I got my ACC!

By Sunday, November 15, 2015 0 , Permalink

No, it's not some sort of new virus, nor any type of pills. It's a coach credential by the International Coach Federation, namely Associate Certified Coach. I'm so happy I finally got to apply for it, since it means a lot, as a coach, to earn a certification. Basically it means that the school you got trained as ...

Innovation starts from an empty page

{source: link} Creation starts from the void. Or so the Holy Books tell us. I get my inspiration in the morning, driving to work, listening to music. Or sometimes, in an empty room, writing on my laptop. Or listening to a presentation and going through idle thoughts. Either way, creativity and results focus don't really go together. You have to give up ...

Young careers – why passion won’t (always) get you a job

I saw two very good candidates today. Both very young (just out of University), both talented and with potential. However, only one goes forward to get the job. It is not the one who was ambitious, hard working, pursuing a passion and full of drive and energy. It is the one who steps back, takes a good look ...

How to leave work on time and enjoy life more

Usually when I talk to people about their workload, they say they just can't leave early, and find various excuses: - "my work is not done" - "I have too much on my plate and need to finish it today" - "there's an important deadline tomorrow" - "I was in meetings all day and now I have to catch ...

10 Common Sense Lessons from the Corporate world

I've recently started recognizing people (outside work environment) who work in multinationals. They have a certain way of behaving and, of course, personal idiosyncrasies (or as we say it in Romanian, "pitici", or "stoluri"). On the other hand, there are some valuable lessons I've learned, some not yet mastered, while working almost 6 years for corporations. ...

A different perspective on reality

I was doing a quick peer coaching (15 minutes "flash" coaching) yesterday evening, and something popped in my mind, so brilliant (excuse my modesty, it always gets in the way) that I thought I should share this with you. Jackie, the woman I was coaching, is returning to work next week, after 2 months of leave ...

1 year of Life Toolkit! Best posts & Coaching challenge

So one year of blogging passed away, quite fast.   What happened during this time? Looking back... - I started blogging like crazy, read all I could on SEO and social network promoting, then decided I should just let my readers unfold as they come. And that's how I got to this steady, smallish base of you ...

The Devil’s Advocate: Corporate Life

I don't believe in safety nets. I flew on my own to the US, not having a job or a place to stay, not knowing where I would sleep the first night. And it went ok. I travelled alone by train to countries where people don't speak English, and found that sign language actually works. I trusted people ...

Leadership – moving from chaos to trust

I know, ashes on my head, I haven't written in a while. But it was for good reasons - I've been on an management training. Perfect weather, chilly, windy and rainy; great people, who didn't speak much to each other for the first two days, after which they/we danced frantically in a pub until ...

The first steps of a transition

Since ages, I've loved transitions. The first days of falling in love; the changes of seasons; moving to a new place to live (ok, without the packing and unpacking); going back to school in autumn; and changing the job. Transitions spice up life. Without them, we would be caught in a neverending slumber. The only thing ...

How to coach your people (even if you’re not a coach)

One of the biggest shifts I've seen in the people I work with was the ability to move from the "Manager" point of view to the "Coach" point of view. Remember my post on "being a People Manager vs. a People Developer"? Well, this approach lies between the two. If your people perceive that you're shifting ...