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 As I write this, I have just returned
from a delightful summer holiday. I am sitting
on my porch, admiring the flowers in full
bloom. It is peak harvest: the gardens are
abundant. It is peak fitness: the Olympics
have ended and the US Open has begun.
All of this is such a reminder of what
vision, focus and perseverance can do!
This September, I am celebrating beginning my 25th
year as an executive coach and organizational
consultant. How blessed I am to have the
privilege to work with, and come into contact
with so many of you. I am thankful for your
support, your trust in my expertise, and,
I am again reminded of what vision, focus
and perseverance can do.
This newsletter is dedicated to all of you. In
it, I have outlined some of my learnings
and perspectives in doing this work. I hope
that my sharing will help you to hone your
vision, focus and perseverance so that the
gold medal in work and play is yours as
well.
Denise
Cormier
Cormier Associates
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How I Define The Work That
I Do |
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Over the years, many of you have asked
me to define the work that I do
so that you can pass my information
along in a succinct way. Although
you already do a great job, my 95%
referral rate can attest to that,
I decided to give it a try.
As your consultant, I create processes to
help you, your team and your organization
be successful. The focus may be
a strategic plan developed collaboratively,
a sharply honed executive or leadership
team, or a successful meeting, organizational
transition, transformation or reorganization.
As your coach, I zero in on helping you be
the best that you can be, on identifying
what success means to you, and strategizing
how to get there. I may challenge
you to take on new skills and behaviors,
or consider new models and frameworks.
I help you to understand how you
impact others, remind you to hold
on to your dreams, and serve as
your confidential sounding board.
< In my work, I hold a vision of partnership
and integrity. This means that I
target my interventions taking into
account your internal expertise,
timeframes and available resources.
Because my expertise is in designing
and facilitating the process, I
am able to work with a variety of
clients - corporate, non-profit
and across industry boundaries -
bringing fresh ideas and models
to the table.
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A Leadership Challenge: How
Do You Measure Up? |
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In 2005, Harvard's world-renowned
Kennedy School, in conjunction with
US News and World Report, conducted
a study on leadership and what it
takes to be an exceptional leader.
In their study, they defined the
exceptional leader as one who not
only can lead a system internally,
but who leads by also taking into
account the common good. In this
study, they isolated several qualities
found in this exceptional leader.
These are authenticity, vision,
passion, and leadership from the
heart, qualities not generally cultivated
in a rigorous academic program.
Because these trying economic times remind
us of just how important leadership
really is, I have developed a leader's
behavioral checklist of these and
other benchmarked leadership qualities.
If you would like to see how you
measure up, click here to access
that checklist. http://cormierassociates.com/keysform.html
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Coaching Groups - Starting
in September - Register Today!
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The following group
coaching opportunities will begin
in mid-September. If you would like
to receive a complementary coaching
session to see which program is
right for you, contact me and I
will be glad to arrange a call with
you
- Creating
Your Personal Strategic Plan,
- Leading
With Impact, and
- Emerging
Leaders - for leaders on the rise.
Each program, made up of a small group of
colleagues, meets twice a month
via conference call. For more info,
go to my website click
here.
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A Leadership Development Model
That's Working |
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In my work over these last few decades,
I have come to know that leadership
is not easy. Leadership requires
energy and enthusiasm; it takes
courage, the ability to dream and
to engage others in working toward
that dream. The best leaders walk
their talk, with integrity. They
know themselves and move through
the world in a way that's inviting.
They know themselves and their priorities
and act on what's important.
A few years ago, I conducted a study with
executives and leaders in the corporate
and nonprofit sectors. My goal was
to discover what you, as leaders,
identified as your key personal
challenges. What I learned was that
the issues of life balance, leaving
a legacy, being true to yourself
and making a difference were consistently
paramount. What I also learned was
that you felt at a loss as to how
to get off the treadmill and rekindle
your hope, joy and excitement.
Since my work is to help leaders become better
at what they do, I concluded that
I needed to design a process that
would not only help you to eradicate
the challenges that were draining
your energy, but one that would
also help you to reclaim your essential
self. In doing so, I surmised, you
would become a better leader. What
I have discovered is that my hypothesis
was true. To read on, click
here.
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Strategic Planning: Why Planning
Collaboratively Is So Important
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I am a strong advocate for planning
together. By planning together,
I mean bringing all stakeholders,
interest groups and experts to the
table simultaneously to share ideas
and create solutions. Collaborative
planning creates an environment
for shared learning and an opportunity
for innovative solutions. In addition,
because everyone is in the room
together - decision-makers and those
impacted by the decision alike -
the planning process and resulting
implementation is generally quicker
than in traditional planning processes.
Since collaborative planning is not the norm,
it is understandable that you may
be reluctant to engage in that methodology
especially if you have never been
privy to participating in a collaborative
planning meeting yourself. Below,
are some of the collaborative planning
sessions that I have designed and
facilitated. Reading about them
may help you think outside the box
when you're faced with your own
planning in the future. To read
on, click
here.
If you would like help in determining if
a collaborative planning session
is right for you, contact me for
a confidential assessment click
here.
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| A Special Thank You
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| As many of you know, my work is over 95%
referral based. That means that you
are my most valued resource for future
work. Thank you for being part of
the Cormier Associates network and
for sharing with information with
those who may be interested.
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