Michele Woodward

Powerful Coaching. Powerful Results.

Personal Planning Tool

Who’s Ready For Some Homework?

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I have the firm belief that it’s impossible to make a really great plan for the future unless you take time to reflect on the past.

That’s the thinking behind the Personal Planning Tool I’ve been offering you since 2009. Every year I update it for the coming year and this time when I wrote out the new date, I said something eloquent and thoughtful.

I said, “Whoa.”

As in, whoa, what a great opportunity to reflect on everything that’s happened in 2019 as we plan for 2020, but why not look waaaay back? Why not look at where we all were in 2010?

So I sat down, and I am known to do, and created a tool to do that reflection. What were the most powerful questions? What got to the heart of the matter?

I made a copy of my handwritten draft and walked myself through the emerging process. Tweaked. Refined.

Then I sent my handwritten, scrawled out notes to a dozen helpful souls who offered to try it and provide helpful and critical feedback.

I waited. But before long my email started to ping with messages like this:

“I was surprised by the theme of taking care of my physical body. I’m seeing my family age and it suddenly feels URGENT to care for my vessel in ways it never did before. This came through so loud and clear as I filled this out.”

“I thought the whole review was thought provoking and valuable. The big surprise to me was the question: If you could send a message from today to your 2030 self, what would you say? As I read it, I teared up. Big time.  At first I thought the question didn’t make sense – easier to give advice/share wisdom with 20/20 hindsight –  but then why did it bring tears to my eyes?! I realized the reason was that my thoughts about the future were pessimistic (which is not my usual personality default) and I didn’t know what to tell my future self beyond “Savor the butterflies now.” ;/ Not a useful way to move forward action-wise. And that I could do better for myself and values than that. Where I am currently is to say to my 2030 year self that the future is still wide open (props to Tom Petty) and to stay sturdy; my work here is not done.”

“I think the biggest thing I learned from this exercise is that you have no idea what the future could bring. Ten years ago, I was single, had not met my husband and could not have dreamt of what my future life could hold. I also noticed today – 10 yrs. later – that I omit my career and myself in much of this plan. I am in a supporting role and put my needs after those of others. However, this process reinforces a few things that I need to make a priority – working out, reconnecting with friends. I also realized how much I am driven [now] by personal vs. professional goals. It also makes me fear a bit for the next 10 years since things have been so good, similar to that of a recession after good economic times.”

“I cried on page 4.  These questions were POWERFUL.  When you compare 10 years the things that need to be fixed are in such plain sight. I focused on what was still not going well but, I also need to celebrate that I have doubled my income in 10 years.”

Deep and abiding thanks to the brave and kind folks who took the time to test drive the 10-Year Tool. Which is now up and ready for you!

Go to www.michelewoodward.com/resources to access both the new 10-Year Tool and its big sister, the 2020 Personal Planning Tool. These two worksheets are designed to complement one another – and also designed to be the sort of thing you take your time with. To think. To reflect. To grow your understanding.

This ain’t no Cosmo quiz, friends.

And, as always, the resources on my page are available to you at no charge.

After you use the 10-Year Tool or the 2020 Personal Planning Tool, drop me a note and let me know what you think. I can’t wait to hear about the things you learn!

I Was Just Going To Ask You The Same Question

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You probably know that I’m not about making New Year’s Resolutions. They can be forced and unsticky and, therefore, fall by the wayside before February even starts.

I am, as you also probably know, more of a planner. So last week I sat myself down with my Personal Planning Tool – yes, I created it and I actually use it! – and the stuff that came up for me was really helpful.

The Tool is designed to get to a few action steps which you can easily do. For me, they were :

  • Look at client list for 2018 and chronicle successes
  • Create a spreadsheet tracking business revenues for the last four years
  • Create a revenue forecast for the first six months of 2019
  • Create three workouts I can use at the gym; schedule gym time

I’m proud to say that I knocked these things out in the lull week between holidays and I’m feeling rather smug about myself.

The Tool also gave me the ability to clearly see my priorities for 2019, and that’s where you come in. It’s clear that I want to step it up in the coming year. I want to be in the position a year from now to say that my work made a difference. So let me tell you about what I have planned.

I have executive coaching programs for individuals as well as organizations. One of the happiest things I’ve done in my coaching career is to partner with organizationswho want to really support their leaders. I coach people, facilitate learning and change – and it’s the thing I love doing.

With individuals, you can work with me in three, six or twelve month programs. I have space for one person in my unlimited coaching program, so let me know if that person is you.

In 2018, folks in my unlimited program negotiated better deals, dealt with office politics and stress, learned new skills and basically had more fun in their work. It was also pretty fulfilling for me to fully partner with them and not worry how many hours we were using.

That was wonderful. I love these people and look forward to working with them again in 2019.

My lower-cost program, The Club, is terrific but full at the moment. You can email to get on the waiting list if you’d like.

I have some groups this year, too. For men, I’m doing a new program this year. Did you know that the number one thing which gets people promoted and creates more success is social/emotional intelligence? I work with a lot of men clients and this is an area which – once guys get a sense of the rules and how it all works – gets results quickly. You can find more information here: Emotional Intelligence for Men

For coaches, I have my Circle of 12 mentored mastermind program starting up on January 8th. There are eleven people committed, so if you’re looking for a close community of like-minded peers who have good practices that need to move to great practices – think about joining us.

Also for coaches, I have my Executive Coach Mentoring program beginning in March. This one is designed for people focusing on working with organizational clients. We’ll learn about best practices, client acquisition and tools to support your business. It’s great, if I do say so myself.

And, for coaches who are on Facebook, I continue to moderate The Business of Coaching group which has been serving the coaching community since 2012. We have 1200 coaches from all around the world who participate in thoughtful and supportive conversations about our work. If you’d like to join this “secret group”, please let me know.

Finally, I recently was on a panel with an executive recruiter and an executive communicator, talking with a group about personal branding, career progression, leadership, mentoring, speaking and a host of other matters. We took questions, so, believe me – we ran the gamut! It was a delight, and I am looking forward to working with these two in other venues. Maybe your venue?

So, yeah, maybe this year will be ambitious. But I am planning for it to be the right kind of hustle – you know what I mean. Engaging, fun, feeding my curiosity, connected and connecting. I get sort of giddy thinking about it.

How about you? What’s on your dancecard for the coming year? Where are you going to have the impact only you can have?

I am all ears, sugar. 

What Do You Believe?

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If you had to distill your life’s philosophy down to a few sentences, what would they be? Could you identify your most important core beliefs and then express them easily?

Let me go first. I believe:

You are sovereign. And so am I.

The idea of “sovereignty” came into my life a few years ago via my friend, the writer and adviser Hiro Boga. Sovereignty is my awareness that you being fully you is a complete gift in and of itself. And if you are fully you, and I am fully me, then there is no need to force or coerce you to become just like me, or me just like you. There is just me, and you, and the us we create together.

When I see and accept you for who you are, I have created love in the world. Even if it’s in passing – an ephemeral moment while in line, or that moment of grace when I give you enough space to merge into traffic. And if we can each create a little more love in our world each day, we change the world. Which leads me to my next core belief:

People are kind and want to help.

Go ahead and disagree with me. You are sovereign, so it’s your right. However, each and every day I get concrete examples of the kindness of strangers and their willingness to lend a hand as needed. People rush into buildings on fire. They catch babies dropped from balconies. They pull survivors from crashes. They shout warnings. They phone 911. They hold hands. They dry tears. They stand as witness in candelight vigils.

People are good.

And leaders are good who give people the opportunity to express this basic human drive to help others.

Learning is more important than being right.

When we worry about getting it right or being perfect, we miss the incredible opportunity just before us – the chance to learn something new. But it’s so very awkward to be a true learner. When we’re learning we’re like the spindly newborn colt who can’t fully stand on his own legs. We wobble and look weak… until we get it. Then, no one can stop us from running like the wind.

And even though we may completely doubt the possibility at the outset, we almost always get it – especially when we allow ourselves time for our muscles to get stronger and our brain to get used to a new way of being. It’s a matter of being willing to be proud of that weak wobble at first, sure in the knowledge that what comes next is wind in our hair and unbridled power.

Always err on the side of being clear.

Whatever it takes for you to be clear on who you are, what you bring to the world, how you are sovereign, and what that means you do next… focus there. In my work, I attempt to help people get as clear as they can possibly be so decision-making becomes astoundingly easy.

“Yes!” becomes easy to say with joy when you know who you are. “No” becomes easy to say with a grin when you know who you are.

So ask all the questions you need to ask – of yourself and others – until you know-know-know who you are and what you stand for. In the pursuit of that clarity, there are no dumb questions.

Or off-limits questions.

You are stronger than you know, and more resilient than you can remember.

You have weathered many storms, withstood many crises. And yet you continue to wake up each day and breathe.

Some days, as you know, continuing to simply breathe is an amazing accomplishment worthy of a parade led by a marching band with a mighty brass section.

And sometimes you forget just how strong you are. You listen to all those voices saying “not enough, not you, not now.” They chant “be small, be insignificant, be who I want you to be.”

But you can’t be that. You’re sovereign. You are the magnificent you – loud or quiet, wide or thin, able or other – you are magnificent. Just because you breathe.

Don’t you dare forget that.

Whether you’re a ninety-nine year old or a newborn, you have survived. And you thrive when you bring all of that survival to each day, greeting it with all the goodness in your heart and your willingness to do one thing – one monumental or infinitessimal thing – to make our world a better place.

Those are my core tenets, and I believe them with all my heart.

And I guess that means I also believe in you with all my heart.

<smiling now> So… tell me yours.

Your 2014 Plan-A-Rama-Thingy

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Are you much of a planner?

Do you think ahead? Ponder? Strategize? Visualize?

Or just let things…flow?

I happen to naturally be more of the former yet over the years have learned to allow some of the latter.

Let me ‘splain.

Here’s what I do: I make a plan. Figure out the building blocks to bring that plan into reality. Get the building blocks in place. Step back and…let go.

Because the nature of the world is that sometimes stuff happens which is even better than my plan. And that’s exactly what I want to happen.

So, this past week I began planning for 2014, using my Personal Planning Tool. Hundreds of you have downloaded it in the last month or so, and I hope you’re having good results. For those who haven’t, now might be a good time to start.

Because – not to freak you out or anything – it’s almost 2014.

And while the Personal Planning Tool takes some time and reflection (it’s not a Cosmo quiz, people), it does yield the kind of action steps I’m particularly fond of.

You know, ones you can actually do.

If you remember my conversation with Harvard’s Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorsen (you can listen here) who wrote the Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, goals need to be specific and you need to be able to know just how far you’ve got to go to get where you want to be.

For me, the Personal Planning Tool did that. It yielded several things I am just not going to worry about next year, and sixteen “things” I do want to pay attention to in 2014. Some are mundane, as in “get an estimate on carpeting” but, boy, will I feel happy when the worn carpets in the bedrooms are finally replaced.

“Feel Happy.” Kind of the point, huh?

Once I get the estimate, I can start figuring out how to swing it financially. Replacing the carpet will stay top-of-mind, and once I accomplish it, I will have bona fide proof that I did something I set out to do.

Which is the kind of awareness that helps us feel capable and competent. And that sense of personal efficacy bleeds over to the rest of our lives.

Kinda like, “Look at me! I got the carpet replaced. Bet I can find a new job, too!”

Two building block tasks coming out of the Personal Planning Tool for me were to do a financial forecast for 2014, and make a list of every client I’ve worked with in 2013. I’m happy to report that both of these things are checked off the list.

<I feel rather smug about that.>

It was actually rather easy to do those two tasks. Once I knew why I wanted to do them, I knocked ’em right off the list. So, see? Your list of Stuff To Do doesn’t have to be a big, bad burden. You don’t have to reduce everything to scratch and start all over.

It can be one-and-done, darlings.

But, oh, done is so very good. “Done” sets you up in a million ways for a great 2014 – a great, flowing, happy, productive, enriching, new carpeting kind of year.

 

One of Those CrazyGood Weeks

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There are times in your life – specific days or maybe even entire weeks – you will always remember. Weeks which are indelible, with so much happening, full of such a feeling of profound change.

This past week was that kind of week for me.

On Monday, I unveiled a new look for my website – MicheleWoodward.com – designed to make things simpler and easier for you to find and enjoy. To me, it’s gorgeous, and powerful. Inviting. And just what I wanted,  thanks to the talented Victoria Potts Keale, my Everything Web guru who pulled off an amazing feat in an incredibly short period of time.

Because, you see, I had learned on Friday that The Wall Street Journal would be running a feature on my work with a client on Wednesday of the next week, and I wanted my site to be ready to handle the people who’d come to check me out. And, boy, they came by the boatloads. Folks signed up for the newsletter, sent me messages via email and LinkedIn, and said, “atta girl” profusely on Facebook and Twitter.

The client, Becky Johnson, also received a lot of love from her friends, colleagues and even strangers, including a heartfelt phone call from a reader on the West Coast – just to say how inspired she’d been by Becky’s journey.

Although client confidentiality is in my marrow and I never disclose who I’m working with unless the client discloses first, when the WSJ reporter contacted me to see if I had a good story to tell about a client who made a career breakthrough after getting coached, I immediately thought of Becky. How thrilled was I that both she and her CEO, Lisa Gable, agreed immediately to participate. Their openness and generosity allowed thousands if not millions of people to see that there might be a new way to manage leadership growth within organizations. They saw Lisa and Becky’s success and learned from it. Maybe they’ll even model it.

And, for the curious, all the work Becky and I did together consisted of five coaching sessions. Five. Hours. With some email thrown in there. Five hours and Becky got promoted to VP.

For long time readers, you know I love being a coach. But having a story like Becky’s out in public reminds me about why I deeply love this work. It’s transformational. It’s positive. It’s powerful.

And it works.

Can you say that about your job?

I sure wish you could. Wouldn’t that be something?

This busy past week I also interviewed Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas, retired), who was the youngest woman in history to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Blanche talked about how she ended up in public service, and how she managed to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee while raising twin toddlers. Seems we like to beat up on politicians these days, but listen to Blanche talk about her work with heart, and passion, and you’ll understand her drive to serve – it’s  inspiring.  Take a listen: WiseWork radio show

This week, too, I am launching my Annual Coaching Program for 2014. It’s a rather novel approach to coaching – a deep dive into whatever you want to transform with all the coaching your schedule will allow. I tested the program with six clients this year, and I have to admit – the successes have been compelling. And amazing. And, once again, I am reminded how much I love what I do. Look at the information page for more details, and let me know if you have questions.

And people have started using  the 2014 Personal Planning Tool which is up and ready for your use. It’s a downloadable pdf worksheet you can use to review 2013 and make a solid plan for what you want to accomplish in 2014. There’s no charge for this 13-page tool – it’s my gift to you.

Because when I stop to think about my legacy and what I hope to create in the world, you figure prominently. I want you to have the success Becky’s found. I want you to be clear, and confident, and visionary, and able to handle crisis. To step up and out, as needed. To make changes where changes will help you, and to have the clarity to go out and do the kind of work you can be proud of.

It’s a big vision, I know. But in my experience, utterly, entirely, totally doable.

Let’s get started.

 

Who Plans For Anything?

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Back in October, I sat down with my Personal Planning Tool (yes, even though I wrote it, I do indeed use it).

And after I worked through the entire thing, reflecting on what worked and didn’t work in 2012 and what I’d like to do differently in 2013, I promptly put it in a pile of papers and didn’t look at it until this past week, when I re-discovered it as I was cleaning off my desk.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I reviewed the document and…

In four months, I had accomplished almost all of the things I hoped to do for the entire year.

I was pretty much gobsmacked. Could it really be possible?

Oh, it’s not like I set easy goals for myself, sugar. I stretched. I aimed high. For instance, I threw out what felt like a big number on monthly income, and a big number for increased traffic to my blog.

And I got ’em.

In the Career area I set out five goals, and four of them have happened. I am astonished to say that the fifth one is halfway done. I did both my key action items, too.

Yep, in every area – Career, Finances, Relationships, Health – there’s been surprising progress.

And here’s the kicker – which I am going to admit to you, right here and right now: I haven’t really been paying attention.

I haven’t been obsessing, or checking, or even really focusing. In fact, I’d completely forgotten where I’d put the worksheet.

My goals were only in my consciousness because I had written them down, and given myself permission to go get them.

Which is probably the single most important thing I want you to know today:

The greatest gift you can give yourself is the courage to have goals.

Know your “why” around them.

Invite them into your life.

Write them down.

And then allow your better self to take the steps needed to get those things done.

Perhaps even while you are doing other things (or maybe just think you are), your intentions will be running like a background program, setting up real success in your life.

This week, as I looked over my plan, I was filled with a gratifying sense of accomplishment. I did what I said I would do – which feels like progress – and the reason I’m doing it feels entirely validated.

I’d like you to know that feeling, too.

Thoreau famously said “the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation”, and my guess is that those guys didn’t make a plan and put it away, only to realize later that they had achieved precisely what they set out to achieve.

Personal power, resilience and fulfillment trump desperation every time, darlings. Every time.

Go ahead. Give it a try. You can download the 2013 Personal Planning Tool PDF yourself. I wonder what you will get done in the next few months…while you aren’t even paying attention.

Oh, by the way, the Personal Planning Tool asks for a theme song for 2013. Mine? Steve Miller’s Fly Like An Eagle.

It’s fun to be soaring, baby. Wanna do it together?

 

 

When Everything’s A Priority

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In the go-go-go world in which we live, sometimes it feels impossible to prioritize – there’s always so much going on, and so much to do, and so much we should be doing. We careen along our lives as if we’re in one giant pinball machine, banging into buzzers, whizzing by bumpers and – sometimes – losing ourselves deep black holes, with the only option… to start all over again. Pull that spring back as far as it’ll go and – wham! – you’re launched right the chaos of blinking lights and dinging bells.

Bing. Bing bing. Bing bing bing. Bing. Thwack. Bing. Bing. Bing.

Knowing your priorities can make this a whole lot easier.

Oh, I know that there are some who say, “Priorities, schmi-orities. No one’s gonna tell me what to do, and where to go! No way, man!” (or, “dude”, depending on age group).

Yes, for some people priorities feel limiting and inflexible. But for all of their no-way-man resistance, they still have priorities which they serve.

How do I know?

Simple. I watch what they do.

Because you can only see what someone truly prioritizes by watching what they do. Actions always reveal true intentions.

There are a couple of ways to identify your priorities.  First, you can use my Personal Planning Tool worksheet, which ultimately drives you to identify those things, in rank order, that are most important today. Download the PDF.

You can also sit down with a piece of paper and a pencil and do this exercise. Pick a day last week – a typical day when you had stuff to do.  Ask yourself:

When did I wake up? How did I feel?

When did I get out of bed? How did I feel?

What did I do first? How did I feel about that?

What did I do next? How did I feel about it?

[note: be more specific than saying “I went to work”; say, “I drove to the parking lot, parked, went to my office, read email, went to the meeting with Jim, phone calls with Tom, Dick and Harry. Lunch at desk while checking email,” etc. and continue to note how you felt at each of these times.]

Keep asking “What did I do next/how did it feel?” until you get to when you got into bed and when you fell asleep.

Now, go back and look at this typical day. Anything pop out at you?

What did you make time for, without fail?

Where did you always say yes?

Where did you feel great? Where did it feel awful?

It’s a hunch, but I’ll bet that the people, places and things you said yes to, made time for and felt great about are your true priorities.

And the other stuff may be other people’s priorities, or what society tells you “should” be priorities, but which really hold no oomph for you.

So, looking at your time, it might be revealed that your true priority is your daily five mile run.

Or the office fantasy football league discussions. Which allow you to feel the deep satisfaction of belonging.

Or taking your kids to school and picking them up. Allowing the space to be fully engaged in their lives.

Or your health. Or someone else’s health. Permitting the grace of caregiving, or the power of self-care.

Or your own learning and growth. Gaining mastery of knowledge and understanding.

Whatever it is, it’s yours. And by honing in on your priorities, you come into awareness of your own ability to achieve, and to accomplish, and to be at your best more of the time.

So you might say one thing is a priority – often it’s around work, or your marriage, or your kids – but when you take an honest look at how you really spend your time, something else might show up.

Whatever that is? That’s your real priority. It’s not necessarily your spoken priority, mind you. But it is what you’re serving.

Address this misalignment between what we say and what we do and – just like getting bonus time – we’re on the road to getting happier, more effective and wiser.

So instead of saying, “My work is my priority”, honor that maybe your real priority is the things your work allows you to do – to connect with others, to learn, to grow, to have the space and time to run five miles a day, or pick your kids up from school.

It’s your choice. All of it – your choice.

You can be the ball.

Or you can be the Pinball Wizard, working the flipper to serve your most vital priority.

 

 

What Did You Do?

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I love this time of year.  Yes, the spirit and the festivities and the cool snap in the air.  Love that.

But I also love this time of year because of a reflective ritual I always perform – by myself, and for myself.

Every December, I sit down and write down my 25 Accomplishments for the Year.

Now, I know – twenty-five seems like a lot. Especially this year. Especially when you think the only accomplishments that matter are things like:

1.  Cured cancer.

2. Brought peace to the Middle East.

3. Joined the 1%.

4. Married a Kardashian.

But your own accomplishments are whatever you say they are. Case in point, how about the sweeping magnitude of this item from my own list:

16.  Took my medicine daily.

Sounds pretty trivial, huh?  Plus, taking medicine is something I “should” do, right?  OK, but you know plenty of people don’t take what’s prescribed to them, don’t you?  It’s ultimately a choice for health, wellness and self-care, and it’s a choice I’m conscious of making every day since I was treated for thyroid cancer in 2008.

I’m proud of this accomplishment, as small as it may seem in comparison to having your own TV reality show.

Yep, when I look at my list, I realize just how productive I’ve been this year, creating several new programs and earning more income than ever before.

Ever.

Now, there’s an accomplishment that feels really good.

All my accomplishments feel good, to tell you the truth, once I put them on paper and honored them.

My list of 25 Accomplishments – overachiever that I am, turned out to be 28 items – gave me a launching point to look at how my accomplishments line up with my key values. Know your own values? Think about the things that light you up, the things that are vitally important, the things you can’t live without. For me, it’s:

  • Taking care of my financial, spiritual and emotional health
  • Being a good enough parent
  • Leading
  • Learning

Being the nerdy geek girl that I am, I actually tabulated how many of my accomplishments related to one or more of my values, using teeny-tiny hash marks.  And guess what?  That information is already pointing me to what I want to do more of in 2012.

Sweet.

And useful. Practical. And really productive.

Want to give it a shot yourself? Hey, if you need some help figuring it all out, download the Personal Planning Tool for 2012 – available at my website as my gift to you. You can use the Tool to review 2011, identify your accomplishments, and get your thoughts together for what you’d like to get done next year.

And if you want, you can take it to a whole other level by making another list – let’s call it The Gratitude List.  Can you list 25 people or things you’re grateful for?

I can.  Again, the overachiever in me found twenty-six items to list, but let me tell you about:

10.  The kindness of strangers.

And,

11.  People who help me when I ask.

Kinda linked, yet kinda not.  But I’ll tell you, I could never have had as many accomplishments in 2011 if it hadn’t been for #10 and #11.

If it hadn’t been for you.

Because you are on my Gratitude List. You readers and clients, family and friends.

Oh, you’re on my List. Right up there at the top.

Right where you belong.