EPISODE 4: NAVIGATING GROWTH, STICKING TO NON-NEGOTIABLES, AND IDENTIFYING OUR LIFE’S MISSION WITH MICHELE CUSHATT
Live Date: Monday, June 8, 2020
Show Description: On today’s episode, Heather speaks with author, speaker, coach and Choice ally, Michele Cushatt. With multiple books, podcasts and devotionals in her impressive portfolio, Michele can be found leading, speaking and coaching groups locally and internationally in her role as Chief Training Officer at Michael Hyatt & Co. From 2014 to 2016, she co-hosted the popular leadership podcast This Is Your Life With Michael Hyatt with millions of downloads to date. Michele is also a mother, wife, and three-time cancer survivor. While Michele is a powerhouse coach, her passion is leading women in business, specifically. She’s been Heather’s personal executive coach for four years. In this episode, Heather and Michele talk about overwhelm, defining success, the importance of remaining coachable, identifying your life’s mission, recognizing our talents, setting realistic goals, the necessity of non-negotiables, and so many additional life-giving topics. We can’t wait for you to have your own personal executive coaching session with Michele!
Biggest Takeaways:
Everyone needs help sometimes. No human being is exempt from hard times or uncertain situations. Michele encourages everyone to find someone to coach them and to be there for the struggles and the celebrations.
When seeking a coach, Michele recommends that we keep in mind that there are a lot of people in the coaching world, so doing some research is important. You want to look for experience – both life experience and client experience – and to look for a coach who can provide references for you to reach out to and validate their personal experience. Additionally, not everyone is a great match for each client or coach. So, look for someone who provides some sort of introductory or complimentary session to get a feel for the relationship. Finally, don’t assume that because someone charges a lot, they are a good or experienced coach. Research is vital to a successful coaching experience.
One process that Michele and Heather have walked through together is creating Heather’s personal mission statement. This has been transformational in her life and business. Michele recommends you start by thinking through what helps you be the most creative. Then:
Block out time on your calendar. To do this process well, you need time and space. Instead of being reactive, we have to be purposeful and intentional. We always tell ourselves we don’t have time to plan. It doesn’t have to be a full day, even a few hours will work.
It doesn’t need to be fancy. You don’t have to go anywhere special to get this done. But, Michele recommends that you go to some environment that is different from your daily work or home environment.
You don’t need to bring anything. Michele prefers to do this work on paper. It doesn’t need to be extreme. Give yourself space to dream and think. Cutting out digital distractions is important.
Make sure it is holistic. This is not a mission statement for your work or a mission statement for your personal life. This is a mission statement for every aspect of who you are as a person because it’s all intertwined.
Start at the end. Ask yourself: what do you want your life to look like? Michele says when you look back at the end of your life, what do you want to be true of you?
Compile your portfolio of talent. What do you bring to the table and what is true about you? List your skills, gifts, assets, accomplishments, awards, degrees – Michele calls this your portfolio of talent. This can be the hardest part of the process because we have a hard time recognizing where we are gifted.
Identify your audience: Ask yourself: Who are your people? Who do you do these things for? Who do you want to serve and impact? And look for these people not just in your professional life, but in your whole life.
Pinpoint your aim. Your aim is what you want to accomplish – why you do what you do.
Michele encourages listeners to identify and then write down the things in their lives that are non-negotiables, and she wants us to find five of those. This list of five non-negotiables is most important in times of crisis, when everything feels like a priority, like right now, as we navigate COVID-19.
Quotables:
“Our culture doesn’t always do a great job of embracing people that have differences.” – Michele Cushatt 5:10
“We never outgrow the need to grow. As we become adults and professionals, we no longer live in our parent’s home where we have that constant learning environment, so we need to seek it ourselves. We need to be finding people that can challenge us and encourage us and help us to grow.” – Michele Cushatt 10:36
“Part of growth as a leader is having an ongoing awareness of the fact that you need outside help. We often think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I view that as a sign of maturity and leadership.” – Michele Cushatt 14:18
“There is nothing sweeter than when I see the lightbulb go off in my client’s face, and I see their lives starting to turn a corner, simply because of the transformation that has happened in our conversations.” – Michele Cushatt 21:16
“If you aren’t consciously setting a course for your life, if you’re not consciously setting an objective for what you want your life and work to look like, you will constantly be reacting to and responding to what happens to you.” – Michele Cushatt 29:31
“I’m of the belief that we are not compartmentalized human beings. If your marriage is in jeopardy, it is going to impact how you work. If you have a kid who’s suffering, that is going to impact how you approach your team and how you operate.” – Michele Cushatt 35:19
“Difficulty, challenges, are actually the best opportunity – the most ripe soil – for growth.” – Michele Chushatt 48:55
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That’s how you are wired up. Pay attention to that need, and reach out. There are all kinds of people who would love to be able to come around you and brainstorm with you. And you can do the same for them. Even if you can’t afford a coach, you are not an island. So, find people, reach out, and work together. We will get through this, as long as we don’t try to do it alone.” – Michele Cushatt 1:04:38
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