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Hello

I love hanging out with my Board of Directors.  They are two coaches that have been my support group for almost 10 years now.  We coached each other in a triad setting for 4 years and have since met on a regular basis to brainstorm, coach and support each other in our businesses.  Without Cynthia and Sara, my coaching practice would be very different from what it is today.  They keep me connected to my purpose and grounded.

Who is on your Board of Directors?  They can be spontaneous, popping from the universe as Cynthia and Sara did, or carefully cultivated through contacts.   I have some suggestions in the article below about how to choose those who support you, and how to maintain the relationships.  A Board of Directors can help you with focus and hold you accountable.  With the support from a close group of colleagues you can change the world.

Along that note, my board is excited that I have completed the design for my new workshop which will ultimately be in a retreat setting.  Check out the details in the Upcoming Events section below.  If you’ve been postponing a dream, this is the place to make it happen!  Please come.

Blessings,

Debra

PS  After an amazing week wrestling with technology, I have a new email address.  If you wish to contact me, you can reply to this newsletter, or visit my website at http://www.forwardmomentum.com and click at the bottom of any page.

Monthly Quote

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Solomon, Ecclesiastes 4:12

 Create Your Board of Directors

Building a business as a single proprietor is lonely work.  So is changing your career when nobody understands why it’s so important.  Both situations call for an extraordinary sense of purpose and a certain bull-headedness. 

Not everyone understands why you’re not happy as an accountant, though your heart sings when you see a child smile.  You know running a day care center is folly, at least on paper, but you also know without a doubt if you don’t give it a try, you will forever look back wondering …. what if I had tried….

Someone with that mindset needs a Board of Directors.  Sometimes called a Mastermind Group, your Board will be designed by you and will support you in just the way you train them.  In return, you support them in the way they train you.   Here’s how to go about it:

 

  1. Define what it is that you need.  You might need brainstorming at first, then connection to different networks to check out different paths, then someone to try out your interview on.  Needs can be immediate or sequential. 
  2. Decide which characteristics in a person would be most supportive of what you need.  For example, you might need a creative free spirit to help dream with you, or someone with a good business sense to help you strategize your way.   You might need a coach to deepen your learning and forward your action while holding you accountable.  The question to ask at this moment is:  Who has the attributes that would be most supportive?
  3. Now, identity those people in your life.  Think of the different arenas you are involved in and the people you interact with.  Make a list five times larger than the size board you want.  The key is to *not* choose people that are already close to you.  The closer they are, the more invested they are in your success – so much so that if they give you a lead or information that does not work out, they take it personally.  Save your best friends or loved ones for being just that – your best friends or loved ones.
  4. Ask.  If it helps, write out a script that explains what you’re asking, then call each person on your list and ask if they’re willing to play.  Invite them to a potluck, a cup of tea, a picnic at the zoo – whatever context that pleases the group.  You want to get everyone in the same room at the same time, even though it’s possible the room might be electronic.
  5. Set the ground rules.  Decide together how the group will function.  Here’s one idea I learned about at a workshop presented by Gregg Levoy, author of “Callings.”:  Gather together your Board and present an issue you need to ponder.  The group’s function is to ask questions.  No answers from them, just questions; you’re responsible for the answers.  In this way, you can explore all angles of your situation and think it through for yourself.  That’s just one idea.  Your group will know how to structure itself.  You may want to take minutes or record the goings on in some way.
  6. Understand what you can contribute.  Your Board of Directors is looking to you for support as well.  Your contribution can be as simple as offering your home as a meeting place and providing refreshment.  More likely, though, you will be able to give as fully as you receive.
  7. Be creative!  Not all meetings have to be in person.  You can meet by phone, on-line, or even through web cams.  You can start an e-mail and have everyone contribute to it as it makes the rounds. 

 

You are looking to get perspective and get into motion while you are doing the same for others in your group.  Many times bonds are forged that last a lifetime – plus you learn more about yourself and accomplish some goals.  How good can it get?

 

Upcoming Events

 

Coming This Fall:    If Not Now…When? 

 

Ever dreamed someday you would: 

                                                               Change careers

                                                               Travel

                                                               Write a book

                                                               Make a difference

                                                               Own your own business

                                                               Create your masterpiece

                                                               …(Fill in the blank!)

In this workshop, presented in 3 sessions followed by 28 days of on-going group support, you will:

                                      Capture your true vision

                                      Create an Action Plan that WORKS

                                      Create forward momentum

                                      Track your progress

                                      Engage your Board of Directors for support

You will meet in a group for 3 3-hour sessions spaced one week apart in this uniquely structured workshop.  You will have fun, interesting homework to complete between sessions.  Bring your heart and open mind and be prepared to BEGIN!

Presented through the Longmont Free University, please contact me at 720-939-3962

or LFU at 303-702-1500 for details.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

© 2007 Debra DeVilbiss.  All rights reserved. 

You are free to use material from Moving Forward! in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including a live web site link.  Please also notify me where the material will appear.  The attribution should read:

"By Debra DeVilbiss, CPCC, of Forward Momentum, LLC.  Please visit Debra's website at http://www.ForwardMomentum.com for additional articles and resources on creating your right livelihood."

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