Give Thanks

We have all heard how essential it is to give thanks and be grateful for things we have in our lives, but sometimes gratitude can be challenging. In a little over a week, it will be the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, so BCG is taking this opportunity to share some of the primary ways that we try to give thanks in our daily lives.

Be Present

Don’t let the moment escape you! Stopping when you feel that warmth of gratitude fills your body and acknowledging the goodness surrounding you is essential to finding what truly matters to you. Taking this opportunity to give thanks can turn your whole day around.

Send a Thank You Notes

Sending a note to say thank you can help you and your recipient a moment to reflect with gratitude. Of course, texts and emails count too, but a handwritten letter is a fun way to show others that you appreciate them.

Practice Patience

It is a work in progress, but being intentional in responding to others and exercising patience, can go a long way in gratitude practice. In addition, if we can realize that everyone is doing the best they can in their current situation, then extending some extra grace comes naturally.

Show Verbal Appreciation

When someone takes the time out of their day and helps another person, it is an act of giving. Even if the action is a part of their job, it is still a choice, and they choose to provide a service. So give thanks to those who help others, a simple “Thanks!” after the checkout line at a grocery can make all the difference.

Having thankful intentions does not have to be fancy or complicated. It does not have to take more than a couple of moments in your day. Once you form a habit, it can be something you do without trying, and that is when genuine gratitude surfaces because we develop a new perspective.

We compiled this list at BCG to start a conversation about how we all give thanks daily and begin a larger conversation about gratitude in our work lives. We hope that our customers and readers know how very much we appreciate them! Thank you for looking to BCG for your needs—we feel very grateful to work with amazing people and agencies. Keep your practice strong and your gratitude stronger; ’tis the season after all!

Time to Check-In With Intentions

We are more than halfway through the 2021 year — how are you doing with your intentions or what goals you set out for this year? So far, the year has included many hardships and highlights, but we have also experienced growth from these shared experiences. 

At the same time, these things affected our lives, plans, and schedules and put us through a range of indescribable emotions. They have put new challenges and roadblocks on our unique journeys; some of us may have learned to navigate these while others may feel overcome entirely. Maybe you feel a constant mix of both. 

It is okay if you are not aligning your intentions, goals, and practices for this year. We are human, but with four months left of 2021 (and with the start of school for many), it is a beautiful time to realign. 

Here are few questions to reflect on:   

• What do you want to accomplish in the next four months, or how do you want to feel or act daily? 

• What actions are you currently practicing that are not aligning with this? 

• What actions can you add that will help you find success? 

• What support do you need to make this happen? 

Consider accepting help or finding a support system to strengthen your resilience and ability to manage the stress caused by the unpredictable, including the unique conditions of 2021. If you feel overwhelmed or unable to meet your goals independently, consider seeking professional help. Depending on your needs, therapists and personal coaches are trained to help you.  

Bauman Consulting Groups provides personal coaching to individuals and can create an individualized plan to help you achieve your goals. In addition, we offer complete online services tailored to your needs, and one of our certified coaches would appreciate an opportunity to discuss your needs one-on-one. Contact us at info@baumanconsultinggroup.com or find more information on our website at www.baumanconsultinggroup.com/coaching.  

Remember, it is not about being perfect; it is about being consistent! This check-in is just an opportunity to reflect on the first six months of the year and to continue setting intentions for positive change. 

The VIP Approach to Success

Success is not a one-size-fits-all approach. As a coach, I work with many clients who all have different definitions of success. Some want to be corporate execs, politicians, or to write a novel. Others want to be present for their families, find greater balance in their lives, or acquire wealth. 

Regardless of what success looks like for you, I have a simple formula that I apply with my clients to help them to attain the success that they desire: Values + Intention + Purpose = Success.

Values are the fundamental beliefs we hold which guide our actions. Few people are really clear on what their personal values are. If asked, most individuals will share the values learned in childhood that their family members indicated were their values or what they should value. As adults, it’s unfortunately uncommon for individuals to reflect on those values and think, “Is that really what I personally value? Is that what’s most important to me in life now?” 

Getting clear on what values are most important to you in the present gives you the knowledge necessary to align your life with those values. For example, if you profess that the most important thing in your life is your family, then your life choices should reflect that. If they don’t, then it’s pretty clear that’s not really your top value! Recognizing this misalignment means that you have a choice: either you need to change your behaviors to be more in line with your values, or you need to be honest about what it is that you really value in life. 

Intention refers to being proactive and focused. Individuals who live with intention plan their time toward accomplishing their goals – even on their weekends or days off. This doesn’t mean that they are rigid or inflexible, ruled by their planner or to-do list, but rather that they prioritize those activities and behaviors that are reflective of their values. They recognize that time is precious and limited, and make sure that their time is utilized in a way that will lead to fulfillment of their purpose. 

Purpose is what you want your life to mean, what you hope to have as your legacy, and what you wish to be known for. Living your life with purpose means that you have a goal in mind. It’s the why behind what you do each and every day. This is how you create meaning and fulfillment in your life. It’s about doing something greater than yourself – contributing to the world in some way. 

Alone, each of these elements have value. But when you combine Values, Intentions, and Purpose, you have a lens through which you can view all thoughts and behaviors in your life. And it’s with that model that you set yourself up for success – no matter what that may look like for you.  

At Bauman Consulting Group, we provide both individual and group coaching to help people achieve their personal and professional goals. Find out more here.

Ashley Bauman, M.S., M.B.A., B.C.C., is the founder and president of Bauman Consulting Group. She is a board-certified coach, experienced public and social sector consultant, and renowned trainer and workshop leader. 

What is a Coach (and Why Would I Want One?)

 While many people have heard of coaching, few have a clear understanding of exactly what a coach is and does. This prevents people from getting appropriate support for life changes. As a coach the most common thing I hear from people is, “I’m not really sure what a coach does or how they could help me.” 

What is coaching?

Coaching is not the same as consulting nor the same as therapy, but it takes elements from each discipline to create its own unique method. A coach works with individuals who are focused on making changes in their lives. While a therapist may seek to diagnose and treat a client, coaches work under the assumption that their clients are whole, healthy individuals. Coaches ask thought-provoking questions that challenge clients. They create collaborative and individualized strategies, set goals, and keep the client focused on the future.

What happens when someone hires a coach?

While each coach has a unique style and approach, most expect clients to commit to working with them for a set period. This can vary from anywhere between 4-18 months – depending on the changes that the client intends to make. Some coaches meet with clients in person, but many hold coaching sessions over Zoom or the phone. During those sessions the coach will ask probing questions, serve as a sounding board, offer an outside perspective, help maintain motivation, provide strategies, set goals, and ensure accountability. 

What can a coach help with?

Coaches help individuals move forward. They guide business owners as they strategize for growth. They partner with professionals seeking to develop their career path, manage a workplace environment, launch a new business, or find work-life balance. They help students discover career aspirations and plan educational paths. Coaches offer support to individuals seeking to improve relationships, focus on their health and well-being, change their mindset, or alter habits. Essentially, coaches help people create change – even if they don’t quite know what that change is yet.

Is coaching right for me?

Not everyone is a great fit for coaching. Coaches typically like to partner with individuals who have a desire to learn and grow. Ideal clients make a commitment to changing and arrive with some level of motivation to make that change. Since it’s a collaborative process, it’s also important that the coach and the client have good chemistry and feel like the partnership is a good fit. 

At Bauman Consulting Group, we provide both individual and group coaching to help people achieve their personal and professional goals. Find out more at www.baumanconsultinggroup.com.

Leading Growth with an Assessment

Agency leaders are often tasked with working to develop staff throughout the organization. Often times leaders tend to focus on two types of staff – the shining stars that we see headed for success within the organization or the struggling supernova who need to drastically improve or move on to another company. As a result of the time and attention placed on this task, leaders are often quite skilled at identifying the strengths and areas for improvement in our own staff. However, when we have achieved leadership status within an organization a fatal flaw often presents itself. Leaders tend to believe that they don’t need to improve any more. They view themselves as having arrived or achieved what they set out to do. What’s the point of more personal and professional development when you’re at the top? 

The truth is that we can all continue to improve and develop. The better our leaders become, the better the staff can become, and the better the agency can be. When we partner with clients, we often hear leaders say, “I’ve worked on so much over the years, I’m not sure what to work on now.” Our response is always simple – “You need to take an assessment.” It’s impossible to make a good plan without data to drive it. Taking an assessment will give you the data you need to draft an improvement plan.

Leaders have often taken a great number of assessments over the years and are apprehensive to return to that route. They feel as though they’ve already gained all the information they can from that process, but assessments remain a valuable tool. Assessments are great at giving us information about a person at a particular point in time. Yes, you may have taken an assessment as part of an employee development protocol several years ago – but you’ve likely changed a lot over the years. You’ve probably completed a great deal of development work. Perhaps you’re not even in the same position anymore. You may have a completely different work environment. All of these (and there are many more!) are reasons why you should go back to step one and complete an assessment.

There are many different assessments on the market that you can consider to inform your developmental path. Each serve different purposes and provide different types of information – and some are definitely better than others. There are four assessments that we recommend to our clients who are looking to start this process: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Everything DiSC, the Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0), and the CliftonStrengths. These assessments provide a diverse array of information – which is why we suggest that our clients take any and all of these assessments. The more data you have the better – so invest in as many of these as you can in order to develop your growth plan. If you have taken one of these in the past, but it’s been more than 2 years since you’ve completed it, it’s worth investing in another assessment. If nothing else, it can confirm your earlier results and provide you with more confidence in the outcomes.

 ·      Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – The MBTI is perhaps the world’s most well-known personality assessment. The tool can be completed online or in-person and provides a typing which places you into one of 16 different personality types. The results of the tool provide insights into the way that you interact with others, increased self-awareness of each personality type’s strengths and challenges, and ideas for adapting your behavior in response to other personalities in the room that can assist you with achieving greater success. 

·      Everything DiSC – The Everything DiSC is another personality assessment designed to help individuals better understand themselves and better learn to adapt their behaviors with others. This online questionnaire classifies individuals into four quadrants: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. The information is then utilized to explore strengths and areas of growth. 

·      Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0) – The EQ-i 2.0 is the world’s leading assessment tool for evaluating emotional and social intelligence. The assessment contains 133 items which converge to provide insight into 15 competencies and 5 composite areas. The EQ-i 2.0 provides you with a picture of how you operate emotionally – something that research now demonstrates is a greater predictor of success than traditional intelligence.  

·      CliftonStrengths – CliftonStrengths (formally the Clifton StrengthsFinder) is an online talent assessment. This assessment evaluates your natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving and categorizes them into 34 CliftonStrengths themes. The results are utilized to identify what you naturally do best, how to develop and leverage your greatest talents into strengths, and how to maximize your potential. 

Don’t stop at just completing the assessments. Once you are armed with this data, it’s time to put this information to work for you. You can incorporate these findings in a detailed personal or professional development plan for yourself. Partnering with a coach through this process can assist you in your growth development journey. A coach can assist you in interpreting your results, shed light on blind spots that you may not be conscious to you, guide you in setting goals related to your development, and act as an accountability partner as you take the action steps towards your goal. 

Start Your Year Off Right - Setting Goals (Part 5)

You've done so much work setting the foundation for your personal strategic plan! While it may seem like you've done quite a bit of work, it's all about to pay off. Now is the time to get to the heart of the work.

Take a look at the priorities that you've set. In each area that you've prioritized, you want to create at least one goal for the year. What is it that you want to be able to accomplish in this area? 

You've probably heard of the concept of SMART goals at some point in your life. It's used in so many different fields that it's hard not to have heard this acronym used somewhere. But if you haven't heard of it, don't worry - I'll give you a quick primer!

As you can see in the graphic above, SMART goals refer to those which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. As you look through the priorities that you've identified, you'll want to create a goal (or goals) that is specific - you'll know what you meant when you look at this goal in 6 months. It's so clear that there is no question what you are supposed to do. And it will be very apparent whether you've accomplished this goal or not because the terms are so well defined. Perhaps one of your focus areas is around improving your personal finances. That's pretty vague. So as you think about setting a goal, you'll want to get specific. Perhaps your goal could be, "I will get out of debt." What kind of debt are you talking about? All debt? Student loan debt? Paying off your mortgage? After thinking it through, you've decided that you really just want to have your credit card debt paid off, so you revise your goal to say, "I will pay off all my credit card debt."

You'll also want the goal to be measurable. In other words, how will you know that you've accomplished your goal? Returning to our example of credit card debt, you may decide to change the goal to say, "I will pay off my credit card debt so that all of my credit cards have a zero balance." That gives you a very clear finishing point. When your credit card statements all read "0" you've accomplished your goal.

Goals must also be attainable. You don't want to set yourself up for failure. Is it feasible for you to pay off all your credit card debt this year? After evaluating this a bit, you might decide that it's something that will take more than a year to accomplish. Perhaps you'll decide to make your goal something less ambitious - but still something to strive for: I will pay off my credit card debt so that the total of my credit card balances does not equal more than $7,500. 

Surprisingly one of the common things that we see with strategic planning are goals that aren't relevant. How could this be possible, you ask? Often it's the result of not connecting goals to overall priorities - not doing the early work that we did first. Sometimes people will list a goal that is easy to accomplish. Or they will list a goal that sounds good, rather than what they really should be prioritizing. If financial status is a problem for you, then paying off credit card debt may be a perfect way to help with that problem. It's an incredibly relevant goal! However, if you're goal to address your financial status was about reducing stress at the office, that may not be the most relevant goal. Accomplishing that goal won't help your financial status.

The final piece of the puzzle is to make sure that your goals are time-based. Simply put, you need a deadline. Otherwise, you could be working on that goal for a long-time to come. By using an annual personal strategic plan, you've already essentially committed to accomplishing this goal in a year. But you may want this goal to be something you'll accomplish in 6 months. Or maybe this goal will take a year, but your next goal (to address something like the amount of time you spend with friends and family) is something you could accomplish much sooner. The key is to have a time stamp on it. This way you won't put things off too long and you'll have some motivation to work towards that goal. To bring our example full circle, let's see where our goal ended up: "I will pay off my credit card debt so that the total of my credit card balance at the end of year does not equal more than $7,500."

That's a solid goal. It meets all of the SMART criteria and sets you on a path towards success. Keep in mind that you may have multiple goals toward improving your financial status. Or you may decide that is sufficient for this year, and you'd rather focus on other areas more intensively. 

Return now to the priorities that you've established. Determine what you want to do to focus on each of these areas. Write out a goal or two for each area, keeping in mind the SMART criteria. Once you've written out the goals, take a look at them as a whole. Can you accomplish ALL of these goals? Or should you pare the list down a bit? Write out a list of goals that you feel comfortable with. You may wish to challenge yourself a bit, but don't overwhelm yourself with so many goals that you can't possibly keep up. 

Next time we'll explore how you can put those goals into action!

This post is the fifth in a series of posts about personal strategic plans.

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Ashley Bauman, M.S., M.B.A., B.C.C. is the president of Bauman Consulting Group in Loveland, Ohio. She provides training, consulting, and coaching to criminal justice and social service professionals.