As 2004 winds down to a close, I find myself reflecting on all of the positive changes that have occurred over the year. When I consider the changes, I can't help but acknowledge the growth that has taken place. The growth of my company has expanded. The number of people that I have encountered on my path to building a viable, client focused coaching practice has helped my professional growth. It is at this moment that I am realizing that I am exactly where I should be, and I am doing exactly what I should be doing.

During my twenty-four year corporate career I was viewed as a leader and my award winning results were a reflection of my leadership abilities. Stepping out into the unknown because I believed I still had more to give to others has allowed me to demonstrate leadership at its best. What dream or career goal do you have that you want to see movement towards in the next year? Defining whatever it is and seeking a coach to help you implement and execute is a way for you to demonstrate your leadership.

I would love to talk to you about how you can ensure that you achieve the level of leadership you aspire to. When you are on your desired path, your confidence will soar and you too can demonstrate leadership at it's best. Give me a call today at 630-922-7127 to start the process.

As you focus on creating the definition of "Leadership At It's Best" in your life, I want to recommend the following resources and thought starters:

1. The first step is to define your style of leadership. Are you an autocratic - my way or the highway type leader? If so, I encourage you to look around and see who is really following you and who is just going through the motions. Whatever type of leadership style you have, you need to consciously make an effort to demonstrate the behaviors that will cause people to think of your name when the next leadership position becomes available in your organization.
2. The recommended reading for the month is an autobiography from a world renowned respected leader, Jack Welch. Reading this book will motivate you to define your parameters of leadership at it's best. Enjoy!

Here is last's month's scenario.

Bill is a technician who aspires to become a team leader in his department. Bill gets the courage to contact his director's assistant to schedule a meeting. Bill's director, Dan is unaware of Bill's career goals. On the day of the meeting, Dan calls Bill to communicate that the meeting needs to be rescheduled. Dan asks Bill about the purpose of the meeting. Bill is caught off guard and begins to ramble about the following points:

1. Bill has been a technician for five years. His last performance rating was at the excellent level.
2. He is ready to be a team leader and he wants to talk to Dan about the timeframe.

Coaches Response: I am so pleased that one of my readers gave me permission to publish her response to Bill's situation. Please read Regina's response. She is right on the mark, demonstrating that leadership success can take place with the right solutions. Stay tuned next month for a new leadership scenario.

Hi Deborah, My response to how Bill should handle the situation is as follows. Bill should make an Individual Development Plan. He then should ask Dan for a time to meet to discuss his plan. If Dan was giving him the brush-off, Bill should have sent Dan an invite and put it on his calendar. Dan can accept or decline the invite. Bill shouldn't have asked the assistant to schedule the meeting without Dan's knowledge.

Testimonial
One of the benefits of BDPA membership is discounted rates for career coaching services available from a group of companies, including Chambers Consulting Group, LTD. Any BDPA member who does not avail him/herself of this opportunity for personalized coaching is simply not doing everything possible "to be at the forefront of the Information Technology industry."

Why did I hire a Career Coach? Focus. I had been working on an IT project for a little over two years and knew I had fulfilled all my career development goals associated with that position. I was considering opportunities within my current employer, moving to other companies, or returning to consulting. Each of these paths has advantages and disadvantages. Each would advance certain of my career/personal development goals, but fail to address certain others. I decided that a self- assessment would help me prioritize my development goals.

In order to be successful in my self-assessment I needed an anchor. This is where Deborah Chambers Chima came in. Deborah focused on prioritizing development goals so that I could be free to focus on me. Friends and family members cannot fulfill that role. Everyone I trust enough to reveal intimate details of my self- image has known me long enough to form their own image of me, which would distort the conversation. As a trained coach, Deborah was focused on helping me get to my own answer. She learned quickly how to allow me to fully investigate important aspects of my past while preventing me from getting bogged down.

Coaches Corner

Coach's response: First, I applaud you in realizing that the opinion of your team members matter. Too often I have seen people with leadership potential disregard how their peers view them. In turn, those peers can band together to lock you out of important conversations.

• In your desire to gain the respect of your peers, you need to first examine your past communication with them. Can their lack of respect be tied back to an example when you did not give them their due respect? If so, you have relationship issues, which is an entirely different topic that I can address at a later date.
• If you are convinced that your peer relationships are good, then do you have a credibility issue? If your peers don't view you as credible, that may account for why your opinion is discounted. When you speak up at team meetings, make sure you think through your thoughts before verbalizing them. Review your meeting agenda ahead of time and strategically plan what you can say about the topics to add value.
• If this option doesn't improve the situation, then I advise you to decide which member of the team you have the best relationship with and seek a one on one meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to seek guidance on what you need to do to gain the respect of the team.

Keep pushing to get the answers you need because in today's workplace, you will need the support of the team to be successful.

Each month a question will be answered in the coach's corner. Submit your question to the coach at: deborah@chambersconsult.com. If your question is chosen, your identity will not be revealed.

Leadership Coach Deborah Chambers Chima offers one on one coaching, consulting, and teleclasses designed to assist professionals in creating a work environment that is challenging and provides opportunity for career growth. If you liked today's issue, you'll benefit from her interactive, results-oriented coaching designed to help you define and execute the professional development plan that will lead to achieving your goals. To learn more, log onto my website at www.chambersconsult.com.

Deborah Chambers Chima is passionate about assisting her clients with achieving their professional goals. Prior to launching her consulting and coaching firm, she achieved an award winning, twenty four year tenure in corporate management in the retail industry, in both international and domestic markets. Her clients appreciate her attention to detail and her desire to assist others in improving their productivity. To learn more about Deborah, please visit her website at www.chambersconsult.com.

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