I'd like to introduce you to my one-on-one coaching clients, Jessica Amicarella!

Working with Jessica has been such a joy. She's smart, hard-working, balanced, funny, and genuinely loves her staff and clients. Her business was already a success when we met and she just needed a sounding board, fresh eyes, guidance, encouragement, and accountability to take it to the next level. Jessica is a phenomenal leader, business owner, and mom.

The average worker spends 15 hours in total in meetings.

• 71% of meetings are considered unproductive.
• 70% of employees experienced a 70% increase in meetings when remote work was introduced.

Length of meetings:

People's attention span is relatively short, and our research backs this up. According to our respondents, how long does it take for people to start losing attention in meetings?

• Less than 10 minutes – 9%}
• After 20-30 minutes – 43%
• After 30-40 minutes – 30%
• So 82% of people are checked out after 40 minutes

More than 7 in 10 respondents (75%) admit that they don't pay attention during meetings. Here's what they do instead:

• 39% read the news on the internet. A great way to spend time. We have to do it anyway, so why not do it on the clock?
• 38% browse social media.
• 38% read a book
• 35% shop online
• 32% also start a text message conversation with a friend. Barbra, how are you? I'm stuck in a meeting.
• 31% play an online/mobile game
• 28% do other work-related tasks.
• 27% draw or doodle

According to Muse, middle managers spend 35% of their time in meetings. Upper managers devote meetings 50% of their time.

I’ll never forget the moment that my life shifted in what success meant to me. I was sitting in the audience at the retirement celebration of a woman at the very top of her company. She had achieved everything you could possibly achieve in terms of career success. She was making more money in one month than most are making in a year and we were gathered to celebrate her illustrious career. On the stage joining her were her grown children who very clearly did not want to be there. They were disrespectful the entire time they were on the stage. As she spoke and gave glimpses into her personal life- multiple failed marriages, children who she was not close with and who had lived a very troubled life, very few authentic friendships, no spiritual depth that could be felt, and an overall lack of joy, I knew clearly that that was not the “success” I was after. I had put this woman on a pedestal prior to this event. I didn’t know her at all, but what I saw from the outside and her career success seemed attractive. She was praised for her work ethic, her dedication, and her loyalty which she definitely exhibited. However, I knew that what she had gained in career success and financial success had ultimately cost her everything and I didn’t want anything to do with that. I knew it was time for me to dig deeper and define what success was to me. This was not a fast or simple process. It took me months and I continue to add to and take away from it even still. What I found is that true success is not one-dimensional. We are complex humans and for us to be truly fulfilled we must take a multi-dimensional approach to success that includes our spiritual life, marriage, parenting, friendships, physical health, habits, finances, and using our gifts and talents to the best of our abilities in whatever vocation we choose. If our career is flourishing but our marriage is on the rocks, or we haven’t given our kids the time and attention they deserve, our career success will feel empty. We can continue to numb out, keep our head down, and pretend it doesn’t matter OR we can pause, assess our life, get the help we need, and make the changes that need to be made to move into a much happier, fulfilling, and impactful life. Let’s commit to redefining success in our life and being intentional about living it out.

In working with my clients, I am seeing a common question:

“How can I be a more effective leader during this crisis?”

This virus is turning out to be a critical leadership stress test. It has challenged most companies in virtually every way and is challenging leaders everywhere to bring their A-game. To complicate it further, you are asked to do so while you yourselves are facing incredible challenges.

Gallup gathered research from previous crises times, and in sharing some of their findings with you, I challenge you to improve your effectiveness as a leader in today’s climate. You’re going to need to take some notes.

Employee’s have 4 fundamental needs – trust, stability, compassion and hope. Alarmingly, their poll showed only about 1/2 of employees believe their employer has communicated a clear plan of action in response to the virus and only 25% felt their leaders are successfully managing emerging challenges.

When the whole world has changed, employees need steady leadership the most.

3 strategies for leading effectively during this crisis

1. Employees need trust and compassion

   Be present, even when you’re distant.

   more

Fall is just around the corner! I am loving the cooler Colorado nights and we are just weeks away from jeans, hoodies and pumpkin spice lattes. Fall is my favorite season of the year. I grew up, the daughter of the high school football coach, so I love football and I think we can all agree on enjoying cooler days and the fresh beginnings of a new school year. I don’t know about you, but at the end of every school year, I am SO ready for summer. I’m ready for the more relaxed schedule, days at the pool, sleeping in later, late night movies, bonfires, hiking, etc…. BUT by the time school rolls around I am craving the routine again. Can you relate?

With the fall routine getting into full swing I’ve been thinking a lot about what a “great day” looks like for me and I want to challenge you with the same question. When your head hits the pillow at night and you’re feeling like, “now that was a great day,” what did your day consist of? For most of us, our morning routine can greatly dictate how the rest of our day goes, so let’s talk about that part of our day, specifically, for a minute. In an ideal day, how does it begin? What time do you get up? How many times do you hit snooze? How many hours of sleep do you get and therefore what time do you need to go to bed? Is the coffee brewing before you even get out to the kitchen? Do you have a bit of quiet time before the kids are up? Do you hit the gym or a workout video at home first thing or is that later in the day? Do you start the day with prayer and reflection? Do you shower, get dressed, and feel confident to start your day, or do that later after your noon workout class or an evening run? ….. These are important questions to take a minute and ask yourself. When we are INTENTIONAL about our morning, we set ourselves up for a great day! When we just let the day roll out however it may we can find ourselves feeling unproductive, chaotic and just reacting to the day as it comes. So, join me in deciding what the best morning routine is for you at this season of your life and then commit it for just the next week. See how you feel. Does it change the way you interact with your spouse? Are you calmer getting the kids out the door to school and starting their day off better too? Does it change the way you interact with your co-workers? Are you more productive? How does it affect your confidence? After you evaluate it, at the end of the week make the changes you need to make and keep at it. This one tip can make all the difference in you becoming a better version of you.

A little over 7 years ago I found myself at a crossroads. I was burned out, stressed out, and just overall unhappy with my professional life. That unhappiness was leaking into every other area of my life. I was irritable and my fuse was short with those I loved most. I don’t know if you’ve ever found yourself in that place, but it’s not fun. Not fun for us and not fun for those around us. I knew I needed to make a change but I didn’t know what and I didn’t know how. I have sought counseling at different points in my life and am a huge advocate for therapy but didn’t think that was quite what I was needing at this point. I was 8 months pregnant with our fourth child, so my hormones were certainly not helping, but I knew it was deeper than that. As I processed this all with a friend of mine I was very seriously considering resigning from my job. She encouraged me to step back, take a deep breath and reach out to a business coach she had been working with.

Reluctantly I gave him a call. He was very nice and we spent about an hour on the phone together. He got to know a little bit about me, what was going on in my life and what I felt I needed. I got to know him, his background, his expertise, his view on family, work and spirituality. I knew it would be important that we aligned if we were going to work together in a coaching relationship. He then shared with me how he might be able to help. As part of what he suggested he wanted me to take an assessment called the Birkman®. Oh, brother! I had taken many assessments and had even taught courses on these assessments and knew that wasn’t the answer. However, he shared how this assessment was different. He shared about the VERY in-depth report about me that he would receive and we would go through together. It was so much more than my strengths, personality traits and behaviors.

Have you ever felt like you just don’t fit in? You’re too outgoing for this group, too introverted for this group, too tall, too short, too conservative, too loose, too quiet, too loud, too quirky, too serious, too virtuous, too wild, too hard working, too spiritual, ……. Anyone?

I can remember feeling this way many times even dating back to when I was a teenager. I wanted to be included but I didn’t want to do the things it took to be included so I felt on the outside. Recently one of my children came home from school with tears with the same struggle. She doesn’t want to do the things that it would take to be a part of the popular group but being excluded is painful too. Have you ever felt that way? If you’re reading this, chances are you are a leader in one area or another. What I find with leaders is that they are willing to stand on their own and make those hard decisions but at the end of day we are all wired for community with others and it can hurt our feelings to not be invited or included in certain social groups or events. We want to find that special friend or two, but it can be very difficult to find others with our shared values, goals, dreams, likes, ambition level, etc. We often don’t need, or even want, a large group of friends, just one or two loyal and trusted ones. While we are in middle school and high school it can seem paramount that we “fit in” but many still struggle with it as we age even it it has lessened in intensity or frequency.

Happy New Year friends! Yes, it’s officially 1 month into it, but if you’re like me, you’re still getting used to writing 2019 and are probably still ironing out your goals/resolutions/visions for the new year. So speaking of goals, I wanted to write a little bit about that today. I’ve personally been setting goals since I was a young girl. I was a competitive gymnast and I used to set goals for the score I wanted to get on each event for each meet. I would write the score on a little piece of paper and I would put it inside my shoe, which totally dates me that I wore gymnastics shoes. I knew that without a goal you were just leaving it all to chance with no real focus. I had big picture goals too. In fact my best friend in middle school drew a picture of me at the Olympics because she knew that my dream was to be the next Mary Lou Retton. Let’s be clear, I was nowhere near that level of gymnast but I was a dreamer. I carried that goal setting with me as life went on. I knew that goals needed to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound, and so I did just that. In high school I set goals for my academics, which college I wanted to go to, money I wanted to save, and so many other achievements I wanted to have under my belt. As my career began I did the same thing. Each fiscal year I had goals for this and that and posted them and tracked them. I’m a big advocate for goal setting, clarifying your vision, setting up a plan to achieve it and track it, but I have to tell you what happened a couple of years ago.

Have you noticed how much we throw around the word, busy? It’s as though being busy, even to the point of exhaustion, has become a badge of honor. When you ask someone how things are going the answer is almost always, “oh, it’s so busy.” Do you ever wonder, busy with what? Remember that I’m a mom of 4, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a business owner. I’ve been very guilty of overusing the word busy. In fact, a few years ago I found myself saying it often and it seemed to have a connotation of being totally worn out but also one of being a victim to this “insane” life. As I took an honest evaluation of my time, asking how was I spending my days, my evenings, and my weekends, I realized, I created this schedule. I intentionally, and willingly, signed my kids up for these activities. We didn’t have to have tournaments on the weekends and practices during the week. I intentionally chose this job and we could choose a different set up where I didn’t work at all. I intentionally signed up to be in that bible study during the week and I could say no if I wanted to. I didn’t have to say yes to lunch with a friend or volunteering in the classroom. You get the idea. Can you relate?

Well, here we go! I’ve really thought a lot about what this first post should be about and then landed on sharing my vision for Fiorii and how it came to be. For 23 years I have been working with women to help them build a business from the ground up. I have absolutely loved it! Not all of it, as with anything , but most of it. I love coming alongside people to help them to achieve whatever their goals are. I love watching someone break a belief barrier and discover a new level of confidence. I love when someone has an aha moment about a limiting belief and are able to move past it. Or when they are stressed out and life has gotten completely out of whack and they can regain some harmony in their life. I love seeing a business flourish and relieve a family of the financial stress they are under. I love seeing people really embrace who they are and recognize that they are unique and have something wonderful to share with the world. I love helping people really define what “success” is to them and then chasing it down with wild abandon.

My core belief system is that we have all been created with our own special set of gifts and talents and that we are called to MAX out those gifts in our time on this earth. Sadly, somewhere along the way those gifts can get covered up under a pile of “stuff” that has happened to us or choices we’ve made. We can lose sight of who we really are at our core and settle into mediocrity. 7 years ago I found myself in this exact place. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I had a great husband, 3 amazing children and one on the way, a thriving business, good friends, etc. but I felt so unfulfilled. Everything, even things I loved, like Christmas, had lost their sparkle. A dear friend stepped in and encouraged me to talk to a mentor of hers and assured me he could help. I reluctantly gave him a call and that call literally changed my life. I talked to him every two weeks for 6 months and then off and on over the years. He was, and still is, someone who challenges me, encourages me to dig deeper, reminds me of my gifts and my responsibility to use them, and helped re-light the fire within me.