The interviewer was John Sawatsky. He is described in The Mag as “a former investigative journalist,” who, “coaches many of the network’s reporters in the science of asking the right questions at the right time.”

Photo courtesy of SD Dirk via Creative Commons

The interviewee is the recently retired manager of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, Tony La Russa. Over the course of his successful 30+ year managerial career, La Russa has won three World Series titles and four Manager of the Year awards. His next award will likely be induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

So, what we have here basically boils down to one “coach” interviewing another “coach.” (And as an added bonus, Sawatsky critiques his own line of questions in the footnotes.) While I recommend reading the interview in its entirety, Sawatsky tosses one question that La Russa knocks out of the park…

Sawatsky: So how do you manage in an age of superstars and superegos?

La Russa: Personalize, personalize, personalize. You need to show you care; you need to earn their trust and respect. This is the entire staff, not just me. And trust means telling the truth. Sometimes that’s not what they want to hear, but you can’t bulls–t them, because there goes your credibility.
But you also understand that these guys have a life. So you make it clear that if at any point there is a personal need I can help with, I’m there.

In his brief response, La Russa effectively demonstrates that the key to his success as a manager was to be a leader.

• Treat your people as individuals. Don’t lead with a one size fits all approach.
• Build relationships on a foundation of trust and mutual respect.
• Surround yourself with a team who lead by a set of shared values.
• Give honest feedback. Don’t be afraid to have difficult conversations.
• Be empathetic, and offer support, when personal issues inevitably arise.

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As kids, we want our parents to be proud of us. We want our friends to think we’re cool. We want our teachers to think we’re smart.

As we get older, we still want our parents to be proud of us. We still want our friends to think we’re cool. And now, instead of teachers, we want our colleagues and clients to think we’re smart.

Then, one day we wake up and realize we’re spending most of our waking hours trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. We’re spending more time trying to make everyone else happy than we are on meeting our own needs. We’re not necessarily unhappy, but we’re unfulfilled.

Depending on how we choose to look at it, that unfulfilled feeling can be a blessing or a curse. We can either let it spiral out of control into a deep depression or, hopefully, we can choose to use it as a wake up call.

To determine if your life needs a slight course correction, ask yourself the following questions:

“Whose life am I living?”

You only have one life to live, you might as well make it your own.

“Am I being selfish enough?”

You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself.

To have any chance at spreading sustained happiness to others, it’s vital to make sure that YOU are happy. From time to time, do a check-in to make sure that YOUR needs are getting met so that YOU are able to continue to meet the many needs of all the important people in YOUR life.

In coaching, simply having an awareness and understanding of the time perspectives of those you coach is invaluable. Within the context of time, we’d like to see all of our clients be future-oriented. Those that come into coaching already future-oriented are more likely to be able to quickly move into action on their growth and development goals. That’s not to say that individuals who are past/present-oriented can’t achieve the same, however, it might take a little more work and, most definitely, a different approach.

Take the time and watch the video below to learn more. Share your take-aways in the comment box.

To my surprise, an hour later my phone rang and it was Laura. By chance, she happened to be in town for a conference. This was kind of a big deal since we’re based on opposite sides of the country. The next morning, we were catching up in person over breakfast!

This chance encounter resulted only because of the incredible technologies we currently have at our disposal. I saw an update on LinkedIn, I sent an e-mail, which she received on her cell phone, and then she called me during a break while attending a conference. Think about that for a moment. How possible is it that this would have occurred say 10-15 short years ago? Not likely. How radically different will this scenario play out 10-15 short years from now? To borrow a quote from a friend, “It boggles the mind.”

Now, think about how you use technology in your professional and personal life. Would a scenario such as the one I’ve described be possible for you today through your use of technology? More to the point, do you embrace technology or do you let it intimidate you?

In her new book, Seeing Red Cars: Driving Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization to a Positive Future, Laura recommends, “Become fluid with technology so you can continue to learn, connect, and remain relevant – and, in many cases, remain employed. Confidence and competence in technology is becoming much more of a  requirement than an option.”

From the ever-expanding and always-enhancing software applications in the workplace, to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs (such as this one), cell phone apps, and the like, there are countless ways to utilize technology to stay connected and to get ahead, both personally and professionally. How are you embracing technology?

If you have a technology-related success story or strategy, we’d love to hear about it! Please share in the comment area below.

Almost all of our clients have time and budget constraints that need to be considered and respected when designing a coaching solution. The goal is to balance all potentially competing factors to meet the needs of the budget, the sponsor, and the individual receiving coaching. We have learned through years of experience that when not designed and delivered properly, the client’s coaching experience will not have the level of impact we have become accustomed to.

This led me to question the appropriate time to push back and establish ourselves as the expert that can lead the client to their desired results if, and only if, they follow the tried and tested best practices. For example, let’s say I hire a certified dietician to create a healthy eating plan for me but then explained to the dietician that I was unwilling to eliminate cakes, pies, cookies, pizza, fried chicken, double cheeseburgers, and carne asada burritos from my diet. As the client, I would expect a respected dietician to tell me to save my money and come back when I’m serious. If the dietician told me they could work around my unhealthy eating habits, I would question their credibility as an “expert.” If I am serious enough about eating healthy that I am willing to spend the money on an expert in the field, I should also be disciplined enough to follow the expert’s advice. Furthermore, if I was the dietician, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my reputation as an expert, or waste my time and my client’s time and money, when they are obviously not serious about improving themselves.

So for all you coaches out there, the next time your prospective client tells you that they only have 30 minutes to spare once every six months, what will your response be? Please share your thoughts and experiences on this subject in the comment area below.