Category Executive Shift

October 19, 2023 by Laura Riordan

Success on your terms

One of the topics that I often touch upon with coaching clients is what success looks like. For many that I coach, success is deeply personal and meaningfully aligns with their values and strengths. Their pathway to success is not a linear journey; it is filled with peaks, troughs and detours which teach you something new about yourself and your path, helping you refine your definition of success.

Achieving this kind of success often requires walking away from a seemingly safe path to wander in the dark for a while. It requires being vulnerable and putting yourself out there. It will probably include some “failure.” It requires getting to know yourself to be able to define your terms. This self-knowledge is the foundation upon which your unique definition of success is built. Here are some good questions to start with:

What does a successful outcome look and feel like in vivid detail?
How will my success impact the people and communities around me?
What are the potential obstacles or challenges I might encounter?
What personal values and principles align with my definition of success?
How will success impact my relationships with family, friends, and colleagues?
Is my definition of success flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances?

If you are working towards success on your own terms, It may be lonely at times. For some it is the only way forward. And for you, I am here…book a free consultation!

September 22, 2023 by Laura Riordan

Ready for your Next Chapter?

Transitions mark the turning points of our life chapters and shape the course of our lives. Whether we are changing careers, moving to a new city, enrolling in a course of study, beginning or ending a relationship, or simply navigating the ebb and flow of life, transitions are opportunities for growth and self-discovery and allow us to craft the next chapter of our lives with confidence and purpose. As a coach, recognizing the potential for growth during these times can be the foundation for assisting others in their journey.

In this Next Chapter Coaching Package, we will reflect on past chapters to uncover valuable insights and discuss practical strategies to embrace change and uncertainty with grace. Together, we will uncover the keys to fostering resilience, building a supportive network, and setting a clear path towards our desired next chapter!

Package of Four Virtual Coaching sessions:

Who You Are and What Makes You Tick? Laura uses an inside-out approach to achieve lasting results for her clients. A variety of assessments, exercises and tools are used to identify your sweet spot; the intersection of Personality, Strengths, Interests, Values and Skills. Working in your sweet spot creates a sense of flow and is the most efficient and fulfilling use of your time.
Set Up Your Environment for Success. We will take a deep dive into your current environment to let go of what is no longer working, recognize patterns that are holding you back, and identify threads that point to your purposeful work. We will design both your physical environment and relationships to support your next chapter.
Embracing Discomfort as a Catalyst for Growth. Laura will teach you strategies to manage anxiety, lean into vulnerability and cultivate adaptability, ensuring that you remain resilient in the face of uncertainty. Areas of growth typically include: Strategic Planning, Executive Presence, Career Advancement, Establishing a Climate of Trust, Managing Stress, Fostering Relationships, Cultivating a Growth Mindset, Coaching and Developing Others, and Increasing Focus.
Create a Strategy. We will make an action plan by developing possible Next Chapter scenarios, breaking them into actionable steps, utilizing resources and seeking knowledge to aid in the process. Laura will help you to slow down, pay attention and cultivate a practice to keep you on track to fully realize your goals in a balanced and meaningful way.

Ultimately, this journey calls for a belief in ourselves
and in the power of the next chapter we are creating.

in Articles / Back to Work / Decisions / Executive Balance / Executive Shift / Featured / Transformed Adventurer 0 comments

April 18, 2023 by Laura Riordan

Taking the Hit as a Gift

The Hit

A few months ago, a client came to me who had been unexpectedly laid off. It was a huge blow for her and she felt a bit of her identity had vanished. I helped her to ground back into who she was and the impacts that she had made over the years in her career. As the news started to sink in, she eventually found herself strangely happy and relieved. I helped her to see the layoff as gift. The abrupt change had presented an opportunity for her to find a more positive environment where her skills and expertise aligned; where she could feel challenged and grow.

My aikido teacher, George Leonard, called this awareness taking the hit as a gift. At various times in life we all receive hits. They can take the form of injury or accident, relationship struggles, career pitfalls, family crises or disappointments. Some are more forceful than others. When we receive the hit and label it as bad or negative we lose the opportunity to grow. If we receive the hit and look at it as a gift, we can open up to the possibility to change a pattern, belief, behavior or relationship in our life that is no longer serving us. We are empowered by this wake-up-call to act in a way that improves our health and wholeness thus embracing the pain or challenge for what it is, an opportunity.

Here are two ways that you can take your next “hit” as a gift:

March 27, 2023 by Laura Riordan

Job Craft your role for more fulfilling work!

Being a person with a curious mind and an appetite for variety, I have guarded myself against career burnout by crafting my business. I am always a coach in each of my roles, but I craft my work for a better fit with each new client. Each client engagement offers an opportunity to build on the fundamentals of coaching and owning my own business gives me a platform for growth.

I see this as a time to craft a new way of working, relating to each other and to ourselves.

To start you off on your crafting journey, I have outlined a few basic tenets of Job Crafting: a practice that you can use to create a more ideal work situation for yourself and perhaps change the meaning and purpose of your work. Use these tenets to assess and edit different aspects of your work and to design your way forward. You spend hours each day doing it..why not make it the best it can be?

Locus of control. Part of what my friend was experiencing on her bike that day was the joy of taking control. The pandemic has limited some aspects of what we can control in our environment, but it has also given many of us flexibility that we didn’t think was possible. We have more control over where we work, when we work and how we work. Ask yourself if the ways you are choosing to work give you the freedom you desire.

What makes you tick. I like to use an inside-out approach to crafting optimal work. This approach recognizes that we already have most of the skills and knowledge we need to create meaningful work. We are all unique individuals who need different things to thrive. Consider these aspects of yourself to drill down on what makes you tick and make decisions about how and where you work: personality, values, strengths, skills and interests.

Task Crafting: If you have worked for a few years, you will have accumulated many skills. The idea of task crafting is that you choose the skills and tasks that you enjoy using and performing so that you spend more of your time enjoying the work. Task crafting also allows you to expand the boundaries of your role to take on more tasks or change how these tasks are performed. One example from my early career in hotel management was taking on a few night audit shifts at a small bed and breakfast property where I was working at the front desk. I loved math and was interested in accounting. The night audit tasks were easy for me to learn and I ended up earning extra money along with my additional skills.

Networking: True networking is an exchange of ideas and information. You can change the nature or extent of your interactions with other people by having a networking conversation. You may be thinking about a lateral move within your organization and a networking conversation can give you important insights into the role you desire. A networking conversation can also lead to a role in a new organization as you are speaking in your area of expertise and passion. Try elevating your next conversation by talking about some aspect of your work that you are really excited about!

Reframe: You can change how you think about the purpose of certain aspects of your job; or you can reframe the job as a whole. I remember one of the nurses in the hospital where I gave birth to my daughter reframed her role as a newborn nurse to include the role of welcomer. She was a reiki energy practitioner and silently treated all of the newborns she interacted with to soothe their fragile nervous systems. It was a beautiful gesture of healing that she added to the routine tasks of a newborn nurse in order to give her job more purpose and meaning.

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April 1, 2022 by Laura Riordan

What people are looking for in a post-pandemic work environment and company culture?

With the great resignation in full swing and many companies opening offices for in-person work, employees are reevaluating what work means to them. The pandemic has created a giant disruption in everyday life and work on a global level. It has changed so many cultural and work-life rules that savvy executives are crafting their own way forward. This is a challenging time for businesses looking to retain and attract talent. In my experience coaching executives throughout the pandemic and helping people pivot during the great resignation, I have learned a few valuable insights that I would like to share with you.

Once compensation needs are met, people are motivated to stay in a role when they feel a sense of belonging, shared values and a pathway for growth.

As a huge fan of the mid-2000’s drama series Mad Men, I often quote my favorite character Don Draper. Draper was an advertising executive who often used ideas from his direct reports without giving them credit. In one episode, Draper wins a prestigious award for a print ad campaign that featured copy written by his junior colleague Peggy. Peggy is astonished that Draper gives no mention of her work at the award ceremony and storms into his office, upset by the lack of recognition. Draper utters these words, “that’s what the money’s for.” In essence, he is saying shut up and do your job! I believe that these days are hopefully behind us and that as managers we have a responsibility to honor and give credit to rising stars. Companies can help by encouraging managers to practice empathy and active listening skills to move beyond the suggestion boxes and endless surveys from the past. Appreciating the good work of junior colleagues is a valuable tool to enroll employees in the company culture, enticing them to stay and grow with the company.

November 17, 2021 by Laura Riordan

Meaning Over Money

Thinking about quitting your job?

Coaching can help you find the clarity you need to make a good decision

There has been a lot of press lately about the Great Resignation that is unfolding as the pandemic establishes remote work as a long-term reality. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the benefits of remote vs. in-person work environments, however I do know that we need to continue to focus on creating a sense of belonging and shared meaning at work.

According to recent studies done by McKinsey & Co, “Among nearly 6,000 employee respondents, 40% of respondents said they are at least somewhat likely to quit their jobs in the next three to six months. The top three reasons for quitting a job were not feeling valued by their organizations (54%), not feeling valued by their managers (52%), and not feeling a sense of belonging at work (51%).”

I have been witnessing this sentiment in my work with mid-level managers through the BetterUp coaching platform. Once compensation needs are met, people are motivated to stay in a role when they feel a sense of belonging, shared values and a pathway for growth. If these factors are missing in your current role, it may be time to look elsewhere. However, before jumping ship, it is smart to understand more about who you are and what makes you tick. Take the time to explore from within and find the clarity you need before jumping onto the Great Resignation train.

Ask yourself if you may be able to expand your scope of work to be more in alignment with your goals.
Can you make a bigger effort to invest in what is working instead of what is not working?
Is there a bridge you can establish between your current role and where you wish to go?

These are some of the areas of focus I explore with clients making career decisions. If you are wondering if coaching could help you, I am happy to have a conversation. Please click to learn more.

in Articles / Back to Work / Executive Balance / Executive Shift / Featured / Uncategorized / Well-being 0 comments

November 17, 2021 by Laura Riordan

3 Ways to Focus on What Matters Most

I recently had a client say no to a good role at a fast-growing company because it was not a good fit for family and lifestyle. It was a tough decision but ultimately we took time to consider what matters most and found that family and security were more important than a new opportunity without a safety net.

How to Know What Matters Most

We are bombarded daily by messages designed to make us believe things matter that most likely do not actually matter to us. How do we sort through all of the chatter to find what matters most?

October 21, 2021 by Laura Riordan

Bringing Moments of Joy into the Virtual World

Many of our opportunities for moments of joy at work have disappeared while working from home. The spontaneity that we took for granted talking about a fun weekend around the water cooler or seeking advice from a colleague in the next cube is gone. We are working together, but not quite connected. How can we start to bring a little more joy to our work and gain connectedness in an inherently disconnected world?

October 21, 2021 by Laura Riordan

Having trouble Focusing?

Focus Sessions can help you get back on track

A few months ago I received a call from a former client out of the blue asking what I knew about adult onset ADD. She wondered if there was such a diagnosis as she was certain she had it. She described her symptoms as mildly anxious and irritable but moreover she was experiencing a total lack of focus for more than a few minutes at a time. I have been hearing a similar sentiment from clients, peers and friends over the past few months.

As life in parts of the world is getting back to “normal” many of us seem to have lost our ability to focus. I had to admit that day (and many days lately) despite the fact that I was alone in my home office, had already gone for a run and had my favorite coffee, I too was having trouble focusing. Then I saw an email from my friend Megan Flatt at the Let’s Collective about a new offering called Focus Sessions. I signed up for the free trial week immediately and blocked out Monday morning on my calendar.

March 30, 2020 by Laura Riordan

Using Prosocial Emotions to Lift Us Up!

We are learning, stretching, growing even if it feels that we are isolating and folding in on ourselves. The global pandemic is creating a new normal in the world that includes social distancing and voluntary isolation. Many of us feel some anxiety and potentially the beginnings of depression as we are uncertain about our future and cut off from our fellow humans.

To combat these feelings, we can cultivate positive and prosocial emotions. Prosocial emotions provide a sense of belonging to something bigger than ourselves and offer us a way to connect and lift each other up. These emotions include curiosity, surprise, amusement, gratitude, kindness and awe. Interestingly, these emotional states also spark creativity and lift us out of boredom which may be feeding the depression settling in. Try some of these action items to boost your mood and lift others up!