Tag: Motivation

Live Through Action, Or Die By Perception. The Choice Is Yours

April 20, 2020By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Live Through Action, Or Die By Perception. The Choice Is Yours

Leadership Lesson: We should all understand what the differences in consequence are between what happens when we let things happen to us – sitting, waiting, and perceiving – versus when we plan, act, and execute.

Recently, due to our new reality in the era of COVID-19 and the resulting need for so many of us to work from home, I began attending an online group series called #CreateWhatsNeeded launched by Fathom, a future design firm in West Hartford, CT.

The series, made up of ongoing sessions hosted by various professionals from across different fields and backgrounds, provides a broad spectrum of topics and a wide field of attendees/discussion partners. The series topics run the gamut from…

Read More

Leave Your Insanity In 2019 And Get Your Plan Right To Have A Happy New Year!

January 10, 2020By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Leave Your Insanity In 2019 And Get Your Plan Right To Have A Happy New Year!

Leadership Lesson: Instead of hard-charging at their goal(s), anyone who is working on getting better and improving themselves should tackle them tactically in a focused manner by considering all their resources.

Here we are in a new year — again!

Is it my advanced age, or do the years just seem to pass us by faster? It feels like it was just a few weeks ago — and not a full year — since our last new year routine, where we left 2018 in the rear view mirror and began working on our new year’s resolutions for 2019.

Speaking of…New Year’s Resolutions. Remember those? Where did yours stand at the end of 2019? How did you do? Oh, you don’t want to talk about…

Read More

What People Teach Us: Lady Gaga And The Discipline For Passion

March 1, 2019By CiOIn CiO BriefsComments Off on What People Teach Us: Lady Gaga And The Discipline For Passion

Leadership Lesson: Make sure you truly understand what goes into making your passion work for you, taking into consideration your circumstances and resources alongside your desires, before either pursuing it fully or walking away.

What does passion mean to you? How does your passion manifest itself? Is your passion guiding you to step out of your comfort zone and take something new and bigger on?

How is that working out?

Let me tell you why I ask.

A few years ago I read a book that I guess could fall under the self-development genre and which walked the reader though how to be so memorable that everyone would have to remember who they are.

In the course of making its case for how to develop oneself…

Read More

“Ugly” Attributes To Take Away From The Entrepreneurial Mindset

February 1, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on “Ugly” Attributes To Take Away From The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Leadership Lessons:  There is so much we can learn from entrepreneurs and their perception of the world around them, the dreams they hold and share, and the attributes they use to carve out a path for themselves and others, from today into tomorrow. 

Entrepreneurs are the proudest and most insatiable, stubborn, impatient, and delusional people, who view life and work through their own form of tunnel vision.

And I mean that in the most complimentary of ways. 

That assessment is based on what I’ve seen and experienced personally with the entrepreneurs I’ve met and worked with. Mind you, I didn’t hold a traditional relationship with the entrepreneurs – buying their product or service. In most cases, I networked with them or interviewed them but wasn’t a customer of…

Read More

To The Future Leaders: Do Not Wait For Life To Come To You

January 18, 2019By CiOIn To The StudentsComments Off on To The Future Leaders: Do Not Wait For Life To Come To You

Leadership Lesson: Most of what we are capable of in this world, whether in our lives or careers, can only take place if we are proactive in pursuing it, refusing to wait for the right circumstances and luck to present themselves.

In this previous post, I introduced this current series which covers a top-ten list of ideas I had provided to students at Quest 2017, a one-day summit hosted at Southern Connecticut State University by Connecticut’s Chapter of Prospanica, in partnership with its community and corporate partners. The annual event is filled with motivational presentations, speakers, and workshops providing students with tools for the next chapter in their lives.

The list is made up of tips students should consider…

Read More

The Leadership Lesson In A Song: You Can Be Your Own Worst Enemy

January 11, 2019By CiOIn CiO BriefsComments Off on The Leadership Lesson In A Song: You Can Be Your Own Worst Enemy

Leadership Lesson: Whether from a song or not, in order to learn from others’ experiences, make sure to listen to both the subtle and overt messages and understand what you hear and see in the words of others. 

You know how when someone points something out to you you hadn’t previously recognized or noticed, you tend to see it again? You tend to see it in places you wouldn’t have expected, even in your everyday routine and environments, like it was there all along, and someone just had to open you up to it.

That’s how I’ve been with leadership since first learning about it – really learning about it. 

Someone – most likely an instructor – probably pointed out some lesson about leadership, or referred to it…

Read More

What Do You Do When Your Heroes And Leaders Aren’t What They Seem?

January 4, 2019By CiOIn Article, General LeadershipComments Off on What Do You Do When Your Heroes And Leaders Aren’t What They Seem?

Leadership Lesson: It’s important to learn from the situations in which a “hero,” or someone you considered a true leader, turns out to not be at all what was perceived or expected. 

Recently, I was catching up with a friend I hadn’t spoken to in some time. What led them to reach out was an article they had found online and texted to me which covered a leadership issue we both felt very strongly about. 

In any case, we got to “talking” (aka – texting) about the issue, and once we were done venting about the topic of the article, we briefly talked about everything else going on in our lives. We caught each other up on our jobs, our families, and the future goals we have…

Read More

To 2019! Coach It Out’s Year-End Message: Keep Getting Better!

December 31, 2018By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on To 2019! Coach It Out’s Year-End Message: Keep Getting Better!

Leadership Lesson: Here are some considerations to keep in mind as we move forward into the new year, so we can each keep assessing — and evolving along — our own path of leadership and development.

Another year comes to an end. Another year of accomplishments, maybe some so-so’s, and probably some disappointments and letdowns. What we did in the year likely ran the gamut from happiness-inducing achievements to discouraging misfires. 

And here we are — New Year’s Day, closing in on the finish line of 2018 and the starting line of 2019. Even though New Year’s Day isn’t tangible and visible, and is merely a demarcation set on paper, we typically see it as a new beginning to set resolutions.

New goals. New commitments. New re-commitments. 

We…

Read More

How Do You Refocus, Recharge, And Get Going When You’re Stuck?

August 17, 2018By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on How Do You Refocus, Recharge, And Get Going When You’re Stuck?

Leadership Lesson: Step back and recognize when you’re feeling stuck and the steps you need to take to refocus your attention, revise your plan, and push forward.

How do you recharge when you feel like you’re stuck and paralyzed while working toward your goals?

There will be times in the course of our work and lives when we might end up feeling like we’ve lost our energy, our motivation, or, in some cases, even our purpose.

For some, the heart doesn’t have to be in the work. For others, it’s paramount. Where do you stand?

Which one of these steps have you taken when your heart wasn't in your work anymore?#workplace #professional #career #coaching

Read More

To Get To Your Goals, Your Biggest Disciplinarian Should Be You

June 29, 2018By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on To Get To Your Goals, Your Biggest Disciplinarian Should Be You

Leadership Lesson: You need to be your own disciplinarian if you’re going to break what comes naturally – complacency and comfort — to build forward.

How do you keep yourself in shape? How do you keep everything tight, strong, and flexed, so you are prepared and ready to push through obstacles and achieve what you’re capable of?

No, I don’t mean physically.

I mean goals outside of your physicality. I’m talking about your professional goals, life goals, developmental goals – anything where you want to be better and achieve more.

Desiring more is human nature. People want more. Leaders want more. We all want more. 

But how bad do we want it?

Most people tend to use the words desire and commitment interchangeably. Unfortunately, they believe that wanting…

Read More

Here Are 5 Books For Your Journey To Overcoming Fear Of Failure

June 23, 2018By CiOIn Article, General Leadership, To The StudentsComments Off on Here Are 5 Books For Your Journey To Overcoming Fear Of Failure

Leadership Lesson: Don’t overlook the power of books to fill in the gaps in lessons you may not see or have access to in your work or personal life.

Last week, I presented a workshop for B.I.G. – Believe. Inspire. Grow, a women’s empowerment network providing women with the inspiration, community, and tools to help them become the best versions of themselves.  

I presented to the audience on how to begin overcoming their fear of failure.

This is such a relevant topic, because the more I work with individuals and groups, both through presentations and coaching, the more I realize how much each of us grapples with our own unique fear of failure.

Overall, it’s no secret that people in…

Read More

Leadership Can Be Lonely: How Do You Really Step Outside Of Yourself To Connect?

May 18, 2018By CiOIn Article, General Leadership, To The BossesComments Off on Leadership Can Be Lonely: How Do You Really Step Outside Of Yourself To Connect?

Leadership Lesson: Loneliness is trending toward becoming an epidemic, but a similar, powerful emptiness — an unfulfilled and psychological need – can also exist in leadership.

Loneliness can rob us of our best lives, in which we could get to know others on a deeper level and utilize and develop our greatest abilities. At the same time, it robs others of the opportunity to know us and realize, and benefit from, what we could provide.

These two articles outline the growing severity and proliferation of loneliness in society:

Seven Simple Ways To Cope With Loneliness

Loneliness Is A Health Issue, And Needs Targeted Solutions

Much in the same way loneliness is detrimental in people’s personal lives, it can…

Read More

To The Future Leaders: Tap Into The Value Of An Accountability Partner

May 4, 2018By CiOIn To The StudentsComments Off on To The Future Leaders: Tap Into The Value Of An Accountability Partner

Leadership Lesson: Accountability partners keep us on task and responsible for what it is we want — and need — to achieve, further developing and sharpening our skill set.

In this previous post, I introduced this current series which covers a top-ten list of ideas I had provided to students at Quest 2017, a one-day summit hosted at Southern Connecticut State University by Connecticut’s Chapter of Prospanica, in partnership with its community and corporate partners. The annual event is filled with motivational presentations, speakers, and workshops providing students with tools for the next chapter in their lives.

The list is made up of tips students should consider as they continue on in their life, work, and…

Read More

In Your Development And Journey, Have You Ever Thought About Why You Haven’t Quit?

December 29, 2017By CiOIn To The StudentsComments Off on In Your Development And Journey, Have You Ever Thought About Why You Haven’t Quit?

Leadership Lesson: It’s important to think about, keep in mind, and give yourself credit for what has kept you in the game and focused to date.

“Have you ever thought about quitting?

That’s a question I got during the Q&A portion of a presentation I gave at Quest 2017, an education summit organized by the Connecticut Chapter of Prospanica and its corporate and community partners.

My presentation — Build Your Best Self To Tackle Your Goals — was built on the strategy of positioning oneself on the best path possible to reach his or her goals and was presented to minority students from high schools across Connecticut – the target audience of the summit itself.

The group was made up mostly of seniors and juniors,…

Read More

In Your Development, Learning, And Experiments, What/Who Do You Fall Back On?

December 1, 2017By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on In Your Development, Learning, And Experiments, What/Who Do You Fall Back On?

Leadership Lesson: As we go through our growth, development, and challenges, it helps to have environments and people to support us should we fall short.

Fear is a vice. It’s a grip. A crippler. It suffocates adventure and stifles curiosity.

We all have it to one extent or another. And because of that, it’s the basis for most everything that doesn’t happen in our lives, environment, or society.

We’re bred into fear from the youngest of ages: “Keep your grades high, avoiding that “F” (for “Fail”) or all your enjoyment, fun, and life – your friends and classmates – will move on without you.”

Your perception as an adult today is formed in your understanding as a child then. Whether it’s perception now or actually…

Read More

Share CiO
Hide Buttons