In early January, I embarked on a journey to get information on how I am perceived by my current and past clients, colleagues, friends and family (well all the friends and family are current!).  My motivation was curiosity.  My intention:

1. To gather information I could use in my marketing (i.e. where is the sweet spot between the small business owners’ needs and my character strengths, coaching skills, experience and offerings; and,
2. To provide information for me own self development work with my business coach (i.e., how can I play to my strengths and accept/ modulate my weaknesses). 

Like any tool, the Reach 360 would give me pieces to inform me but not the whole picture.  

And so, as I hinted above, the bread of dog that comes to mind when people think of me is Golden Retriever.  It don’t think they meant it in the Fido sense (as in, Lisa looks like a Golden Retreiver) but perhaps some did.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkdWg3qpL54

The question was worded something along the lines of “when you think of Lisa’s qualities, what dog breed comes to mind?”.  Of the 31 respondents who filled out the anonymous electronic reach 360 questionnaire, more than half of them said Golden Retriever. And they weren’t picking from a drop down list. This was an open-ended question.

So why am I focussing on the dog question when I could be sharing with you what people’s perceptions of my strengths and weaknesses are or I could be listing the “brand attribute” words that were most often used to describe me? I guess it is because I find the dog section fun, funny, and pretty damn accurate.

Wikipedia says,

1. The temperament of the Golden Retriever is a hallmark of the breed …”kindly, friendly and confident”. Check.   Well, my confidence waxes and wanes but I am consistently kind and friendly.
2.  A Golden should not be unduly timid or nervous. Check
3. The typical Golden Retriever is calm, naturally intelligent and biddable, with an exceptional eagerness to please. Check.
4. Golden Retrievers are also noted for their intelligence. Ahem. All I will say here is that curiosity and learning are top values of mine.
5. These dogs are also renowned for their patience. Ok. We might have reached the end of the “how Lisa is like a Golden Retreiver” exercise. 

Lest you think I am all Golden, I also got shepard, collie, Alsatian, afghan hound and “Royal Puddle“. I decided that the later came from a francophone coach colleague who told me over coffee the other day that she thought I was most like a ”un caniche”.

If you, your employees, or your friends and family could benefit from knowing more about how they are perceived in the world by those who know them well, I do recommend the Reach 360 and the Via Strength finder (both are free). 

Be prepared for some introspection as you read the information that comes in.  If you know yourself well, there will be few suprizes and some great tidbits you can learn from.   And remember, feedback is feedback. It is someone else’s opinion and it is golden as long as you take it in stride!

I so appreciate the time these entrepreneurs give to me to help me build my business that I offer a complimentary “no strings attached and I mean it!” coaching session to them or another business owner they want to pass it on to.  I also sometimes write blog posts (see sample) as a way to spread the word about their business and their story.

And so, what’s the point? Simply this: if you are a small business owner who fits this profile and you are willing to spend 20 min on the phone with me (or have coffee in person for those in Montreal), I would love to hear from you soon:

Criteria:

• Have been in business for 3-5 years++
• Have at least 5 employees or associates
• Work in any industry (though I have a preference for food, marketing, fashion, professoinal services/ consulting etc.)

Feel free to forward this link to someone who fits this profile. I look forward to hearing from you or someone in your network. Email me at lisa@chandlercoaches.com  Thanks!

Today I am able to post something because the words of an 11 year old girl found their way to me.  Johanna is the neice of my friend James. She says it so simply and eloquently.  Goes to show that “through the eyes of a child” is a perspective we had better not forget.

Writing, images and arrangment by Johanna, Age 11

At no charge, you can take the VIA Strengths survey (click to this page  and scroll to the bottom to register).  You will need about 20-30 minutes to answer all 240 short questions if you do the full survey.  It is worth it. Immediately you will receive an ordered list of your results listing your character strengths from from 1 to 24.  Incidentally, there are five strengths that are most closely linked to happiness.  I am not going to tell you which ones though.  Take the survey and if you are curious,  leave a comment here or email me at lisa@chandlercoaches.com and I will reveal all.

So you confirm your strengths (you likely had a good sense of what they were anyway) and then what?  Well conventional wisdom suggested you work on your weaknesses but newer thinking in positive psychology recommends playing to your strengths.  Do you remember your school guidance counsellor telling you to get tutored in math to improve your long division because you were terrible at it. Well no more!  Some folks at Harvard have created an exercise called Reflected Best Self to help you play to your strengths (You’ll have to pay $6.50 to order the whole article).  A life/ business coach can help you leverage your strengths too.

In my case, on the heels of doing the VIA Strengths, I am also using the free online survey called 360 Reach to get external feedback too (the link I have here is for the free version that you can use for 15 days. It was hard to find on the site).  I sent the 360 survey to colleagues, clients, employees I used to manage, friends and family. The beauty of the 360 Reach tool is threefold: at the basic service level it is free; it is turn key; and responses are anonymous making it more likely that respondents will be honest. And the bonus: you can review the feedback in real time at the site as anonymous responses roll in. Once you have a minimum of 10 respondents, you get some analysis of the data.

Based on the feedback so far, I have heard what people believe are my greatest strengths and weaknesses (oh, and the survey includes a couple of projective questions.  So far, the type of dog people think of when they think of me is a golden retreiver–happy, dependable, loyal and attractive ; and the home appliance that most relates to me is a mix master). 

I could say lots more but I am going to wait until I have a statisically significant number of responses in. Are you curious yet about your strengths?

The three newest members of the MR. POTATO HEAD family offer tons of imaginative fun for playful toddlers. The charming PRINCESS SWEET POTATO figure comes complete with tiara and frog prince for royal adventures, and FRYER FIGHTER tater is ready to squelch flames with his handy fire extinguisher.  Swashbuckling spud CAPTAIN POTATO CHIPS figurine has a peg leg, eye patch, and hooked hand and is eager for action-packed expeditions. 

The Potato Head Family of Fredricton, NB!

It is all about Mr. Potato Head today because I had the pleasure of creating a whole Potato Head family while playing with my cousin’s toddlers—Aidan and Morgan—during the holidays in the maritimes. I created a replica of their family in potatoes and was so pleased with my rendition (very loose!) that I took a photo. Of course, the significance was lost on Aidan and Morgan who were too busy pulling them apart.

So what do the Potato Heads have to do with business or coaching?  Not much in a direct kind of way and a lot from another perspective.  Creativity is essential for business innovation but we business owners often get so immersed in the day to day of our operations that we squelch it in ourselves and our employees too.

Fast Company recently published the results of a long-term study on business creativity (entire article here)  by Harvard professors Teresa Amabile and Leslie Perlow in which they bust a number of myths:

1. Myth: Creativity comes from creative types.
   People who are tuned into their work, whether in accounting or production, have the best ability to tap into their creative process.
2. Myth:  Money is a creativity motivator.
   People are most creative when they care about their work and when they are stretched. Any entrepreneur will attest to this.  Of course, the same entrepreneur, when stretched too much due to overwhelm, financial worry etc will tell you that his creativity goes out the window.
3. Myth: Time pressure fuels creativity.
   People are least creative when they are fighting against time and there is a hangover effect of reduced creativity for a couple of days after people are crunched to be creative under pressure.
4. Myth: Fear forces breakthroughs.
   Love and joy spur creativity far more effectively than anger, fear and anxiety. When people are excited about their work on one day, they are more likely to “hatch” ideas the next, after sleeping on it.
5. Myth: Competition beats collaboration.
   The best ideas come from sharing and debating.  Competition and secrecy to protect ideas does not give creativity the best chance to lead to business innovation.

Creating Potato Heads with kids, some journal writing and conversations with family about my business issues and a good dose of Rock Band passively filled me with great ideas for Chandler Coaches in 2010.  Who knew that some of the best ideas would come while stepping away from the business and eating too much fruit cake?   

Note: There was an important snowman involved in this creative process too.

Here are a few of the things I am most proud of:

1. My former tenant and a coaching colleague allowed me to set them up on a date last January.  A few days before Christmas I received this photo with the message “Look what you started!”.  They married on November 28th. I beamed when I read the note.  Isn’t this what life is all about?

1. In May, I became a Certified Professional Co-active Coach (CPCC) and in June an Associate Certified Coach (ACC).  While the titles give me credibility, I am most proud of the learning and the relationships I built with colleagues as far away as England, South Africia and the US during the certification process.  I treasure my colleagues and my new skills and knowledge.
2. My life to date has had its share of productivity and accomplishments.  Yet this year, certain things I really wanted to create in my life actually failed, hurting me and others too.  Some people fear the word failure.  I no longer do.  It stings. That is for sure and its effects can linger.  AND there are things to be gained from failing too…like opening up to being more vulnerable, learning to ask for help, the opportunity for deeper relationships, and learning to live more comfortably through uncertainty.  The sting of failure. I still don’t like it and I am a heck of a lot better at it than I was a year ago.  I wouldn’t mind if there is less dissappointment in my 2010 but I know I am resilient enough to weather what comes in 2010. And it doesn’t hurt that I have amazing friends and family who support me at every turn.
3. In 2009 I came home to the maritimes for a number of special occasions: Christmas, my parents 40th wedding anniversary in February, my brother’s 30th birthday (and my 40th!) in July, my sisters’s 35th birthday in October and now Christmas in PEI again.  I am proud I was part of these milestones in my family and so grateful we all want to celebrate together. 
4. The past year saw my clients courageously tackle big issues in their lives and businesses. My coaching helped them leave mind-numbing jobs that conflicted with their values, find ways to live more peacefully while running high pressure businesses, reframe failure and see beautiful opportunities that lay just on the other side, and deepen relationships with partners (life and business), family, friends, bosses and employees.  Thoughtful Christmas cards from several of them brought quiet smiles of satisfaction to my face.
5. My own partnership with my friend and colleague Tanya Geisler grew into a full blown business with the launch of Coach Buffet, an idea we started developing in the spring of 2009.  By early December, we had already received coverage in the Globe and Mail.
6. Coach Buffet created a platform to get to know amazing coaches in Montreal and Toronto. I am proud my coaching network grew from a handful last year to well over 40 coaches.  Almost half of these fine folks joined me in my home on Dec 18th for a Christmas potluck lunch.  Most of us are entrepreneurs/ self employed consultants so it was fun to gather at holiday time to raise a glass of cheer.

If 7 is a lucky number, perhaps it is best to stop the list right here.

I received a beautiful journal of Peter Beard photograhy for Christmas from my friend Claire.  In it, I plan to keep track of how 2010 unfolds. I would love to sit down a year from now and share that a few of my dreams have come true (or at least are further along). And perhaps I will share more about my failures too.  You see, if I fail in 2010, it means I dared to keep going after what I value most.  For me, this is pretty important.

If you would like an electronic copy of my year end questionnaire “Creating Your Bigger Game for 2010″ please comment below and I will be happy to send it to you.