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The ‘Golden Rule’ occurred in the Greek and Chinese cultures thousands of years before the Christian era:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The spirit of the Golden Rule is one of generosity and altruism and is at the heart of any personal networking and ‘right’ living.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said ‘To have a friend, you have to be one’, and his words are as true today as they ever were.

You can test this out yourself by completing the following simple exercise:

List ten people you know best:

After each name, write an ‘H’ if the person is happy, or an ‘N’ if the person is not happy. (H/N S/N)

Then write an ‘S’ if the person is selfish or a ‘U’ for unselfish. Rimland in Psychological Reports (51); Brain/Mind Bulletin 1983, defines ‘selfish’ as:

"A stable tendency to devote one’s time and resources to one’s own interests and welfare – an unwillingness to inconvenience oneself for others."

In his experimental study, the 2000 individuals who completed this exercise reported very few individuals who were both happy and selfish. The findings represent an interesting paradox.

Selfish people are, by definition, those whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves happiness. Yet at least as judged by others, these selfish people are far less likely to be happy than those whose efforts are devoted to making others happy.

So the Golden Rule in networking, as in life, is if you think about the other person rather than yourself, not only is that going to increase your empathy and rapport skills but it will make you a much more attractive person to know and be a magnet for personal happiness.

Margaret Stead – Positive Psychologist, Career, Executive and Dream Architect Coach, helps individuals, executives and business leaders achieve their goals and experience genuine fulfilment with their work and career choices.

You can signup for Margaret’s FREE newsletter and learn more about these terrific resources at http://www.careersnet.com and http://www.careersnet.co.uk

"Power of Collaboration", the 2-day superconference with Milana Leshinsky, Andrea Lee, Michael Port in New York, on May 11-12 To visit the FAQ

You will learn how to invite key players to participate in your projects, in a way that they say’yes!’ and lend your endeavour with credibility, expertise and marketing leverage…

Some of the following topics are those addressed by the 2006 Executive Coaching Conference Westin Chicago River North, Chicago, IL March 15 – March 16, 2006

Transitioning from Leading an Industrial Organization to Leading a Global Organization –

• What are the Challenges and How Can Coaching Help Our Leaders Build a Bridge to the Future!?

• Establishing and Maintaining a Coaching Program in Your Organization?

• Current Challenges, Debates, and Issues in the Field of Executive Coaching?

• Coaching Methods, New Approaches, New Research?

• Coaching Resonant Leadership in Yourself and Others?

• Establishing and Maintaining a Coaching Program in Your Organization?

Current Challenges, Debates, and Issues in the Field of Executive Coaching

• Coaching Methods, New Approaches, New Research

• CEO Coaching Experiences and What They Are Looking for in a Coach

• What is the Return on Investment for Coaching in Organizations –

• Companies Share The Impact of Coaching in their Businesses

• Establishing and Maintaining a Coaching Program in Your Organization

• Current Challenges, Debates, and Issues in the Field of Executive Coaching

Coaching Methods, New Approaches, New Research

• Is The Field of Executive Coaching Ready for the Future?

What:
Want to start a small business, but don’t know where to begin? Call in to StartupNation’s 10 Steps to Open for Business, free, one-hour coaching call with the Sloan Brothers ( brought to you by Microsoft Office Live Meeting ).

Why:
Each month, you can ask the small business experts your questions and learn how to create a business startup with StartupNation’s "10 Steps to Open for Business" Coaching Call. StartupNation’s “10 Steps to Open for Business” online process includes free audio clips, articles, templates, tools and resource-links to help you start a new business.

Who:
Jeff and Rich Sloan are the founders and head coaches of StartupNation, www.startupnation.com, co-hosts of the nationally-syndicatedStartupNationRadio and authors of “StartupNation: Open for Business.” The Sloan brothers have helped thousands of people live the dream of owning their own business, and they can help you startup too!

When:
Call now to hear your questions answered March 15, 2006, 5:00-6:00 P.M. Pacific Time ( 8:00-9:00 P.M. Eastern Time )

Call in toll free:
1- 800-430-0424 ( PIN 0424 )
International ( toll ):
503-295-8000 then-800-430-0424 ( PIN 0424 )

Register for the online component here: http://www.startupnation.com/pages/webinars

Information:
www.startupnation.com, ( 866 ) 55-START
Questions or Comments: info@startupnation.com

AboutStartupNation®and the Sloan Brothers
Founded by Jeff and Rich Sloan,StartupNation( www.startupnation.com ) provides business smarts for entrepreneurs who want to start and grow their own business via a multi-media platform – including a nationally-syndicated radio show, online seminars and a weekly newsletter. The Sloan brothers are authors of “StartupNation: Open for Business,” ( Doubleday ) and have been featured in numerous national publications and frequently appear on national cable television.

New Orleans and Gulf Coast entrepreneurs who are still in the Gulf Coast or who have relocated to the Atlanta area are finally getting some much-needed assistance in the form of a free business workshop and business coaching. Fast Forward Restart, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta is choosing 500 entrepreneurs whose businesses were destroyed or severely affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to participate free of charge in several upcoming workshops and coaching opportunities. Workshops are scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday March 31st and April 1st from 8:30AM – 6:30PM in Marietta, Ga. at 4994 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 11 Marietta, GA 30068.

The Fast Forward Restart process addresses the need to restore hope, create a new business foundation and vision, and establish achievable business-critical goals. It does so through a disciplined business process and a supportive and productive environment. The process enables goals to be formulated and achieved in 90-day increments, creating a rapid business restart and measurable accomplishments.

“Entrepreneurs are imbued with a ‘can do’ spirit and the willingness to work hard for their future,” said Emile Paradis, Fast Forward Restart’s Executive Director. “For most people who are restarting there is a need to rekindle optimism and to regain a sense of structure and accomplishment from goals that are achieved. Restarting is as much about hope and vision as it is about replacing equipment.”

Fast Forward Restart is a nonprofit, business-to-business program supported entirely by private funding from corporations, foundations and non-profit organizations. These organizations sponsor the redevelopment of businesses located in the New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area that were destroyed or affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Sponsor companies may partner with businesses and receive quarterly reports regarding rebuilding progress. Full Story

Business owners can now get their own coach

Action International, Ireland’s largest business coaching organisation and winner of the prestigious Service Franchise of the Year Award 2006, has expanded its operation to Waterford bringing the number of ACTION Coaches in Ireland to 22.

Action Business Coaches offer solutions to the two most common business deterrents — cash flow and lack of skills and knowledge.

The organisation works with business owners on mastering cash flow, building profits, increasing turnover, developing new markets and introducing systems to ensure growth and sustainability.

Implementing a variety of the most effective and efficient strategies, already proven to work, Action Business Coaches work with the business owner to set realistic goals, realise those goals and achieve long-term results. Founded in 1993, it has a global network of over 800 business coaches operating in 19 countries.

Action Business Coach Declan Sweeney, based in Waterford, enjoys helping business owners succeed and prosper by achieving their goals though increased accountability, greater clarity and focus and the introduction of a “can do” approach to their team and their business.

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Challenges

"As a young profession, we still face many significant challenges. Too many of our members still struggle to make a good living at coaching. Too many potential customers still don’t know how to choose a good coach. Too few potential clients appreciate the great life, career and business changing benefits of working with a well trained, credentialed, professional coach. Our rate of growth as an emerging profession will require us to continue to evolve and examine how we can better support coaches in their own culture and communities around the world. And yet as we move forward to meet these challenges, we do so in an association that is better equipped than at any time in our history.

It has taken us 10 years and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to put in place the foundation (core competencies, credentialing, accrediting, ethics, peer review, chapters, etc.) of a new profession. With the great work of our chapter leaders we have more chapters in more countries than ever before, with new ones forming all the time. With the hard work of our credentialing volunteers we have more people signing up for their ICF credential than ever before. ICF researchers are doing great work to better understand the impact of coaching. ICF regulatory volunteers stand ready to help educate legislators that we have the means to manage our own industry.

Through the good work of our staff, executive committee members, treasurer and board, we are in a stronger financial position than ever before. And through the efforts of our conference committee we have just completed the largest conference in our history.

As we end the first decade of our existence, we have much to be grateful for, and we are well poised to continue our efforts to take professional coaching out into the world with greater impact. ICF members have an important role to play in making this a much better world. I believe that, together, we are up to that challenge."

BBC - January 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2630869.stm
Reports a study purporting to say that it has solved one of the mysteries plaguing mankind – just what is the secret of happiness?

One of the authors (Life Coach-Pete Cohen) of the study has come up with an equation to reflect: Happiness = P (5xE) (3xH)

Just to explain, P stands for Personal Characteristics, including outlook on life, adaptability and resilience. E stands for Existence and relates to health, financial stability and friendships. And H represents Higher Order needs, and covers self-esteem, expectations, ambitions and sense of humour.

Some of the questions used in the study:
1. Are you outgoing, energetic, flexible and open to change?
2. Do you have a positive outlook, bounce back quickly from setbacks and feel that you are in control of your life?
3. Are your basic life needs met, in relation to personal health, finance, safety, freedom of choice and sense of community?
4. Can you call on the support of people close to you, immerse yourself in what you are doing, meet your expectations and engage in activities that give you a sense of purpose?

The questions should be answered on a scale of one to ten, where one is "not at all" and ten is "to a large extent"

Add the scores for question one and two together to find your P value.
The score for question 3 is the value for E, and question 4 for H

Apparently the formula was worked out by psychologists after interviews with more than 1,000 people.

Corbett, K.A. (2006). A day in the life: Results from the global Sherpa Coaching Survey. (Available from Sasha Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio.)

Four hundred executive and personal coaches as well as 130 HR personnel, mostly from US locations, completed an online survey prepared by Sherpa Coaching in partnership with a business newspaper and local university. Some of the results described in this paper include: (1) value and credibility of coaching is highly rated; (2) a discrepancy exists between what coaches say they charge and what HR personnel actually pay; (3) coaching is used for people in transition, leadership development, and individuals with specific problems; (4) while training and certification is important for coaches new to the field, a large number of coaches and HR professionals reject the International Coach Federation as the most qualified to train and certify coaches; (5) one-third of those surveyed deliver in-person coaching, while another one-third delivery coaching by phone and one-quarter use email, yet, the majority of HR personnel believe in-person is more likely to effective; (6) "as needed" coaching appears more popular than regularly scheduled sessions; (7) veteran coaches believe coaching typically requires six months or more, whereas novice coaches say coaching should require six months or less; (8) businesses that hire coaches typically rate experience as the most important qualification; (9) hourly rates and yearly earnings depend on amount of experience and coaching focus; and (10) formal monitoring of coaching outcomes is rare. The study concludes with some comments about certification, the role of academic institutions, and a specific suggestion about how to unite the coaching industry.

Fox Rollin, P., Brown, J.M. and Richmond, S.L. (2005). Leaders speak out on emotional intelligence Retrieved December 2005 from www.ideashape.com/leadership-research.htm

The authors, coaches with experience in MBTI and EQ work, collected online survey information from 265 business leaders about how leaders define, value, and develop emotional intelligence (EQ). Results showed that leaders value EQ factors such as relationship building and people development as more important than "traditional" leadership factors such as financial planning, marketing ability or planning skills. In addition, most leaders believe that EQ can be developed, and the most experienced leaders believed that training, coaching, feedback, and self-managed study were key methods for developing EQ. Some differences in viewpoints about EQ were influenced by the leaders’ MBTI personality type.

The authors also discuss the implications of this research for coaches and leaders and offer suggestions about how to adjust discussions about these topics based on how leaders talk about or perceive EQ. For example, coaches ought to "adjust their language and initial focus to reflect aspects of EQ that resonate most with executives and managers" such as "relationships, reading people, self-awareness, rather than empathy, self-confidence, and self-control."

Goldsmith, M. and Goldsmith, K. (2005). Why coaching clients give up – and how effective goal setting can make a positive difference. Link&Learn eNewsletter, [Online] Retrieved 2005 from www.linkageinc.com/company/news_events/link_learn_enewsletter/archive/2005/11_05_coaching_goldsmith.aspx.

Even though leaders set goals they often give up on their quest. Understanding why they abandon their targets can provide coaches with tools to help executives stick to their plans. Six of the most important reasons for giving up are profiled, including ownership, time, difficulty, distractions, rewards, and maintenance. The authors provide details about antidotes to each sticking area and encourage coaches to stay away from easy answers, quick fixes and go beyond being a highly paid friend.

Pennington Shannon, M. 2005). Coaching works for Lance Armstrong-Why not for you? Law Practice (American Bar Association), 53. [Online: www.abanet.org/lpm/magazine/articles/v31is7an20.html].

Lawyers can gain benefits from working with a coach to enhance performance in the many roles that law practice requires (and that are not taught in law school). The author provides brief information about how to select a coach and what to expect in the engagement. Finding a coach with experience working with legal professionals and making a commitment to doing homework between coaching sessions are two suggestions provided by the author to make coaching worthwhile.