MWS Executive Coaching

The Sweet Spot In sports, the sweet spot is the area around the center of mass of a bat, a racket, or the head of a club that is the most effective part with which to hit a ball, says Miriam Webster. On a short podcast I watched the other day, John Maxwell, professional speaker and leadership guru was talking about a career versus a calling. He spoke of the shift from career to calling, where your career is building, you are boosting your resume and you are climbing the ...ladder. Your calling is moving from your career to something that helps and adds value to other people. It is wanting more for others than you want for yourself. He called that place sweet spot and I smiled to myself. I use the term sweet spot frequently with my coaching clients. For me, it is that place where you are at your best, doing what you love and being deliriously happy . and you know it. When you are in that place you are completely fulfilled. When you find that calling in your career, well, I suppose it feels as if you’ve won the lottery. In fact, I’m certain of it! Roger Crawford, Hall of Fame speaker and athlete says your sweet spot is more than a skill it’s your unique power, inspired by passion, and driven by a sense of what’s possible. Your sweet spot is where your ambition, passion, and strength are all in alignment. I think it takes learning, stretching and growing to find your sweet spot. I don’t think you are born with it and I believe the search or climb makes it worth the discovery. If you know your sweet spot, that place of complete fulfillment, you seek to find possibilities that align with it and nurture those possibilities. We should ask ourselves regularly, how can I be in that place as much as I can be? Limitless possibilities are all around us. The key is finding possibilities that align with your sweet spot, rather than trying to alter your sweet spot to fit the possibility. We should all have a future filled with promise and possibilities! Think of what we are able to bring to others when we are bringing everything we have through our calling, our sweet spot! Crawford later says what makes a person unforgettable is the impact they have made in the lives of others. His late friend Charlie Jones used to say, If your life does not make a difference, your absence won’t either! Definitely words to reflect on, every day! There are opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others every day. We just have to be on the lookout and ready when they come. https://www.linkedin.com//sweet-spot-margaret-walker-sca/

It is International Coaching Week! Honored to celebrate my profession with all of the executive coaches out there! Here's to making a difference in working with leaders to be their best self! #lovewhatido #greatleaders #starfish #oneleaderatatime

These unprecedented times are an opportunity for you to stretch beyond your normal comfort zones and be even more vulnerable than usual. ~ P. Lencioni This so resonated for me. I had to learn how to Zoom... and while I dug my heels in because it is not ideal... it is the opportunity to see my people face to face. We have to take a deep breath and respond, even if it’s not comfortable. Out of my comfort zone and vulnerable. Yes, let’s do this. We can all do this ... together!

Things Kobe Bryant taught me: 1. Go after what you want 2. Strive for excellence always 3. Teach others 4. Be the example... 5. Laugh often 6. Love your family and friends fiercely Oh how you will be missed! But what I learned from you will carry on forever. RIP KB!

It’s officially 2020 and I am excited for this new decade! But before I press fast forward and get going, I want to reflect a bit on what people do to prepare themselves for a new year. Some may declare New Year’s resolutions. Some may do a reset me, because I can’t keep a resolution. Others create lists of things to accomplish and check them off as they go. I was delightfully struck by author Chip Conley of Modern Elder Academy’s reference to To-Do vs. To-Be. Our to-do i...Continue reading

The first time I heard the Starfish Story by Loren Eisley, there was a connection. The connection was seeing the ability to make a difference one person at a time. For me it was one foster child, one coaching client, one friend, one person seeking a new career direction, one family member and even one stranger. If you haven’t yet read this story, it revolves around an old man who goes for a walk on the beach after a big storm has passed. That day, the beach was strewn wit...h starfish. As the old man was walking, he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, What are you doing? The boy replied, Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll for sure die. Young man, the man said, don’t you see that there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t possibly make a difference! After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said I made a difference for that one. This story makes me smile every time I read it. I think about how many times in a day we make a connection with someone. The chance to make a difference for that one. This morning on my run, there were a multitude of Good Morning exchanges with people walking and running. It’s as simple as a smile and a nod. And it always kick starts my day! It is easy to say, What difference will this or that make? It doesn’t matter. I am only one person. No one cares what I do or what I think. If we all have this mindset, imagine all of the that ones we are missing. Sometimes it just happens. We often don’t look for it and we often don’t seek out the opportunity with intention. What kind of a difference can we make? Will we make? Today? Tomorrow? Every day? The starfish story is a good reminder to us all that even the smallest thing can make a difference. And if we can touch just one person with a simple gesture, shouldn’t we make it happen? To you it might be something small, but to that person it could mean the world in that very moment. Photo credit: CanStock

I have led many groups of people in my nearly 30 years in the workplace. I have also experienced leading volunteers, those individuals who are driven by choice and not by need. Choice is different. Choice is something that is stirred by passion and a desire to make a difference. I have valued leading paid professionals, those that come to a job to do good work and to get compensated for it. Some (we’ll call them purpose driven) perform for the sheer joy that the job ...Continue reading

I got to spend my morning with the team at The Let It Be Foundation focusing on team strengths, challenges and forward momentum! What a blessing for me to work with such a committed, dedicated group who are all about kids and families! Was a beautiful start to my week! Here’s to the love languages that connect you!

I admit it. I have been spoiled by Facebook and Instagram! Don’t get me wrong I am a fan. A big one! The family, friends and colleagues that I am connected (and reconnected) with and who I get to share a bit of my life with and where I get to see a bit of theirs makes my heart happy. But in the past two weeks, I am reminded about the value of that personal touch and the opportunity to connect in person. I could blame myself for the lapses and for not finding time for ...the in-person connections, but the reality is, life is busy. For all of us. And that isn’t an excuse (because I’m not looking for one nor do I need one), that is reality. Husband, kids, volunteering, work travel and just life in general more often than not, keeps me from having that time. I found amazing planet alignment recently and was intentional about showing up, which can be difficult for me. The first alignment happening, I made time to enjoy coffee and catch up with a dear friend and colleague who I worked with over 20 years ago. I’ve watched her kids grow up on Facebook, but the opportunity to reconnect actually happened. She asked schedules were navigated, and we both made it happen. And what a treasured visit it was! The second moment was by happenstance. While in Denver on business, I literally ran into a colleague and friend. We first met 30 years ago when we worked for the same organization. Have seen her perhaps only once in that period of time, (it may have been more) but with the goodness of Facebook, LinkedIn, and a mutual friend and colleague, reconnected. We found time to share a glass of wine and a meal and caught up on life. A kinship rekindled and a blessing in disguise for a million tiny reasons. I now find myself in Nashville a couple of days later with two of my favorite people who I shared great work and companionship just a few years ago and here we are together celebrating a life event in the wedding of one of their sons. And finally, touched by the gutsiness of a high school friend who recently relocated to Nashville, timing was perfect for a get-together breakfast. There was a window of opportunity to connect for a short visit and it happened. Different lives, different stories, but a beautiful re-connection. As I think about these distinct occurrences, I am fiercely reminded about the beauty of the human touch, the face to face laughter, the wonderful memories, and even the ability to share heartache. I am grateful for the opportunity to be connected to my tribe, my family and friends through social media when I can’t make the human touch happen, but oh so richly blessed when it does. Bless you: @dgpalladino @shannonspearcarter @shalyneyer @megan.boissettcollection @mary_donnelly_626

It’s International Coaching Week! Honored to celebrate my profession with all of the executive coaches out there! Here’s to making a difference in working with leaders to be their best self! #lovemyjob #greatleaders #starfish

You know when you sit down to write, you hope the creative juices are flowing. Perhaps I’ve been so crazy busy that it has been difficult to find the creative vibe. But in my travels and the frequency of my Southwest Airlines business trips, I find myself reflecting on the Southwest Emeritus Chairman, Herb Kelleher’s recent passing in January. What a beautiful tribute in the recent issue of the Southwest magazine (found in the seatback pocket the flight attendants will tel...l you) as well as a recent Forbes Magazine article by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, who captured so many beautiful memories of this great man and legend. For me, Herb Kelleher has been one of the greatest examples of servant leadership. I started hearing his name from the day I got focused on leadership. He became a mentor from afar and in most recent years, from the flight attendants who have shared great Herb stories. From his humble beginning to him taking Southwest Airlines to the success it has experienced, it all showed up in his love for people. My favorite Herb questions challenge me (and maybe you) to think deeply. Herb said, What if you could build a company that is as human as the human beings in it? What if you could create a culture that inspires passionate people to come to work fully awake, fully engaged, firing on all cylinders because they know they are doing epic work? I don’t know about you, but just about every time I fly on a Southwest Airlines plane (not every time, because no one is perfect), I feel it. Leadership starts at the top of an organization. Herb set the tone for Southwest Airlines. And it was easy to see why employees followed. No layoffs, no furloughs. ever, in the history of the Airline. But that wasn’t why he had followers. He genuinely loved his employees. And he told them often! He said, A company is bound by love rather than bound by fear. Seems simple enough, but how many companies use the word love? Many would say... the term love shouldn’t exist in the work place. I would argue otherwise. Do what you love and love what you do and oh by the way, love those you work side by side with. He added, If you are crazy enough to do what you love for a living, then you are bound to create a life that matters. And shouldn’t we want to create a life that matters to us and to those around us. Mr. Kelleher, your legend status will live on. And Michael, the flight attendant on my flight this week. keep making a difference. Keep demonstrating that warrior spirit! Herb knows that you will.

Twice this week, I pulled out a diagram, created by Stephen Covey, called the Circle of Influence to emphasize the things we have control over, the things we have the opportunity to influence, and the things we have absolutely no control over. To provide some context, the outer circle, The Circle of Concern are things that we care about and that affect us, but that we have little to no opportunity to control. The more reactive we are, the larger the circle of concern beco...Continue reading

Two awesome colleagues of mine shared their business philosophy a few weeks ago when we were together. I wanted to share it because it struck me that your philosophy simply has to speak to you... to get you out of bed so you can do what you love with the people you love and make a difference ... whatever it is. So here it is: Wake up early. Drink coffee. Work hard. Keep your priorities straight, your mind right and your head up. Do well, live well and dress really well. Do what you love, love what you do. It is time to start living. Their philosophy, yep! But something that is deep inside all of us. Way to go my friends and colleagues Gretchen Benes and Taryn Tennant. You put TuX Talent on the map!