"Communicating with IMPACT" - Patrick Donadio, MBA

One of my executive coaching clients recently hired me to help his team plan their fall department wide retreat. In our conversation today one of his team memberse asked me, "What do you see as the top five mistakes teams make when planning and executing a retreat?" Here was my answer: Top Five Mistakes Executives Make When Planning/Executing a Retreat: Presenters present information in a lecture/talking head format (boring…) (Presentation Tips) Retreat is not planned/tied to some specific outcomes See the retreat as an event (the end) not a process (the beginning) The ending of the retreat is a let down Little or no action happens after the retreat (or slow to act on ideas) (Organize/Plan) Next time you begin planning a retreat consider avoiding these. Do you have any examples of other retreat mistakes you have seen? Let me know. E-mail me at Patrick@PatrickDonadio.com

I was talking with one of my executive coaching clients today in a coaching session and the topic of employee morale come up. In a recent survey his employees were asked to evaluate “morale” at work. Morale is such a broad subject to evaluate. It can mean different things to different people. One thing I know for sure, whenever studies are conducted on "what motivates your people", being appreciated is on the top of the list . Motivating Employees One recent survey was developed by Accountemps , the world’s first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from more than 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with more than 20 employees and 536 full- or part-time office workers. Here is what they found to be the top three: Frequent recognition of accomplishments CFO’s-30% Employees-35% Regular communication with ...

Jim Canterucci, an executive advisor, author and professional speaker has written an great book called " Personal Brilliance : Mastering the Everyday Habits That Create a Lifetime of Success" Jim has an enlightening blog http://blog.mypersonalbrilliance.com that focused on helping you maximize your Awareness, Curiosity, Focus, and Initiative. These four traits are the catalysts for achieving your best. Personal Brilliance is a book that shows how anyone can create and enjoy spectacular success! Go to Jim's website to find out more about his book and/or to take the " Personal Brilliance Quotient ".

One of my CEO coaching clients recently had to let go one of his executive team members. This can be a difficult task. Sometimes it is so difficult that we wait too long to do it. I coached a CEO a few years ago who waited too long to make that decision. When he finally did let the person go, he commented to me that he should have let her go months ago. I too had the same challenge years ago when, as an Executive Director, I had to fire my secretary. We all can learn from other's mistakes. You know the old saying…. Hire slow, fire fast . Well, as the result of my new CEO client letting go of his team member, he realized that each member of his executive team had a "job description" but there were no operating procedures to help people make decisions. In his book “The E-Myth”, Michael Gerber proposes that we organize our business like a franchise (McDonald’s®, Wendy’s ®…). He suggests we act as if we were going to franchise our business in the future. Gerber recommends we...

This week in a coaching session with one of my CEO clients we talked about how to take more control over our time. In our meeting, my client said that he wished he could say "NO" more often. I think many people struggle with telling others “No”. The reason they struggle is because they think they only have two choices. They can either say “yes” or “no”. I try to avoid "all or nothing" thinking. I believe that there are many alternative between the extremes. So here are several different ways I shared with my CEO client that he could say no: 7 Ways to Say No: 1) Say NO… with a straightforward explanation - "No, I'm uncomfortable doing that!" 2) Say NO… and give an alternative - "No. I can’t do that today, how about first thing in the morning?" 3) Say NO… and clarify your reason - Help them understand your position. Explain the why. “No. I can’t help you because I made commitment to my family to not work on weekends this month.” 4) Give Pref...

Excerpt from Donadio’s most requested keynote, “ Belief-Driven Success” So far we have talked about (see previous postings): 1. Start at the END! 2. Write down your goals. 3. Set realistic yet challenging goals. 4. Anticipate obstacles and plan how to overcome them. 5. Get Mentally Prepared "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Martin Luther King, Jr Action is the key! The last three steps are all about action... 6. Implement the plan forwards. Now take action! Break action steps into weekly or daily activities. Keep a "TO DO" list! Prioritize it and refer to it often. Help others do the same. Remember - focus on results not activities. Periodically evaluate and adjust your plan. Keep your obstacles in mind (Step 4) and be prepared to either go through them or around them. Stay the course but adjust your sails. *7. Build in Rewards. Throughout the process, build in rewards for yourself and/or the staff. Break down an annual g...

Excerpt from Donadio’s most requested keynote, “ Belief-Driven Success” So far we have talked about (see previous postings): 1. Start at the END! 2. Write down your goals. 3. Set realistic yet challenging goals. The next two steps are steps most likely skipped when people set goals: *4. Anticipate obstacles and plan how to overcome them . Be proactive, anticipate obstacles. Ask yourself "What is going to stop me from achieving this goal?" Then ask, "How can I overcome these obstacles?" One of the biggest obstacles to success is YOU! *5. Get Mentally Prepared . Mental preparation is an important part of overcoming obstacles and taking action. Use techniques like visualization, quiet time and self-talk. Prepare for the worst and expect the best! Remember... “If you’re not mentally prepared, you’re not prepared.” --Patrick Donadio, MBA Come back... next time I am going to talk about the key step...Taking Action!