What's In a Manager?

• 30 million (30%) are engaged / inspired
• 20 million (20%) are actively disengaged / quit and stayed
• 50 million (50%) are not engaged / apathetic

So what the heck is behind those very dismal statistics? Well, it turns out that:

• The 30 million (30%) who are engaged: "have great managers"
• The 20 million (20%) who are actively disengaged: "have managers from hell who roam the halls spreading discontent."
• The 50 million (50%) who are not engaged: "are not inspired by their work or their managers.

And it doesn't end there. The top 25% of the best managed teams had 50% fewer accidents and 41% fewer quality defects, in addition to incurring far less healthcare costs. The "managers from hell" are costing the U.S. an estimated $450 billion - $550 billion annually.

Wowza! Now imagine if your company could double the number of great managers and engaged employees? The Gallup study found that the 30 million engaged employees came up with most of the innovative ideas, new customers and have the most entrepreneurial energy. What an untapped powerhouse.

At Coaching Out of the Box® we believe coaching can change the world. We often ask the question: What if EVERYONE had coaching skills? Imagine a world where everyone had foundational coaching skills and how that would change and enhance the way people worked together - a world where people were supported to identify and maximize their potential? The Coaching Out of the Box® programs are designed for leaders, board members, supervisors, front line staff etc. interested in learning and applying the art of coaching in their professional/personal lives. Our passion is that everyone learn foundational coaching skillsets to support them in being managers, having better teams and ultimately creating more inspiration, passion and profit for themselves and their organizations. 

So - What if EVERYONE had Coaching Skills? Our Vision is that they will, our Mission is to see that they do.

 

Congrats Stand Up Cohort!

 On behalf of Coaching Out of the Box®, we send a big "way to go!" to the Stand Up Cohort for successfully obtaining their Executive Coaching Certification from Royal Roads University. An exciting moment and so much possibility ahead! 

Our Work with NGOs 

Photo: Dr. Talemoh Dah engages with global colleagues from Nigeria over Elluminate Live! platform
 

Over the last four years, Coaching Out of the Box® has worked with a non-profit organization called LINGOS (Learning in NGOs) that is committed to bringing leadership, project management and coaching skills to people who work for NGOs. As a partner of LINGOS, we deliver a two part coaching skills program for participants.

Marc Bowles, who delivers many of these programs for Coaching Out of the Box® says: "Delivering this program has been so exciting. I love sharing the coach approach with others, and even waking up at 5:30 am to prepare for the delivery time in different time zones! Recently we evaluated the number of participants, countries and NGOs who have participated, which brought about a flurry of emotions. From that initial WOW to an amazing feeling of being humbled by the numbers, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to have conversations with such a global audience. To date we've helped 33 NGOs and 112 participants in 34 countries, from Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South America, Central America, Asia, and Europe to North America. 

To be sharing and facilitating coaching with global leaders opens the door to creating positive change. They show up with real challenges, real emotions and in a short time with this work they leave with applicable tools that can immediately make a difference. The shift from feeling isolated to supported is tangible. We also have a lot of fun on these calls - it's not all serious. The work in LINGOs feels right, we're supporting NGOs in the incredibly valuable work they do internationally. 

One participant, Dr. Talemoh Wycliff Dah, Senior Clinical Advisor in Ipas, Nigeria, says: "Coaching Out of the Box® can sharpen any coach's skill in any walk of life. I started using the concepts immediately after the first session. These are skills all our Clinical Mentors will need and the concept needs to be passed to all of them."


 

My Toughest Client

By: Amy Ruppert

The toughest client I have ever coached was my dad. My dad was 86 and had just lost the love of his life. My mom died few weeks shy of my parents 60^th anniversary – dad was devastated. Other than me he didn’t have much local family support.  I spent a lot of time with him trying to coach him into taking new actions, get support for his grief and really just listening to him quite a bit. I didn’t know what possibilities lay before him, but I thought he could at least manage his loss and find a small amount of happiness. Little did I know how limited that belief was and how much more was possible!

After a year of coaching I broached the subject of dad possibly dating he said “Yeah I know I should be doing something I just feel I’m not ready.” I asked him if he ever thought there would be a good time and he shook his head no. I then made a big request of him. I asked him if he’d be willing to just do it anyway. He hadn’t had friendship and companionship in a long time and I could see he knew he needed that kick in the pants. He agreed to go on a first date and she stood him up a half an hour before they were supposed to leave (she’d lost her spouse too and realized she wasn’t ready). So again I coaxed him to try. I could tell he was yearning for that closeness, banter and friendship he had with my mother. I had a flash that maybe he should call an old family friend who I knew he’d always gotten along with. “Why don’t you call Jenine?” I asked one day. He was full of excuses, but I kept at him and finally he did. To make a long story short, their first date was fabulous and they stayed up all night talking. Fast forward to two weeks ago and they just got married surrounded by friends and family from around the world after a phenomenal two weeks of partying. Dad and Jenine are deliriously happy, madly in love and have been to Paris, Ireland and are going to Italy in a few weeks. They make new friends wherever they go and are creating a new life filled with joy.

 
I have learned so much watching my dad and Jenine be open to the possibilities of life and love. Whereas I didn’t see huge possibility because of age and level of grief—HE did. He has taught me that joy, happiness and contentment are possible at any time and at any stage; that anything can happen, and good things can happen very quickly. I’m now even more conscious in my coaching not to limit possibilities, and I’ve taken a message for my own growth. I’m over 50 and had this background belief that as you age life is a gradual downhill slide. That good things will happen but from here on in it’s about managing loss. That underlying limited belief bled into my coaching and I am so grateful it’s been exposed for what it is—false! I challenge you to get to know what your own limiting beliefs may be and really examine how they impact your life and coaching. Dad and Jenine are a perfect example that anything is possible with an open heart and with hope. They are hopelessly in love and their wedding was filled with a tingling energy—everyone was touched by the sense of new beginnings, new possibilities and fresh exciting new chapters, at any age.
 

Do Your Clients Hate Their Jobs? 

A company is only as good as the talent and effort poured into it by people, right?

Well picture this: you wake up to an overflowing inbox, a scattered idea of five or six items you need to work on, and the disheartening sense that no one really values what you do anyway. That scenario is a reality for far too many people today.
 
Overwhelm and burnout are commonplace, technology like smartphones and email that keep us on a digital leash isn’t helping. Is this something your coaching clients are facing?

In a recent article in the New York Times, this trend of "hating work" and some of the surrounding implications were examined. One of the key findings were that employees are the most satisfied and productive when four of their core needs are met:
 
Some Key Findings: 

• Employees who take a break every 90 minutes report a 30 percent higher level of focus than those who take no breaks or just one during the day. 
• Only 20 percent of respondents said they were able to focus on one task at a time at work, but those who could were 50 percent more engaged. 
• Employees have a deep desire for flexibility about where and when they work — and far higher engagement when they have more choice. 
• THE simplest way for companies to take on this challenge is to begin with a basic question: “What would make our employees feel more energized, better taken care of, more focused and more inspired?”  

The bottom line is that finding creative ways to make the relationship a person has with their work more satisfying can go a long way in increasing life satisfaction, productivity and retention. What are your thoughts on how to address work satisfaction? We’d love to hear from you. Join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, or send us an email at [email protected] 
 
Want more? Check out our own Amy Ruppert’s recent interview in the Wall Street Journal on this topic. 

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