Trimming the Fat of Your Lifestyle, Not Just Your Diet | The Solution to a LOT of Unnecessary Business Angst

I loved this article from Thomas when I first read it, nearly 10 years ago. It’s every bit as relevant now as it was then, and though it’s longer than most of Thomas’ works, well worth it to slow down and absorb.

I can personally attest to Thomas living at least half of these points.  It was interesting, to say the least, to watch how his personal expenses grew, and didn’t grow, as the business leapt and flew, from six figures to seven and onward.

I’ll be curious to hear what you think.

1. Understand that there is difference between living life and having a lifestyle.

There’s an ad for a financial services firm that goes like this: “Are you working for a living or are you working for a life?” I’ll change it a bit to read: “Are you working for a lifestyle or are you living your life?” Life and lifestyle are both synonymous and mutually exclusive, depending on how you look at this. The key question to ask yourself is “How much of my life is being consumed by my lifestyle?”

2. Start learning about different ways of living.

I am shocked sometimes by how few options people feel that they have, or how they’ve rarely considered how they might life their life differently. So, look around and notice who has a life (or even a lifestyle!) that you find intriguing. Then, have lunch with this person and ask them lots of questions about how they live, what’s important to them, how have they changed their life or lifestyle significantly and what other changes they may want to make.

3. Identify what about your life isn’t really you at all.

We’re all products of our culture and our environment, peer pressure and group norms, of advertising and the desire to get ahead, and so forth. Few of us really examine who we are; it’s often easier to live a role or have the right car. It’s safe to say that most people haven’t really chosen their lives; they’ve only chosen their lifestyle — or perhaps, a lifestyle has chosen them. Break the cycle by working with a coach who can help you identify what about yourself and about life is most fundamentally most important to you.

4. Identify what is natural for you, even if not normal for others.

Of the 200+ countries in our world, Americans are thought to be the most individualist of all cultures. We tend to do what we want and to heck with what others think. (Well, compared to your average Brit, anyway.) The trend of ‘doing your own thing’ continues and it’s accelerating. At one point, let’s say in the 60′s, doing your own thing was as much as doing the opposite of convention as it was doing something of your own design. But we have gotten better and better at this skill set and the entrepreneur movement in America is one piece of evidence. Today, we have the tools and the technology to afford to do our own thing professionally. Creativity and freedom are held in high regard and normalcy is often scoffed at. You now do have the societal and cultural freedom (even more than you may realize) to discover and orient around what is natural for you, because normal isn’t natural for many. Now, just give yourself this freedom.

5. Lifestyles are expensive to support and prevent you from evolving.

If you’re living paycheck to paycheck and supporting your lifestyle more than saving money, your lifestyle is too expensive. You’re trapped in it; you must keep working in the job you have, in order to afford your lifestyle. I’m not knocking lifestyle. I’m just pointing out that as long as you feel the pull to fund a lifestyle and you can’t afford to stop working, your rate of development/evolution will be much slower than it could be. Rapid personal development occurs when you have the time, space and reserves to afford to experiment with new ways of thinking, working and living. If you’re living wonderfully, yet close to the edge, you can’t really afford to progress in some very important ways, and you probably won’t be attractive. A lifestyle is generally seductive; a person is attractive. Take your pick. (Note: If you have plenty of reserves, enjoy your lifestyle completely! But if not, simplify.)

6. Identify who gives you life, and who are merely players in your lifestyle.

One’s lifestyle has a theatrical element to it. Everything from valet parkers to tailors, housekeepers to architects, and Starbucks to Lutece. Again, I’m not knocking wonderfully rich lifestyles at all! I’m just suggesting that you identify who it is who adds joy and energy to your life vs who merely supports, entertains or assists you.

7. Downsize, rightsize or even toss out your current lifestyle, just for the shock of it.

Most of my clients refuse to downsize their lifestyle until they experience a crisis of money, divorce or health problems. Oh well. I’ve given up pestering them, but I am also not surprised when I see them struggling to become more attractive. They can’t figure out why it’s not working as easily as advertised. The primary reason? They are unwilling to give up some of the trappings they have. To them, downsizing their lifestyle means to go the Caribbean instead of to Australia, business class instead of first class, an Infiniti instead of a Lexus. Again, I’m not knocking luxury; I live luxuriously. But my lifestyle is optional (meaning it’s fun, it’s not my identity) and it’s something that I’d immediately downscale at any sign of financial concern. I don’t suggest that my clients become monks and go ascetic; but if their lifestyle is constricting their ability to be themselves, they’ve got a problem.

8. Spend an hour and write down what an ideal life for you would look like.

Have you ever written down the people, objects, work, feelings and home which would comprise your ideal life? Why not put on some tea or coffee right now, sit in a comfy place and start writing it out?

9. Get to know what your values are.

Values are those things in life which we find ourselves naturally drawn to and even desire to express. Beauty, Peace, Creativity, Discovery and Harmony are examples of values.

10. Stop striving, acquiring, pushing yourself.

If you ‘gave up’ right now (meaning checking out of the rat race/lifestyle race), how would your life be better? How would it be different? What’s the worst that could happen? What would you lose that’s not replaceable? How would you change as a person? How would you spend your time? What path might you start down that’s very different from the one you’re on now? What goals would you let go? How would you motivate yourself? Would you even need to? These are the questions worth asking.

copyright 2002-2010 by coachville.com and bestofthomas.com

Please leave your comments, additions, other witticisms about this article below.

Struggling means your needs aren’t getting met | #ThomasLeonard quote

The Thomas Leonard Page-A-Day Quotations Calendar is getting thinner and thinner as we approach year-end.

I’ve saved a few quotes, and this one will get tucked into a card for a client.

Interested in a calendar for next year? Would you want new quotes or just mixed up differently? (It’s a time consuming one to produce.) Please let me know by commenting.

2009 calendars are still available, inexpensively, if only for the quotes, not the calendarness.

More Thomas Leonard quotes, readily tweetable, are gathered up here.

Highlights from Best of Thomas Leonard – Designing Environments & Coaching Critiques

Designing Environments: The 7 Environments of You Mini-Poster

Click here for a full-size version of the mini-poster,
printable in full color for your personal use.

The above mini-poster of the 7 Environments of You is excerpted from Thomas Leonard’s intellectual property, specially personal evolution.

To learn more about this poster, how to use it with your clients or yourself, visit here.

Mini-Excerpt From the soon-to-be-released Thomas Leonard’s 21 Coaching Critiques | Master The Craft of Coaching Minute by Minute

“One of the ways to build up that muscle is a tricky one; it’s to decide what you want for that client – it’s different than laying an agenda on your client or pushing your point of view.

For most of my clients, there’s something I really want for them, whatever it’s going to be – peace, clarity, happiness, or success – and they may want it or not want it or not even be ready for it. It doesn’t matter really, but it’s kind of orientation and that guides me not to get diverted. It’s something better to do than just respond or react. There’s something you believe you want for her that she may never get or not get for the next couple of years – is there something that comes to mind?”

– Thomas Leonard

The 21 CD set of Coaching Critiques facilitated by Thomas Leonard, including full transcripts is being prepared for shipping to the members of the Thomas Leonard Success Strategies Program this week. 100 copies of this first-edition set will be released for sale to the public very soon. To express early interest in order to be notified first when the copies are ready, send an email to andrea@mythoughtpartners.com with ‘critiques’ in the subject line. We look forward to your interest and feedback on this collection.

Thomas Leonard’s Full Practice for Coaches

After 6 years and 700 pages including 25+ pages of index alone…
Thomas Leonard’s Full Practice For Coaches | 100 Time-Tested Lessons From Coaching’s Founding Father

It’s Ready To Ship To You!

News that I’m now license holder of Thomas Leonard’s intellectual property has travelled fast, and I admit to two divergent feelings:

1. Elation – that the massive productizing effort is finally underway. And…
2. Fear – that my vision of extended, expanded reach into multiple niche markets will fall on its face.

So it’s with the powerful combination of joy and relief that I announce the first print title produced in Thomas Leonard’s name since his death 6 years ago. Pictured here in its 2-paperback-volume, 2-CD glory:

Initial feedback from members of the Thomas Leonard Success
Strategies program (to whom all 6 print projects ship automatically) has been swift and kind:

“Thank you for
doing justice to Thomas’ work.”

“The material is
EVEN MORE professional than when Thomas delivered it.”

 ”I can now
actually USE and apply the lessons – I can’t wait!”

 ”Great quality,
great value pricing, great, great job!”

And volumes have now landed in Japan, Qatar, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Australia, the UK, and of course, Canada and the US. It is indeed a time for happy-dancing in these parts.

An Invitation To Save $20 Today…

In celebration of today, June 2, the 8th anniversary of the day Thomas founded CoachVille.com, I invite you to visit the information page for this posthumous collection, and if you so desire, utilize the ‘CoachVille Member Birthday link’ to save $20. 

You’ll find full Table of Contents for all 100 lessons viewable there, or, click here to read a full sample lesson. Probably one of the most compelling reasons to invest the surprisingly low dollar amount is that these 100 lessons have been put through the test of time. They aren’t faddy. They just work.

And through the lens of Thomas’ writing, I think you’ll find they juice you for whatever practice-building goals you’ve set yourself.

Plus, the volumes are fully indexed! I know, a miracle.

Enjoy. To get more details and see for yourself! Go to http://www.bestofthomas.com/fullpractice

From wimpy to edgy

How to Strengthen Your Reputation as a Coach

A prolific and profound article from Thomas Leonard – it brought the most ‘AHA’ responses from readers of Today’s Coach when it was originally shared a number of years ago. I’m still learning from what he wrote and how he wrote it.

Every week, we receive requests for coaching services that we forward to the coaches listed in the CoachVille Referral Service.

The most common requests are for “strong” coaches.

And not just experienced or skilled coaches, but coaches with either a strong personality or what I call having “the Edge.”

And, I’ve never met a very successful coach who didn’t/doesn’t have this Edge.

And as you develop this Edge, you will begin to attract more clients and keep the clients you have, longer. For whatever reason, the Edge works. And the marketplace will either dub you a ‘nice person/nice coach’ or a coach who can make something happen, because they have the Edge.

What, exactly, is the Edge?

The Edge is several things…

1. The Edge is a no-nonsense component in the tone of your voice.

In other words, you have something more important to do than coddle your clients. Or be bored by their lack of commitment. Or impatient with their success cycle. You’ve gotten to a certain place in your life, not just in your coaching, where you’re just not that interested in the excuses, stories and wavering that clients tend to come with.

This is not to say that you’re rude, pushy, obnoxious or insensitive to the realities that your clients are facing, especially as they make significant changes in their lives. In fact, most of the coaches with the Edge are fairly quiet in tone, but there is this underlying note that the client hears which the client responds to and respects. The benefit of having the Edge is that clients don’t play games or do a number on you.

I think it’s really important to realize that many clients are experiencing more than a twinge of fear around the goals they’ve set for themselves with your help. And, being human, when we’re scared, we’ll look for a way out, even to the point of distracting our coach or changing goals or being flaky. But when the coach has the Edge, the client just doesn’t go there. Which saves everyone a lot of time.

2. The Edge means having a very sensitive b.s. detector.

I am NOT one to call the client on their b.s. It’s my view that that approach is a power trip and not professional. However, I can/do detect inconsistencies in what the client is saying (and/or how they are saying it) and I do point those out, gently, simply, easily, fearlessly and in what’s called a ‘charge neutral’ tone, meaning there’s no ‘charge’ to my voice. It’s a clean communication. And it’s part of what the client is paying me for.

Because most clients don’t even know when they are b.s.’ing and they APPRECIATE your asking for a clarification. As a coach gains experience, they hear the subtle inconsistencies or things that just don’t ring true. And, the coach who has the Edge brings this up within sixty seconds of hearing it. Not as a confrontational challenge (unsophisticated, unseemly, amateurish) but rather as a simple, shared observation or question. Just doing this will advance the relationship you have with your client, which leads to more honest communication and faster results.

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Your Input Sought, Please – Electronic Greeting Cards with a Coaching Approach

Under the Circumstances, Notice What Gives Your Pleasure, Seek What Generates Energy

“What do you know, a completed CoachVille project.” — Thomas Leonard, on coachcards.com

Coachcards.com is no longer a live site, but you can still find the original if you use the Way-back machine. [Click and enter www.coachcards.com once there.]

This was a simple site (my how times have changed!) and rather popular among practicing coaches who sent these cards to clients for encouragement, in between sessions, as part of a retention strategy and, even, to generate client leads.

And the cards themselves were such a delight; each was created by Thomas Leonard on his Sony Vaio.  He picked the photo himself and added the words afterward.

They were energizing to look at and send, even to oneself!

As part of a bigger project to bring good old things back into use, I am preparing to put these cards back into circulation.  Of course, stopping there would be no fun, so a set of brand new cards featuring words of wisdom a coach might use with clients, is being added.
 

 There will be a special subset of cards containing bon mots from Thomas Leonard.

Since this is to be a 100% no-fee service, every time I tell someone, they get very excited and energized. “They used to use the old coachcards.com site, they loved it and miss it, and could I make a card that also said”…you get the picture.

Well, I’ve put it off for long enough and am ready to take official requests for cards to add to the collection.  To submit your card request, do 3 simple things:

1. Comment here below to submit your request.

2. Submit 2 to 10 of your favorite coaching-approach phrases, sayings or quotes (with attribution, where needed) for optional inclusion on the card itself. (Please try to be accurate – these will be fact-checked but your accuracy saves us work hours/money.) 

There is only one technical criteria and that is shorter is better, for the format of these cards.

3. Make sure you include your name and email address with your submission as we will want to be in touch if your card makes the final cut.

Yes, you can submit your fondest Thomas-isms, and you can submit more than once, but please think your submissions through… 

It is much easier on us to administer a single submission containing multiple items than 10 separate submissions containing one.

Credit and/or copyright for each new card created will not be given specifically to you on the card, as this would constitute advertising for you and the card would probably remain unused by others.

However there will be a place for your name on a thank you page acknowledging your contribution at the new card website.  Please submit for the joy of possibly having your card idea come into being and used by the community, and for fun, but not for credit.
 

Your help is much appreciated!  Stay tuned for the launch of this service later in October…

To submit your desired new coaching-approach card, or to otherwise comment just do so below.

Which One Is YOUR Killer Idea?

**TIMELY** Ideas, Ideas, Everywhere!

A Single Great Idea Can Earn You Literally Tens or Even Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars … But How Do You Figure Out Which Idea That Is?

Alas and alack, fall is soon approaching us here in the North American continent, and with it comes planning time for what we the conscious business owner will do next. If you’ve been resting and percolating some over the summer, DOUBTLESS you have a plethora of ideas now floating in your mindsphere.

If you’re anything at all like Thomas Leonard, you may resonate with his poignant statement:

“Ideas find me with such velocity that I am rendered helpless.”

The ‘Discover and Create Your Killer Idea’ program is just the thing for this type of creative genius. Before embarking on the investment of time, effort and heart, take advantage of this chance to work with Janet Goldstein, a high-level publishing and strategy consultant who has held positions as an editorial executive at, count them, THREE of the largest US publishers, and Suzanne Falter Barns, author of two bestselling self-help books and the mastermind behind dozens of successful other projects through her clients.

Both of these dynamic women have a track record of helping develop hits, as you’ll see when you visit the site here: http://www.getknownnow.com/killeridea.html

For more audio delight as you consider if this may be for you, here is a 50 minute recording of Janet and Suzanne.

If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve already personally paid to spend extended time with Janet, and am lucky enough to call Suzanne a friend, you can bet I’d be on this class, so I hope you take advantage.

***TIMELY*** The program begins soon, so take just a moment to visit now if you are pulled – note that there are two affordable options to join at the bottom. Just head for the big burgundy buttons:
http://www.getknownnow.com/killeridea.html

A Little Something About Thomas Leonard | MemeTag Experiment – Wanna Play?

Did you know Thomas Leonard? Perhaps not personally, but from communicating with him online? Or maybe you met him face-to-face once or twice, volunteered on a project of his, took a class, read a book or even worked directly with him?

It’s four years ago today when he passed away so suddenly, and as the years go by, I remember the little things most. That’s new to me because I’m at the age when not many people around me have passed on just yet. But I hear that’s how it goes.

Every once in a while I think “I really ought to share that “little something about Thomas” but then I think it’s probably just silly. Then again, every once in a while I think of something I wish I could ‘ask that person’ about Thomas –specific things.

So let’s consider this an experiment, a perfect one for the blogosphere so to speak. I’d like to base it on the thought that there are a lot of ‘little somethings’ we each know, or think, or feel about Thomas, that we may not have a place or occasion to share. But that together, they form a picture that would be worth telling, or preserving, and several thousands of people at least, would be interested in referring back to, from time to time.

So in the spirit of weaving a web of interconnected stories, factoids, interesting anectdotes, insights or just comments, I’ll start by posting a few of these ‘little somethings’ along with a few ‘specific questions’ for people, below.

As you read this, you’re welcome to consider yourself part of the experiment and contribute (or not) accordingly. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

(1) Do you have an untold story about Thomas, that may have happened to just you or in a larger group setting? Share as much or little detail as you like. Funny, profound, silly, significant – you get to pick the flavour, and post the photos too, if you’d like.

(2) How about a thought you have about Thomas and who he was, from your perspective. Again this need not be heavy, but just fine if it is. And no need to paint the man in white either – we know he was idiosyncratic and the quirky stories often are the most illustrative.

(3) What about a fact about Thomas that you think isn’t widely known, or bears repeating? (Remember there will likely be new coaches reading through who didn’t know him, which is part of the reason for this experiment – each one of us might find it hard to give a ‘snapshot’ of who Thomas was, but together these ‘little somethings’ form a composite.)

(4) Do you have a piece of unfinished business related to Thomas? This might be a great spot to tidy it up in public…

(5) And finally, maybe you have a question about Thomas. This could be a general question for noone in particular, or it could be specific. In the latter case, name the person directly and link to their website if you can. In a lot of cases I think certain people could ask really terrific questions about certain things Thomas did – questions that would illuminate topics we’d all love to hear, but don’t know to ask. And then of course, once the question is asked, I think some neat answers will follow.

That’s it for suggestions on generating some ‘little somethings.’

Logistically, let’s lay out a few ground rules. Post your choice of the above to (1) your own blog or website (2) the comments at the bottom of this post (3) both of the above or (4) somewhere else (that I haven’t thought of here) is fine too.

The only rules are simple:

- keep it civil
- tell the truth, even if no one will know if that ‘really happened or not;’ this isn’t an excuse to fabricate or sugarcoat
- at the bottom of your contribution, include the memetag “This is a contribution to ‘A Little Something about Thomas Leonard”

Optionally:

- you can link back to this post or another person’s contribution, so as to create a visible web through which visitors can easily navigate (the memetag should make these searchable over time, but including an actual link creates a stronger bond among contributions.)
- after posting, invite another person or persons to participate, to keep the experiment growing outward in as many directions as possible

At first I thought to make it 5 Things About Thomas Leonard, but I think that’s constrictive to those who may only have a thing or two. So let’s keep it open that way and just see where this goes, shall we?

I’ll get us started:

Here’s a little something about Thomas Leonard I’d like to share:

(1) “Biggest Contribution”

I think the greatest contribution he made to the coaching world was sizing up and seizing the opportunity of the Internet. Some people say Thomas invented coaching which is actually not true. But he did set the bar when it came to popularizing coaching in the online context.

I remember nodding my head vigorously when I overhead David Goldsmith once say, something like (apologies if I misquote you David, please correct if so) “I once asked Thomas whether he was more excited about Coaching or the Internet and it seemed to me he was almost more excited about the possibilities of the Internet.”

It’s not that he wasn’t excited about coaching, just that the convergence of the enormous Internet boom and all the coaching content he was creating…THAT was really what caused the ‘big bang’ effect that so many people refer to when they think of Thomas and CoachVille.

(2) “Loveliest Thank You”

I have three cards from Thomas that have his very scrawly handwriting in them written in his favorite blank ink pen he so famously tested. (Apparently he bought tons of types of paper and tons of types of pen and picked his favorites, only to never buy any other kind ever…)

Of the cards, there is a thank you card that says “Andrea, thanks for all you do, especially the things I don’t know about. Thomas”

The other one simply says “Have a Merry, Thomas” but the pre-printed inscription in it’s been appended. Where it says ‘Goodwill towards Men’ he’s scribbled in ‘and women.’

And the third says “Andrea, thanks for sticking with me/us/it. Thomas”

“Thanks for all you do, especially the things I don’t know about” is, I think, one of the loveliest thank you’s ever, and I try to give it sometimes myself. It really gets to the heart of a person.

And here are a few of the (face it, many) questions I’ve always wanted to ask:

(1) For Sandy Vilas – how did Thomas come to approach you when he’d decided to sell Coach U? when? and why did he say he wanted to sell it? what was the arrangement and what made you buy it? So many things I could see asking Sandy…

(2) For Shirley Anderson – on Thomas’ old website, he said something like ‘Shirley Anderson, who I listen to just barely enough.’ What did he mean, exactly, do you think? What advice is he alluding to that he sort of ignored?? Also, how and when did you first meet?

(3) For whoever was student #1 at Coach U – I’ve heard that people used to be very proud of their student number at Coach U. “Back in the day” it was apparently a status thing. Curiously though I’ve never heard who was student #1 – maybe it was Thomas himself, giving himself a student number? Does anyone know?

(4) For Steve Davis - what was the Internet Marketing conference you and he attended in the spring of 2001? Was it Carl Garletti, the copywriter? When I met Carl he said he knew Thomas and that Thomas had demanded a refund from the conference, apparently in a very rude way, lol. What can you say about this, Steve?

I think you of all people would have an insight into the moments when Thomas was putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with CoachVille, yet we haven’t heard the story…please, won’t you tell a little something…

Updated 4/2/2007: To keep this little bit of goodness going, I’m going to reach out and tag a few people:

Andy Wibbels

Maryam Webster

Gail Sussman Miller

Pat Gundry

Ken Winston Caine

And finally just one piece of unfinished business for now:

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Small Business Coaching with Richard Reardon | Premier Group Training: Quick, Rich and Affordable

Multiple Streams of Coaching Income and R&R Business Development are pleased to present the following 3 new course offerings for Business Coaches.

Each is 3 weeks long and addresses a single theme focusd on gaining you new clients and then exceeding their expecatations. Led by Richard Reardon, Mentor Coach of over 25 years experience, the classes will be participative and include recordings and full notes. (More on Richard here, and here.)

Early-bird seating is available for a very limited number of registrants, so act fast if you’re that way inclined. That said, the full-price for the training is affordable by any standard. Click here to view the descriptions directly at Richard’s website, or use the appropriate links below.

See you in class!

—–begin class descriptions—–

Class #3001 Getting Hired | The 9 Most Frequently-Occurring Challenges In Small Businesses

Learn nine areas where a business owner is most likely to hire you and your services. Opportunity is there. You just have to know where to look and understand how to sell to the ‘hot buttons.’

Particularly in the small business coaching arena, it is important to be clear about where it’s best to enter the small business, and avoid selling coaching per se. In this 3-session course, you will learn 9 ways to do this. Chances are, if you already know some ways, you will add to your repertoire and increase your ability to secure a range of small business clients with a wide spectrum of needs.

This class lays a foundation of what services and solutions you can develop as a coach.

The overt benefits from this hands-on “how to” offering are:

> Increased competence and confidence when speaking with business owners, with an eye towards consistently securing new clients
> Nine fresh approaches for problem solving and coaching competency specific to the small business arena.
> The ability to apply coaching to situations beyond what you currently work on with business owners.
> Increased viability of your coaching business as your pool of prospective clients grows

Dates: 3 Mondays – February 26, March 5 and 12, 2007

Time: 4:00 P.M. Eastern, USA for one hour

Price: $127.00 for the first 3 registrants. $167.00 thereafter. Class size is limited and course content will not be repeated in 2007.

In addition to the 3 full-hour sessions by conference line, your course fee includes class notes and audio recordings. The only additional cost you will incur is long-distance charges to dial into the conference line. However if you opt to listen to the recordings later via the internet, you will not incur these charges.

Register early to secure your seat.

—-

Class # 9011 It’s Not Just Business, It’s Personal Coaching the ‘Whole’ Business Owner for Lasting Change

In addition to solving all their business related problems, many clients need your advice on dealing with feelings of alienation and stress. Your depth as a coach matters, and here is where your coaching can have the most lasting impact.

When you learn how to help the client find meaning in their work, become comfortable in both their inner and outer worlds and transform themselves toward fulfillment, you will assure your success and become even better paid for your work. The tricky part is building a bridge from business issues to the personal realm with the buy-in of the client.

This class shows how to cross the gap between what you may be hired for (overtly) and where you are needed most. Treating the roots of issues in addition to the business symptoms.

The overt benefits from this class are:

> Clarity and comfort with the process of guiding your client toward a deeper purpose of coaching.
>How to help the client access both the business and personal elements of lasting success.
>The ability to overcome objections to crossing the line between business and personal.
>Familiarity with the language business owners can understand, when it comes to inner work.

Dates: 3 Mondays – April 9, 16 and 23, 2007

Time: 12:00 noon, eastern, USA for one hour

Price: $ 127.00 for the first 3 registrants only. 167.00 thereafter. Class size is limited and course content will not be repeated in 2007.

In addition to the 3 full-hour sessions by conference line, your course fee includes class notes and audio recordings. The only additional cost you will incur is long-distance charges to dial into the conference line. However if you opt to listen to the recordings later via the internet, you will not incur these charges.

Register early to secure your seat.

The 2-Second Rule | Thank You Thomas

Appropros of my recent post on the value of speed in your business is this follow-on question:

“If speed is good, how do I get fast?”

Well, one way is to practice. One of the remaining artifacts I have from working with Thomas Leonard to build CoachVille and the Graduate School of Coaching is a tiny yellow post-it note.

On it in black marker are 3 words:

2 Second Rule

The 2-Second Rule was something Thomas had me implement. It meant “answer every email in no more than 2 seconds.” If it takes you longer than 2 seconds to do something with, Andrea, delete it.

(To which, as an aside, I resisted saying – ‘even emails from you, Thomas?’ LOL.)

In any case, I still have it. I remember practicing it. Although doing *every* email in 2 seconds is a stretch (what great coaching challenge isn’t?) it does help.

Try it. You might like it. It was part of the ‘culture’ that was CoachVille and Thomas, and It’s now part of the way we keep things moving around these parts – fast, decisive, to-the-point email management that acknowledges some emails just aren’t worth the time/energy to handle. Better off to just junk them, right off the bat.

Susan Austin speaks about Thomas Leonard

Thank you to the ICF-Region 2 Virtual Community for their recent call with guest Susan Austin on the topic of ‘What it was like to work with Thomas Leonard.’

There is no recording, but the call notes are a unique insight into the topic, as well as exposure to Susan’s inimitable style and frankness which I hope we’ll continue to see more of.

If you’d like to become part of this Virtual Community with its attendant benefits, visit the ICF Virtual Community Chapter here or the Yahoo! group site for this group can be found by clicking here.

Now here are the notes:

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Thomas Leonard Would Have Been 50

Thomas Leonard would have been 50 on July 31, 2005.

On this occasion, whether behind closed doors or on more public forums, there have been three kinds of conversation:

(1) The misty-eyed remembering him conversation.

(2) The ‘are we still talking about Thomas?’ conversation.

(3) The ‘Thomas who?’ conversation.

Because of having been his Chief Operating Officer (CoachVille and Schools of Coaching) at the time of his death, I get asked a lot for ‘stories’ or something about Thomas that ‘the rest of us didn’t know about.’

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Thomas and the Twinkle

Know what an Inkle is?

It’s a hint of what’s to come, even before it hits your intuition. Like from ‘inkling.’

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Susan’s Post about Thomas

A blazing blog entry was posted tonight by Susan T. Austin, Thomas Leonard’s closest friend and right-hand woman.

On the one year anniversary of the day he passed away, she writes bluntly about how the minutes passed the day he died. If you have questions about what happened, this is the only place you’ll hear the real story being told.

Note: It’s a powerful post, and depending how well you knew Thomas, likely to be painful. Written in the indomitable style of the woman so many of us call friend, thank you Susan.

This one is for posterity folks, click to read.

PDF: What makes me most pensive about Thomas; Or, “I never thought I’d be an historian”

It’s been nearly a year since Thomas Leonard passed away. (February 11, 2003.)

And what makes me most pensive about his absence isn’t missing him personally, although I do.

Click the link to access a downloadable PDF:

http://www.andreajlee.com/thomas.pdf

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