PD Strategies Blog

Sometimes we look for things to improve and are disappointed when we see no change. It is almost as if we are waiting for something to happen. But there are some of us who know that if we want something to happen we must be the ones to make it happen. Those of us who are waiting for things to happen have a much different approach to going on vacation. Many of us spend a considerable amount of time and effort planning a vacation. We will figure out exactly where we want to go and what type of things we want to do while we are there. We’ll make reservations, schedule appointments, and prepare a list of all of the appropriate things we need to pack. This planning is usually very detailed, somewhat tedious, and time consuming. But, because we want the trip to be hassle free we will plan these...

Sometimes when we feel that we have trouble with time management our real problem is a behavior called procrastination. Time management is usually not a time management problem but a behavior problem. Procrastination is something that we all have to confront and deal with from time to time. It's only natural to procrastinate at times, but the way you deal with your procrastination patterns will determine what effects procrastination has on your life. Why is it that so many people start out with good intentions to achieve a goal but never achieve that goal? When you procrastinate you simply fail to take action on the very things you know will bring you the rewards that you desire. You know you want the rewards and know you must take action but you hold off, make excuses and, in short, procrastinate. Procrastination can be caused by a fear—a fear of failure or the...

Have you made any News Year’s Resolutions yet? Many people will be making these resolutions as they toast the New Year on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, many of these resolutions fade very quickly because the will or resolve in the resolution is not there. After the fizz from the New Year’s Eve will the commitment remain? In many cases, the answer is no. My favorite example is at my Gym. Next week I will need to get there early to account for the increased number of people who have just signed up. But like every year, by the end of February there will be plenty of room. Why do people fail to keep New Year’s resolutions?  Perhaps they really did not want to do what they had resolved to do. The first step toward making that resolution is to really know what you want to do in the first place. Do...

Habits and Behaviors are the biggest obstacles to success in business. In my career in the corporate world as well as in my own business I have seen great time and effort on skills and knowledge training. Unfortunately most employee terminations and business failures occur because of habits and behaviors. I think it was Einstein who said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. If any of you have ever done an assessment with a coach or you have had a developmental assessment for your job you probably saw a section on the worksheet that is titled “I will stop doing…” If you are doing things that are harmful to your business why do you keep doing them? In most cases we are in a comfort zone and we don’t want to change because making any change will be uncomfortable. However, when we...

Do you know why you are in the business or career you are in? Does it really matter? Many of us recognize the Nike tag line “Just do it!” While I certainly believe that is great advice it is not true universally. I was recently working with a coaching client on his business development. He was struggling with his growth and was having trouble getting his team on board. He was having a hard time accomplishing the objectives that we had worked on together in his plan. These were the goals that he had established in previous sessions. After failing to complete some of the tasks we had outlined from our previous meetings over several weeks, I asked him these questions, “Why did you set these goals and if was important why have you not begun to execute on what you set out to do?” He responded that that was a...

Everyone is always talking about setting a goal and writing it down.  We hear that all the time.  So why isn’t everyone that espouses this doing great?  In fact, why do very few New Year’s resolutions go unfulfilled?  “WHY” is indeed the operating question. I ask people I coach this question all the time, “Why do want to do this?”  Frankly, if you do not have the WHY the HOW will not matter.  Motivation and goal achievement are interrelated.  Notice that I did not say goal setting but rather achievement.  You can’t motivate yourself or motivate others.  You need instead to reach down and find that motivation and bring it to the surface. What is your passion?  If you are not sure why not start by doing a dream inventory.  List every dream you have.  How many did you list?  Keep going until you have 50.  Which ones are most important? ...