 Here is my latest post - www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/10/05/rethinking-diversity-carrying-the-torch/#70e1e2b56d93
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 It has been more than six months since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, creating turbulence for sports, leadership, and pretty much for every human being in this country, if not for every human being on the planet.
Along the way, my clients, colleagues, and I have been figuring out how to find inspiration, stay focused, and engaged, and keep our determination and resilience amidst change. Inspiration and Health Tour de France https://www.letour.fr/en/. Just what I needed for inspiration. Indoor cycling three times a week has kept me going since March 2020. My motivation for indoor cycling has been sustained by watching reruns of basketball and followed by the new standard indoor basketball. I’ve also watched a lot of reruns and recent regular soccer matches as well as reruns of past Olympic triumphs. So what a treat to see the Tour de France pop up on my screen. When I do my indoor cycling accompanied by cyclists, it just motivates me like nothing else. I’ve rarely missed a training day in the last six months. My coach Rob Colburn has kept me on track http://colburnbodyconcepts.com with the training peaks schedule. My knees have healed, and I’m also back walking/running twice a week and have kept up with Pauline Nordin’s Weight Training Programs https://fighterdiet.com. My master's program includes 20 minutes of meditation a day with Headspace https://www.headspace.com.Starting with a meditation every morning has kept me centered and focused when presented with upsetting or challenging news. This enhanced ability to focus has been a tremendous help in managing changes for my business as well as helping clients navigate all that has changed for them. Being healthy has never been more important. In a time of crisis, what inspires you to practice healthy behaviors? Quite a few clients have been motivated to exercise more since they’ve been working from home. Before, they could not find the time. Now, without a long commute, many have more time and are taking walks or running in the morning, at lunchtime, or after work. Some clients and colleagues have taken up indoor or outdoor cycling, and some are following YouTube channel exercise programs. Many are reporting feeling a lot healthier and centered. Learning and Engagement The pandemic is changing the way we live and work, and we all must adapt. It’s the perfect time to rethink and innovate, and my clients are doing just that, creating opportunities for their employees to learn and stay engaged. Opening up dialogue on antiracism and education has been a focus for many. For example, a leader on a senior team I’ve been working with has taken the initiative to create a diversity committee for her company and started conversations with all employees on inclusion and racial inequities. Numerous clients have been on panels to share their experiences as leaders and being African American. Some have been tasked with helping employees become more technology savvy, able to participate in virtual communities, and work remotely effectively, while others were given the role of orchestrating safety and re-entry at work. And clients with children confront challenges different from any other. They have had to be creative and solution-oriented with their time management as they simultaneously work from home and supervise homeschool, all while leading change in their organizations. Determination, Resilience and Discipline What kind of mindset do leaders need as they face the stress of reorganizations, changes of focus, and new projects as well as new leadership? Resilience, determination, and discipline are like superpowers. These qualities help you keep going even when the going is tough, whether it means stepping up in new roles with more responsibilities, reporting to new leaders, or being reassigned to a new position or new projects. Leaders have always had to deal with change. But there are more changes now than before, magnifying the impact both at home and at work. So determination and resilience--whether developed through sports training, meditation, or other practice--are needed now more than ever. I know for me, the discipline of my daily meditation practice and my regular training exercise plan have given me tremendous support. I see the same for my clients who have added meditation or exercise to their daily habits. Such practices help boost both physical and mental health, ensuring that leaders are prepared to navigate their personal as well as their work lives. Each client’s situation provides unique opportunities. I’ve been impressed by what many clients have accomplished, dedicating themselves, their time, and knowledge to push through crucial projects while continuing to grow as leaders. Wishing you inspiration, determination, and resilience during this time, and let me know if my consultants or I can help lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com. .  Self-awareness and learning leads to strengths, changes and results. Our executive coaches accompany your clients virtually so that they can reach their leadership goals. Armed with organizational knowledge, assessments, data-driven science, and experience, they seek to empower leaders to be the best they can be.
Desormeaux Leadership Consulting coaches have expertise in delivering virtual coaching. https://www.desormeauxconsulting.com/consultants.html Here are three different coaching programs to serve your client’s needs; these will include a survey for clients as well as for coaches to measure return on investment. Each category has examples of competencies for each program: Full six months virtual coaching engagement for senior leaders with a 360-degree process and a personality assessment.
Three months virtual coaching engagement with a 360-degree process and personality assessment.
Solution-focused six virtual coaching sessions with a personality assessment.
For More Information If you feel that these virtual coaching sessions could help the growth of your leaders, please reach out to us. Contact Lyne Desormeaux at lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com or call 646-634-5829.  Visit my recent published article on strategic agility.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/05/18/strategic-agility-is-what-every-company-needs-right-now-heres-how-to-practice-it/#699e8cec28b8  At Desormeaux Leadership Consulting, we believe that leadership during challenging times can make a difference. Leaders are presently thinking through how to manage and how to lead with resilience and mental toughness amid a current changing world.
Desormeaux Leadership Consulting associates have created and designed 10 - 45 minutes interactive virtual zoom meetings for your senior leaders and your managers. https://www.desormeauxconsulting.com/consultants.html Here is a list of our 50 minutes interactive zoom sessions (limit 12 participants) we are offering to clients:
For More Information If you feel that these virtual sessions could be helpful during this challenging time, please reach out to us. We are ready to help and support your leaders and managers. Contact Lyne Desormeaux at lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com or call 646-634-5829. .  As every person on the planet must know now, the world is in a pandemic caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious respiratory illness. There are shelter-in-place guidelines for people everywhere. How are you adapting to being confined to your home most, if not all, of the time? If you are like me, you’ve had to adjust every few days--or even every few hours! New information that shifts your perspective and awareness requires being able to navigate your cognitive, emotional, and physical reactions. Information can trigger fear, panic, and frustration at needing to adapt over and over again. Being grounded throughout this time, staying centered as well as being able to navigate change, becomes so important. As I’m navigating this situation, I am also trying to understand how to adapt and listen to the specific needs of each client. Personally, I’ve found that meditation, nutrition, exercise, music, and good sleep have been central to staying centered and grounded. What are the key elements of my practice?
What does a week of training look like? This week I had my first Zoom video session with my physical therapist. Then I get on my bike and cycle to music from Fit Radio https://www.fitradio.com, or while watching a rerun of a NBA or college basketball game on ESPN, or watching reruns of Surfing competition on Fox Sports. I feel amazing after these sessions. These are followed by weight training from Pauline Nordin’s challenge program https://fighterdiet.com/challenges/, which I’ve been doing for years now, and then more stretches for my knee and back. The other three days are dedicated to Yoga by Adrienne on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7xsYgTeM2Q, followed by surfing jumps and then my knee and back stretches and exercise. While I do the exercises, I watch WSL news or, to lift my spirt, past surfing competitions https://www.worldsurfleague.com, because that’s what surfing does for me. How will you build resilience to navigate these times? In virtual zoom, webex, and call conversations with my clients over the last few weeks, I’ve been listening to what each leader is having to navigate during these changing times. Many are working from home with infants or young children who need help navigating technology (and more) to learn virtually. Some in financial services have had to create new offerings for business loans to help their clients, while others have had to lay off employees until the crisis is over. Most organizations and companies are looking at the financial implications for their business. Every one of them is coping differently with the adjustments. Some are losing sight of their self-care and exercise, and find their anxiety increasing. Others are doing better at coping, having built resilience through previous challenges (including a client who grew up in a war zone). Still others are continuing to build awareness of their leadership communication and how they are being perceived under stress: strong, resilient, and grounded? anxious, harried, and unraveling? centered and present? I personally am learning to let go, be more collaborative, and leverage the talent that I have in my consulting firm. I’m also attuning to my clients and seeing how we can help. Wishing you health and resilience during this time, and let me know if I or my consultants can help. Stay safe.  At Desormeaux Leadership Consulting we believe that leadership during challenging times can really make a difference. A client of ours asked if we could create interactive sessions for her employees who were dealing with the challenges of managing stress, dealing with uncertainty, adapting to working remotely as well as building resiliency.
Desormeaux Leadership Consulting associates have created and designed 11 - 45 minutes interactive zoom meetings for your leaders and your employees during COVID-19. https://www.desormeauxconsulting.com/consultants.html Here is a list of our 45 minutes interactive zoom sessions we are offering to clients (limits of 12 participants: :
For More Information If you feel that these sessions could be helpful during this challenging time, please reach out to us. We are ready to help and support your leaders and employees. Contact Lyne Desormeaux at lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com or call 646-634-5829.  Sports training continues to teach me lesson after lesson. We all are here on the planet for who knows how long, and recently we all have been reminded of this in some dramatic ways. Last month there was the unexpected death of Amerrican professional basketball player Kobe Bryant in a fatal helicopter crash. And in a very short period of time there have been losses around the world from the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Kobe had a love for sports and for life, and he had pure talent. Everyone who has transitioned and passed also had lives that was lived with fervor, lightness or even challenges. My heart goes to all who have had losses lately and to those who may have some in the near future.
What is extraordinary about these times is that this could be you or me--anyone of us could get the virus and transition and pass. It’s a reminder to be grateful for the time we have. Recovery I had been doing physical therapy for my knees just before the coronavirus stepped into the US. My new knee doctor was able to uncover that my knees were basically fine but needed help through physical therapy. My physical therapists, SportsCare https://sportscare1.com/locations/nj/physical-therapy-hoboken/, explained that if the right muscles are not activated and working, then my knee function can be affected. I am now doing daily exercises to strengthen targeted muscles three times a week. My knees are feeling better. This situation makes me think of all of my clients who need to repair relationships, rework a project, re-assess their strategy, re-evaluate their budget, or just heal mentally, emotionally, or physically. Sometimes, as American Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chodron says in her book When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, confronting problems can open us so that healing or repair can happen. Now things are falling apart. We must remember her advice during this difficult time. Adaptation As circumstance change, so must we. All my in-person, coaching client meetings have been transitioned to video conferencing (https://zoom.us, https://www.webex.com) or phone calls from my apartment in Weehawken, New Jersey overlooking New York. It is an honor to support my clients as they step into their leadership in ways that they’ve never had to do before. I’m impressed by their desire to support their direct reports, support their management in transitioning part or all of their workforce to work from home, and assess daily the next decisions they have to make as well as anticipate and plan for future needs. Gratitude Swimming has always been my “go to” activity for healing and recovery, and it’s also great overall exercise. This year I was back training for the Swim Miami 5k swim in April, and I had made the lottery again for the Chesapeake 4.4 Bay Swim in June. It was exhilarating to be training again. I just plain love it. When you love something and have passion for it, focus and discipline follow easily. But the Coronavirus is here, and all of that has changed my sports training. First, I am grateful that I had been swimming and that my knees are feeling better. I was able to go for walks daily, but now that the virus is in Weehawken it looks like that I will be indoors for a while. I am lucky to have an indoor bike on a trainer. My sports coach, Rob Colburn from http://colburnbodyconcepts.com, was excited about my progress. But he is now changing not only my training program but also the online training program on Training Peaks https://www.trainingpeaks.com for himself and all of his clients. Before the novel coronavirus struck, my clients--like me--were getting energized working on projects they’ve been dreaming would come their way. Some were promoted lately and were adjusting to their new roles, while others had just held all-employee meetings discussing their strategy and goals for the year. Now they’ve all had to adjust and adapt, and their goals are focused on the challenges at hand for their business and employees. I am grateful to be alive, training and serving my clients. What are you grateful for? How have you had to adapt? How are you stepping into your leadership and adjusting to the current challenges? If you are in the process of reevaluating, readjusting, or would like to have a coach next to you to help you think through and adapt to current challenges, reach out to me lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com. I or one of my associates could help you navigate these challenging times.  None of my end-of year challenges were planned. But they all happened, and in the moment I did not quite understand what it was all about.
Disruption I intended to run the NY marathon in November and the Honolulu marathon in December last year, 2019. These were big events to mark the end of the year and the end of the decade. But I also had overbooked myself with travel, trainings, and a lot of work. My training became sporadic and less effective than in the last few years. I also had so much work in October--days, nights, and weekends, plus travel--that by the time the third week of October arrived I was exhausted, and my knees were bothering me. What a disappointment that I had to cancel my participation in the marathons! Tuning In I’ve been called “the queen of self-care,” but somehow I had bitten off more than I could handle. It was clear I had to regroup and revise my self-care and training regimens. First, I took three days off (including a spa day) so I could rebuild enough vitality to continue delivering to my clients in November with good energy. Second, I sought a sports acupuncturist for my knees, stopped running, started a short yoga routine every morning, and began swimming more often. Third, I had an upcoming trip to Honolulu and the North Shore and decided, during my holiday, to take surfing lessons, practice yoga, and do a bit of hiking and swimming. The surfing was so exciting. My preparation --the weight training, the practice of getting up as if on a surf board, and the Portugal surfing trip last June--had helped. I was standing up almost every wave and was exhilarated. This whole experience was a reminder about how important it is to be in tune with our body. Our mind can want us to take on more than we think. I believe in stretching, but I also believe in knowing your body and understanding when to stretch and when to renew and refuel. Compassion and Self-Acceptance This self-awareness we gain from our bodies also deepens our confidence, helping us to develop more compassion and self-acceptance, to set more realistic expectations, and to lead ourselves better. My last webinar on the “Body and Coaching: Power, Focus, Control, and Rehabilitation” for the Institute of Coaching https://instituteofcoaching.org/resources/webinar-body-coaching-power-focus-control-and-rehabilitation discusses how to support leaders and how to use the body to support leadership growth. The body can play a key part in coaching leaders who are working on addressing leadership challenges such as presence, empowerment, and self-management as well for clients recovering from health challenges or injuries. I’ve ran 8 marathons in total, 7 of them in the last 4 years. I’m proud of that. But I want to keep my knees working in good order as long as I can, so I’ve decided to keep running small runs for now. My new and continued focus for 2020 will be on ocean and bay swims (5K Miami, etc.), yoga, and continuing to learn surfing around the world. What will your focus be in 2020? If you would like some information about coaching, training, or facilitation services, feel free to reach out to me at lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com.  My sports training is keeping me busy and excited as well. Between work and travels, I’ve dropped triathlons this summer and focused instead on marathon training, preparing for the NY marathon for the third time and the Honolulu marathon for the fifth time. I’ve also had to streamline my marathon training: two short runs during the week and one long run on weekends.
But wait, as I was conceiving this blog--coming back from a run--I spoke to a new colleague who suggested that I add a bike session and a swim session to my training. These workouts already were in the schedule suggested by my coach, Rob Colburn from CBC Endurance Training http://colburnbodyconcepts.com/activities/training-options. Yet I had dropped them because my schedule was too full of work. My new colleague explained how the bike training would help me build more stamina and strength. I had forgotten the importance of these extra trainings and why they were included. I also thought they were recommended for when I do triathlons and ocean and bay swims rather than marathons. Then I remembered that in the last few years, when I have crossed trained, I could feel my strength and stamina build fast. People Get Smarter By Rising To a Challenge Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, says “people get smarter by being challenged” . . . and persisting in the face of those challenges. Yes, I’m busier and busier, and dropping the wrong training could cost me the extra energy and stamina I may need to finish two marathons this year. I’m now taking a second look at my training schedule and over the next few months will be re-inserting my bike rides and some swims. A lot of the clients I work with also are getting busier and busier. Quite a few right now had let go of building their networks, within their organizations as well as externally. They knew that they needed that network and yet had put it aside. The lesson of “grit” is to stick to it. As they are picking it back up, some are getting support from their supervisors, starting to connect with different parts of the organization, and using that network to leverage these relationships to move their business and career goals forward. One of these clients said, "I realize that I let myself get derailed from pursuing my own networking goals while I helped direct reports and peers with their goals. But now that I see that, I'm getting back on track and will refocus on building my network."Persistence is paying-off, she is already seeing results. Tenacity Over the Long Haul Is Everything As part of her research on qualities that lead to success, Duckworth discusses the importance of deliberate practice: “This is how experts’ practice. First, they set a stretch goal, zeroing in on just one narrow aspect of their overall performance. Rather than focus on what they already do well, experts strive to improve specific weaknesses.” This sport adventure I started back in 2013 after a disappointing personal work setback has evolved over the last 7 years. I never imagined that the short run I had been doing in Central Park or along the Hudson River on the Jersey pathway and the 1.4 mile swim I did every September on Cape Cod for the last 12 years would turn into accumulating 7 marathons, multiple bay and ocean swim (5k Miami swims, 2.4 mile Nav-E-Sink Rumson, NJ swims), and even attempting the 4.4 Chesapeake Bay Swim twice (not yet completed). The Chesapeake Bay Swim… it’s been just out of my reach. Projects I’ve taken on in the last year have felt like that as well--just a little ahead of my learning curve, so I can stretch myself. I love seeing my clients stretch themselves as well. The coaching clients and leadership program clients who are excited about learning, growing, and challenging themselves really enjoy the journey. Stretching usually brings fear and excitement all at the same time. Some of these clients are learning how to be more strategic, how to create, design, write, and present their new strategy, goals, and/or innovations. Others are pushing themselves to be better team leaders or learning to have crucial or difficult conversations. And still others are focused on building a stronger network, conducting more cross-functional collaboration, and partnering across their organization. What has kept me on my toes in the last year has been partnering with new international consulting firms and challenging myself to learn more. It’s been both exciting and a stretch. I also have been lucky enough to design and create a few leadership and career growth programs. These have challenged me as well as taught me so much more about leadership, learning, and transformational growth. If you would like some information about coaching, training, or facilitation services, feel free to reach out to me at lyne@desormeauxconsulting.com. |
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