Author Archives: Dr. Bill

VIDEO: Combating COVID Fatigue-7 Energizing Strategies for You and Your Team

It’s now been months since the pandemic began. We have all entered a second phase of unknown length, most characterized by a strong sense of “COVID fatigue.” To date, Dr. Bill Dyment has delivered 220 COVID-related webinars to organizations around the world. In this short video he shares seven energizing strategies to combat the fatigue that many individuals and work teams are experiencing right now. #covid #leadership #mentalhealth

Need encouragement today? Article- In this Crisis, Look for the First Signs of Hope: Post-Traumatic Growth

“Give our organization some good news, please! Help us cope with the fears and anxiety we all feel surrounding the virus outbreak.” Beneath her thin veneer of cheeriness, my host’s anxiety was palpable. It had been a very difficult week for all of us. Like everyone else, I too was exhausted, physically and emotionally. It was my seventh webinar since Monday, and in a few short minutes we would begin another.

There was still much hope to share and I was deeply grateful for the opportunity to encourage others. It also had the effect of reminding me too that we would all get through this-together. We would begin by discussing a number of coping techniques, but I wanted to save the best idea for last–an infinitely encouraging phenomenon first discussed in the mid-1990’s by psychologists Richard Tedeschi, PhD, and Lawrence Calhoun, PhD but still unknown to many. More times than I could remember, it had helped me think differently about the grief and trauma I had experienced in my own life. And, these past two weeks, it had helped me to keep my own emotions in check while I spoke to organizations to encourage, overwhelmed, anxious virtual workers. I knew it would help them too.

What did I share? It was this hope and assurance: Nearly all of could soon look forward to an eventual, deeply satisfying recognition that, after passing through this traumatic period, we had experienced undeniable “post-traumatic growth.” I would tell my audience that we wouldn’t even have to wait for the current traumatic season to end. In fact, if we looked for it carefully, we could see the beginnings of this change already, in others, even in ourselves.

Post traumatic growth is defined as the experience we have that our development, at least in some areas, has surpassed what was present before the crisis occurred. Put even more succinctly: “It is the positive mental shift experienced as a result of adversity.” Tedeschi found that as many as 90% of survivors of various types of traumatic events reported at least one Post-Traumatic Growth benefit. In this current pandemic crisis, we too can expect this positive experience.

People who experience post-traumatic growth speak about positive psychological changescharacter development, and new perspectives in response to the adversity they have endured. Although this pandemic is far from over, like the first flowers which defiantly spring up this time of year, and may even suffer a late snow, we can already acknowledge a positive shift, here and there, within ourselves and others, despite the dark news we hear daily and the anxieties and fears that can overtake us at times.

While we can never minimize the suffering millions around the globe are and will continue to experience due to COVID-19 and its health and economic impact, what we have already been hearing, and will be hearing much more about in the days to come, are examples of post-traumatic growth.

As I have interacted with organizational teams and friends virtually over the past few days, I have heard many individuals talking about early examples of post-traumatic growth in their own lives, even as the current crisis rolls on.

On a personal level, they have described:

·     A greater appreciation of their spouse, friends, colleagues and family

·     A heightened delight in the simple pleasures of life- walking in nature as spring begins, a good cup of coffee

·     More time for prayer, mediation and reading

·     A return to adequate rest

·     Time to slow down and prepare healthy meals

·     More time for the children, family and catching up with friends

·     A return to neglected hobbies and a desire to start new ones

·     Seeing in themselves a strength they didn’t know they had

·     Reconnecting with extended family members

·     A deep interest in helping others in new, creative ways

On the work front, they have cited:

·     Satisfaction in seeing, after these early chaotic days, they are beginning to navigate remote work better than they expected

·     Extra hours in the day now that there is no need to commute

·     Joy over learning new technologies, platforms and creative ways to connect

·     A closer sense of camaraderie as a work team and as an organization

·     Gratitude that managers and leaders care about their challenges juggling childcare and setting up workspaces and have given them much latitude in doing so.

·     An explosion of creativity in connecting, for example, one organization just had their first “virtual happy hour”

My prediction: Very soon the non-stop dark news stories about the pandemic, will need to share space with new podcasts, webinars, comedians, and programming highlighting encouraging stories of hope, growth and resiliency. (Will social media and online shopping sites in 9 months not be flooded with newborn babies wearing “Corona Baby” t-shirts?) In a few weeks, everyone will be able to identify their favorite, emerging leaders whose shows, videos, art, writing or volunteer efforts bring hope to others. These stories are everywhere, they are not just widely being shared yet, and our world needs to hear them.  What’s your story of hope and resiliency? Share it!

Post-traumatic growth does not negate that a crisis moment or season has been traumatic. It does affirm that we will all be able to identify ways in which we have become better parents, friends, family, community, and team members.

To a significant degree, even in times of trauma, our emotions follow what we focus upon. Each of us will need to strike a personal balance in how much news we consume around the pandemic and what positive experiences we pursue, recognize, record and share with others. 

Want to get a jump on your own post-traumatic growth? One proven strategy is to keep a “Gratitude List.” It is easy to dismiss this idea as “touchy/feely” but the research backs it up: Those who will daily record what they are grateful for and what they are learn about themselves during this time of uncertainty, will generally fare much better in terms of their levels of anxiety, depression and stress.

Be gentle with yourself, loved ones and work teams as you navigate this crisis. Put together your own “team” of friends, colleagues and family members you can go to for personal support. Reach out for whatever help you need to deal with your fears, anxieties and needs. Then, as you work through your emotions, don’t neglect to look for post-traumatic growth and stories of kindness, hope and resiliency. You will find them everywhere.

Coming Soon: Dr. Bill’s New Release: “Executive Coaching: A Field Guide for Organizations”

Executive coaching for top organizational leadership is an exploding trend.  At the same time, there is a dearth of understanding about how the “executive coaching” process differs from “business coaching aka ‘mentoring,'” and other forms of coaching. Equally absent is clear grasp of executive coaching’s format, duration, and best practices.  Other questions organizations have include:  Who is executive coaching best suited for?  What situations are a poor fit for executive coaching? How long do executive coaching engagements last?  How much do they cost?  Are they worth the investment?  To answer these questions, Dr. Bill will soon be publishing:  “Executive Coaching: A Field Guide for Organizations.”

Have you or your organization wondered the same yourself?

Here are three sample passages:

Passage 1:

…What is Executive Coaching Exactly?

Executive coaching focuses on the leadership development needs of high-level executives and leaders.  Most are leaders within an organization, a growing number are self-referred salaried professionals.  Others work within their own businesses, as entrepreneurs or “solopreneurs.”  In many cases, the coachee (the one to be coached) is referred by his or her own boss, the CEO, or by human resources.  In other cases, the coachee reaches out to engage an executive coach privately.

Executive coaching assists the coachee in understanding his or her business strengths and weaknesses, uncovering blind spots, setting business development goals, and leading his or her own team.  By addressing the challenges of the coachee, not only is the coachee helped, his or her team and eventually the organization as a whole is improved.  Executive coaching can also address other related concerns such as personal branding, career path, obstacles to success, conflict management, accountability, communication, emotional intelligence skills and much more.  While a good executive coach has a strong background in understanding performance and positive psychology, those who are also psychologists refrain from providing therapy to those they coach.  Instead, coachees are referred for therapy if it becomes apparent that it would be helpful as well or instead of a coaching arrangement.

A good executive coach is acutely aware that for coaching to be seen as a valuable investment it must ultimately pay for itself many times over.  There needs to be a clear ROI with any coaching assignment.  While it is not difficult to measure the ROI of coaching on the leaders’ development, their team success and the wider impact on the organization, it takes skill to determine which metrics should be measured and how.   We will revisit this important “bottom line” topic in more depth below.

 

Passage 2:

…Why Companies Provide Coaching

 Hecht Harrison found the top five reasons why companies provide coaching were:

  • For leadership development—70%
  • For skill development or style differences—64%
  • To retain top talent—40%
  • As part of management succession planning—34%
  • To ensure success after promotion or with a new hire—30%7

The Manchester Review Study reported the average ROI was 5.7 times the cost of coaching.

Among the tangible benefits to the organization listed here in descending order were:

Improved productivity, organizational strength, quality, customer service, reduced complaints, own retention, cost reductions, bottom line profitability, top line revenue, reduced turnover.8

The results of a global survey of coaching clients by Price Waterhouse’s underscore the ROI of coaching can be far greater:

“…The mean ROI for companies investing in coaching was seven times that of the initial investment. A quarter of the companies in the survey reported an ROI of 10 to 49 times investment.”9

 

Passage 3

…Coaching as Part of a Systemic Organizational Intervention

Hourly coaching rates, though, tell only part of the story.  It is not uncommon for top business consultants to include executive coaching as part of their overall intervention for a department or organization.  In such cases, the overall investment is based, not on hourly rates, but on the impact and ROI to be achieved by the project.

For example, consider a hospital which employees 100 nurses.  As reported by the 2018 National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report, when the consultant’s services is requested, the annual nurse turnover rate is 30%, much higher than the national average of 18.2%.17 For each nurse that leaves it can modestly take up to $25,000 for recruiting, orientating, and training their replacement, especially when one considers inactive working hours for new nurses.  These are not the only costs involved but will serve our purposes for illustrating how coaching as part of a larger consulting project works.

If 30% of their nursing workforce leaves each year, then 30 nurses need to be replaced at a cost of $750,000. If the consultant can help the hospital address the reasons why their nurses are leaving at more than the average rate of 18.2% and a replacement cost of $455,000 instead of $750,000, the hospital would save $295,000 a year.  The consultant prices the investment of his or her intervention at a small fraction of this anticipated savings. For example, if just two fewer nurses leave the hospital each year, this small difference alone would result in a savings of $50,000 to the organization.  If the consultant can’t help the hospital achieve this very modest goal, the hospital shouldn’t definitely not hire the consultant!

 

Introducing “Leap Year, The Course: One Week to An Extraordinary Next Year”

Welcome to 2018!

Have you entered this year with hope, excitement, and motivation?

Or, is there a part of you that knows besides your enthusiasm there is some fear too?  Maybe you suspect that this year, despite all your best intentions, may turn out much like the one that just ended-beginning full of expectation but ending with a discouraging list of unrealized dreams and goals.

If so, you are not alone.

Many of us feel both excitement AND some cynicism at the start of each new year.  Some have abandoned new year’s goal planning altogether hiding behind intellectual rationalizations, for example,  “I plan all year round, etc.” Others, simply have quietly stopped setting written goals knowing, with sadness, they would be very unlikely to achieve them so why go through it all again. The truth for all is:  There is little reason to expect a different outcome this year if you do the same things you have always done. And, many of us have made the same attempts January after January and have frankly grown tired of trying so hard.

Einstein said it well:

“We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”

A better way…

The singular passion of my career has been observing, cataloging, and learning how people make significant changes and do so permanently.  In recent years, I have written books, assessments, resources, and now a course on how to do just that.  These techniques have transformed my business and personal life and they will yours too, if you implement them.

For the first year ever, I am releasing my Leap Year Course–One Week to An Extraordinary Next Year. The course was developed with the invaluable feedback of hundreds coaching, clinical  clients and thousands audience members from 2650 audiences over the past twenty years!

Clearly and earnestly, you have told me what you need to reboot your career and personal goals and this short course contains what you have asked for to make this year extraordinarily different.  It is not a difficult journey, but it does take focus and discipline to start. Each student will develop his or her own pathway but the foundational practices described in this course will “set the stage” to make your breakthrough happen.

The course is priced reasonably–just the cost of one face-to-face coaching session-and comes with a 100% money back guarantee.  Complete the workbook in its entirety and feel as if the course was not worth the cost and we will refund your money, no questions asked.

Is Permanent Change in Mid-Life Possible?  The Story of Three Clients…(Names and minor details have been changed to protect privacy.)

George

When he came to see me, George was a highly educated, late career professional who had been laid off for two years.  He was naturally sad about his career loss and, as the months had passed, feeling hopeless about his prospects. For twenty years he excelled in his field working with top corporations.  But times had changed and the digital world had rendered a number of his skills obsolete.  Fortunately, the principles he has learned about marketing, sales and customer service had not, but the delivery system for doing his work had totally evolved.  We worked together to identify what new skills he would need to acquire to be highly marketable again in the new economy. There was a very critical list of new skills he would need, but it is was not a long list.  He had a choice to make-add to his skill set and position himself as a seasoned but cutting-edge, digitally-savvy, professional or fade out into an early retirement.  He chose the latter and has just landed a huge consulting deal which has the potential for setting up for financial security for the rest of his life.  More importantly, his new way of working can be duplicated over and over again with new clients giving him all the financial resources he needs.

Mandy

Mandy was working in a hospitality industry when she first came for help.  She enjoyed her customers and was loved by her team but she knew she was capable of much more.  We identified that she enjoyed the medical field and, together, identified a quick career change path to a job within a hospital setting.  She went back to school for a few months, got her certification, and was picked up by a prestigious hospital where she is thriving.  She is now ready to go back for another certification (and raise.)  In addition, she shared that she had always had a love for making crafts but had no idea how to market and sell them online.  Together we put together a customized curriculum of free resources she could study to learn how to create an online presence to sell her crafts.  She has now sold many online products and is excited about what she can create and sell next.

Chris

Chris always knew he had “a book in him.”  He had a number of ideas and pages of digital notes, but did not know which direction to take to get his message out to the public.  He also suffered from the deadly disease all new would-be writers and entrepreneurs have–believing their book’s message is for everyone!  (Not so!) We worked together to sort through his options and to focus in on a realistic niche of potential readers:  Should he write an ebook, a course, a webinar, a self-published book, or work to find a traditional publisher?  We identified a customized course of study that Chris could use to answer these questions and, slowly, he began to build a group of interested followers while he worked on his first product. In this way, Chris was able to sidestep the two most deadly pitfalls for new writers–spending months writing a book that is too general and not developing an audience, beforehand, to sell to when you are finished. Instead, Jim’s new following would not only be future buyers of his book and other resources, but, equally important, also give him invaluable feedback along the way about what to include in his products and books.

Each of these three individual came to us knowing that they could do and be more, but knew they needed help.  They also knew that time was passing by and they could easily spend another three or four years trying to discover what they could to change their lives to get their message or craft out into the world.  Instead, they significantly shortened the time needed to thrive and had their leap year!

What about you?  Can you relate?

If so, let’s talk.

Here are three options for jump-starting your 2018:

  1. Give yourself an almost unfair advantage this year by signing up for the Leap Year (self-study) Course ($197, with a 100% money-back guarantee!)

2. Sign up for a one-hour Mastermind Session iwhat you need to start the year off quickly? (Note: These sessions can be held in our Huntington Beach offices, by phone or by video, just call or email for details.)

3; Invest in a comprehensive, five-session, Career Transition Coaching Package with five assessments.

To learn more, email us at:

drbill@drbillspeaks.com

or

Call me direct at:

949.683.4997

Best wishes for an extraordinary 2018!

Dr. Bill Dyment

 

 

 

 

Make This Year Your Leap Year: 5 Simple but Disruptive Ways to Grow Your Career

 

Welcome to the new year! Will it be any different for your career? If you do the same things as last year, we know the answer. You will experience incremental growth at best, not the quantum leap you may hope. Desire a different outcome? Here are five simple but powerfully divergent things you can do to grow your career and/or organization in the new year. Which one(s) will you implement?

1     Codify what You Observe in Your Field

Years ago, Jim Collins in Good to Great wrote about the “hedgehog principle” –the importance of being the one who not only worked hard, but looked around and made critical observations about trends, principles and dangers. His advice is still as true today as ever.

Application Example: My wife is a director at a prep school. As part of her job she reads hundreds of college admission essays each fall and winter. She observes that these letters fall into several categories ranging from being an immediate “turn-off” to “highly engaging” (and likely to get the attention of a college admissions department.) One particularly noxious essay style is what she calls the “Superman/Superwoman essay” in which students write about how “no one else would step up” to meet a social need but they did. Unfortunately, this type of essay comes across as self-serving and narcissistic. Over breakfast today, we began to explore several other essays types, good and bad, that could be codified and used as examples in student trainings, and in one-on-one student college counseling. This approach would not only help improve her department but could also be shared with a far wider audience of counseling colleagues, teachers, students and parents.

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