Disqus - Friends of marciamarcia

Re: Master List of Coaches on Twitter

Karen Wright — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:25:15 -0000

Better late to the party than never! I'm an executive coach, working with corporate leaders, mostly in the form of "trusted advisor" but often around planning for next career and life phases (which gets into the areas of wellness, purpose, fulfillment - all the really fun work!).

I've been around since the mid-90's, and combine a relatively small client list with managing a roster of associates doing lots of corporate and life coaching and also consulting to organizations who are working to better utilize external coaches.

http://www.twitter.com/k_wr...

Re: Your Farmer List

Karen Wright — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:19:49 -0000

Great post, Chris - "food" for thought, for sure. I see lots of applications for the metaphor - anyone starting a business, or parenting as examples. The fact is, no matter what we're talking about, if we're hoping something will flourish and grow it will benefit from regular attention. Not many things are as susceptible to neglect as farming, to be sure, but the idea of reaping what you sow applies lots of places. Nice one, and a lovely nod to the hardworking farmers out there.

Re: The Assault On Anywhen

Karen Wright — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:08:35 -0000

In the past two days I've heard from several thought and idea leaders just this - that they're "done" reacting and meeting the expectations of people around them that they be available 24/7. Thank heavens! I've been telling clients for years that unless you've got someone "bleeding out on the table" you should manage your own sense of urgency first, putting some virtual fences around your time and space, so you're able to do your own stuff and not just help other people with theirs. Nice one, Chris! And no, I don't expect a response, at least not any time soon!! Hope your travel experience improves......

Re: YMC Blog - scott_stratten_undaddy - Just Keep Going? A Caregiver Story

Karen Wright — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:28:40 -0000

Beautifully written, Scott, and clearly you've learned a lesson that 1) was necesssary, 2) was long overdue, and 3) will not need to be repeated. Let me know if there is any way I can support you in your new commitment to self-care - the world is an infinitely better place with you in it.

Re: Access

Karen Wright — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:10:49 -0000

My first visit to your site, and holy smokes, I wasn't expecting to be brought to tears. I've been unhappy for a long time, and now I have more clarity as to why. In fairness I believe I've been a "glimpse" person many times in my life, however I know I started my current relationship ready and willing to offer (and accept) full access. Now at least I know what to ask for, and am clear on who I need to be in order to reasonably expect to get what I say I want. I do think there's a "careful what you ask for" side to access - it's not for the faint of heart, but it's the doorway to a life of brilliance and connectivity and possibilities that I can't imagine living any longer without. And as for Vibrant - sounds like his every moment was fuller than most peoples whole lives, and anyone who knew him was richer for it - and that's a legacy worth aspiring to. Thank you for sharing and provoking and sitting under that ceiling fan for as long as you did - I'll be back.

Re: Go Map Yourself

Karen Wright — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:29:53 -0000

Totally agree - the reasons I am somewhere are often only appropriate for me and the people I'm there with to know. Even on LinkedIn I think caution is important - if I'm seeing a potential new client in a city where I already do business with others, I might not want to announce it to the world. Besides that, most of the streams I get from others tend to announce their not-very-interesting moves - do I care which coffee shop you're in now? Only if I'm meeting you there, which I presume we would have handled by another, private exchange. Nice one, Chris!

Re: Why I Changed My Coffee Religion

Karen Wright — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:25:15 -0000

Great post - it's not the big things, it's the big pile of little things, that usually makes or breaks a customer experience. Sadly, Tim's was missing the boat on the big things, too - I hope they take your post to heart. My own story is from Rogers - David, who works the "everything other than video" counter at the retail location by my house is brilliant (he can set up a senior citizen's cell phone on one hand and switch my data package on the other while chatting about specialty channel options to someone else), and knowing he exists means I never have to call the soul-destroying 1-888- number again - he is keeping and acquiring customers all day every day and I am doing my level best to ensure that the company knows about him. Thanks for the story, Scott! And does that mean your office location has changed to McD's?

Re: Families Run on Facebook

Karen Wright — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:05:46 -0000

I like to keep things as simple as possible, so I use Facebook for personal relationships and LinkedIn for business ones. My challenge comes in the form of friendships that have their origins in business - sometimes there's a bit of a blurry area in there that makes it hard to say "no" to a friend request from someone I really like but who I wouldn't consider a part of my personal network. Work in progress, for sure, but I am absolutely clear that, at least for my own line of work and the type of client I work with, I need to keep my family updates separate from my professional network. Call me old-fashioned......

Re: Mario Sundar at LinkedIn is a Trust Agent

Karen Wright — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:26:26 -0000

I've been a big LinkedIn fan and user since before it was really powerful, which for me it absolutely now is. I am thrilled to know that there are people on the inside who walk the talk, but it doesn't surprise me because, in my view, LinkedIn has always provided a great user experience, has clearly listened to its users before implementing upgrades and changes, and has consistently communicated well. I am often asked by people within my network about how to use LinkedIn "better," and it's nice to be able to say that it's not that hard - keep the content business-relevant, don't position yourself or anyone else as anything other than the real deal, and know that everything you do with and through the site can either enhance or detract from your reputation. As for the scaleability of friendship and individual trust agents, if everyone who reads your post has 500+ people in their network who follow the comments, the community just grows exponentially faster. All good.

Re: Two Kinds of People

Karen Wright — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:19:30 -0000

Oh, yeah, baby - you had me at "gumption." Nice one.

Re: Telesummits: You’re Doing Them Wrong – Video

Karen Wright — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:31:02 -0000

Love this - the simplicity of the principles, the good-naturedness of the critiques, the generosity of the advice, and the totally huge fun the two of you are having just hanging out and "talking shop." And ditto on the "summit" name - falls clearly into the "I take myself way too seriously" camp for me.......

Re: The Bitch Slap: Get Out of Line, You Prehistoric Dink

Karen Wright — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:51:34 -0000

Okay, I've stopped laughing...almost....and wanted to add "and if you can't read the little sticker on the cucumber without your reading glasses and said glasses are not readily available on a hideous little chain around your neck or on top of your thinning dome, please proceed to Aisle 2....." Nice one, thanks for the guffaw.........

Re: The Bitch Slap: What’s YOUR Excuse?

Karen Wright — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:49:44 -0000

Woo hoo - thanks for the perfectly timed, perfectly calibrated slap. I needed that. Gotta go - must saddle up the unicorn. Nice one, Redhead.

Re: What to do when it just feels bad…

Karen Wright — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:41:42 -0000

A phrase for the ages, Andrea, for sure - I know I can relate to being in the midst of my own "fetid pile of stank" on occasion. The video brought me a sense of exuberance and possibility that is fundamental to the spirit of a child, which is when most of us did most of our bike riding. To see an adult express himself so freely, yet with total respect for his surroundings (replacing gates after he rode them, for example) is a reminder that reconnecting with our sense of possibility is something we "grown ups" must remember to do while remaining responsible to what (and who) is around us.

The question of how we helpers reach out for help is a big one. I've typically not let clients "behind the curtain," in the spirit of honoring the reason they hired me, however lately a couple of longstanding clients have demonstrated that our relationship has more of a two-way dimension to it than I would have assumed. It's truly lovely to see my circle of support expanding when I need it most. So all that to say that when we have devoted our energies to serving others, the good energy comes back to us when we need it - which is why you're hearing kind words of support right now from far and wide. Hugs to you.

Re: Customer Is a Dirty Word

Karen Wright — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:04:29 -0000

I don't mind being a customer, nor do I mind being referred to as one....what I do take strong exception to is being ADDRESSED as "Customer," most particularly when the entity doing the addressing knows my name! It makes me feel like the investment I have made in being loyal has been for nothing. When that happens, even if I've been perfectly happy with the product or service, I feel compelled to look elsewhere - which means whoever called me "Customer" has likely just lost me as one.

Re: I Closed My LinkedIn Account

Karen Wright — Mon, 21 May 2012 07:45:05 -0000

I'm with Bill in that I don't quite understand the issue around "adding people back" - if you accept the connection it's done. And I've never regarded LinkedIn as a social tool similar to Google+ or Twitter - rather I find it extremely useful for biz dev research and connections and for finding people with particular experience or talent but I've never expected it to be the foundation of real relationships - more of just a door-0pener. LinkedIn is actually an incredibly powerful tool for me in my business. Sorry to hear you're frustrated.

Re: I Closed My LinkedIn Account

Karen Wright — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:22:34 -0000

I like "sociable" as a differentiator - nice, Matthew. I do know that Chris has always said he accepts connections from anyone, whether or not he knows them, and that may be an issue as LI modifies its functionality. For example, if you try to link to someone that's beyond a couple of connections away the system asks for their email, as it also does when you try to link to a distant connection as a friend, so maybe some of the controls are to try to ensure connections are legitimate. I have noticed quite an increase in "random" connection requests - requests from people I don't know and don't have any connections in common with - and I don't accept those and wish they wouldn't occur so frequently. I know, at least distantly, every one of my 1,400 connections and because of that I have a strong sense of when and via whom I can source resources and make requests. It might be that LI is fine-tuning its system to control for spam and unsavory marketers - which would be fine with me!

Re: What do Coaches Do?

Karen Wright — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 08:20:54 -0000

Michael is always provocative - excellent interview, Chris! I totally agree - coaching is often overcomplicated and burdened with unfortunate cumbersome baggage. However, I'd like to offer one small distinction for your readers. Coaching as a "how" or a way of interacting is indeed a form of conversation that is not or does not have to be "appointment-based," and particularly in the workplace I do believe that reconfiguring our conversations can be incredibly simple and extraordinarily effective. That said, I wouldn't want your readers to take away from this interview that becoming a professional coach can be distilled into just the simple principles outlined here. Make no mistake - Michael knows his stuff and what he suggests regarding those key principles can and should absolutely hold true for professional coaches as well as people managers. Coaches are, in general, tragically guilty of overcomplicating what can and should be incredibly simple, and the profession would be well-served by better focus and use of pragmatism rather than Oz-like smoke and mirrors. But being a full-time professional coach and engaging in a trust-based ongoing relationship with a client does carry with it an expectation of a broader array of skills and a commitment of time and attention beyond the laser-focused principles Michael outlines. I believe that once you've got the full suite of skills AND have built a strong relationship - it's THEN that you have the option and opportunity of choosing which approach will serve the client best in any given situation. Thanks, as always, for offering a thought-provoking start to the day!

Re: SXSW PanelPicker

Karen Wright — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:52:30 -0000

This will be a fantastic session - great, turn-your-thinking-upside-down ideas offered up by two presentation dynamos. Looking forward to being there in person!

Re: They’re Just Not That Into You: How to Know When It’s Time to Go

Karen Wright — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:50:18 -0000

I've had the experience with clients, too, and I think the dynamics can be quite similar. With clients, though, I think there's a sense of needing to adapt to whatever it is they're up to, not to mention the fear of letting that fee revenue disappear. Good to learn from experience, although wouldn't it be great if it was less painful? Thanks for sharing!

Re: Fatigue Is Your Enemy

Karen Wright — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:22:23 -0000

Excellent article. Senior execs used to be - or at least would claim to be - impervious to stress and exhaustion. Not so true any more - the pace and overwhelm are having significant impact on those at the uppermost levels, ironically those who could have the most influence on changing expectations or culture. So why don't they do it? I have my own theories, but am interested in thoughts from others.

Re: What If You Don't Want to Be a Manager?

Karen Wright — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:31:53 -0000

Great article, Anne. Fully half my executive coaching business has been driven by the exact issue you describe - where the brilliant subject matter expert/creative/individual contributor gets promoted out of the work they love and into management - and they're miserable, of course, and not performing the way the organization had hoped they would - of course! I love Dan Pink's work and agree that corporate reward/recognition systems do not work any more - there are few orgs that have figured out how to celebrate that individual contributor in a meaningful way. That said, I do believe that the solution will have to be co-created by the orgs and the individuals affected - with a little more vocalization of the problem and a little more initiative and personal ownership of a strengths-based career path I'd like to think that ultimately orgs would not want to lose their good people. I see glimmers - I recently worked with someone who had been in sales but who wanted to contribute differently but ideally stay in their current company. He took a chance, presented his idea and the business case for it clearly, and the company went for it. I look forward to the day when that conversation is no longer the exception. Thanks for the great piece, and I've just picked up your book, "Going Gray" - looking forward to diving into it!

Re: Got mastermind?

Karen Wright — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 21:43:48 -0000

So true, Carlo - it's easy to get caught up in busy-ness and end up being unnecessarily isolated. Formalizing is important - it keeps everyone accountable and is surprisingly grounding. Best of luck with yours!

Re: The genius of being a great presenter

Karen Wright — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 12:02:45 -0000

The cards are terrific tools, for sure. Your company might find them useful, especially for sales people. And yes, the design elements are fab, aren't they?

Re: Where are the female voices in business?

Karen Wright — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 08:41:10 -0000

Thanks, Lynn! You're certainly a strong and positive voice in this subject area!