Another extract from Business Life magazine:
Adrian Moorhouse, swimmer (August 2011)
“I’ve learnt a lot personally going from being an individual sports performer to being a leader. I think some managers start off being really good at what they do and then get promoted to team leader and if they’re not careful they end up trying to spraypaint everybody with their way of doing things. You have to understand different characters’ personalities and how to get the best out of them. My coach couldn’t swim but he enabled others to be Olympic and world companions. It was all about working together to get the best out of each other.”
In fact, many successful coaches (sport and business coaches) are not experts in the area of their clients. Knowledge of personal development, active listening, support and feedback are far more important than expertise in the subject matter.

Continuing on another point from an article of Business Life magazine, let us listen what Lewis Hamilton, racing driver wants to share.
“At the end of the day, I’m a winner. It’s what I do. I’m not here to mess around. The aim is always to win but you have ups and downs. When you don’t win, it’s about how you turn around all that negative energy and come back stronger”.

It is about being focused and knowing what you want. As I mentioned in my book, the ability to rebound from difficult time and transform negative energy into a positive one is critical in life.

Continuing on another point from an article of Business Life magazine, this time it is from Ian McGeechan, rugby coach:
“As far as I’m concerned, I treat the players as if they’re my own children, I want to do the best for them. It’s important that they know they’ll get support when they need it and they’ll get criticism when they deserve it and also get praise”
As a life coach, same key elements also apply to me: Client interest first, support, objective feedback and encouragement.

I came across this interesting article from the Business Life magazine on gathering insights from successful athletes. Excellent food for thought.
“I was pretty good at most sport and I took a liking to cricket at about 16. I used to train and train and train. And that’s what I believe my recipe of success is, just hard work and preparation. It’s exactly the same today” — Kevin Pietersen, cricketer (July 2007)
Yes, I could not agree more. Nothing can replace hard work. Nothing at all!

I attended a workshop by Capstone International earlier this month and would like to share some of the interesting takeaways on a few topics.
The first one is on receiving tough feedback. Interesting points are:
1) You don’t know what you don’t know so feedback is a gift
2) Stay calm
3) Listen openly
4) Resist self-defense
5) Thank and reflect
6) Be forgiving about others ability to give feedback elegantly – focus on the content because their perception is their reality
7) Ask yourself the learning question – “What will I do differently next time?”

Based on work from Professor Mary Dean Lee from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University.
‘#4: Make a Difference
Make more than financial contributions to society. What philanthropic pursuits can you turn to?
“When you expect to live much longer, in better mental and physical health, the idea of shelving your expertise in retirement no longer makes sense,” Professor Lee says.
“Retirement is not an end but a beginning – an opportunity to experiment and explore, to engage in pursuits you value, and perhaps to reinvent our legacy.”’
My thought: I am a big fan of adult learning and personal development. It is also important to remain an active contributing and engaging member of the society even into retirement.

Based on work from Professor Mary Dean Lee from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University.

“#3: Create a New Deal
Rather than completely retiring, stay on with redesigned schedules or responsibilities, reduce hours while transferring knowledge and responsibility to successors, or arrange contract work – such deals benefit an individual as well as an organisation. While not every company can do this, there may be more room to manoeuvre than you think.”
My thought: It is usually better to ease into a new situation. As some people say: If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Don’t burn any “bridges”.

Based on work from Professor Mary Dean Lee from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University.
“#2: Find your own retirement metaphor
Detox from work stress, liberation from the daily grind, downshifting from a demanding career – take a flexible approach from one metaphor to another to craft a retirement that feels right.”
My thought: Every case is unique. Throw in your creativity and come up with your own metaphor if needed.

During my business trip earlier this week, I came across an article from the Velocity Magazine on the plane titled “Four things you must do before retiring” highlighting the findings from Professor Mary Dean Lee from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. Not that it is a subject constantly on my mind nor am I close to retirement, but I thought the ideas are excellent and worth sharing with my blog readers. The four guiding principles to help navigate late-career journeys are:
“#1: Prepare to go off-script
Few managers make a clear, irrevocable shift from full-time work to retirement. Careers end in many ways, from leaving when it feels right to becoming disillusioned with a company. Few completely control when and how careers end, so be ready to improvise and adapt.”
My thought: Here again our adaptability is key to smooth “sailing” and transition.

After discussing with a good friend of mine, who has just moved onto a NEW job, on this very subject of adaptability, I feel compelled to share her advice as I am a big fan of knowledge sharing. Her main advice is first to learn patiently what other people do in the team and then create value in your unique way. That is a great example of the beauty of diversity. It is the power of the “1+1 >2” collective effort.