Category: Uncategorized

If you’re examining your EOY budget and have last minute money that needs to be spent, now is an ideal time to invest those dollars in your team. Think about both the victories and challenges that you’ve experienced so far this year. Is there a conflict that might have been resolved better? Are there areas that need improvement, like enhanced communication or trust? This month and next, we’re focusing on our most popular courses that have changed the way offices operate, communicate and deal with issues. They’re a great investment in the most important part of your department – your people:

Here are two of our most sought-after courses that we’re focusing on this month:

Effective Interpersonal Skills: Interpersonal skills are sometimes referred to as people skills, soft skills or emotional intelligence skills. In a nutshell, they’re the way you communicate and interact with others. Valuable interpersonal skills include: teamwork, leadership, empathy, active listening and so much more. In this course, we delve into verbal and non-verbal cues, why they matter and how to build strong interpersonal skills that will enhance the harmony and productivity of your office.

Conflict Management Skills: Problems can arise on any team. Whether you’re a manager or employee, you will likely need to resolve conflict at some point in your job. This might involve solving an issue between staff members, yourself and a colleague or with someone outside your department. Our course helps you develop conflict resolution skills, deal with constructive criticism and gain important counseling, mediating and problem-solving skills.

If you have money left in your EOY budget to spend and are ready to invest it in your most important asset (your team!), Leah M. Joppy and Associates is ready to help! Call us at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com.

You’re ready to make some changes and you’ve decided that it’s time to work with a life coach. But now what? It can be tough to know what you should be looking for in a coach, especially if you’ve never worked with one. How do you make sure your coach will be the right fit for you and has the right background to address your unique needs? Here are a few questions to ask a potential coach to see if he/she is the best match:

Question 1: Why did you become a coach?

Question 2: What is your background and work experience?

Question 3: What is your coaching experience? How about training and certification?

Question 4: What is your coaching specialty? Are there areas in which you primarily work?

Question 5: What is your approach or philosophy about coaching?

Question 6: What methodologies and tools do you use?

Question 7: What are some of your coaching success stories?

After you’ve consulted with a potential coach, evaluate what the experience was like interacting with them. Were they easy to get a hold of? Did they follow up with you in a timely manner after you reached out? Did they answer your questions thoughtfully and thoroughly? Typically the way someone acts during your initial exchange is a good indication of the way they will act if you’re working together.  

A life coach is an important ally to help you achieve your goals, make big decisions and stay accountable for the things you want to achieve in life. If you’re ready to work with a life coach, Leah M. Joppy and Associates is ready to help! Call us at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com and let’s work together to make your goals a reality.

For reasons why someone would hire a coach, check out our article.

Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” As we discussed in the previous article, there are so many reasons why people abandon their goals. What can we do to overcome some of these obstacles and start moving towards accomplishing our goals? Here are a few ideas:

Acknowledge Fear: There’s an acronym for FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real. We’ve all experienced fear, but the key is to acknowledge where you fears lie and what fears are true and what aren’t based in reality. Ask yourself, “what’s the worst that could happen?” And then, “what’s the best that could happen?” Almost always, the good outweighs the bad.

Quiet those Nagging Thoughts: You know the ones: “I don’t have time to work towards my goals.” “I’m already maxed out!” “I’m not good enough to achieve [insert goal here].” Bring them to the surface and acknowledge them. They’ve been there all along and they’re holding you back. By becoming conscious of those nagging voices in your head, you can face each thought and develop a plan to move past them.

Just start: Maybe it’s 5 minutes a day and you set a timer. Put aside the “someday I’ll do it” and “when I’m ready” and just accomplish one task. However small it may seem, the act of doing SOMETHING can build confidence and start to put a goal-achieving plan into action.

There are so many things that can stop us from making our goals a reality. But with the right tools and mindset in place, we can calm the voices in our head saying we can’t do it and move towards meaningful change. Leah M. Joppy and Associates is ready to help! Call us at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com and let’s work together to make your goals a reality.

All too often, we buy into the idea that we have no control over our lives. The circumstances of life make it too impossible to plan for the next month, let alone three or five years into the future. It’s challenging to own up to the fact that we make choices all the time that determine our future and do have responsibility over our lives. Once we realize we can determine the outcomes of our life and external circumstances don’t always control us, we can begin mapping out long-term goals. It’s not just about 2019, it’s looking into 2020 and beyond.

As we mentioned in the previous article, achieving long-term goals requires commitment and not just interest. You need to be all in or else the excuses, circumstances, and challenges of life start to derail the process. But how do you get started? Here are a few tips to get you thinking about your long-term goals and how you want to achieve them:

• Write goals down to crystallize them and give them force.
• State each goal as a positive statement.
• Be precise by adding dates, times, amounts, etc. to increase your level of accountability.
• Set priorities to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
• Invest in a coach. An objective and non-judgmental sounding-board can be very helpful.

Maybe some of those ideas gave you food for thought. It’s just the beginning of what you can do to set attainable long-term goals, both personally and for your team. Please call Leah M. Joppy and Associates at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com and let’s work together to plan your long-term goals and make them a reality!

A new year is upon us and that means you’ve probably heard this question dozens of times: “What is your New Year’s resolution?” Whether it’s losing weight, organizing our homes, or finding a new job, our society is in love with making resolutions at the start of every New Year. But we’re not so in love with keeping them. Only an estimated 8% of people keep their New Year’s resolutions and those are only short-term goals! Ask someone the dreaded question, “where do you see yourself in five years?” and you’ll likely be met with a little bit of fear and anxiety. Why are long-term goals daunting to so many? Are we doing ourselves a disservice in life by merely thinking short-term and not planning for years in the future? The short answer is “yes.”

What if you positioned this year differently and lived your life based on what you intend to do 3 or 5 years from now? Although you don’t have a crystal ball and can’t plan for what will happen in the future, you can position yourself to achieve the goals you have for your life. One key is how to view your goals: they’re a means and not an end. Ask yourself the question, “Am I merely interested in achieving these goals or am I truly committed?” Commitment means there are no excuses and you’re willing to do whatever it takes. Interest simply means there will be excuses and circumstances along the way telling you why you can’t do something.

True commitment means you’re willing to put aside the idea that you’re not in control of what happens in your own life. You’re ready to live a consciously designed life based on the following principles:

• YOU are in control of what happens to you; you are capable of positioning yourself and making a plan.
• YOU have the ability to make things happen and won’t let external circumstances derail your goals.
• YOU are responsible for the choices you make.
• YOU are willing to stay motivated and value your goals, even when life is difficult.

The idea behind long-term goal planning is: Don’t just plant a tree, plant an orchard. And don’t view 2019 as just one year, but think of how you can begin writing your story for 2020, 2021, and even farther. We have some powerful activities that will help you and your team think beyond the typical New Year’s resolutions and begin creating meaningful and attainable long-term goals. Call Leah M. Joppy and Associates at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com.

It’s often said that “variety is the spice of life”. And you’d be hard pressed to find more variety than when you walk into an office filled with all different types of people. Communication can certainly be challenging when you’re dealing with individual personalities and preferences. The following list breaks down four different types of communication styles based on whether an individual is relationship-oriented or task-oriented and slow-paced or fast-paced. Do any seem familiar to you?

Type 1 is slow-paced and relationship-oriented:

• Likes to talk about family, activities, and other personal information
• Appreciates you taking time to develop a personal relationship or business friendship
• Prefers to be given information verbally and face-to-face
• Doesn’t like to be pushed into making quickly decisions

Type 2 is fast-paced and relationship-oriented:

• Likes to tell stories based on personal experiences
• Takes time to develop a personal relationship or business friendship with you
• Wants key facts and not a lot of detail
• Makes decisions quickly primarily based on personal relationships

Type 3 is fast-paced and task-oriented:

• Prefers to get down to business quickly
• More interested in getting the job done than being your friend
• May ask a lot of questions and makes you feel like you’re being “grilled”
• Makes decisions quickly based on facts

Type 4 is slow-paced and task-oriented:

• Prefers to not make small talk, but talk about the business at hand
• Likes to have a lot of backup data
• Doesn’t like to be pushed into making quick decisions
• Tends to analyze all details before making a decision

So, which communication style do you think you have? Do you definitely fall into one category or are you a combination of 2, 3, or all 4 styles. Many people differ based on their environment. For instance, a person’s communication style at work may be completely different than in a social setting like a party. We have some fun, high-energy team activities that will help you learn more about your distinct communication style, as well as those you work with closely!

Please call Leah M. Joppy and Associates at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com to learn more.

Are the leaders you have now the right ones for your organization? Think about how technology has changed the way we work. Technology influences our work life in how we communicate, how we meet, how we plan projects, how we keep track of progress and even how we inform our clients. With all of these changes that focus on technology, should our leadership change?

In the past, a valuable leader had a strong command of the company’s mission. Revenues and profits were top of mind. But today, companies have to consider not only the industry they are in, but others as well. How are other industries changing the face of business?

There is a premium today on leaders who can manage differently – leaders who have a grasp on the technological changes within the business environment. Here are some of the strengths now considered most important in leaders.

The Ability To Innovate. Instead of following some predetermined strategies for growth, leaders today must understand how business is evolving rapidly. Leaders should have the ability to envision new solutions and be willing to create something new. It’s not just seeking out and delivering on new possibilities, but also helping to redefine the organization for the future.

Early Adopters Of Technology. If not the adopters of technology itself, leaders must be early adopters of the advantages created by the use of technology. While we may not expect our leaders to write code, they should have the knowledge to understand the capabilities that exist. Technology is not just about working faster anymore, but being more effective at what we do. In order to improve organizations, our leaders must be skilled in recognizing the core technologies that will help businesses and organizations remain competitive.

High Emotional Intelligence. Leadership is not just about putting people and pieces together anymore, and following a plan. Instead, leadership needs to evaluate people. Leaders need to be accountable and know how to design process that will work for the benefit of the organization.

Understand The Value Of Disruption. Our world, and our work, is chaotic. A leader that can thrive in the unknown, a leader who likes the challenge, is the leader that will take the team into the future.

Work With Both Technology And People. Using technology to effectively communicate with people will influence the success of the leader. A good leader who knows how to apply technology to optimize the role of his/her people will encourage better decision-making throughout the organization.

Need help developing the right leaders in your organization? LMJA has a complete Leadership Series available – view our webpage for more info. Give us a call at (301) 670-0051 and let’s discuss your needs.

In our article on the intriguing habits of successful people, we really only looked at the normal work week. So that got us wondering, how do successful people spend their weekends? Here’s what we found.

1. Many successful people do not go to the office on weekends. Instead, they use their time to think more deeply about work and their particular industry. It’s their chance to reflect on bigger issues.
2. Most successful people follow the same schedule on weekends as they do during the week. They are up early, but more often than not, engaging in an activity that is for themselves.
3. They plan mini-trips, excursions, events that center around some passion they have. That could mean a bike ride through the countryside, a hike in the woods, a day of skiing or a play on broadway. These events not only further work-life balance, but they help successful people enjoy life to the fullest.
4. More successful people plan for an “unplugged” weekend. They recognize the need to renew mind and body. If you’re constantly plugged-in, that’s hard to do.
5. Finally, according to our research, most successful people take real vacations. Not long weekends or “stay-cations” but real, honest-to-goodness get away from it all vacations. Savoring experiences is important to relaxation and creativity.