In This Issue:
Welcome
News & Updates
Coaching Column: Facing An Uncertain Future
Course Schedule
Individual & Group Coaching Programs
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Welcome  to the Coach’s Corner electronic newsletter.  I am really excited as our readership keeps expanding.  My leadership and coaching programs help you develop, which means they help you "let loose that which is within."

Please feel free to pass the Coach’s Corner e-newsletter to your friends and colleagues!  For more information on our coaching programs, call 202-484-4747 or email me at rpost@coachscorner.com.  Visit our website at www.coachscorner.com.

Rhona Post
Master Certified Coach

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News & Updates

As much as I love life, I will be glad when this year is over. I don’t know about the rest of the country, but here in DC, we are constantly holding our breath, waiting for the next event to happen. We have survived 911, anthrax, the growth of West Nile virus, the arrival of malaria, killer fish, and sniper shootings, not to mention the economic downturn that affects all our decisions, amid the constant threat of terrorist attacks. Practicing faith takes all the faith we have!

Recently, I started doing yoga as a way to develop endurance, flexibility, reflection and strength. By engaging in a short daily yoga practice, I am creating a safe haven for myself where I can let go the many stresses I juggle.

I am also learning that a way to cultivate economic power, whether we are private or public sector employees, is by combining our assets, forming a united front.  For that reason, I have initiated partnerships and collaborations with colleagues and with my federal sector associates.  The results we achieve in teams are much stronger than the results we achieve alone. If you or your colleagues are feeling any of these same stresses, there may be a way for us to bridge the “troubled waters” together. Call me at 202-484-4747.

On a final note, I have developed a new course for emerging leaders, Present Yourself, that improves your ability to effectively communicate your results--in person and on paper!  I am excited about offering individuals innovative ways to “experience” leadership, not simply “talk about” leadership.

Coaching Column: Facing An Uncertain Future

“The whole marketplace and the idea of work have changed. People do not go to corporations and return with a gold watch. You’ve got to be able to reinvent yourself.  The greatest transition I’ve made is deciding that I do not work for anybody. I am an independent contractor selling my services. You have to be able to work for yourself, and do it successfully. You’ve got to marry your dreams with reality. Inevitably the day comes when you are replaced. You have to be prepared. Everybody has to meet this day”.
Richard Barnett, PhD, Retired NBA 

When I interviewed Dick Barnett in the mid 1990’s I thought his theory about work made a lot of sense, because he confirmed what I had already decided—that the quality of my life was dependent upon the actions I took to “save” my own life. None of us are indispensable, even when we have given ourselves passionately to a cause.

The rumblings across federal agencies are getting louder. People are afraid of losing what they have built. There is a constant hum, and tremendous anxiety amongst employees as they wrestle with the proclamations coming from the White House. The numbers are staggering. Up to eight hundred thousand federal employees will have to compete with private sector employees for their jobs. Government is not immune to downsizing.

Federal, state, and even local government employees, who have overlooked the possibility that their jobs/positions could be dissolved or given away to contractors, are now shaking in their cubicles. We are all contractors whether we work inside the agency or outside. This pill is the hardest to swallow, as long-time employees chose government as both a place to serve, and a place to hang onto because of the great benefits working in government has traditionally provided.

The irony is that whether we work inside the agency or for the agency as a contractor, we all want the same outcomes:

1. Security: knowing that what we do will provide a return on our investment of time, energy, money, etc. 

2. Reliability: knowing that the people to whom we have given our resources are going to stand up for us/ our jobs even when the tide turns against us.

3. Dependability: knowing that the government, unlike every other organization will continue to continue long after we retire.

Competing for work is a way of life. What can you do as leaders and managers who coach/ mentor that will best serve your employees, customers, and stakeholders?

Teach Your People That We Are All Contractors
If you are stuck in the definition of what it means to contract services, call me at 202-484-4747 or ask one of the local contractors in your office. It is not so much what we do that separates us from federal employees, it is how we “be” as employees that is different. We all serve someone, but contractors have learned that despite our good intentions, great results, and passionate commitment to our work, we may still lose the job, get fired, rehired, be moved around, subjected to unfair work practices, go hungry, make money and learn how to speak about our results in ways that has business owners or decision makers want us to provide services.

Teach Your People How to Market or Communicate Their Assets
I have been providing career management services to hundreds of federal employees for more than a decade. What I have learned is that most, if not all federal employees do not know how to speak about their work in terms of its benefit(s) to the business. Employees can aptly describe what they do, but they cannot define the outcomes of their work on the organization. If people do not see their work as integral to the organizational vision or mission they cannot market themselves, nor can they truly advocate for their departments, because they don’t know how to sell the return on investment of the work they perform.

Develop Your Own Skills and Those of Your Employees
Whether the business is public or private, profit or non-profit, the bottom line remains the same. One must keep pace with the changes, both technological and otherwise, that impact how work is completed. When federal agencies engaged in business process improvements in the early 1990’s, managers suggested that employees assess their current skills and develop the competencies the agency needed to fulfill its strategic plan. Unfortunately, I met lots of employees who choose to be the best “old car” in the department, instead of taking courses, enrolling in the Corporate universities or even cross-training with new recruits. These long time employees fought for their right to be an “old car”.
We can fight or even buck innovation, but I have learned the hard way that my resistance to change does not change the ultimate decisions being made. What we resist persists!

Build a Network of Support
No project can be completed alone. We all need other people to accomplish our goals. In our network, we include the experts in our field who can provide business assistance when we are both succeeding in our projects, and failing. The larger the network you build, the greater the resources you have for success. In addition, we include all those friends and family members who can support us as we tackle new projects. Our family will provide the love and strong arms we can fall into when we make mistakes. And we will make mistakes.
If you are interested in preserving your position or building inroads in your agency that will support you (and your department) to remain intact, learning how to build and sustain relationships inside the agency and outside with other professionals is crucial.       

For more information on how you can develop yourself as a contractor in an age of uncertainty, call me at 202-484-4747. I am always on the lookout for a few great players to coach.

Course Schedule for Rhona Post

Individual & Group Coaching Programs

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