http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk The Edge Coaching - Resource Centre en-uk Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT DeepSense RSS Generator 60
For example, sometimes people will have 'money' down as a core value. When I ask them, "What will having money in your life bring you?" clients will answer with things like: "Time to do xxx", "a worry - free life", "regular holidays" - so I will then ask "and why is that important?" and the process starts again to get to the true core value.

Money is what I call a 'means value' because it is a means to an end (the true core value expressed in the client's life) rather than an end in itself. Money can enable you to create the space to do what you truly want to do in your life, it can bring you material security (an ends value that most of us have in some form), it can help you leave a legacy of some kind (normally driven by core values such as 'Family' or 'making a positive difference').

So have a look at your values list and check - are some of them 'means values' rather than 'ends values'? Find the real 'ends values' contained in your list. Then, in the next takeaway, we'll explore any possible 'values clash' in the lists.

Enjoy the process - and congratulations for beginning to take charge of your life and the direction you want it to go!]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/rssfeed.php?feed=Resource%20Centre&articleid=11 http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/resourcecentre.php?articleid=11
Now ask yourself "What is important to me about [the outcome you have visioned]?"

Follow this up with "…and what is important about that [your first answer]?"

Then ask yourself "…and what is important about that [your second answer]?"

Repeat the question for a couple of more rounds (or more than that until you run out of any more responses).

You should have got to the core value that underlies that Vision for success you produced last week.

Why is this important? Knowing the core values that underpin our actions and vision is important. we need to make sure that the action we take is in line with the core values we make important for ourselves - then we will be successful and enjoy what we do; we even manage the challenges and problems more effectively. When we are doing things that don't fit our core values; we get tired, 'down' and are not effective.

If you want to do the bigger version of this - ask yourself "What's important to me in life?" Create a list of four, five or six words that come up for you. People will list things like: family, friendship, creativity, spirit, fun, achievement. The we can start to look at these words and ask some more questions to find out which are 'means' values and which are 'ends' values. More on this in Take-Away Three in a couple of week's time. You have plenty to be going on with!!!! Enjoy it!

]]> Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/rssfeed.php?feed=Resource%20Centre&articleid=10 http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/resourcecentre.php?articleid=10
Insight Number One - it is essential that you have a clear Vision for anything that you want to achieve, whether it is your 'grand vision' for the next five or ten years or for a project over a week or a month. It is essential that you can create a vision for yourself now, this moment, a vision of you having successfully achieved your intended outcome.

So...sit down where you won't be disturbed for a few minutes. Close your eyes. Relax. Picture yourself having successfully achieved your intended outcome. Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing? What are you/others saying? How are you feeling? Picture it in detail - as much detail as you can create. Picture it in colour. Make the sounds full, make the picture bright. Feel what you feel and enjoy that feeling of success. Make sure you are actually in the picture looking out through your eyes, moving with your body, feeling your feelings, hearing through your ears. Above all enjoy it!

After a few minutes - let the vision go inside you, knowing you can access it anytime you want. Then get on with your dey/evening. Remember - do this every day for ten days (longer if you want).]]> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:00:00 GMT http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/rssfeed.php?feed=Resource%20Centre&articleid=9 http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/resourcecentre.php?articleid=9
I have begun to develop my own 'Blog' over the past couple of weeks. Up until recently I have posted stories, thoughts, information that can be of use to my clients and anyone else who cares to read it.

I am now posting more regularly and have also signed up to Digg so I can search out useful articles and information sources for you all to use.

Let me know what you think. The link to my blog is below.]]> Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:00 GMT http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/rssfeed.php?feed=Resource%20Centre&articleid=8 http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/resourcecentre.php?articleid=8
'Conscious Business' by Fred Kofman (Pub. Sounds True 2006)
'Presence' by Peter Senge et al (Pub. Nicholas Brearley 2005)
'Competitive Business, Caring Business' by Daryl S. Paulson (Pub. Paraview Press 2002)
'A Theory of Everything' by Ken Wilber (Pub. Gateway 2001)

.....and for an Integral approach to living you might like to explore:

'The Life we are Given' by Leonard & Murphy (Pub. Tarcher/Penguin 1995)
'The Integral Life Practice Starter Kit' from the Integral Institute (you can get this from Ian McDonald at the Integral Life Centre - 01829771776)

Finally there is the original 'Spiral Dynamics' book by Beck & Cowan (Pub. Blackwell 1996).

Enjoy them all!



]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:00:00 GMT http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/rssfeed.php?feed=Resource%20Centre&articleid=7 http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/resourcecentre.php?articleid=7 Friday 16th March saw the inaugral event of the Cheshire Leadership Programme, sister to the Yorkshire Leadership Programme and run by my friend and colleague, Ian McDonald. Ian and his wife Christine run the Integral Life Centre near Chester (www.integrallifecentre.com) - an amazing space for workshops, retreats, dinners and meditation. If you are in the area it is worth visiting - actually it is worth visiting even if you have to drive for a couple of hours to get there!

Back to the Cheshire Leadership event, held at another amazing space near to the ILC called The Success Factory (www.thesuccessfactory.co.uk). There is definitely something special happening around the Tattenhall - Budwardley area of the country! The focus of the day was the exploration of what 'Integral Leadership' might mean in action. Those last two words are key: 'in action'. It's great to discuss the theory and ask the questions but without exploring through action the first two bits are ultimately meaningless. It is only by taking action, seeing what works and what doesn't, that any true development takes place.

This is what the Yorkshire and Cheshire programmes are about. If you are interested in practical exploration and learning about new ways to develop leadership capacity, then either programme will be a great resource for you.

The next Cheshire Leadership event will be on Friday 22nd June - again at the Success Factory. I will post more details on the site nearer the time. In the meantime you can contact Ian and pencil your name in to participate (01829771776).

]]> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:00:00 GMT http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/rssfeed.php?feed=Resource%20Centre&articleid=4 http://www.theedgecoaching.co.uk/resourcecentre.php?articleid=4
Exercise - Random Word

This is a powerful technique to generate new ideas in a short space of time - it is a technique that is forcing you to look at a problem in new ways to gain new insights and ideas for action.

As the first step, identify an issue/problem/challenge in your business or in your life you need some new ideas or insights on to move forward. It can be anything though we recommend for the purposes of this particular exercise that you choose a small to medium kind of problem - you'll know the one to work on. State the problem as a sentence (you can if you wish, draw it or represent it in some way instead of writing it as a sentence).

Then get a newspaper, magazine or book, take a pencil/pen, and without looking at the words, move the pencil/pen around above a page and then put the point on the page at random. See what word the point of the pencil/pen is on and write this word underneath your issue/problem.

You now have five minutes to jot down on your paper all the connections you can make between your problem and the word you have chosen at random. Warning! - Your first response is very likely to be "I can't make any connections!" Know that this is your existing mind-set in action. The trick here is to write down anything, without evaluating it or considering it. Once this first stage of the exercise is finished you can then review what you have written, until then just put down whatever comes to you. This exercise is essentially using the associations you make using the word chosen at random. Have fun with this, be as crazy as you like for now - the review and evaluation comes later.

On one of our courses, one of our participants at this point sat for five minutes staring blankly at his page. His problem was how to get the various companies involved in the 'Snagging Process' for a new building (6 months after the building is first completed) to liaise more effectively than they were. His word was 'Island'. He shared that he couldn't make any connections. I  responded, "Well what comes to me is the phrase 'No man is an island'". It was as if a light bulb came on above his head, he wrote quickly for about two minutes and then said to us, "I've got my presentation to make to the companies!" It was that fast! We have had plenty of examples of people generating successful, practical solutions to their problems with this technique. So, even if your habitual thinking is going "It doesn't make sense!" Go for it! It is not meant to make sense - that's the whole point!!!!
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