 I’ve been finding my groove with sports training in the last ten years. We are all different. But sports make me feel alive, full of energy to keep going.
Inspiration During the last two years, many of us have needed inspiration to continue moving forward. Just when we start relaxing, thinking it’s safe to be out in the world again, new surprises pop up, like the Omicron variant this last December.Sometimes in the middle of chaos and hardship, however, you can find pearls. Jerry O’Mara, my new coach at Berkeley Masters Swim Club in Providence, NJ, https://www.teamunify.com/Home.jsp?_tabid_=0&team=njbac has been one of these pearls. He is a good coach. And though I see him only once a week--at 7am Sunday mornings for a one-and-a-half-hour swim--his coaching has energized me and makes me want to get back in the game. With his drills, he is teaching me how to get faster, and that is exactly what I need to do if I am going to attempt the 4.4-mile Chesapeake Bay Swim in June 2022. Everything will need to be just so: I will need to be in the best shape I can be, and the weather and the current will need to be just right. With luck, no new virus will come up to cancel the event. In my last training Jerry was talking about how he himself goes to train in his YMCA. So I joined the YMCA Meadowlands https://www.meadowlandsymca.org Masters swimming class led by Mingi Kim. I realized that if I wanted to really deliver in June on my goal, I would need more weekly practice swim, Here is to practicing 3 to 4 days a week. Once my local swimming pool 10 minutes from where I live, in Weehawken, NJ, is open, I will be able to practice 4 to 6 days a week, incorporating training from longtime coach Rob of Colburn Body Concept http://colburnbodyconcepts.com and adding Jerry’s and Mindi’s feedback and techniques. I can’t wait! Feedback and Learning What Jerry does really well is give me timely feedback so that in between drills I know what I can improve. It could be my stroke, or my breathing; it’s also helpful when he acknowledges what I did well during an especially tough drill. His feedback and encouragement go a long way to keep me showing up and giving my best. To set up my training schedule in 2022, Rob, along with his partner Stephanie, reviewed my progress and goals. The plan we created includes running, cycling, weights, and swimming to prepare me for the big swim in June. I’ve also been receiving feedback lately on how to improve my writing from my journal editor Martin Wilcox https://martinwilcox.net/about/martin-wilcox-and-publishing-in-context/ because I’ve been drafting a paper for a professional journal. Sor far, I’ve rewritten the whole paper twice and have made countless revisions. This has been a learning curve. Fortunately, I have an editor/coach who also has helped me with my revisions, encouraged me, and asked penetrating questions. The editor and reviewers of the journal ask me to improve, change sentences, query on ideas, and overall have given great suggestions. I had no idea how difficult it would be to write a paper solo, given that my last paper was a collaboration. Finally my editor for my blogs, Nancy Evans https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhevans/ keeps me on track and helps me craft my ideas always pointing out how important it is to be reminded of the reader’s needs and helping me with my sentence structures as French is my first language. Staying the course in writing and not giving up, just like in swimming, is a must My clients receive feedback, as well, through a 360 or with assessments. They receive feedback on their strengths and on what they could improve. Many are surprised by some of the feedback, but it is this surprising feedback that can make a big different in their lives. Many have no idea how they are perceived and the impact this may have on their leadership. It’s such a discovery and learning process, and once they get over this new information and explore what they would like to do with it, tremendous results can unfold. We all have to embrace the learning journey that is part of being human, and really good feedback can make such an important difference. I’m not saying it’ always easy for me or my clients, but the journey is necessary for our growth. Combining Inspiration, Feedback, Learning In challenging times, it is such a help to have someone who inspires you, gives you feedback, and encourages you to keep learning. I love being inspired by and learning from my coaches in my sports training. In turn, I also love inspiring, coaching, and helping my clients understand their feedback for best results. Who inspires you, encourages you, gives you feedback, and coaches you? Could you use a coach? In what domain or area of your life? Could you use a leadership development coach or career-pathing coach? If you need one, don’t hesitate to reach out and seek a consultation to see if we can be of help. I don’t see any other way to look at life than as a long learning journey, especially to help us navigate surprising--sometimes challenging and at other times delightful--times. So, cheers to 2022 and what it may bring. Wishing you a learning journey in 2022 full of twist, turns, feedback, learning, and impact! If you are interested in setting goals for 2022, getting feedback through a 360, or creating a. career or leadership development plan, you can learn more about our services at our website at www.desormeauxconsutling.com or reach out to me at [email protected].
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 If change happened last year, get ready for even more change. The ongoing health threats associated with the coronavirus; climate disruptions like megadroughts, 1000-year floods, and uncontained wildfires; and people displaced by political and military unrest – these combine to impact every community, city, nation, and the world. We are all, every one of us, dealing with accelerated change, and we all need to find the resources and tools to navigate it.
How will you, your clients, your company, your industry adapt to the radical ways in which our world is shifting? What will keep you grounded? The new normal requires us to be creative, innovative, and flexible. Let’s look at how being grounded--in your body, your mind, and your emotions—is critical to staying balanced, when nothing else is. Physical Grounding When you are grounded, you have the ability to be calm in the midst of uncertainty. It means that you are able to stay focused on your values and your vision for your life and not get derailed by what’s going on around you. One simple (not necessarily easy!) way to stay grounded is to focus on your body, either through exercise or using relaxation techniques like breathing (taking slow, deep breaths). For me, making a training schedule and following through on it has been key. With the help of my coach, Rob at http://colburnbodyconcepts.com, I’ve been able to keep up with my running. But what really has energized me lately is the community pool http://www.weehawken-nj.us newly built in my neighborhood. I’ve been going swimming every morning I can and doing the swimming workouts outlined by Rob on https://app.trainingpeaks.com. I might be able to jump back in doing lake and ocean swims by the time Spring 2022 comes around. The pool is an outdoor pool and only opened for a few weeks until they build the cover which should be ready in December 2022. In September I will sign up again for the Masters Swim Team Unify https://www.teamunify.com/SubTabGeneric.jsp?team=njbac&_stabid_=63739 to get at least a swim per week early Sunday mornings until the cover of the Weehawken pool is ready. Once the cover is built I will be training every week and may attempt the 4.4 mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim http://www.bayswim.com in 2022 or 2023 if everything lines up. I’m sharing this because staying on track with exercise has helped me so much to navigate the pandemic and its ups and down. As you likely know, research shows that exercise increases production of endorphins (the neurotransmitters responsible for making you feel good!), improving mood and mitigating the negative effects of stress. It helps us to be present in the moment. Mental and Emotional Grounding Life feels like it’s getting redefined daily. So what else can you do to manage all these changes and surprises and stay grounded? In addition to exercise and other physical grounding techniques, there are ways to refocus mentally, quieting down our overloaded brains by redirecting negative or overwhelming thoughts. And just like we need to exercise our bodies regularly to keep them in shape, we need to practice certain mental habits to keep our minds in shape and help us self-regulate. There are many ways to do this. It can be as simple as journaling or listening to music or talking to a friend. Among my favorites, which I’ve written about before, are meditation and mindfulness. But they are worth mentioning again. For example,using headspace https://www.headspace.com/about-us morning or night for 10 to 20 minutes as they have multiple areas of meditation like stress, anxiety, creativity and focus can be invaluable for emotional grounding. I’ve been recommending this for years to clients and have been using the app, especially the creativity section, to continue to inspire innovation. Transitioning For many of us, our radically shifting times have challenged our assumptions about what the good life is supposed to look like. I am still driven to work and travel, but something deeper happened to me during this last year. I want a more fulfilled experience of living, to experience life on a more profound level. Getting close to death seems to do that to people. The realization that we won’t be here forever and that this might be your last year or last few years makes a difference. In this changing world, who knows what comes next? Leaving a job, starting a new one, taking retirement sooner. People getting clearer about what they want to do now with work, home life, or lifestyle seems to be a priority. The stakes have changed. I see this with my clients, who are re-evaluating what’s important and setting new goals, for themselves and their companies. More than ever, goals and values must align. When they do, leaders are better able to adapt to a change and continue to deliver results. To keep growing and learning during the pandemic is admirable, and I am in admiration of all of these client efforts on behalf of their employees. Kudos to all of them. Planning for Success With a grounded mindset you can meet the challenges facing you and develop the skills for success, whether you are a millennial, Gen X, or Baby Boomer. You have the power to envision and create a better future. At Desormeaux consulting, one of our offerings is career advancement and transitions coaching for senior leaders looking for their next role and/or envisioning their next steps. These sessions can include creating multiple scenarios, structured planning and timelines, and future visualization. We’ve also been offering career advancement and development programs for groups of diversity leaders. When change is accelerated, it impacts company cultures and focus, and these days supporting diversity leaders is a priority. Where are you when it comes to change in your career and in your life? What’s next? Could you use a few coaching sessions that would support you or your leaders in career advancement or career transition? If you are interested in learning more about our services, you can visit our website at www.desormeauxconsutling.com or contact me: [email protected].  Marathons are all about endurance, the ability to keep going for a long time in the midst of difficult conditions. We’ve all needed the endurance to work and live through the pandemic. The endurance to adapt, run a business, and overcome unexpected challenges. You have to pace yourself again and again. We still do. How can we keep doing all this?
Building Stamina From the get go, I saw my clients rise to the occasion and tackle their most urgent challenges--figuring out how to keep everyone safe, transitioning to virtual workspaces, experimenting with hybrid work models. I also saw them learn and develop new skills. They’ve kept going. We all need the stamina to keep going. One way to build stamina is through exercise. My sports training already had taught me how to endure, so I knew how important it was to keep up with my training regimen. And I did it with support from my coach, Rob at Colburn Concepts http://colburnbodyconcepts.com, with the schedule he created for me this last year in https://www.trainingpeaks.com. My focus was indoor cycling, outside runs, some swims, yoga, weights, and some surfing jumps. The focus and commitment learned from exercise can translate to other areas of life. Another way is meditation. My Headspace https://www.headspace.com meditation training of 20 minute a day also helped me stay grounded and stay the course. A few of the series I did (level I, II and III) were dealing with change, creativity, focus, and prioritizing. Some research has even shown that music can have positive effects on your heart (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4948383/). Using music throughout the year and into 2021 was central to motivating me: Spotify, Apple Music, and Fit Radio all served as inspiration, upping my energy and helping me stay the course. Staying the Course One of the most challenging aspects of this last year for clients has been how to keep digging deeper internally to stay the course. While running marathons over the last years I would find it hard to keep going around the 19th to 20th mile. I would hit a wall and would have to come up with ways to keep going. This last year has very much felt that way. We are not out of the water yet with COVID-19, even with vaccines. For many, 2020 and 2021 have meant the loss of loved ones and coping with big changes at work and at home. These experiences are changing us. Clients are emerging from this pandemic year changed as well. They worked hard and had to mine energy, spirit, and endurance to make it through. Some were really successful at creating, designing, and implementing new business programs that were and are successful and profitable. Others made it a mission to ensure their employees had the support they needed and offered new work/life balance options, with better ways to support those dealing with sickness and loss. In fact, some clients learned to work together with even more tolerance and understanding, and through the crisis, built more alignment and empathy. Reaching out for help when you need it is vital. Some clients have needed a little extra support periodically. I’ve added calls with a few key clients. I’ve also helped them strategize on next steps, next projects and helped them come up with new ways to deliver projects. Different things have kept them going: family, wanting to help, excitement about a specific program or creating new products, strengthening there internal partnerships with peers, and external partnerships with clients. What kept you going last year, and what is keeping you going this year? Using Setbacks To Propel You into the Future Persisting in the face of setbacks is key. Runner Sara Hall’s inspiring story of perseverance is told in the New York Times article She Turned 2020 Misery into a Breakthrough https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/26/opinion/Sara-Hall-marathon-runner-united-states.html?action=click&module=card&pageType=theWeekenderLink The article talks about long-term benefits that can come from losing. It also talks about using sports to fuel your ambition. Better yet, it talks about how we are all the same, all equal, all human. And that became so clear last year with the pandemic. Like Sara Hall said: “No matter your speed and regardless of your gender, there’s something universal and authentic about the look of determination when you’re trying your best.” That is exactly what it feels like in your last marathon miles. This is what it feels like when you are trying to rebuild from the ground up or have to reinvent your organization, change strategy, and adapt to this complex and changing world. I think my clients would agree with Sara Hall’s insight: “The pandemic drew something out of me I didn’t know I had.” Moving Out of Our Comfort Zones Endurance has been the name of the game since the pandemic started. It’s about pushing past what’s comfortable, boosting confidence and feelings of well-being, enhancing the mind and body connection, and building physical endurance to support emotional resilience. It’s also about being capable of more than we think we can handle. 2021 for me means, hopefully, a gradual increase in training and bringing more swimming into my practice soon. It also means becoming savvy about virtual environments and continuing to adapt to this complex, wonderful world. What did the pandemic draw from you? How are you now different? How is that going to inform your future? What will keep you going at mile 19: music, dancing, friends, family, support, a new project, a new course, sport... or…? If you are interested in learning more about our services, you can visit our website at www.desormeauxconsutling.com or contact me: [email protected].  Here is my latest post - www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/10/05/rethinking-diversity-carrying-the-torch/#70e1e2b56d93
 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 [email protected]. .  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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] or call 646-634-5829. . |
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