Most coaches, solopreneurs, and business owners are going to be involved in a variety of projects during the coming year. What can make it challenging is the fact that you might be working alone on a project, moving it ahead in small increments OR working with an entire virtual team.

Many of the same principles apply from program design (a focus here this past fal) to project planning, and we’re going to widen our focus a bit. From Lean, to Agile, to Six Sigma, larger and smaller organizations of all kinds have been iterating the way they work.
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As coaches we may be involved in projects big and small – from creating a new digital product, to organizing a series of workshop. Honing our skills in project planning and project management is very important.
 As you step into your quarterly projects consider asking, reflecting and fostering discussion around these questions related to project planning:

10 Questions to ask:

1. What is the end result we are looking for?
2. What is important?
3. What are the non-negotiables?
4. What resources are going to help us get there?
5. What are the triple constraints? What are the timelines, the resources, and budget we have to operate within?
6. What milestones are we aiming towards? How clear is everyone in terms of what success will look like around these?
7. What could pull us off course?
8. What will help us stay focused?
9. What communication and feedback loops have we put into place?
10. What’s going to support that effort?

 
What other questions would you ask around the current projects you are working on?

Let us know what projects you have on the docket by sharing in the comments!
 
Best wishes,
Jennifer
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Hello October! It's the start of a new month and a new quarter. With this new month comes the start of the 4th quarter  of the year. Have you taken a few minutes today to reflect and capture your goals for the month and the quarter?

This week's blog post includes questions for you to consider as you step into October, Q 4 and the fall/spring:

What are your top 3- 5 goals this month? This quarter?
What will "wild success" look like at the end of the month? The year?
What's the ONE THING you really want to accomplish this month?
What are the key metrics you want to track (note: be sure to use the Monthly Daily Tracker AND/OR the One Line a Day in the Coaching Business Builder)
What's going to help you be successful?
What daily steps will create the momentum you are looking for?
As you consider the end of the year, what is important to put a focus on?
Who will be able to support you around your goals?
What key learning from Q 3, and September, can you carry into Q 4 and October?
What's the one thing you need to say NO to in order to focus?

On Friday I hosted my monthly "Month End Reflection and Monthly Planning Session". This is a one-hour program I run each month (usually the  last Friday of the month). It's geared to provide you with time and a structured live process to reflect on, and capture. your achievements and learning for the month, while also leaving space to set your goals for the next month.
I'll be hosting 2 of these reviews in October. I hope you can join me.

Mark the October month end sessions now - Friday October 26th from 3 - 4 pm ET OR  Wednesday October 31st from 8-9 am ET. Cost: $39 US.  Reserve your spot here.

Another project which is underway that you might enjoy following along this fall is the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series of daily questions I am posting on Instagram at the CoachingBizBuilder page. Every day until the end of fall I will be offering a different prompt. We're just at day 10 today, so grab a pen and your journal, and join us! 

As we step into shorter days of October in the Northern hemisphere, but also brilliant fall colors, I hope that you will enjoy the month!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPCC
Email
Phone: 416-996-8326
Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching
Interested in more on this topic? Join me for one of the complimentary Virtual Book Club Calls to go inside the book! Next call is scheduled for this morning - Monday October 1st - 11 - 11:30 am ET - 9 Promotional Vehicles for Your Coaching Business. . Download the upcoming book club call list here.

If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. Our October focus will be on Accelerators and Beliefs and Relationships and Networks, in your business. Come and have a focused Friday afternoon with a great group of coaches! More information and registration here.

As busines owners there can be a lot of shiny "red objects" that show up, that seem to be important but really become a bit of a distraction.
We are less than 100 days to the end of the year - 96 to be exact as of today - which is long enough to make some really significant progress on some of the 2018 goals you may not have yet checked off your list.

What's the most important goal you want to make sure you have achieved by the end of the year? 

If you haven't pulled out your vision and annual plan for a while, here's an encouragement to do so - what's still left on the list?

Last Thursday I posted for the first time, in a long time, over at the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog (one of my original blogs focusing on group and team coaching issues). In it I shared a dozen questions to consider as you step into fall (or spring if you are in the Southern Hemisphere). Read that post here.

That post also inspired me to start a new series over at the CoachingBizBuilder Instagram feed (check it out and follow if you are on Instagram) which I am terming #90DaysPlanDoTrack. Each day for the fall I'll be posting a new photo and question to get you into some daily action and momentum around your business. I hope that you will join in with the momentum! 

The notion of PLAN.DO.TRACK frames the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and planner, and really stemmed out of the years of coaching work I did through the 90 Day BizSuccess program, starting back in 2006.  This program is one that I now license to other coaches and do not run myself. 

As many of your know earlier this year I launched the Coaching Biz Growth LAb(TM) program which is a rolling enrollment open group coaching program for coaches looking to build their business. We've had a ton of fun exploring topics like Business Habits and Mindsets, Instagram hacks, Coaching Business Systems, and your internal Business Ecosystem. This summer we did the first of several 31 day challenges planned - that one around Instagram. More coming this fall, along with some afternoon Get It Done sessions where we come together for some virtual co-working and encouragement to get things done and off our list. A new month is just about to begin -- will you join us at the CGBL for the rest of the year? (Note a special 3 hour monthly payment rate).

Accountability can support enhanced business results, so what are you doing to build in regular community practices for support and encouragement.

​Whatever your goal is for focus for the next 96 days of the year, I hope that you will reflect regularly on some of these questions:
1. What's important about achieving or completing this goal? (Coaching Note: As we know as coaches, it can be  useful to reconnect with the 30,000 foot view and WHY of  the issues that are important. As you step back - or step up - to look at this, what new energy and ideas are generated)?
2. What is the quickest way to achieve it? What's another way? And another way? (Coaching note: as we often see, generating alternative solutions can be invaluable and spur us on to more complete solutions)
3. What shiny, red objects have shown up, which are causing a distraction?
4. What's most important to you in your business right now?
5. Who can provide the support and resources you need to be successful?
6. What do you need to say NO TO in order to focus on your goal?
7. When did you last pause to take stock (and TRACK) where things were at?
8. What's going to create some momentum for you?
9. What are  you doing to note, and celebrate milestones (and learning) along the way?
I hope that you find these questions useful. I am incorporating them in a new series of virtual business planning retreats I am hosting this fall called the Plan.Do.Track Virtual Retreats. These 4 hour retreats consist of a mini-booster shot and space around planning, getting things done and tracking. Dates are posted here - I hope that you'll join me for an upcoming session!

Best
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 416-996-8326
Coach and Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching
Follow along on Instagram 
Connect over at the EffectiveGroupCoaching Facebook page

If you are interested in growing your coaching business this fall, join me and the group for the Coaching Biz Growth Lab, a coaching group for coaches. We meet the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month from 3 - 4 pm ET, providing you the space to focus and accelerate your business actions. More information and registration here.