of the day, never getting to do what you wanted to do for yourself? Are you meeting everyone else's needs but your own? Do the demands of your life outweigh the personal energy you have to meet them? Are others pulling at you from all directions? So many women I know struggle with choices about where to focus their time and energy. They usually end up feeling like they never have enough time. Things that are important to them are relegated to the the back burner where they pile up. This conflict starts with or leads to self doubts about the value of their own needs and wants–let alone their future dreams. There's a lot of societal, environmental, and familial training that goes into over-giving. The good news is that because a huge part of this dynamic is learned behavior, it's possible to unlearn, and train yourself to do it differently. With patience, good commnication and some coach-able skills, it's possible to train others to make adjustments too. Self-Talk and Back-Talk Do a quick self inventory to see where you stand in the balancing act of meeting your needs and others by asking yourself these questions: Am I building up resentment, maybe feeling like no one is working as hard as I am? My head tells me it can't be so, but it sometimes makes me feel like lashing out, especially with coworkers who don't [...]

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