Educational Insights from the Business World

Without question, there are several significant differences between the roles and goals of educators and those the ply their trade in the business world. Perhaps most significant is how the two groups measure success.

Educators are focused primarily on student learning and development. To them, a healthy fiscal bottom line is a means through which they can achieve their goals, not an end to itself. Businesspeople, in contrast, are mainly interested in developing successful, profitable enterprises. Learning and development are viewed as necessary to help businesses and their people grow, but do not constitute a primary objective for most businesses.

The fundamental difference of purpose that separates schools from businesses often lends members of each camp to think that there is little to be learned from the other. This, in my view, is particularly true for educators. As a former teacher and principal, I felt a fundamental disconnect from what was occurring in the for-profit world. Many of my peers and colleagues expressed similar sentiment. Any time that I heard of some lay leader or governmental initiative to make schools more like businesses, I became suspicious. “What do they know about education anyway?”, I would ask.

business, education, leadershipNaphtali HoffSeptember 12, 2018Impactful Coaching & Consultingeducation, business, insights, leadershipComment

Being SMART About Your Goals - Sign up for the FREE Webinar!

Do you feel that your time at work is not as well spent as it needs to be?
Are you a busy entrepreneur or team leader who seeks to accomplish a great deal despite being understaffed and overstretched?
Do you have a sense of what you can achieve or become that you can’t seem to actualize?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the above, then you may need to look more carefully at your goal-setting practices.

Goal setting is a critical component of any growth process, personal or professional. There are many benefits of setting goals, including…

Clarity and Focus – Goals motivate us to cut through the weeds and get focused on what’s really important.
Planning – Goals help us map out the necessary steps to achieve our desired result.
Accountability – Goals force us to set and meet deadlines and be accountable to others.
Transparency – When shared, goals help others understand what we’re focused on.
Self-esteem – Goals raise our self-confidence as we see ourselves grow and progress.

achievement, coachingNaphtali HoffSeptember 4, 2018Impactful Coaching & Consultinggoal setting, achievement, leadership, fulfillmentComment

6 Tips on How to Get Unstuck

The challenge I want to talk about today is something called getting stuck.

Many of us feel it, in our personal lives, in our relationships and of course at work in business.

We think we're capable of doing more. We want to build our businesses, build our relationships, get so much more out of life.

But we just don't seem to know what to do. Many times, as a result, we do nothing.

Tips for Getting Up in the Morning

I had a VERY hard time getting up this morning. For some reason, I was just exhausted. 😫

The thought of getting my day going just wasn’t resonating. I kept trying to justify staying in bed. 🛏

But I knew that I had a lot to do before heading out of town for a mini-vacation (finally!)

So, I reminded myself about what I would miss out on by sleeping in, including the kind of prayer service that most works for me and getting my work day started on time.

How to Build Workplace Symmetry and Win

On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked while refueling in Yemen’s Aden Harbor. 17 American sailors were killed and 39 more were injured. It was the deadliest attack against a United States naval vessel in over a decade. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.

Though the horrors of 9/11 were still 11 months away, the United States was now in an asymmetrical war. The new kind of struggle, which pits nations or groups with disparate military capabilities and strategies against each other, and features such irregular tactics as counterinsurgency and terrorism, would force the Pentagon to rewrite its rules of engagement after decades of following a WWII and Cold War driven playbook.

Though the battlefield is far from the ideal workplace metaphor, the sad truth is that many employees come to work each day feeling embattled.

Networking Tips for Introverts and Shy People

Networking is important. We all get that. But what do you do if you’re shy, introverted and/or struggle in social settings?

One workaround is social media. Many folks much prefer engaging from behind a picture or avatar than in person. While the quality of the engagement can often be more limited, there’s a ton that one can achieve by showing up authentically online, sharing great content and demonstrating real interest in others.

Another approach is to use FaceTime, Duo, Skype, Zoom or some other online audio/video chat platforms. It can be less intimidating for folks to talk through their technology and preserve their personal space than to actually get in the same room as them. It can also make connecting much easier from a logistical standpoint.

Walking the Tightrope of Life

Many of us struggle to achieve and maintain proper balance in our lives. We seek to succeed in the work arena while simultaneously being there for our families and loved ones. We have a strong sense of community and want to give back to those around us while also ensuring that we attend to our health-related, emotional, and spiritual needs on a regular basis.

Despite our best intentions,our many aims oftentimes come into direct conflict with one another. We simply cannot give as much time as we would like to each of these areas in a manner that is fully satisfying. How can we manage to strike the proper balance between these oft-competing realms in a manner that is both responsible and fulfilling?

For starters, it is important that we take the time to identify and prioritize our core values and aspirations. Often this is best achieved through the creation of a personal mission statement, which lays out what is most important and what we strive to achieve in each realm. A coach, guide or mentor can be helpful here in ask the hard questions that drill down on what is truly important. They can also offer a different perspective and value set to your own.

How circumstances affect delegation

In an earlier blog post, I shared some reasons that so many leaders do not delegate more often and presented arguments why they should. I also spelled out seven steps to more effective delegation. In this article, I will delve into who to consider when seeking to delegate tasks and projects.

“The way you delegate is that first you have to hire people that you really have confidence in. You won't truly let those people feel a sense of autonomy if you don't have confidence in them," Robert Pozen said.

Though the term delegation may be defined consistently as the shifting of responsibility for a task or project from one person (usually a leader or manager) to another, the situations in which it is applied can vary greatly. And in many cases, the leader is doing something very different than delegating.

Lessons from some bottom of the bag pumpkin seeds 🌱

After munching through a bag of tasty trail mix, I got to the bottom of the bag.

Everything “big”, including walnuts, almonds, 🥜 and even dried fruit chunks, were gone.

Left were all the pumpkin seeds that had settled to the bottom. ⬇

Which got me thinking. 🤔

BLOG