Rita Perea Consulting

Someone in Your Corner

Ok, I admit it.  I am a health nut.  A real self-improvement junkie.  I have practiced yoga for years and years. I eat organic. Take great supplements. Meditate.  I am working on a degree to become a Naturopathic Doctor. And I hired a personal trainer to work out with for one hour each night. You read that right- five nights a week. I feel good.  I feel healthy.  I feel together.

My personal trainer is Angela Gallagher of Fit 4 Life.  She is quite a ball of unbridled energy, unconditional acceptance and enthusiastic motivation.  She pushes me to the limit and makes me feel happy about it. And I know that she is 100% commited to my success.  I like having someone in my corner.  Somehow I don't feel so all alone as I strive to reach my goals for a better life.

Last night during my cardio workout, as my heart-rate monitor was beeping wildly, a lightbulb went off in my head! It dawned on me that hiring a personal coach to help you achieve your business, career, financial and relationship goals is alot like hiring a personal trainer.  The work that I do with people as a personal and executive coach is very similar to the work that my personal trainer does.  While Angie focuses only on the body, my work focuses on integrating all components of a person's life to achieve on-going life success.  There is a reason that my clients call me "The Diva of Life Design".  Just like Angie in designing fitness programs, I do my job of helping people design their life success programs.  And, I do it very well.

So what about you?  Are you ready to dip your toe in the water of hiring your own personal coach to help you live your best life?  With just a little bit of thought and research, you can hire the right coach to meet your unique needs (one size does not fit all!).   

Stay tuned for future posts to find out how to locate the very best coach to guarantee your success.

For now, it's back to the treadmill!

Photo by Flickr

Everyone Loves a Winner

Wow- talk about a humbling experience.  My business, Rita Perea Consulting, has recently been nominated for two awards.  One is the "Best Kept Secret" award and the other is the "Community Champion" award.  Both are through the Greater Des Moines  Business Partnership. 

I could have my ego all wrapped up in this process.   My ego could easily be saying "You gotta win this or your name will be toast!  Second place is not an option!"  My strong competitive side could be unleashed in full force.  But where will that get me?  Probably only to the land of high blood pressure, which is not a good place to be.

Call it the school of hard knocks, but in my last Executive position I learned to identify when my ego was involved in a particular project or decision.  I learned to pay attention to the little (alright- huge) rush of adrenaline that would start at the tips of my toes and then shoot, like a mighty river, all the way to the top of my head.  I learned that I could get such a surge of that unstoppable, unbeatable, ego-leading-the-charge, incredible feeling, that I could (and please don't fire me for saying this) be found  to make decisions that weren't necessarily in everyone's best interest.  I learned, the hard way, that when my ego is involved, my thinking might be clouded.  The book, A Course in Miracles, warns that our egos create an illusion and that we may not act for the "highest good of all" when our egos are engaged.  Isn't that the truth?  I learned my lessons well.

But, I digress...

Back to the awards- My mission statement says it best: "Lead well. Live well. Do well."  One of the values that my business was founded on is "Philanthropy is just as important as Profitability".  For my business that means that I give back to the community a high percentage of my time, talents and profits.  While it would be awesome to be recognized this, whether I receive an award or not I will still continue to do what I do for the right reasons.  And, with my ego out of the way.

Photo: Flickr by Kershnerstudios

Tarnish on Your Personal Branding Silver

Do you ever oversell a service or product? You know- promise more than can really be delivered.  Or promise it can be done or accomplished in an unrealistic time just to get the sale or client. Some people have a destructive habit of doing just that.

In our capitalistic society we see and hear it happening all of the time.  New.  Improved. Good for you.  Enriched.  You gotta have this to be cool.  Organic.  Green.  It can be delivered/ installed/ renovated by the end of next week.  I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die... Oh, but I forgot to tell you that my fingers are crossed too.... so what I just oversold and said doesn't really count.

And what's the harm?  Doesn't everyone oversell?

From a personal branding perspective, overselling can be the nail in your coffin.  If you constantly oversell your goods, services, or yourself and make promises that you cannot deliver on, then you are creating a string of negative interactions that will eventually bite you.  People will hear, word of mouth, that you do not operate with integrity.  And who wants to hire a service professional, a contractor, a CPA, an attorney, a financial planner or have an employee on board who does not keep their word.  The answer is no one.

One of my executive consulting clients is in the middle of releasing her formerly trusted financial planner for overselling.  More accurately, he overstated (actually he lied) about the performance of investments, the cost of products that she purchased, and the cost of his services.  We all know what his motivation was for doing it.  He wanted to land a few big fish to showcase as he oversold to the next poor sucker he was prospecting.  The tough thing to understand about this situation, and others who oversell or overstate, is how they would think that it would not catch up with them? And, now in the wake of a complaint with the state insurance commissioner, how this financial planner thinks that his breech of trust and lack of integrity won't tarnish the silver of his personal brand. 

The good news is that we can all learn from the mistakes of others. Before you promise anything to anyone, be sure that you can make it happen.  Most people would like to hear a really honest "I am sorry but I cannot guarantee that" instead of "Sure we can!" only to find out that surely they can't. Being a coveted employee, member of an organization or a successful business person that others will make referrals to depends on your follow up, follow through, right action, right intention and integrity. 

Protect your personal brand and reputation at all costs.  It will pay huge dividends in a lot of ways. 

Photo on Flickr by Objects
 

Building Powerful Leadership Skills through High-Performance Coaching

Leading an organization may, at times, feel as though you’re preparing to raft through white water rapids in a small canoe. Wouldn’t it be ideal to have someone else in the canoe to assist with navigation? Maybe another pair of eyes and hands to steer the course? Through the use of an Executive Coach, hard-to-imagine solutions can be discovered; problems can be solved; other angles can be found to provide strategies for leadership success.

An Executive Coaching relationship is a commitment between a specially-trained coach and a leader of an organization. This partnership has one purpose: to enhance the leadership skills of the executive or administrator through specifically-designed and delivered questioning strategies.

The benefits of having an Executive Coach in your corner include: setting and achieving goals more effectively; problem solving with a confidante who has knowledge of the field; resolving issues and concerns proactively; and enhancing overall leadership skills.

Executive Coaches are trained professionals who have in-depth knowledge of the field as well as extensive knowledge of specific coaching strategies. Coaches are typically paid an hourly rate and contracted for a specific length of time.

Coaching can be held during face-to face sessions, electronically or over the telephone. The final result is assisting you in moving the organization you lead closer to the vision.

To request more information or to experience a coaching session, contact rita@ritaperea.com.

A Note From Rita

Dear Colleague:

Thanks to my own involvement in business, I can identify with the questions you may have about selecting an executive coach or leadership consultant. Will I feel comfortable with this person? Will we get real solutions or canned consulting cliches? And ultimately, will we realize a substantial return on our investment?

I wish I could reach out to you, at this very moment, look you in the eyes, and speak to your concerns. In fact, I hope you and I can chat one-on-one very soon. You see, there's a lot I simply cannot communicate in a company brochure or web site. I can't adequately express in words the true nature of my personal bond with my clients. Or the "extra mile" I'm willing to go in supporting these individuals and organizations.

I invite you to get in touch with me at 515-577-5666 or rita@ritaperea.com. Let's talk about what's getting in the way of your unbridled success and how I might bring a fresh pair of eyes and a proven set of ideas to address your situation.

It's my sincere wish that you achieve your full leadership potential!

Warmest Regards,

Rita Perea