Author: Deneen Kipp

(2 minute read time) 

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow.  My absolute FAVORITE holiday!  I love all the food, friends and family.  Most of all I love the abundant spirit of thankfulness and gratitude.   

Usually when we practice gratitude, we think of things like our families, friends, faith, homes, health and jobs.   These are very worthy things to be thankful for sure!

This year, I am going to keep all of those things on my list AND I am going to practice being grateful in a couple of different ways as well.  I am thinking this is like Gratitude 2.0 – wanna join me?

Gratitude for me
I think we don’t celebrate our own successes nearly enough.  We are really good at criticizing ourselves but we don’t give ourselves the proper credit when we slay a goal or overcome a challenge.  This past January, I started weight training. I had been thinking about it forever. I was sure I was not going to like it. But, I did it anyway.  And guess what?? Turns out I like it! I am grateful that I managed my mind to overcome the doubt. I am grateful that I am taking care of my physical health.  I am grateful I stuck with it. 

Gratitude for something I don’t have yet
Wait?  What? How can I be grateful for something I don’t have yet?  It’s totally possible. Think about the person who just won the lottery.  They see the numbers on the news and they see that they match their ticket.  They don’t have the money yet. In fact, they have at least a dollar less because they bought a ticket.  Yet, they are feeling pretty grateful I am sure. 

When I work with my clients on their goals, we frequently talk about the goal from a place of it already being done.  I see it in their eyes, their language, their demeanor – that energy and excitement, gratitude. The goal isn’t complete, but they feel the positive energy.      

Right now, I am testing a new coaching program – “How to Get Promoted at Work (Without Working Harder)”.  I am envisioning the pilot going amazingly well!  I imagine getting thorough feedback from my clients and I see my clients getting awesome results.  It feels amazing to look at it this way. I am feeling grateful for the success that is sure to come – for them and for me.  And when I think of it this way, it’s FAR more likely to play out that way.

Your turn!  What’s something about you that you are grateful for?  What’s something you are grateful for that you don’t have yet?

Oh, and there’s still a few spots left if you want to be a part of the “How to Get Promoted at Work (Without Working Harder)” pilot – it’s FREE!  Click here to apply.    

Do you want to get promoted at work?  Make more money? Take on new challenges?  

You want this, yet it seems impossible because there’s no opportunities in your department.  Or, you don’t have the right credentials, education or experience. Or, senior leadership doesn’t take you seriously.  Or, no one recognizes your contributions and potential. Or, you don’t have the time or energy to do all that “extra” work necessary to get promoted.   

Whatever the reason is.  I can help you.    

I am a certified coach specializing in Leadership Development.  I spent 20 years in corporate. I hired, trained, managed and developed leaders.  I hired a lot of people. I passed up hiring many more. I know why people don’t get the job. 

Consider, for just a moment, the following ideas: 

You do have what it takes to get promoted.  

You can apply for a promotion with confidence.

You do not have to sacrifice work/life balance to get promoted.

It is possible to do what you really want to do and get paid more.    

Maybe you are reading this thinking “Yeah, right”.  You’re not alone, I have heard many employees and clients say the same thing about their dream job.  That’s why I developed my new program “How to Get Promoted at Work (Without Working Harder)”. 

You know you’re capable of more than what you are currently doing.  Let’s work together to make that happen. 

Here is what you can expect from the program: 

• Feeling passionate, purposeful and alive again at work
• Eliminate any monotony, discontent or boredom at work  
• A step-by-step plan to make your career goals come to life
• Lifetime access to all of the tools I share so you can repeat this process again and again!

I know you are probably doubting if this will work. I know you probably have questions. Click here to set up some time to chat about all those doubts and questions – free! No charge, no pressure, no gimmicks. Promise.

(2 minute read time)

Do you embrace failure?  There are TONS of articles, blogs and speakers that tell us we should.  But do you? Really?

If we are honest, most of us would say “No”.  I don’t blame you.

Success feels so much better than failure.  Success feels amazing. It’s kind of addicting really.  

So, we typically end up lowering our expectations of ourselves so we can get more of that amazing feeling of success.  And avoid the awful feeling of failure.

The problem is when we lower our expectations we are also cheating ourselves out of our real dreams.  We fail ahead of time by not even trying. We don’t go after our real passion, our real desires, our moonshot goals.  We either recycle the life we already have or go after smaller, easier goals we believe we can accomplish.

So how do we get out of this horrible habit?

1. Let yourself dream – make a list of your BIG goals, the ones that seem impossible. Pick one.  
2. Make a plan – List all the things that need to happen for you to accomplish the goal.  Put them on your calendar. Commit to honoring these appointments. Don’t fail by not doing them      
3. Define failure – Most of us make our fails mean there is something wrong with us.  Then we give up and beat ourselves up. Decide now what you will tell yourself if your plan doesn’t work.  “I’m learning what doesn’t work” and “I am curious about what will work” are phrases I use often.
4. Keep Going – Do. Not. Quit.     

I love the imagery of a child learning to walk.  They have some EPIC fails in the process of learning to walk.  The very act of falling down and getting back up again is the thing that strengthens their legs so they eventually walk successfully and confidently.  

Need some help failing?  Click here to schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me.     

“How hard can this be”? That is what I thought when I was promoted to my first leadership position.  I would be the boss, I would have a team, we would have goals, I would divvy up the work and we would get it done right?  How hard can it be?? Oh, to be young and naive again!!

If you are a leader, you know leadership is far more complex.  If it were that easy, almost anyone could do it and do it pretty well.  But, if you have ever had a “bad” boss, or felt like you have been a “bad” boss yourself, you know not everyone leads well all of the time.

One of the things that makes leadership complex is it involves humans.  Our employees, our colleagues, our own bosses – all human. Humans have emotions, dreams, families, goals, desires, hopes and fears.  And so do you. All of these influence how we behave. It can be beautiful and it can certainly be messy.

This blog is dedicated to helping leaders figure out how to simplify those influences, channel them, use them to your advantage and bring life to the aspirations you have for your leadership career.

Need help sorting through the messy part?  Click here to schedule a free, 30-minute coaching session with me