Getting you where you want to go!

"Coaching, which is not professional or legal advice, therapy, or counseling, may address leadership, management, sales, political, personal, professorial and marketing issues, specific projects, business goals, career issues, safety and security, succession and contingency planning, continuity, or general conditions in the client’s life or profession. Other coaching services include personal accountability, value clarification, brainstorming, sounding board, interviewing, public speaking, event planning, crisis management, identifying plans of action, WBS, examining modes of operating in life, asking clarifying questions, and making empowering requests. May advise on academic research, degrees, investigations, writing. Editing, proofreading (blogs, books, resumes, LinkedIn profiles), photography, campaigns, policy, legislation, constitutional changes, connections, fundraising, advocacy, whistleblowing, etc. Maintain appropriate confidentiality."

This is excerpted directly from my current coaching agreement.\

The purpose of this post is to share what I do so I can be of help to you, your friends, associates, family--if you/they meet certain criteria! [This is also written to entertain myself--and hopefully some of you too! Not all of you know me, so you can't hear my "voice." It has my style and sense of humor.]

The previous version of my coaching contract had fewer items but I felt that it was more appropriate to be MORE forthcoming--even though a well-to-do friend looked at the previous (shorter) version and said, "You can't do ALL that!" I laughed, "That's only about half of it!"

This utilizes the Pareto Principle and is about 80% of what I do. That's close enough to full disclosure that I have no moral nor ethical compunctions about withholding some items that only special clients need. (e.g. extraction).

[BTW, WBS=Work Breakdown System. Some gigantic goals can be broken down and decomposed into achievable steps.]

I know the list is long and one of my friend's coach's coach who has been in this field for 3+ decades said, that I'm cursed with competency! There are worse things to be cursed with!

The purpose of all these is to get clients where they want to go. Many are very ambitious. One young man wants to get into Yale Pharmacy program, cure Crohn's and win a Nobel Prize. Another person wants to get to POTUS. [I was advised not to disclose this either. But it's too much fun!] I love challenging clients because it gives me an excuse to learn and study interesting topics and ask fascinating people for help with these lofty goals!

I am exceptionally good at asking others to help others. Sometimes, I'm miserable at asking others for help when there's a taint of potential benefit for me. [We can't be good in ALL things. I'm a very flawed human being who has failed at so many things but unlike many others, I'm willing to be ridiculously uncomfortable and experiment with novel endeavors and go up to bat and swing for the bleachers!]

However, I'm going to ask YOU for help in growing my coaching practice!

I'm looking for good clients [BTW this post is itself an assignment that I can't claim to be fully comfortable with but when you're in school you follow legal orders if you want the A!]

The clients have to be ready, willing and able to pay! LOL.[I believe in pay it forward like Marshall Goldsmith does but I'm yet 70!)

The have to have to be an interesting person or have fun project(s) or problem(s)--and they want to work on it and would like some coaching. [I was advised not to use the word "problem" because people don't want to admit that they have problems! I think that's ridiculous--we are all human and we all have problems. :-)]\

Some people have described what I do as a "fixer," or "global ombudsman." While I don't particularly claim those roles, they are not an inaccurate assessments of the size and scope of the projects I love to tackle! [Double negative is intentional.]

However, the way I would characterize my role of coach is more like ATC--Air Traffic Control. In 3 steps:

* I find out where you are,

* figure out where you want to go,

* then help direct you and other traffic so that you can get where you want to go. I personally like you to hug critical path but I don't get wound up about it unless you do.

This is about YOUR journey, not mine...but there is a presumption that for the money you've paid in advance, you want to get to your destination sans delay!

Although I don't recommend the movie, my modus operandi is a bit like the star controller in the movie "Pushing Tin." He can get planes through dense traffic in a manner that makes fellow controllers query, "How'd you do that?"

Let me give a few of my own examples of accomplishments that sometimes surprise participants:

* At one photoshoot that took me seven (7) years to get together with 19 on set, my mentor commented admiringly, "Didn't think you could do it!"

* An author of a book wanted a specific celebrity endorsement and after a year of trying I came on the scene and through LinkedIn and 6 degrees of separation (it really was that long) was able to secure the forward for a book, plus autographed copies, and photo session.

* A colleague of mine posted a complaint about new version of software. The VP of usability commented I connected. Somehow we decided to set a call. Then he said he'd include a couple of his top managers. Not to be outgunned, I contacted top power users who I admired to join me. The 70-minute call was delightful, full of repartee and good spirits. Productive and to me intoxicating. During the call I learned that the software is used by more people than are in the entire US! At the end of the call, one of my guests remarked, "I'm so glad you didn't listen to me." I responded, "What do you mean?" Viv said, "I didn't think you could do it!" [I did have my doubts but I had it in writing and I read well so I was confident it would happen although they are notoriously hard to reach by phone!]

* In the process of coaching a lady on how to get her legislation passed, I realized that my expertise, not withstanding two internships in Tallahassee was not broad enough. So in a couple weeks, I set up a meeting with two who had been successful with shepherding their legislation through to meet with her. After the meeting she collapsed in the back seat of the lobbyist's car and asked, "How did you do that?" :-)

* A prominent person was relieved of public duty. As part of John Doe's rehabilitation, I advocated for him and got authorization to get him into a "diversion program" if I could get him to agree. [While the accomplishment is real, the description is a bit disguised to mask his identify and the situation. It's a tiny bit like getting Nixon to agree to Frost interviews.] After months of wrangling and back and forth, I was ready to bring him to the table. The person authorizing my putting John Doe into "diversion program" was a friend who has known me for decades. He took me aside while we were in church and asked, "Did you know he's still toxic?" I said, "Yes." He replied, "We can't go forward." "Then why did you authorize the mission to begin with?" "I didn't think you could do it!" [O ye of little faith!]

JTShim.com [The website prices were set by the webmaster and I have been advised by multiple people to raise it: double or triple. However, as an introductory offer, I'll honor what's posted. If I give you a discount because you're a veteran or student, please don't publicize it! ;-)]

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