What’s New

HERE WE ARE AT OUR LATEST “GATHER AND GRANT” EVENT! 

Ann Arbor Women for Good is a giving circle where women in the area meet and build connections with other like-minded women. Through their participation, our members are able to pool their resources and have a more positive impact on the local community than any of them could individually. 

We meet once every quarter for a “Gather and Grant” event to network, donate, learn about local nonprofits, and vote on which to support as a group. Although we are still quite new, we have already raised over $18,500 from our members. These funds have been designated for local nonprofit organizations, which typically have limited access to traditional capital sources. In our first quarter alone, we have already been able to donate funds to two small but very deserving nonprofits. (Please see our web page under “Impact.”)

Interested in finding out more? Becoming a sponsor? Joining the fun? Please contact us, we would love to hear from you!

Congratulations! ICF Credentials and Standards just hit a major milestone of 40,000 active credential holders worldwide. Since its launch in 1998, the ICF Credential has become the only globally recognized professional coaching certification. Today, ICF Credential-holders live and work in 140 countries and territories. Read the press release here: https://bit.ly/3w73pSp

Can You Believe It’s Been 15 Years!!

I feel so grateful and blessed to be celebrating the 15-year anniversary of Focused Coaching, LLC! Little did I know when I founded my business in July 2006 that I would soon be challenged by a major recession, a rare cancer diagnosis, a serious and debilitating accident, and a global pandemic. Yet, we are still here, and we are still thriving.

Thank you to all who supported me, honored me by being my clients, and/or entrusted me with developing your key people. This was invaluable to me and my business and today I celebrate and thank each of you!

And, here’s one additional comment:

“As someone who has been present with Focused Coaching in various forms from the very beginning, I can say that I’m extremely proud to see what it has become and I look forward to seeing how we continue to evolve and succeed as we move forward. It has been an honor to be a part of the journey so far.”  

-Chris Magnuson,  Administrative Lead

Lisa Pasbjerg Named as “One of the Top 20 Career Coaches in Detroit”

Here’s what Influence Digest had to say:

Top Career Coaches In Detroit

The best coaches in Detroit is a tough list to compile with so many amazing coaches emerging in the city today. Our team at Influence Digest did extensive research to find the best Career Coaches in Detroit that are not only going to be your best listeners but also your best advisors.

Without any further delay, here are the Top 20 Career Coaches In Detroit in 2020 that you can contact right now.

Heidi Grant: How to ask for help– and get a “yes” | TED Talk

In this brief TED Talk by Dr. Heidi Grant, of the Neuroleadership Institute and the Motivation Science Center of Columbia University, she discusses the best ways to ask for help, both in the workplace and in everyday life, so that you can receive the kind of help you are really looking for.

The Adaptable Mind

This eleven-minute short film called The Adaptable Mind (Let It Ripple series) gives a hopeful, but thoughtful outlook on what it takes to truly succeed in today’s world. While we are taught that there are hard skills and soft skills, this video outlines another set of five skills that prove that not only are humans still important in today’s shifting work field, but that being human is also necessary.

The Explainer: Managing Multicultural Teams

When faced with the pressure of managing a multicultural team, many struggle with how to manage both the team productivity itself, as well as cultural differences that may come up. This Harvard Business Review video (2:17) gives a short, but comprehensive look into four techniques on how to handle this situation.

How to Get Better at the Things You Care About

Working hard but not improving, you’re not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that’s work, parenting or creative hobbies. In this TED Talk, Eduardo shares some useful techniques so you can keep learning and always feel like you’re moving forward.

How Replaceable Are You? With Maxim Sytch

Michigan Ross Professor Maxim Sytch walks you through a quick “Personal Power Audit” that measures just how replaceable you are on the job. And if you find yourself a little alarmed about your results, don’t worry: Sytch offers five concrete steps to take that can help improve your job security.

TED Talk by Surgeon Atul Gawande – Want to Get Great at Something? Get A Coach.

How do we improve in the face of complexity? Atul Gawande has studied this question with a surgeon’s precision. He shares what he’s found to be the key: having a good coach to provide a more accurate picture of our reality, to instill positive habits of thinking, and to break our actions down and then help us build them back up again.

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 TED Talk By Writer Anne Lamott – 12 Truths I Learned From Life And Writing

Just a few days before she turned 61, Anne Lamott decided to sit down and make a list of the things she knew to be true throughout her life.  In this video, she shares those truths, as well as how she came to know them.

In a funny, down to earth, and inspiring way, she discusses her views on everything from a parent’s place in their child’s Hero’s Journey, to the idea that sometimes even the human body just needs to be turned off and back on again.

 

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Carol Dweck is a pioneering researcher in the field of motivation, why people succeed (or don’t) and how to foster success.

In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.

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Three Kinds of Focus Needed By Leaders

Watch this short video clip of an interview with Daniel Goleman, author of “The Focused Leader.” Here, Goleman, widely recognized as the world’s most well-known expert on Emotional Intelligence, explains very succinctly why today’s successful leaders need to cultivate three different kinds of focus or areas of awareness.

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“Sometimes I’ll get asparagus,
and I’m just over the moon about it!”

“Sometimes I’ll get asparagus, and I’m just over the moon about it!” This is a quote from Paul, a formerly homeless young man helped by the Hope Clinic (another fine organization) and Food Gatherers, a wonderful non-profit organization here in Washtenaw County working to stamp out hunger, both by providing resources and addressing the causes.

As many of you know, I have been a long-time supporter of hunger relief, and as such locally have supported Food Gathers as a sustaining member for years. 

Each year, since the pandemic started I have “amped up” my contributions as I knew there would likely be an increased need for food along with the economic fall-out.  With a huge number of businesses being shut down, people losing their jobs, and taking big pay cuts, I expected there would be a great increase in “food insecurity” as well all-out hunger in our country. As we all know, this has been the case.

Here’s the latest newsletter from the Food Gatherers Fall newsletter. This is what they have been up to in these times of continued instability and pandemic recovery:

• 56,324 free summer meals for 931 kids and teens were provided at 22 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sties in Washtenaw county this year, while 459 produce boxes and 2,021 nutrition packs were distributed to families and children.

• Michigan’s Governor has deployed National Guard members to all seven Michigan food banks to support their COVID-19 response plans, allowing the organization to continue without the thousands of volunteers Food Gatherers usually relies on.

• Their network of partner pantries transitioned to “grab-and-go” pickups and expanded home delivery to reach as many people as possible while keeping everyone safe.

• Restaurants of all shapes and sizes offered free meals to displaced workers and/or donated congregate meals to social service programs throughout the county.

Here are some of the staggering statistics:

Up to 300%

More visits since March at our partner pantries of people seeking assistance

10,454 plates

Were served by Food Gatherer’s Community Kitchen as takeaway meals to shelter residents and anyone in need in March, April, and May.

More than 2.8 Million

Pounds of food were distributed by their network from March to June

58%

Of food distributed was fresh produce or protein

And most staggering:

40%

Of visitors had never used a food pantry before

If you are local to Washtenaw County, please reach out and do what you can do to support this critical work. They can be reached at 734-761-2796, www.foodgatherers.org, or info@foodgatherers.org

If not,  please find out where you can help in your community.  (No one should go hungry in this country we love!)

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THE NEXT POSITIVE BUSINESS CONFERENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN’S ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS TO BE HELD ON-SITE IN 2024

Every time I have gone to this conference it’s always been a wonderful experience! Now held biennially at the Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor, 2024 will be the 10^th year since its groundbreaking inception in 2014.

Every time I have attended this conference I have come away with renewed energy, new ideas, and great contacts with like-minded people from around the country and around the world. 

The annual conference is held at the beautiful Michigan Ross Building, which houses the leading center of global excellence in positive business. Faculty at the Ross pioneered positive organizational scholarship and continue to lead research that applies positive business practices across all functions, from accounting, to marketing, to supply chain management and more.

At the conference, we are able to engage with thought leaders and their extraordinary research and hear from a wide variety of leaders in companies across the spectrum modeling exciting, innovative, and often courageous examples of real-world implementation of positive business practices.  

Doesn’t everyone want to work in a positive environment? What is most enlightening is that these environments, (where people are flourishing and thriving), ultimately produce higher profits and better bottom lines for the business. In positive business language, this is called a “virtuous circle.”

It’s not just the nice thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do! 

At the conference, we learn from knowledge experts and thought leaders about their extraordinary research, and hear from executives who are courageous “intrepreneurs” within organizations and the leaders at stand-out companies both large and small.

As you may already know, there is always a full schedule of inspirational speakers from organizations that have previously included Google, Patagonia, London Business School, PwC, and the Kellogg Company to name a few. Workshops and sessions by world-class faculty provide brand-new insights on positive sustainable practices and updates on current related research.

In case you were not able to attend, here are the available recordings of many sessions: Video Archive

For more information, visit the School’s Center for Positive Organizations to learn more about the topic and to learn more details as they become available for the 2024 conference.

And, by all means, save those dates: May 9-10, 2024  

See you there!

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WOMEN in HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP

I was honored to be a part of panel of experts presenting on April 1st at the annual spring forum of Women in Healthcare Leadership at the School of Public Health at U-Michigan.  I, along with three other experts, presented and answered questions on the subject of leaders managing change and being a change agent even if not in a formal position of power. For more detail watch the video here:  

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Focused Coaching LLC Earns Re-Certification with Nationally Recognized Credential

We are delighted to announce that Focused Coaching LLC was just re-certified nationally as a WBE (Women’s Business Enterprise) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council- Great Lakes (WBENC), the regional certifying body and the nation’s largest third-party certifier of the businesses owned and operated by women in the U.S.

We acknowledge and appreciate the commitment to supplier diversity that is embraced by many organizations and government agencies today, and, we are happy to continue to offer our services along with this highly-sought-after certification as a means to support your efforts to add diversity to your supply chain.

Focused Coaching LLC works with leaders and their teams by providing exactly the consultative, assessment, executive coaching and leadership development services they need to develop extraordinary performance through positive and powerful change.

Contact Us or call us at 734-663-0420 to find out more and to explore a possible fit for you or your organization.

Most Recent Leadership Focus Blog Post:

• How To Use Social Media To Job Search

Amy Cuddy TED Talk: Your body language shapes who you are

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s research on body language reveals that we can change other people’s perceptions — and even our own body chemistry — simply by changing body positions.

Here’s a great TED talk from my former radio show guest, Margaret Heffernan.

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as research shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. Here Heffernan, a former CEO of five businesses, illustrates (sometimes counter intuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers — and how allowing for deep disagreement improves the results of research teams, the performance of businesses and the quality of our relationships.

In this 18 minute talk, she explores the all-too-human thought patterns — like conflict avoidance and selective blindness — that lead managers and organizations astray. Enjoy!

Here are a few posts:

5 Reasons Why Optimists Make Better Leaders – Forbes
Workplace Culture is the Key to Employee Well-Being
Return on Self-Awareness: Research Validates the Bottom Line of Leadership Development
The Power and Subtlety of Language
Great Leaders Can Think Like Each Member of Their Team
How to Fall Back in Love with Your Job

Listen to the latest Leadership Focus Radio Show. Listen to it anytime by downloading or streaming from the website.

Selected Shows on Demand

The People Factor: What You Don’t Know Could Be Hurting You There are no neutral relationships. That is the premise of Van Moody’s upcoming book, The People Factor. Although relationships are a fundamental aspect of the human experience, our dealings with friends, family members, significant others and superiors are often riddled with strife and consternation.

For those who are striving to be leaders, the right relationships can propel you to great heights of achievement: the wrong relationships will tether you to mediocrity and hold you back. With this in mind, when striving for rewarding connections with others, it’s essential to evaluate relationships intelligently. What makes a great relationship? How do you keep a relationship great? What are the warning signs of trouble?

Join us tonight as Lisa Pasbjerg, executive coach and CEO of Focused Coaching, interviews this acclaimed subject expert on the power of relationships, who helps others build their “Relational IQ” to achieve success at home, in their social circles and in their workplaces as masterful influencers and leaders

Cultural Competency Needed Now As in all fields of study, the field of diversity management continues to evolve, with “cultural competency” at its core. While diversity management was once thought of as simply being aware of differences of race and ethnicity, we now know that it is much more, with the term” cultural competency” covering a far broader span of areas such as gender and generational differences, and religious and cultural beliefs and customs, just to name a few. As our society becomes much more multi-cultural and our organizations progressively more global in scope, it becomes more and more apparent that this skill is vital for today’s leaders.

Join us tonight as Lisa Pasbjerg, executive coach and CEO of Focused Coaching, LLC interviews William Appleton, President of Kairos Consulting. and a CDP (Certified Diversity Professional.)

Prior to founding Kairos, Bill worked as an Organizational Effectiveness Consultant at the Cleveland Clinic, where he served as team lead for the design and facilitation for a system-wide (40,000 +) cultural change initiative and acted a resource for more than a dozen facilities and hundreds of leaders, designed and delivered numerous courses for the Center for Leadership and Learning and developed the organization’s diversity councils throughout the system.

A true leader in this field, Bill will share with us his deep expertise on this critical competency required for any progressive business or organization, including, the first steps that you and your organization should be taking immediately in order to stay abreast of this important requirement for our evolving workplaces.

Previous shows from our Women in Leadership series :

Creating a Community of Caring: The Evolution of United Way Today Many people think they know about United Way, but be prepared to be surprised and impressed with the thoughtful and targeted approach United Way takes these days, as it envisions its critical “safety-net” role in today’s economic reality of less resources and more need. As part of our continuing ” Women in Leadership: Lessons in Mastery” series, executive coach, Lisa Pasbjerg, interviews Sandra Rupp, President of the Washtenaw United Way about her professional career experiences and insights, the evolution of the United Way, and the business of creating a community of caring… a major factor in the quality of life in any city, town or region. Find out tonight from Sandy, a 28 year veteran volunteer and professional in human services who now serves both as a member of United Way of Michigan’s Board of Directors, and, on the United Way National Professional Advisory Committee, how you can be part of creating a caring community close to home. Be inspired as she shares the simple steps you or your business can take right now, right away, to become involved in this process in your own neighborhood, and, what an impact you can make in the lives of people at all stages of life in your community. (Listen Now)

Women in Leadership Series: Lessons in Mastery: Emergency Services and Non-profit Leadership Saving lives, being there in disasters, providing emergency assistance to those who have experienced the most devastating of losses- it’s all in a day’s work to tonight’s leader in her role at the helm of one of the oldest and most respected non-profit organizations in the world. Donna Duvin’s career in non-profit management spans over 25 years, including an early Peace Corps assignment in the South Pacific and  executive leadership roles with the Red Cross and several non-profits serving the needs of the most vulnerable.

As the Regional Executive Director with the Washtenaw County Chapter of the Red Cross, Donna oversees an organization that trains more than 65,000 residents in life-saving skills, provides 97% of the blood products to the county’s hospitals, delivers hundreds of emergency messages to loved ones in the military, shows up at house fires and other disasters with supplies for victims, firefighters and other first responders, and much more. (Listen)

Women in Leadership Series: A Different Take on Leadership Today with Margaret Heffernan An entrepreneur, Chief Executive Officer, professor and prolific author, Margaret Heffernan has run five businesses in both the USA and the UK, and writes for the Huffington Post, BNET and Real Business. In her latest book, Willful Blindness which just launched in the UK in February 2011, she combines her many years of experience as a pioneer in women-led business with solid grounding in research to give us a new perspective and a very different take on business leadership. In the book she explores the neurobiological, psychological, social and organizational reasons why people and organizations fail to see the obvious, and the profound effect this has on both their personal and professional commitments. (Listen Here)

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