COVID-19

COVID-19 - It is an unfortunate reality for all of us. 

For the last two weeks, my coaches and I have had so many conversations with clients, with other professional friends and with family members who are feeling the effects of it.

We wanted to invite you in on some of the insights we have gained through those conversations. The most common issue seems to be leadership. 

You're probably thinking that you're not really in a leadership position. 

I'd like to challenge you on that. All it takes to be a leader is one follower. This really does apply to all of us.

It has been shocking how many people we've spoken to that have had a lack of communication from their leadership. 

For the love of all good things in this world, you must be communicating with your teams.

They are looking for someone right now with a steady hand...someone to be at the helm who, even though they don't have all the answers, are actively looking for them. 

People need to feel secure in a time where nothing seems secure. And the thing is, that's your job.

Even now as you're reading this blog post, you might be inundated with emails, text messages and phone calls from people who just want to know what's going on. 

You might be experiencing people whose productivity or quality of work is decreasing. Maybe there are rumors going around the company - those are always a lot of fun, right?

Here's the thing: You don't want to lose credibility or trust with you people during a time like this.

Communicate with them. Ask yourself: what does my team need to know in order to feel secure? Then find a way to communicate that in a way that's concise and frequent. 

They don't need 300 emails a day, but be in constant contact with them so they know you have their best interest at heart.

In a world that seems completely out of order, they need to know that there is structure and there is security somewhere. 

Be that leader for them today. 

We want to send a very special thank you to those of you who are in the front lines of this COVID-19 crisis. We're grateful for your work and for your service.

Sending all of you out there wishes of health and hope.

If you need anything, we are here. Don't hesitate to contact us. We're all in this together.

First Impressions

First Impressions don't start at the first meeting. 

First impressions happen way before that. 

They happen on the first call by the tone of your voice. They happen when someone asks their administrative assistant how you had interacted with them. They happen when someone is creeping around and stalking all of your social media platforms. 

So what does this mean for us? 

This means we have to live and breathe the impression that we want to leave on people. It means that our reputation is so very important because before you meet someone, they have formed a very solid opinion of you.

Whether it's right or wrong, it's based off of all those things. 

So what do we do? Take a quick audit. 

If someone were to look at your online presence, or talk to the people you've already interacted with, what kind of opinion would they form?

That is their first impression of you. Your reputation precedes you, always!

For more helpful tips, head over to our instagram page.

Good Intentions

You have good intentions? That's really cute.

Intentions are good. But intentions alone are worthless. 

Intentions have to be packaged with two things: Goals and Action.

Goals give intention feet. Action actually produces results.

We have to have those two things or else your good ideas and the concepts you've been working on for months, maybe years, fall to the wayside and don't ever go anywhere.

Do yourself a favor:  if you've got these awesome ideas you've been working on, sit down and ask yourself: What do I do in order to make sure these intentions come to life? What steps do I need to take? What are my goals?

And then, take action. You will be shocked at how far you get after you take the first step. 

If you ever want to talk about how you can put your intentions to life, contact us on Instagram - @laineschimidtcoaching -  or via email at laine@laineschmidt.com and we'll get you rockin' and rollin'! 

Don’t Do You

You do You!

This mantra has taken off in our society. 

It’s on every social media meme, you see it everywhere you go, and I get it, I’m all about us embracing our uniqueness.  

The problem is, is that “you do you” lends itself to the idea of “eh, it’s just who I am”.

Now, when we say “oh it’s just who I am,” what happens is that every single person we work with starts shivering in their boots because what that communicates is that you’re set in your ways and don’t see any need for change.

Don’t do you. You are the biggest problem in your way.

What we need to do instead is this:

1. Identify who/how we are

2. Decide if we’re okay with that

3. Put plans in place to improve 

So, if you are a “you do you” person or a “oh it’s just who I am” person, let’s do this instead: let’s get out of those mantras and get into the “what can I do to better myself and grow and have more personal and professional development” mindset, because that’s where real change happens.

For more development tips, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and check out The Business Lab with Laine Schmidt.