possibility thinking Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Carpenter Smith Consulting, llc

Enable Action

April 30, 2018

A few weeks ago, we began a series on how to ACT with POWER. Within our ACT with POWER framework, there are 5 critical actions that powerful leaders must do to move forward on important issues and initiatives. Last week we looked at creating a shared vision with the W of the acronym POWER which stands for We-Focused Goal Setting and today we’re covering the E which stands for Enabling Action. It’s interesting to think about the word “leader” because at its base is the word “lead,” which is…

Create a Shared Vision

April 23, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

Two weeks ago, we began a 5-week series on how to ACT with POWER, the third step in the Leader in You framework (download our overview of this framework here). Within our ACT with POWER framework, there are 5 critical actions that powerful leaders must do to move forward on important issues and initiatives. The first week, we focused on the P of the acronym POWER – which stands for Possibility Mindset. What we’ve seen over and over again…

Overcome Obstacles with Ownership and Transparency

April 16, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

Last week we began a 5-week series on how to ACT with POWER, the third step in the Leader in You Framework (download our overview of this framework here). Within our ACT with POWER framework, there are 5 critical actions that powerful leaders must do to move forward on important issues and initiatives. In last week’s post, we focused on how to overcome your obstacles with the P of the acronym POWER – which stands for Possibility Mindset. What we’ve…

Overcome Your Obstacles

April 9, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

We’ve had several conversations recently with both clients and friends who were feeling stuck because a situation that was supposed to go one way, had taken a turn and was going another way. They had run into an obstacle. To support them on their journey, we shared with them the three steps of leadership (from our Leader in You framework), specifically ACT with POWER. As you may recall, the first step is to PAUSE and ask yourself if what you’re about…

Your Role As The Conductor

March 19, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

Recently, an executive we work with was describing that he was struggling to get out of the weeds of the day-to-day. He knew that he needed to be more strategic in his thinking and actions, but instead found himself pulled into doing the work that his team was assigned to do. To succeed in his job, he needed to support others to do the work that needed to be done while he created the vision, strategy, and relationships to…

Your Dream Team

January 22, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

One of the biggest frustrations we hear from people in leadership is that they have to be available to their teams “all the time” to answer questions and solve problems. They say that they read about dream teams that know how to move forward in the face of challenges but their team just doesn’t get it. When we ask them to share some examples of how this plays out, we often hear a long history of our client (as team…

Oprah

January 15, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

Today is Martin Luther King Jr, and to honor his work around civil rights, we want to share with you a present-day voice advocating for a better world. On January 7th at the Golden Globes, Oprah gave a powerful speech about the importance of speaking up. The speech she gave was moving, and the reaction of the audience was equally, if not more, moving. You see, as Oprah spoke, her words fueled their hopes and their conviction for a better…

Provide Powerful Input

January 8, 2018

Monday Morning Business Coach

There is a big difference between sharing your opinion and giving credible input and knowing that difference can have a powerful impact on your success. Giving relevant, useful input is an important skill that requires practice and thoughtfulness. Without a framework for giving input on a question or issue, many of us get anxious and then resort to giving our opinion. Yet, when decision-makers look to you for your expertise, they generally don’t want your opinion—they want useful input.…

Fear Is Contagious

November 27, 2017

Monday Morning Business Coach

Fear is like a virus – it’s contagious. It spreads among individuals and, when left to flourish, it can take down organizations. Let us share an example. A few years ago, we worked with an organization where the CEO of the company was not a very skilled leader. She was harshly critical of the work of others at all levels of the organization. Her critiques were not always wrong mind you, but the delivery of the message was often highly…

Life Is Anything but Fair

November 14, 2017

Monday Morning Business Coach

Whenever we hear, “Life is anything but fair,” most of us think about the ways that life has not been fair to us. We think about all the ways that life could have or should have gone differently – in our favor. Our challenge to you today is this: Take a moment to consider that life is anything but fair and then think about how you have benefitted from life in ways that others have not – through no fault…