This year I’ve been having a lot of fun working with coaches on going a bit deeper into what they know about their clients. For several years, I’ve shared the Sweetspot Exercise of exploring what your strengths are, what your clients want and what you are great at. I first published this back in 2013 in From One to Many (download a copy of that marketing chapter here. (Use code 4411 and access the Marketing Chapter on Coaching Many).

This year I’ve been going deeper than this in the Coaching Biz Growth Lab and Learning Lab and Design Studio. We’ve turned to a number of tools from the Design Thinking Toolbox, including empathy maps, as well as thinking about how focus groups can help to broaden your understanding of what your clients want.

Having led focus groups in most of my roles over the last 3 decades – whether it was with government officials, community groups, leaders, HR teams, or executive committees – there can be a great cross section of generic questions you may want to tap into including questions along the lines of:

1. What’s important for you?
2. As you consider your industry/role/focus, what are the current trends?
3. What are the current opportunities you see in your role/focus/industry?
4. What do you see as some of the challenges in your role/focus/industry?
5. What do you need in order to do your best work (or thrive/excel etc)?
6. What supports are of greatest benefit to you – (explore things like on-demand vs. live, coaching vs learning)
7. How much time do you have to dedicate to learning?
8. What’s the most important goal you have for the next year

What else is important to explore within the time you have?

Enjoy the conversations!
​Jennifer

Aligned with this month’s theme of collaboration, I wanted to zoom into some practical tips for your next collaboration.

As I mentioned in last week’s post around the different ways we collaborate and partner, it’s likely that collaboration is a central theme for many coaches in their work, whether they are co-designing programs, partnering with their clients or supporting teams in boosting their collaboration.

In fact, collaboration in and of itself may be an earlier step in the process of building more resilient and adaptive organizations. Take a look at this article on the 2016 book – Beyond Teams: Building the Collaborative Organization. 

With many team coaches working with teams in a systems perspective, this is likely an important read.

As we step back to the collaborative relationships we are fostering, what is the intent you want to create? What are you looking to co-create together. As I have written before, many collaborative partnerships don’t just happen. They are planned.

As coaches we are great at using questions to co-create and guide us through the varying stages of relationships. With this in mind, I share several questions to explore at the different stages of a partnership or collaboration including:

Before you begin:

• What’s important about collaborating with this task or project?
• What value-add is there by collaborating?
• What are you bringing to the partnership?
• What are the skills and qualities you are looking for, from a partner?
• What are you hoping to have happen?

As you meet with your partner:

• What ‘s possible for you as you collaborate?
• What do you each bring to the partnership?
• What’s important for the two of you to explore together as you get started?
• What are the goals and roles of this partnership?
• What is your shared vision?
• Practically, and tactically, how will you work together?

As you roll out the work, be sure to build in time together as a checkpoint along the way:

• What’s working? What’s not working?
• What are you creating with each other?
• What do your clients value?
• What’s important to tweak and adjust?
• How is what you are doing, modelling collaboration for them?

These are by no means comprehensive, but will likely get the conversation flowing!
As we go to wrap up the month, what’s important to note about collaboration?

Enjoy!
​Jennifer
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Jennifer Britton - GroupCoachingEssentials | Potentials Realized 
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join us for an upcoming ICF-CCE approved program including Group Coaching Essentials (8.75 CCEs), Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs), the one day Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (8.5 CCES) or the PlanDoTrack Facilitator Training (24 CCEs). 
Author of Effective Group Coaching (2010), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Check out my author page on Amazon for all publications.
Email: [email protected]

Earlier this week I held my annual year-end planning hack, a 45-minute series of reflective prompts to quickly zoom into your vision for next year. While a 45-minute working session may not be the full amount of time you may dedicate to vision work, it often is enough to create a high-level overview, from which annual, quarterly and monthly plans can flow.

If you have a copy of either of my workbook planners, Coaching Business Builder, or PlanDoTrack, check out the Vision Questions which are found in both Sections 2 and 5. (Note there’s lots of repetition between the different sections to help you keep unlayering your vision and insights).

Several years ago, I also recorded a short 15-minute annual vision audio as part of the Inner Biz Leader Virtual Business Planning Retreat. Even though it is a few years old now, I wanted to share it with you here. Please grab a pen and listen in...noting what you want to create in your work 3-5 years from now. It will take you 10-15 minutes to listen to.

Grab a pen and listen in here:

​Want something shorter? Check out this 2 minute vision video here at my YouTube channel. 

​Questions you may want to consider are:

• As you step into 2020, what’s important to start a new chapter around?
• By the end of 2020, what do you want to have accomplished?
• What are the things you want to be known for?
• What are the relationships you want to invest in?
• What do you want people to reach out to you for?

All the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Coaching Business Builder | Group Coaching Essentials
Supporting coaches to grow their business and skills in the areas of group coaching
If you want more like this post, join us at the CoachingBizGrowthLab in 2020 OR participate in the Inner Biz Leader Virtual Retreat.
Contact Jennifer to set up a call to see how her 1-1 coaching or group coaching support can help you move towards your 2020 goals.
Phone: (416)996-8326

One of the biggest fallacies I see in the world of coaches, and other solopreneurs, is over-learning rather than executing. Many solopreneurs believe that they don't have enough skills and need to learn more. While there is a compelling case for ongoing learning, in the world of the solopreneur, execution and getting into action is key. We may never know enough by learning alone. It's through the actions we take that we either have our learning reinforced or find out exactly what we need to learn.
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In a solopreneurial business, lack of execution may lead to business failure. The quest for learning may appear that we are doing when we are simply learning.

Today's post gets you to consider these questions:

1. What have you learned this year?
2. What have you done with the action plans you created out of those learning processes?
3. What's still left on your action plan list to execute?
4. What skills does the business need that could be outsourced or delegated to a new staff member? (think graphic design, financial)
5. Where is your learning ENOUGH?
6. Where do you need more?
7. What ACTION is needed to move the business forward?

​Enjoy your reflection and ACTION!
Jennifer

One of my favorite activities over the last few years has been to create a summer project list of small, and larger tasks, to complete in what some find to be a quieter time. There always are lots of project possibilities in the summer months. Have you considered:

• Updating your website
• Incorporating a new system
• Catching up on the reading you have piled around your office (or bed)
• Taking time to plan for a new program
• Writing some blog posts (and getting ahead of the curve)
• Creating a content calendar for your business
• Writing your newsletters for the next few months
• Starting a new series on Instagram

Some useful questions to consider as you go to decide what projects you want to put attention around:

• What have your clients been asking for?
• What are your key goals this year?
• What new activities would support your action and achievement of these?
• What projects would you like to move off of your “TO DO” List?
• What milestones would you create for yourself so that this is completed before the end of the month, or the end of the summer?
• What resources do you need in order to be successful with this?

For some more inspiration around this topic, listen into this 20 minute video I did last year on 2018 project ideas – check it out on my YouTube channel.

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

In today’s VUCA world, disruption is more the norm that the exception.  This often means that what worked last time, will not work this time. Experimentation can therefore become a useful philosophy and habit. With the rapid pace of change, new industries, new jobs and new approaches are springing up on a regular basis. What have you tried lately? Are all your old approaches working as they used to?

How to practice it:
On a regular basis (i.e. each quarter), consider what would be useful to learn and/or experiment with (tools, processes, practices, skills etc).

An experiment could involve trying something new out, tweaking an approach you have been using for a while (i.e. instead of doing a Facebook Live in the morning, what about trying it in the evening?).

Why it can be valuable:
There are many applications for experimentation in business. It can help us get into a pattern of trial and error, helping with diversification. Given that things are changing so quickly it may mean that we are better positioned for new, and unseen, options.
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A and B testing, where you pilot two approaches at once, has become a popular approach for many marketing initiatives, to see which one gets more engagement and traction.

Questions to consider:

• What do you want to experiment with?
• What is needed?
• Where could experimentation benefit your work?

Resources:
Carol Dweck: Growth Mindset (check out her concept of Not Yet)

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

Welcome back. Last week you did some research around what possible giveaways you could offer to your clients. It might be a video, podcast series, mini – e course, article, or even a checklist.

What are those things you wish you had?

This week, in part 2 of the series, you are invited to map out your giveaway, and start drafting it. What are the major elements of this project?

Consider these questions –

• What is the purpose of this item?
• What are the 3 main points?
• What question does it answer or solution does it offer for the client?
• What are the elements of the item?
• What other resources can the product direct the client to?
• What is your call to action?
• What are the discrete steps you need to complete in order to complete this project?

Once you have a good idea of what it can look like, spend some time drafting it out.

Be ready for a next step next week!

Best,
​Jennifer

It’s officially the end of Q1 of the year, and yet another reason to pause and take stock of your successes from the last quarter and some planning for the month ahead.
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Looking backwards to the last quarter:

• What successes did you have over the last quarter?
• ​What major accomplishments did you have?
• ​What were key lessons learned?
• ​What habits or practices helped you?

• What role did planning play?
• What forms/templates and practices supported your focus and planning?
• What got in the way?
• What do you want to make sure you don't carry forward into this season?

Now turning to the next quarter’s planning:

• What are your goals for April, May and June?

• ​Narrowing it down, what are your top 3- 5 priorities? (Think - by June 21st I hope to have achieved)
• What time are you earmarking for planning?
• What time is earmarked for projects?
• What new habits and practices do you want to put into place?
• What relationships do you want to put more focus around?
• ​What is one thing you could do on a daily basis each day of spring to move your goals forward?
• What relationships do you want to put attention around?
• ​What do you need to, and want to take action on?
• What needs clearing up?
• What else is significant for you this quarter?

Finally...
​What pauses and renewal periods do you want to build in? Grab a calendar and schedule that now.

​What else will help you remain at your peak?
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Enjoy your reflection and be sure to update your Monthly Tracking Forms in the Coaching Business Builder/PlanDoTrack.

You will also want to fill out some new Quarterly To-Dos and do a weekly breakdown (check out pages 140 and 141 of the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner and Coaching Business Builder).

Enjoy the planning and celebrations!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author multiple books including the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010)
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Looking to grow your coaching business this year? Check out the Coaching BizGrowth Lab. We meet the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month for 1 hour group coaching conversations. Focus this month is on collaboration and building community. In addition to the group calls you have access to a growing resource library of monthly articles, templates and recordings. Join us this quarter or for the rest of the year!

Building a business can be all-consuming. While it may be important to “push it” at several times of the year, building a business sustainably also means building in blocks to renew, and setting boundaries in terms of when you are available and when you may not be. In this post, we’ll explore three areas you might want to consider in tightening up your boundaries in business.

Boundaries in business can involve:

Learning how to delegate. Consider the tasks that could be passed on to others. This might include posting your articles on social media, designing graphics for your work, laying out brochures or other.

• Putting it into practice: Look at all your tasks for the next few months and consider what could be delegated. Consider the tasks that are taking a lot of time for you right now, but don’t really require your involvement. Make a list, put some time frames around it, and think about what instructions you would give so someone else could complete this.

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Time at work – As a business owner the work will always be there. It’s important to remember that productivity does not always equal amount of time worked. Many of you took advantage of the Heart of Coaching Giveaway item I shared this year which was the 19 Productivity and Business Development Tips. I’ve now made this into a video-based program which also includes a series of bi-weekly live calls. You can join us here.

Becoming more discerning. Check out the blog post I included over at the PlanDoTrack blog a short while ago on discernment. You can search out the PlanDoTrack blog posts here.
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Questions to help you with discernment:

• What is really important to the business right now?
• What are the activities that are having the impact I want?
• What are the things my clients are asking for?
• What support am I able to offer in a high-impact way?
• What tasks could be systematized or automated? Think about things which are taking time and are done repetitively.
• What are the items which are taking away focus on the main parts of the business, and revenue generation?
• What do I need to say NO to and either Defer, Delete or Delegate?
• What do I need to say more YES to – and focus even more on!

Best,
​Jennifer

Last week’s post kicked off our focus this month (February) on relationships.

This week I’d like you to think about WHO is in your web of relationships. As solopreneurs, it’s very easy to think we are “solo”, or alone, when in fact, throughout the day we may be interfacing with a wide variety of others.
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For this week’s activity, consider these questions:

• What are the activities and tasks where you are in relationship with others?
• What are the new relationships you want to foster?

One of the activities I include in the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner is having you create your Top 20 list. Who do you have in your network right now?
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Once you capture people you have in your network, then ask:
Who else would you like to add to your network?
Consider:

• influencers,
• connectors (people who can connect you to others),
• associations you might join to grow your knowledge base, or to contribute to.

My second book was entitled “From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching”. This also means expanding the conversation to more. What are the hubs which can help you connect with, and be in dialogue with, more people at any given time?
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Enjoy your relationship mapping work!
Jennifer
PS – A reminder that this month’s 30 days focus in the 1BizStepaDay series is around Relationships. Download a copy of the 1BizStepaDay series here. What are the daily actions you are taking to build  your relationships during this month of February?