What sets successful people apart from the pack? Is it luck, money, good lucks, and/or talent?

No, it is one small simple fact — motivation.

People who are successful all share one trait — they are motivated.

Of course, motivation really isn’t simple at all. That is why there is multi-billion industry focused on self-help books, tapes, seminars, camps, and coaches.

There is just one problem with using these methods. When it comes to motivation one size does not fit all. One of the elements that makes human beings so endlessly fascinating is that we are all individuals.It is the primary reason our species has been so successful. It also means we each have different interests, goals, and motivation.

So before you can begin following any one of the thousands of motivational programs available you must first determine which motivational group you fall into.

After some thought, study, and research, I have come up with four basic motivational categories:

~ The Pessimist
~ The Competitor
~ The Minimalist
~ The Exhibitionist

The Pessimist

The Pessimist is personified by my husband. Whenever he gets the smallest bit of bad news he immediately leaps into the deep end of doom and gloom. It doesn’t matter if the problem is small or large, he often reacts as if it is the end of the world. If the satellite dish has a momentary hiccup in service then he immediately assumes the bill didn’t get paid and our account terminated and our credit score is now on the decline.

It took me a long time to learn how to deal with this. At first I thought it was real panic and I would try to shield him from the smaller hiccups, and even some big ones, of life. But now I know this is actually how he motivated himself.

When we face challenges, big or small, he works himself through a familiar cycle. First he outlines the worst-case scenario, then he outlines his options for action, and then he takes action. And when he takes action just get out of the way as he moves very quickly — and successfully. Challenge faced, problem solved. It makes me crazy but it works for him!

The Competitor

My brother thrives on competition. Whether he is playing sports or working in sales, he is always more successful if he has competition.If his motivation flags he can easily juice himself up with a quick comparison of his progress toward a particular goal in comparison to others. He likes to keep score and that keeps him motivated. He wants to win whatever competition is at hand.

Don’t knock this method. By almost any measure my brother is a huge success and has worked his way from a contract employee barely able to afford his two-bedroom apartment to a high-level sales executive with a six-figure salary plus bonuses to further incentivize him.

The Minimalist

Perhaps this person might best be described as having a short-attention span. They need short-term goals that are immediately visible and can be achieved within a short time span. They can go the distance as long as it is broken up into smaller projects. Each small victory will spur them on to the final goal but they need those little successes to keep them motivated. In many ways this label applies to me but I think down deep that I am really in the final category.

The Exhibitionist

I know I fall into this category because I have a very difficult time with goals that I cannot see. It is one of the reasons I hate cleaning — sure you can see the results but with a busy family you know how long those results stay visible!

Like the minimalist I enjoy breaking large projects up into small, bite-sized chunks so they are not so overwhelming. When I grade papers for my teaching gig I always divide the pile into several smaller piles so I can feel I am making progress. I do the same with cleaning — first straighten the room, then dust, then vacuum.

But it isn’t enough for me to accomplish the task — I need to have a to do list that I can check off as I go and then crumple up and throwin the trash at the end of the day. I need to be able to point to some visible success for the day whether it is a shining kitchen, a stack of graded papers, or a pile of completed manuscript pages.

Which category do you fall into? Once you know that much about yourself you will be better able to find the motivation technique that works best for you. Stop by the Words of Inspiration web site and vote in our motivation poll and then go get motivated!

Deanna Mascle is an inspirational freelance writer. You can find more inspiration at Inspiration by Dawggone and her inspirational ezines Words of Inspiration Online and Daily Quote Online.

Secured business loans are loans which are offered to people who are a little short on money to either start their business or to increase the size or the capacity in which the business is operating in.

A secured business loan is a good option for people who have decided to go ahead with meeting their business needs. The first thing that a borrower must consider before going in for a secured business loan is that he should have a security ready with him. It is a prime clause for taking a secured business loan. A security can be any worthwhile asset that a borrower may possess it can be his home, his car or the business premises in which the main business operations of the business take place.

It is easy to understand why the experts always seem to advice going in for secured business loans as suppose to the other forms of business loans, with the range of benefits it is not difficult to fathom. A businessman can avail the following benefits by going in for secured business loans.

• Secured business loans come at an interest rate which is lower than what may be offered when an unsecured business loan is taken.

• With the secured business loans the borrower can choose his terms i.e. the monthly installments and the period of repayment which help in the long term use of the loan.

• With secured business loans we can choose between the whole range of amount available for the loan which can help in using of the loan better.

The only disappointing thing about the secured loans is that not everyone can afford them and can avail these loans as not everyone is capable of providing a security. However, those who can take full benefits of the loan if they utilize their loans properly.

A borrower can make the following uses of secured business loans.

• To start a new business
• For buying new assets, machines or premises for a business
• Short term business loans for people running business on credit transactions
• To increase the current business capacity or to launch a new business area

Reason may be any one thing is for sure that business loans will always be there to help you.

Applying for secured business loans is easy all you need to do is estimate your requirement and then find a lender who will provide you with these loans. Secured business loan usually gets approved in a week or two. So people who want to apply for the loan need to do it with due care and all the details at their disposal.

Tim Kelly is an expert in finance having completed his LLM in Finance (Master of Laws in Finance) from Institute for Law and Finance at Frankfurt University. He is currently working with Business Loans as a financial advisor. To Find Cheap Business loans, Business Start up loans, Business loans UK visit http://www.businessloans.uk.com

While hyaluronic acid has exploded in popularity among the cosmetics community, most people are unaware of the molecule’s exotic history.

Hyaluronic acid, also known as HA, naturally plays an important role in tissue hydration and lubrication. Simply put, the protein compound takes years off skin, helping to make it moist, vibrant and supple. HA’s name derives from “hyalos” - the Greek word for glass, which accurately describes its transparent, glassy molecular appearance.

Most recently HA has skyrocketed to fame as a wrinkle-remover and youth restorer, with new treatments appearing every week. While facial hyaluronic injections continue to be the treatment of choice for many women, most would prefer less-invasive procedures. For this reason, more and more attention has gravitated to treatments such as oral supplements.

Interestingly, the inspiration for hyaluronic acid oral supplements first came from the obscure Japanese village of Yuzuri Hara, not far from Tokyo.

Enjoying the nickname “The Village of Long Life,” residents of Yuzuri Hara have historically restricted themselves to a rather unique diet of locally-grown white and sweet potatoes and root vegetables. Local doctors attest that nutrients in these starches aid the body’s natural creation of HA, thereby allowing the people of Yuzuri Hara to fend off the aging process. Such higher concentrations of hyaluronic acid help skin cells retain their moisture, keeping eyes bright and skin vibrant and smooth.

The findings in Yuzuri Hara encouraged a Japanese pharmaceutical company to develop the first hyaluronic acid pills. That company’s rigorous testing showed that more than 50% of test subjects experienced better eyesight, smoother skin, and decreased fatigue after taking hyaluronic acid oral supplements. Better yet, no known side effects have resulted from taking the HA pills.

While the benefits of oral hyaluronic acid treatments were first discovered in this Japanese village, they are now recognized the world over. Deriving its name from the Greek word for glass (”hyalos”), hyaluronic acid promises a clear path towards health and vitality.

Hyaluronic Acid Research is dedicated to promoting an understanding of hyaluronic acid, a major ingredient in many medical and anti-aging therapies and to highlighting places where you can safely purchase hyaluronic acid products. For more information please visit E-hyaluronicacid.com.

Children bombard parents with many challenging behaviours. We are delighted if their behaviour is mostly positive. But what if your child constantly demonstrates negative behaviour? How are you going to deal with it?

It can get very frustrating for a mother who is yelled at every time she says ‘no’ to a child. In my clinic, I’ve seen parents who feel desperate when their son or daughter who used to behave like a “saint” is now rebellious, oppositional, and involved in drugs.

As a parent, what are your options?

Establish a Hierarchy of Consequences for Inappropriate Behaviour

Different behaviours require varying degrees of discipline. There is no single method effective for all individuals and all types of unacceptable behaviour.

One effective way of instilling order is by creating a graduated form of discipline from a simple and effortless method to a more serious way of dealing with the behaviour.

Ignoring the Behaviour

Certain behaviour becomes worse if you pay attention to the child. Temper tantrum is one example. An effective way to deal with some behaviour like temper tantrum is to ignore it. By doing this, you don’t reward it with too much attention.

Granny Gestures

This is the second line of offence against inappropriate behaviour. This type of discipline can deal with the first infractions regardless of whether they are major or minor. Granny gestures involve hand movements such as waving the right pointing finger back and forth after an incident. Immediately after an inappropriate behaviour such as not cleaning up or not making the bed, wave your pointing finger.

Counting One to Five

Counting one to five is the next level if your child remains defiant or unresponsive to your granny gestures. This process requires a reminder that the unacceptable behaviour still exists and if it continues after you count to five, then a more serious form of consequence will be enforced. Also, counting provides children the time to think and to realize their mistake.

Time-out

Time-out is a more serious form of discipline. If the inappropriate behaviour persists, you tell your child to go to one corner of your house. The corner should be well lit, safe, and not isolated. It should be a place where you can still see what your child is doing.

What should be the appropriate duration for time-out? In my opinion, the duration should depend upon the nature of the infraction, the frequency of such infraction, and the age of your child.

Taking Away Privileges

Taking away privileges requires that you first identify your child’s likes and interests at home and that you take one or more of them away for a certain period of time as a consequence of inappropriate behaviour.

Take away the toy or activity that interests your child. Taking away privileges should be time-limited, realistic, and feasible.

Copyright © 2005. Dr. Michael G. Rayel - author (First Aid to Mental Illness-Finalist, Reader’s Preference Choice Award 2002) psychiatrist, and inventor of Oikos Game: An Emotional Intelligence or EQ Game. For more information, visit http://www.oikosgame.com and http://www.soardime.com

Sometimes skimping on things can save you good money. But skimping is not always the wisest business strategy. For example, I could’ve written this article in the windows program notepad as opposed to Microsoft Word, and saved a good $500 and never had to buy the latest version of Microsoft Office… However, wouldn’t it be worth the $500 if the improved impression of professionalism put forth in all of my writings some how garnered ten times that in profit? Would you have read this far if I had unknowingly published this article with a horribly obvious typo in the title? That’s right - an insignificant error caused by “saving money” can actually COST you money in the long run.

Impression Is Everything!
If you have spent months developing a beautiful ecommerce website to give people the impression that you are the safest choice for whatever product or service you’re trying to sell them, then it’d be pretty stupid to have all of that professionalism dismissed by a simple mistake: assuming you’re going to SAVE money by not getting a toll free number!

The fact is, the sight of a toll free number is something that subconsciously stirs an idea of professionalism - something we’re accustomed to from corporate America. Area codes are for calling your relatives and friends, after all. The phone prefix “800″ or “877″ or “888″ for some reason, as if by magic, stirs in us the image of a phone operator in a tall skyscraper that deals with hundreds of clients a day - someone that doesn’t make their living off of ripping people off. The appearance of professionalism is the embodiment of confidence within the business world.

Okay, so you’re convinced… now what?
Not having a toll free number for your ecommerce business (no matter how small) will cost you more in the long run than the short term savings will save you. The best part is though that toll free numbers are not NEARLY as expensive as one might be inclined to think! In fact, at the moment the prices for toll free numbers are as low as 2.7c/min from places like www.patricklongdistance.com .

What other services can I benefit from?
It just so happens that toll free numbers are not the only affordable telecommunications service that might be useful to the owner of an ecommerce web site. Conference calling (for those teleseminars), low long distance rates, broadband or t1 internet access, and more are all examples of things that can be gotten more cost effectively off the internet via web pages such as the one I provided in the last paragraph.

Jacob Richards hosts a website about ecommerce web site construction.

Many people think that having a website is enough to succeed in the online market. On the contrary, to be successful in any online business or in any enterprise for that matter, good management skills and the right marketing strategies are required.

Managing a website and turning it to an instant cash cow is possible but one must have the right online tools and an attractive website that is hospitable to users and can be found by search engines. To earn online, you also need hard work, patience and commitment to building a good site.

But even with the best intentions and the best resources, one must still face the fact that there are over millions of online businesses battling for profits. Stacked against these odds, how can one website get ahead?

The solution: get your website optimized. That means getting your website on the first page of a search result. A website placed within the first two pages of the search results of a relevant keyword has more chances of getting viewed, and in turn higher potential of selling products and services.

Search engine optimization (SEO) companies are professionals who do more than create and manage websites. They make sure that a website is included in the top page of the search results of significant keyword terms. SEO covers important aspects like design, content, and programming code, plus link building. More than just online traffic, SEO can actually help any website generate actual income.

Does it all mean that you risk less when going for paid solutions? No. What it means is that before making a choice on what PC security software to choose depending on your particular needs you should consult with someone with sufficient experience, or read some reviews at least. Reporting and alerts are a must that way you can pinpoint the culprits and then have a talk with Bill about the reason his computer is always so slow - the spyware he keeps downloading.

Spyware loosely defined is unwanted, obtrusive (read system intensive - memory hogging) and always potentially dangerous software unintentionally installed on a pc. Most anti-spyware software makers lump adware (that stuff which gets installed because it’s free or cheap), BHOs (browser helper objects - stuff that suddenly appears on your browser), distributed attack tools, keystroke loggers, pcp software, tracking cookies, and unauthorized remote admin tools in the same global spyware box. Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. html. That is why every computer owner needs winclear.

Protect With Winclear :World History Search
The Internet is a source of myriad information that can help us make our grueling existence easier and happier. It has also enabled us to communicate faster and cheaper with people all over the globe. Winclear is the only software which is capable of removing keylogger programs. They make it possible to visit most websites and can actually speed up and make your browsing experience safer. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers for the last 8 years.

Winclear:
Just because a banking site labels itself as secure does not mean that a user is protected from a keylogger. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer. When using your computer it is important to use virus protection anti-spyware programs and other techniques to keep prying eyes off of your computer. Protect your computer security by using Winclear! More about Winclear here: Winclear Review.

To build any serious income you have to use leverage. You accomplish this by spending your time creating and managing levers. I’d bet that if you are creative enough, you could probably create a lever on anything that can provide an income. Let me explain this with several examples.

If you do not have an employee, you are not leveraging your time. Start leveraging your time in a tiny way with something that doesn’t require complex skills, like a dog walking service. But get other people to walk the dogs. You never walk the dogs, you focus on marketing and increasing the number of dogs to walk, and more walker employees. Then you hire an employee to handle the marketing and sales duties, and then you’ll have a business that runs on its own without you. You’ll have an absentee ownership model where you have the free time to start another business to leverage. You have to learn that you can’t run an empire if you are doing everything yourself. The old quote for this situation is, “The more I do, the less I accomplish.”

If you are not saving money every month, you cannot leverage your money. Start tiny, take 3% of any income into your checking account, and move it into a savings account. How are you going to work your way up into big deals, if you don’t have any money to buy-in to smaller deals? There are ever larger playing fields, but saving money is necessary to get into the entry-level business game.

If you haven’t converted your ability into products, you are not leveraging your skills. Start tiny with something that doesn’t cost anything. Like writing an article or a song, whittle an animal figure from wood, record a speech. Any start will be helpful that gets you thinking about creating products from your skills. If you only know services, they can also be turned into products: books, tapes, software, newsletters, subscription services, etc. If you only have service skills, you can leverage them like step one above. But beyond that, you can start marketing to new market channels by developing your own proprietary products that I just mentioned.

If you don’t have business contacts, then you are not leveraging a social network. Start talking to people about what you want to accomplish; I can’t remember the source of the quote, but it is, “He who has the bigger rolodex wins.” The more entrepreneurial business people that you know, the more business opportunities you will hear about, and thus more financially successful you may become.

You can employ non-physical assets that can be leveraged. This is one area that I use a lot. For example, I have offered my credit to purchase an income property for a partner to manage, but we split the income by 50/50. You can offer your credit and be paid to co-sign on a loan. By having good credit, you have access to loans that you can use to buy investments.

When you’ve worn yourself out on those exercises, you can start figuring out how to leverage everything you have done toward what you want to do next. This is a critical phase. If you have an idea, do you start thinking like this, “I don’t know what to do, so I guess I can’t do that.” Or, do you start to think like this, “Get my rolodex, and find three people already in the industry that may be able to point me in the right direction. Then call my bank and let them know I’ll be asking for some money in the next couple weeks for a new project.”

Now, who would you bet on to make quick progress that will lead to success, and who won’t be able to move beyond their own fears and drop the idea altogether.

investing.real-solution-center.com

The Federal Government now says it sees the error of its ways and now plans to teach Veterans about their deserved benefits! The Government has now decided to teach Veterans about their benefits and business opportunities as part of their exit process.

Before the war on terror, the Government had always provided its Veterans with some very good benefits. The problem is that they just never bothered to tell anyone about them.

Actually, that isn’t literally true but over the years, they certainly didn’t do a good job of communicating with Veterans about their deserved benefits.

Even today, if you look at the mind-boggling benefits available to Veterans, it would take a super-computer several days to sort them all out.

I’ve researched all sides of the debate. I’ve listened to the political arguments as well as the practical debates. Here’s my conclusion thus far. Yes, we’re spending more today than in the history of our country on Veteran benefits. No, we’re not doing enough.

That being said, I refuse to let pre-terror-war Veterans die without knowing that they have a huge opportunity to become wealthy if they use many of their benefits to their advantage.

Here’s why every Veteran should own a business that is capable of selling to the Government. Did you know that the Federal Government has a “target” of spending 3% of their budget with Veteran-owned businesses every year? Three percent may not seem like much but last year, our government targeted over $9 Billion, (yup, you heard me… that’s a Billion with a capital “B”!) with Veteran-owned businesses.

Of course, they only spent $1.2 Billion with Veteran-owned businesses last year. The reason that they only spent $1.2 Billion with Veterans last year is that there aren’t that many Veteran-owned businesses to spend it with!

According to the 2004 Census information, there are about 25 million Veterans in the US. The Government estimates that there are “about” five million Veteran-owned businesses. Not all of them are qualified to do business with the Government (in fact, there are only about 50,000 Veteran businesses registered to do business with the Government).

If every Veteran owned a business that was qualified to do business with the Federal Government, each Veteran-owned business would receive $360 million as its share of the Federal budget (divide $9 Billion by 25 million Veterans and it equals $360 million per Veteran-owned business).

If you combine the ability to start your own business that has huge Government preferences, and the Government’s burning desire to spend huge amounts of our tax dollars with your Veteran-owned business, that combination could ultimately make you rich!

Here’s my point. As a Veteran, you have tremendous benefits available to you if you choose to start your own business. These benefits give you a significant advantage over your online competitors.

Your odds of building a profitable, successful business are better than almost every new business owner in the United States. Why? Because you have the discipline to build your own successful business and you have so much free assistance available to you. Take advantage of the benefits you deserve.

If you would like to learn more about this huge opportunity, visit www.sba.gov right now.

———————————–

P.S. For all you Internet Marketers out there who have great products that can help our Veterans make money on the Internet, here’s your chance to tap into a huge niche market by offering the people who pledged their very lives for our freedom an opportunity to succeed.

You won’t believe the kind of benefits many of the people on your opt-in lists have available to them and you’re not even taking advantage of it! Grant money. Low- interest loans. Educational benefits that can possibly be used to pay for your products and services. Access to the dollars our government spends every year to keep our country running.

Think about it. If your products can help our Veterans take their fair share of over 9 Billion Dollars a year, wouldn’t you like to help them out in exchange for a share of that business?

I pose that question as a brain-teaser. Most of you will not grasp the significance but some of you will have a light go off in your brain and actually create a product and pricing scheme to help them become more successful than some of your other student audiences.

Think about this for a second. Many of you teach people how to sell on eBay (which I agree is a huge market). How many of you know about the Government’s directive to spend $9 Billion a year with Veterans? Here’s the BIG difference…. Nobody on eBay HAS to buy from an eBay seller. Our Government Agencies have been given a directive by the President of the United States to spend $9 Billion per year with our Veterans!

© PJK Enterprises LLC

Pat Kiggins is a successful business executive and even
started his own successful technology company in Dallas.
More importantly, Pat is a Veteran with several Purple
Hearts and has started his own Veteran-owned business
selling to the Government. Veteran Business News can be
found at http://www.VeteranBusinessNews.com

© PJK Enterprises LLC
2405 Webster Dr.
Plano, TX. 75075
Contact: Pat.Kiggins@veteranbusinessnews.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The current trend is for an increase in coaching and mentoring in the workplace.

Coaching and mentoring, whether on an executive level or for overall staff, are increasingly being recognised as important in employee development. It is acknowledged by senior management in many organisations that their company will thrive if they offer some form of coaching and mentoring to their staff.

We are particularly aware at how much this trend for coaching and mentoring has grown in the UK, as this is where most of our clients are based.

We work with companies who automatically assign a mentor to new employees, some who leave it up to the employee to seek out a coach for themselves, some who don’t or won’t see the advantage of having coaches for their people and just about everything in between.

Fortunately, many more companies are giving their people an understanding of the benefits of coaching and mentoring, of which there are many, and more people are training and acquiring qualifications in coaching and mentoring than ever before.

What Coaching and Mentoring Training is available?

People can get a professional qualification in coaching and mentoring, a certificate in coaching and mentoring; there are many courses offering training in coaching development, creative mentoring, career coaching, face to face training, on-line training, workplace mentoring, becoming a coaching and mentoring consultant, building a coaching network, business approaches to coaching and mentoring, distance learning, management mentoring, staff coaching, in house training courses, ‘out’ house training courses. There are basic courses and advanced coaching and mentoring training and qualifications.

The list truly is endless!

It seems as though everyone from business schools to the corner shop is getting on the coaching and mentoring bandwagon.

This isn’t a bad thing.

How do I know what to do?

The only problem is that for someone who has never used a coach or mentor before, it can all be very confusing.

For those who want to train to become a coach or mentor, the choices can seem daunting: ‘Where do I begin?’

For companies who want to initiate a coaching and mentoring programme, they want reassurance of the tangible benefits and return on their investment.

What we aim to do here is to give you a brief overview, understanding and insight into just exactly what coaching and mentoring means, some coaching and mentoring theory and to give our view on what it takes to be a good coach or mentor.

Coaching and Mentoring overview

Is there a difference between Coaching and Mentoring?

We’re going to cop out here and say there probably can’t be a definitive answer to this. The two terms seem to be increasingly linked and are often used interchangeably.

These happen to be our definitions, but we’re sure you’ll find a bunch of others if you look around.

Coaching: we see a business, corporate or executive coach in much the way we see a sports coach. This person sets specific goals and objectives, sees what you need to do to achieve them and works with you on target setting, professional and personal development, expansion of your skills base and offers practical and relevant advice and guidance.

Mentoring: a mentor can almost be seen as a wise, experienced friend or favourite aunt or uncle type person. A mentor leads by example and is a role model. They might be very good at helping you see the big picture and understand the politics of the organisation you work for.

A coach can be a mentor and a mentor can be a coach, or the role can be rolled into one. The key is that whatever term you use, the person being coached or mentored gets unbiased support and guidance.

Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring

When you work with a coach or mentor you will benefit in many ways:

Have a safe place to offload

Develop skills you already have

Learn new skills

Gain insight into yourself and the people you work with

Get unbiased, confidential support

Gain fresh perspectives on your issues

Get advice, suggestions and options

Coaching and Mentoring Theory

We’re probably the wrong company to ask about coaching and mentoring theory. As a matter of fact, we’re not too hot on theory since we believe that you can’t pigeonhole people and impose a template of how coaching and mentoring should look.

On one level, we suppose that you could say that having a counselling skill is a good ‘theoretical’ place to start. The principles that a good counsellor needs to have are equally true for good coaches and mentors:

Maintains confidentiality

Excellent listening and responding skills

Non-judgemental

Objective outlook

Advises rather than tells

Has the ‘mentee’s’ best interests at heart

Coaching and Mentoring Development

Coaching and Mentoring Training

As we said earlier, the list is endless when it comes to ’stuff’ around coaching and mentoring. There are stacks of training courses, programmes, qualifications, certificates and workshops all claiming to provide you with the skills needed to become a coach and/or mentor.

We can’t say which of these is any good. There are some essentials to look for when finding the right training for you.

No promises about outcomes

It shouldn’t cost the earth

It needs to have a high degree of integrity

It should be practical and experiential

You should feel a compatibility with the people running it

You should be given lots of individual suggestions on how to develop yourself as a coach/mentor

Trust your tummy! Meet up before you sign up and ask lots of questions.

An example of someone who’s ‘doing it’

We can, however, give you an insight into one of the people within Impact Factory who is a coach and mentor and the range of skills she has which help her do the job.

Jo Ellen Grzyb, one of the founding partners, has an eclectic background, which we believe is a good place to start when thinking about training to become a coach and mentor.

We say this because the more experience you have, obviously, the more you bring to the job.

Jo Ellen has worked in the business and arts communities in one form or another, and on both sides of the Atlantic, for 30 years. She trained as a psychotherapist and ran career development courses for a number of years before founding Impact Factory with Robin Chandler 14 years ago.

She has had years of personal psychotherapy and has a monthly session with her own supervisor. She has also changed careers a number of times and has real insight into how to ‘take the plunge’ and move one when something isn’t working well.

She writes, appears on radio and telly.

She’s a brilliant networker and isn’t particularly self-deprecating about what she can offer people.

Through all her years of experience, one consistent theme has been her focus on enabling other people to do their work better.

Most importantly, she has never sat around waiting for someone else to make it happen for her - she’s just gone and done it, success or failure being far less important than the doing.

All of that makes her excellent in her role as a coach and mentor.

So what’s the point?

Why we’ve given you that thumbnail sketch is that we get lots of enquiries from people wanting to become coaches and mentors who are looking for someone else to make it happen for them.

That ain’t going to work.

If you want to train as a coach and mentor, you need to take a good, impartial look at yourself to see if you’ve got what it takes.

Remember earlier we said that everyone seems to getting on the coaching and mentoring bandwagon? Well, we feel pretty strongly that a lot of them should get off. Having said that, the profession is open for good, committed people.

You may be one of them.

Using a Coach or Mentor

How do I get one?

As we can see there’s no shortage of people wanting to become coaches and mentors. But what if you want to use one. Where do you begin?

Of course, the best place to look is your workplace. If they already have a corporate coaching and mentoring programme that you aren’t accessing, get yourself to HR ASAP and ask to be assigned one.

You could also look around your company and identify someone you think would make an excellent coach or mentor and ask them if they’d be willing.

Using either a formal or informal approach is equally effective. The key is working with someone you like, admire and with whom you feel comfortable.

Anything else I should be aware of?

There are a few important things that will help you make the most of your coach or mentor.

Meet with them on a regular basis - whether fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, etc

Set clear objectives

Rely on them for guidance, not answers

Be honest

A mentor isn’t a dumping ground

Using a coach or mentor is one of the best ways to develop yourself and is a great way not to have to go it alone.

Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory a training company who provide Coaching and Mentoring, Public Speaking, Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.