Judy Nelson, MSW, JD
Certified Professional Coach
phone: 877.YesJudy
Welcome to the first edition of the blog, Executive Coaching Reflections.
Thank you for your interest in "Executive Coaching Reflections." If you are an executive in mental limbo about your future with thoughts of "is this all there is?" I think you will relate to this blog. Hopefully, you may even find a toehold for revisiting those goals and dreams that have gotten sidetracked and neglected. If you have started reviving those dreams, I hope you can help others who are feeling stuck.
Several of my Executing Coaching clients have asked me what I learned from being a CEO for thirty years. I thought I would use this space to try to articulate some of those lessons-- both for my own growth and development --but also to encourage other "seasoned" leaders/managers who have thoughts to share about their own search for wisdom.
Of course, the first lesson learned is that the search for wisdom is, fortunately, a never-ending journey. The second lesson is that the secret, if there is one, is that you are the travel agent, the aviation mechanic and the pilot. While I did not choose where I landed on this planet, the only one responsible for determining where I went from there is, of course, me.
I can hear your skepticism already. "We all know that. What else is new?"
We all may "know" that but why in the world does it take so many of us years, decades to figure it out? Sure it's the same "if I only knew then what I know now..." routine, but the more I reflect on my life and career, the more it's clear: it shouldn't have to take thirty years!
It's not that I've found the fountain of wisdom and can sit here and hand out solution cocktails to whoever will listen. In fact, the more I discover what I don't know (and thought I did) about leadership, management and personal growth, the more humble I become.
Allow me to provide some brief context. If you read my website, http://www.coachjudynelson.com/, you already know that I came to Executive Coaching with a master's degree in human services and a law degree. After a fabulous career that took me to Canada, Virginia, Kansas and California, it was time to explore new horizons and a life without 3+ hours a day on the freeway. I retired in 2006 to discover and launch a second career.
I had no idea how exciting my life was going to become. Oh, I knew that I would revel in not having the stress of being the CEO. But I wasn't prepared for the highs of having time to discover what had passed me by. I thought I had read every management book out there and had a fairly good handle on past and current theories of leadership, stewardship and whatever the latest guru was promoting. I was so wrong.
In addition to being able to read and study the most well-researched management theories and techniques, I also had time to compare and contrast the techniques I had used over the years. On top of that I acquired exceptional training, requiring at least a master's degree, to become a certified professional coach (through the College of Executive Coaching,) I learned that the style of leadership/management I had been using through the years was intuitely based on what is now called "emotional intelligence." Through the study and training, I acquired the terms and philosophy to desecrube what my leadership style; in addition, I gained considerable knowledge in how to be more effective--and more emotionally intelligent. In the process, I discovered that as an Executive Coach and trainer in leadership development, I could apply all of the skills in knowledge to assist others to shorten their knowledge journey.
In the next Blog post, I will talk about Emotional Intelligence, how it links with all phases of management and give case examples of the power of this tool. Now, let me hear from you!
Best regards,
Judy
Several of my Executing Coaching clients have asked me what I learned from being a CEO for thirty years. I thought I would use this space to try to articulate some of those lessons-- both for my own growth and development --but also to encourage other "seasoned" leaders/managers who have thoughts to share about their own search for wisdom.
Of course, the first lesson learned is that the search for wisdom is, fortunately, a never-ending journey. The second lesson is that the secret, if there is one, is that you are the travel agent, the aviation mechanic and the pilot. While I did not choose where I landed on this planet, the only one responsible for determining where I went from there is, of course, me.
I can hear your skepticism already. "We all know that. What else is new?"
We all may "know" that but why in the world does it take so many of us years, decades to figure it out? Sure it's the same "if I only knew then what I know now..." routine, but the more I reflect on my life and career, the more it's clear: it shouldn't have to take thirty years!
It's not that I've found the fountain of wisdom and can sit here and hand out solution cocktails to whoever will listen. In fact, the more I discover what I don't know (and thought I did) about leadership, management and personal growth, the more humble I become.
Allow me to provide some brief context. If you read my website, http://www.coachjudynelson.com/, you already know that I came to Executive Coaching with a master's degree in human services and a law degree. After a fabulous career that took me to Canada, Virginia, Kansas and California, it was time to explore new horizons and a life without 3+ hours a day on the freeway. I retired in 2006 to discover and launch a second career.
I had no idea how exciting my life was going to become. Oh, I knew that I would revel in not having the stress of being the CEO. But I wasn't prepared for the highs of having time to discover what had passed me by. I thought I had read every management book out there and had a fairly good handle on past and current theories of leadership, stewardship and whatever the latest guru was promoting. I was so wrong.
In addition to being able to read and study the most well-researched management theories and techniques, I also had time to compare and contrast the techniques I had used over the years. On top of that I acquired exceptional training, requiring at least a master's degree, to become a certified professional coach (through the College of Executive Coaching,) I learned that the style of leadership/management I had been using through the years was intuitely based on what is now called "emotional intelligence." Through the study and training, I acquired the terms and philosophy to desecrube what my leadership style; in addition, I gained considerable knowledge in how to be more effective--and more emotionally intelligent. In the process, I discovered that as an Executive Coach and trainer in leadership development, I could apply all of the skills in knowledge to assist others to shorten their knowledge journey.
In the next Blog post, I will talk about Emotional Intelligence, how it links with all phases of management and give case examples of the power of this tool. Now, let me hear from you!
Best regards,
Judy
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