How to Generate Ideas to Solve a Problem

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Ideas.SolutionGenerating ideas to solve a problem requires brainstorming, which is a structured process where ideas are heard and valued by the team.

Yet, many team leaders are afraid of brainstorming and are not trained on how to do it well. Usually, they are afraid they will hear something they don’t want to hear. Or, they will be required to take actions they don’t want to take. Or, they believe the process is too time-consuming.

The truth is, true brainstorming saves time and money while engaging and building the team to produce intended results.

Biggest Brainstorming Mistake

The biggest mistake is to ask too many people for solutions when you’re stuck. The reason is, most people are not knowledgeable or committed to provide viable solutions for specific situations.

Recently, I read a post on FB and the business owner wanted recommendations for a business book. Her business had stopped growing and she wanted to know why. While books do provide insights, they can’t resolve specific individual issues as well as a coach can. When I suggested she talk with a coach, she responded saying she had already talked with over a dozen people and was still stuck! Your best results will occur when you talk with a business coach (focus on one) because that requires being coachable and more committed to resolving the problem than hanging onto it.

4 Tips To Generate Ideas and Move Forward

Energize Meetings. Have ALL team members trained in using meeting skills. This simple first step will energize your meetings and encourage generating new ideas. As part of the training process, use an actual issue in the company. Using real-life situations show how brainstorming is the critical foundation for creating solutions. It also teaches your team the value of generating ideas with others.

Develop Persuasive Listening Skills. Many times you and your team will just stop listening when stuck. As a result, new ideas are overlooked or dismissed (because no one was listening!). Develop listening, conflict resolution and building alignment skills. These abilities are important when generating new ideas and creating viable solutions.

Handle Difficult Team Members. When team members believe they have all the answers, they will sabotage the efforts of others. It’s important you address the issue immediately, 1:1. Remind the person no criticism is allowed and wild ideas are welcomed to facilitate a positive brainstorming process.

Manage Swoopers. Many bosses today like to think of themselves as helicopters flying at 30,000 feet. They love to swoop in on brainstorming sessions. However, they are rarely focused or prepared. Even worse, when they share their opinions, teams feel demoralized feeling all their brainstorming efforts and new ideas have been thwarted. Talk with your boss privately before they swoop in on your brainstorming sessions.

Generating new ideas to solve problems through brainstorming, engages you and your team members to create better solutions.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 100s of millennial bosses create more fun, money, and success when working through confusing situations. To develop your brainstorming skills to solve problems, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

Are you a millennial boss that wants to make a positive difference? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to learn about people, project, and productivity solutions. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

 

Why the Best Bosses Are Humble

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Bosses ListenBosses have a lot of power. It comes with the title, paycheck, and job description. However, when bosses lack true inner confidence, they become egotistical. They focus on their own self-interests and fail to create win-win-win outcomes.

Humble bosses understand outer power can be easily taken away. It’s why they are committed to quietly creating confident teams and positive results, creating humbleness.

7 Tips to Dial-Up Your Humility and Dial-Down Your Ego

Have Interest in Others. Being committed to the success of others is critical as a humble boss. When you remember the job is not about you, you make better decisions when focusing on what’s best for everyone.

Be Approachable. Make it easy for your employees to communicate with you. Get rid of gatekeepers that only tell you what you want to hear and shield you from the facts.

Develop Compassion. Coming from the heart and knowing everyone has their struggles is important. Be responsible for how you talk to and about people.

Share the Brags! You didn’t achieve the goal or success on your own! You did it with your team. Acknowledge them. Brag about them. Be a great team player and boss.

Be Curious. Be inquisitive by asking questions and listening. Learn from others. Incorporate their ideas into projects or decisions.

Be Respectful. Welcome others and their differing POVs. Encourage your team to share ideas and embrace these ideas. Engage them in the decision-making process by developing their critical thinking skills.

Admit mistakes. This is one of the most difficult for bosses to master. No one is perfect. Admit your mistakes and don’t blame others.

Humble bosses quietly create confident teams with positive results. Be a humble boss.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 100s of bosses create more fun, money, and success when working through confusing situations. To develop your inner confidence and become a humble boss, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

Are you a millennial boss that wants to make a positive difference? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to learn about people, project, and productivity solutions. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

Failure to Listen Can Be Costly to You

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Bosses Listen2Many bosses need to learn how to really listen. It requires more than just hearing the words and being able to repeat them back to the person. If you don’t master this fundamental skill, you will fail in your career.

Bosses, especially newer ones, want to express their ideas and convince others they are right. They are not interested in feedback or having conversations to build new outcomes. Instead, when they fail to really listen, they experience higher turnover, errors in system design and project overruns. These failures could have been prevented by listening and engaging their teams.

A 2018 article from Harvard Business Review states “managers who listen well are perceived as people leaders, generate more trust, instill higher job satisfaction, and increase their team’s creativity.” They also save their companies millions of dollars!

If you want to lead, you’ve got to use your ears. John Maxwell

Watch out for these pitfalls:

Being a Know-It-All. If you always believe your ideas are the best ones, you stop listening. Hanging onto your POV limits your ability to turn around projects and teams. Listen and gain insight from others. It often saves time and money… and can save your job.

Too Much Story Telling. Do you love to tell stories and feel it motivates others? If you are a highly sociable boss, you love to talk, but, usually don’t listen. You will often step over other’s ideas and experiences because you’re talking. Remember, your team has the technical skills to get the job done right the first time. Listen and encourage them to tell their stories, not just listen to yours!

When Your Team Fails to Take Responsibility. When a team shuts down and only does the minimum required to keep their jobs, it’s due to not being heard. The reason is you are not really listening. Your job is to guide them to take initiatives and trust them to become resourceful when stuck.  Listen and learn from them.

Experiencing Resistance from Your Team. Teams will resist your ideas by failing to incorporate them when they don’t believe your ideas will work. Take time to talk through your assumptions with the team. Listen to their ideas. Elicit feedback. If there is conflict, talk it through to build alignment. If you are still uncertain about what to do, talk it out and listen to your business coach.

Fighting to Be Right. Do you love to be right? Most people do. However, when your team says or does something inappropriate, turn it into a learning moment. For example, a team member comments, “don’t be such a girl.” Reply, “I’m curious, what do you mean by that?”

Being a great boss requires really listening…way beyond just the words! This skill is your most important asset to be mastered as a boss!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 100s of bosses create more fun, money, and success when working through confusing situations. To develop your listening skills and improve your results, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

Are you a millennial boss that wants to make a positive difference? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to learn about people, project, and productivity solutions. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

How to Handle Rejection as the Boss

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women-business-rejectionEvery boss has experienced rejection from their employees. Today, younger employees are more vocal and dismissive about what they will and won’t do. Older employees will question and rebuff the decisions made by their younger bosses.

More so than ever, learning how to handle rejection is critical for a boss’s success.

If the fear of rejection is getting in your way, you’re not alone. It takes courage, communication, and the right coach to work through your fear and experience of rejection.

Your future success requires you to do so quickly or you will derail your career.

Overcoming the Fear of Rejection

Don’t Take “No” Personally. If team members are not accepting or not getting assignments done, it’s not personal. Use a qualified job fit tool to determine why. The assessment will clarify the person’s strengths and interests. Now, you can assign projects based on their strengths.  For example, if you need numbers crunched, ask the team member with the financial skills and interest to get the job done.

Get Over the Need to be Well-Liked. Most bosses want to be well-liked. But, remember being well-liked does not make you a better boss. Instead of wanting to be well-liked, focus on gaining respect. Give all team members the chance to shine and stop giving the best assignments to the team members you like.

Make Your Requests Positive. When you fear the word, “no,” your words and gestures will convey your fears. Move past this fear by having every request include how it will benefit the person, your boss, and/or team.  For example, “Joe, our team needs this projection for our next meeting. It will get us all on the same page. Can you help us?”

Seek Out “No’s.”  To get comfortable hearing this two-letter word, seek it out. Make requests of people daily who will normally say, “no.” For example, “Can you loan me a million dollars?” “Do you want to buy this product now?” Remember, “no” is not a personal rejection.

Develop Resilience. Embracing your fear of rejection will help you develop resilience. Hire the right coach to talk you through how to make requests, shake off past experiences, work with difficult employees, and embrace rejection. It will make you a better boss.

To be a great boss, learn how to handle rejection as a normal part of being a boss. Your career will thank you.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 100s of millennial bosses create more fun, money, and success when working through confusing situations. To develop your resilience, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

Are you a millennial boss that wants to make a positive difference? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to learn about people, project, and productivity solutions. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

Critical Thinking is the Most Important Business Skill to Teach

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Critical Thinking.3

Unfortunately, many people today rely on information posted on the internet and sound bites offered by thought leaders to make their decisions. They don’t engage in a healthy sense of skepticism and question the validity of what they are reading. And, often, they don’t consider how to use the information effectively in business today.

Bosses and leaders must focus on developing critical thinking. It’s one of the most important business skills required today for success.

Create a culture where it is considered productive to question ideas, people’s motives, and other information used to make good decisions. Critical thinking skills are required to build a strong, resilient, and agile workforce.

Develop Your People to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Engage in Brainstorming. The brainstorming process is priceless. It encourages everyone to share their ideas and learn from each other. It helps the team get beneath the surface of information and determine its validity. As a result, better decisions will be made to address the current issue, challenge or project.

Think and Talk Through the Process. Too often, your people operate as independent thinkers. They want to figure out the answers for themselves. But, relying on one person’s answer negates others’ contributions, slowing down the process. Often, it also fails to address critical components. Building a strong productive team requires trusting the process. Teach your team how to talk and think through a process as a group. It’s critical. Engaging everyone in the process encourages them to take responsibility for the results.

Encourage Curiosity. Being curious is a good thing. Addressing the why’s can create new ideas. Curiosity also uncovers the validity of assumptions. Train your team in the basics of finance, marketing, sales, people management, and operations. These basics encourage curiosity and provide a foundation to build on, reducing costly trial and error. When mistakes happen (and they will), it provides clarity for what to do next.

Share Your Decision-Making Process. Share the financial, marketing, sales, operations, and human elements that impact your decisions. Be open to talking through your teams’ questions. Set aside your ego and understand you may be wrong in your assumptions. Remember, building critical thinking skills is a process that occurs on a daily basis.

Ask Them to Take Part in Making Decisions. When you do this, you will gain insight into what they are thinking and how they arrive at their decisions. Now, you know what to focus on to build better outcomes for your company, systems, financials, employees, and customers. Remember, during this process, ask and answer why.

Build a culture that understands critical thinking is a process and required skill for today’s success. Start now to teach your team members how to become decision makers.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. To learn more about building a culture of critical thinking, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

Are you a millennial boss wanting to make a positive difference? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to learn about people, project, and productivity solutions. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

How to Simplify the Work Process and Enjoy More Personal Time

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KeyFinding time to pursue interests outside of work is important. Keeping your team on track and productive is also important. When you simplify and structure your work process, you and your team will have more time to pursue personal interests. (Also, it makes for happier employees!)

Five Keys to Simplify and Structure

Clarify Goal, Purpose, and Actions. Clarity about the goal and purpose of a project, task, or interaction will speed up achieving the results. Also, don’t forget to include any limitations mandated by the customer or boss. Work with your team to brainstorm a strategy and create a focused-action plan and checklist. Then, manage the team to ensure focused-action is being taken. Quickly address overlooked items and obstacles. Do not procrastinate on this.

Write It Down. Written goals and focused-action plans move ideas out of people’s heads and onto paper. These critical processes will get everyone on the same page and make it easier to see what is missing. It also limits distractions or side activities that detract from achieving the goal. Use a written timeline as a checklist to determine the progress you and your team are making. Writing it down gives you more personal time.

Communication. Communicate with the team on a frequent basis. Use team meetings, 1:1 meetings, emails, and electronic messaging to keep everyone up-to-date. Don’t forget to include brags about each and every team member’s achievements.

Delegate. Know the strengths of each team member, including yours. For example, if someone is great at cost analysis, use him or her to create the ROI. Provide cross-training whenever possible. It builds a resilient team when mistakes or the unexpected happens.

Integrity. The most important key is to do what you say you will do by when you say you will do it. (This sentence is worth reading again!) When something happens that is not in your plan, immediately get in communication to resolve it. Remember, your team is following your lead!

These five keys will not only allow for a high level of productivity, they will also provide you and your team time to pursue personal interests.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. To learn more about building a productive and resilient team while gaining more personal time, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

To receive our keys to your success, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

How to Win and Blast Past Procrastination

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procrastination“Procrastinating today will limit tomorrow’s opportunities.” Jeannette Seibly

Everyone has ideas, thoughts, and plans they would love to achieve. They dream and visualize the results and outcomes. Yet, they don’t take action. Instead, they use excuses and blame procrastination, creating a no-win game!

Why do we procrastinate? The reality is, it doesn’t matter because we all have 100’s of reasons why.

Procrastination is a common phenomenon that you create!

The good news is, you create procrastination, so you can win by blasting past it.

Start by asking yourself these two questions:

  • What would happen if I took action today?
  • How will this support me in one month, one quarter, or one year?

Take Action Today!

Write it down. Knowing what you really really really want is important. Writing it down makes it real!

Recently I worked with a woman who had retired to pursue her dream of becoming a best-selling author. We completed her past accomplishments and created her goal. But, during the process, she shared her true dream of travel. Her fear was she couldn’t afford it. She had stopped believing in her ability to have her dream come true. The first step, she wrote down her true goal and blasted past procrastination.

Be Clear. Once, you’re clear about your true dream, it’s time to write. At the top of a clean sheet of paper, write down the real goal. At the bottom of that page, write down where you are now. Your fears and excuses will come up, procrastination will take over. It may feel like looking up the side of a steep daunting mountainside. To blast past procrastination, successful climbers know to focus on one step at a time.

Breathe and Move Forward! Once you take your first step, you are on your way. Your fear of failure, success or anything else will naturally fall by the wayside as you take one step at a time. Remember, avoid engaging in the “someday, maybe” syndrome that will sabotage you. And, remember, keep breathing as you move forward today in pursuit of your goal.

Honor Your Commitment. Focused action steps speak louder than whatever you tell yourself and others. It’s a step by step process, not a sprint to the goal line. (Think, climbing a mountainside.) Create a focused action plan. Write the milestones on the sheet of paper with your goal to track your progress. Whenever, you feel procrastination beckoning (and, it will), review your progress. Create brags and post them on your mirror. These reminders will fuel more progress and keep you committed.

Talk It Out. When procrastination hits and you get distracted by the shiny object syndrome or run into avoidable problems, talk it out. Hire a coach to guide you through the process. Hire an accountant to create a realistic return on investment (real numbers, not fantasy ones will keep you in action). Find mentors that can provide contacts and insights about your idea or project (use a Non-Disclosure Agreement). Remember, talking it out will provide the critical thinking required to achieve your goal!

Celebrate. Celebrate each and every step and accomplishment. Update your “brags.” As you move forward, notice how other areas of your life expand. Celebrate them too!

Remember, procrastinating today will limit tomorrow’s opportunities.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. To learn more about kicking procrastinations butt, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

To receive our keys to your success, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

 

Leaders Need to Build Trust to be Successful

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Listen.2Many leaders grapple with building trust. Yet, trust is critical in today’s ever-changing workplace. If employees or customers don’t trust you to take care of them, they will leave and find someone who will.

Employees and customers won’t trust you if you:

  • -Are unable to communicate in a positive and caring manner
  • -Find fault with others’ concerns and ideas
  • -Make decisions based on how you feel
  • -Fail to honor your commitments

If you are a leader that fails to consider others, you are training others not to trust you to do the right things the right way.

It’s important to understand that trust begins with you.

Trust starts with an awareness of how you ask questions, make your decisions, and honor your commitments.

Remember, trust is a building process with others that requires your daily attention.

Build Trust Each and Every Day

Be Present. When you multi-task or allow other distractions, you stop being present and hearing what is said. Active listening is crucial toward building trust. The quality of questions you ask and the decisions you make as a result of these interactions will build trust, or diminish it.

Honor Facts and Intuition. Intuition can be wrong due to your biases and other feelings that limit objectivity. But, 100 percent reliance on data can send you down the wrong path too. Remember, 90 percent of the world’s information is not on the internet, but, in people’s heads on how to make things work. Trust the process of building alignment from team members. Listen to a select few business advisors (too many will only create indecision). Yes, the process may take longer, but, trusting the process will save you a lot of time and money in the future.

Integrity. Honoring your word (whether you remember giving it or not) not only allows you to trust yourself it encourages others to trust you too. Be present and actively take part in conversations.  Always take time to complete conversations by asking, “To be sure I’m clear, what do you need for me to do?”

Successful leaders are open to building trust daily. When you practice being present, honoring facts and intuition, and honoring your word, the results will amaze you.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. To learn more about building trust, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

To receive our ongoing keys to your success, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

I Want My Success Now!

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success.now.future.leaderDo you have the potential for becoming wildly successful? But, feel your success is elusive? You believe it’s not happening fast enough?

Just because you want your success now, doesn’t mean you’re ready for it.

Many potentially successful employees hurt their career opportunities when they:

  • -Are promoted or advanced too quickly
  • -Don’t have the resilience to learn from mistakes
  • -Fail to take the initiative to hire the right coach and mentor
  • -Lack awareness of the impact on others
  • -Rely only on themselves and don’t build a strong network
  • -Focus solely on the potential paycheck

“Yes, I want to have a bigger home, car, and bank account, but, I want to enjoy the process of getting there.” A Long-time Successful Business Owner

Pursuing a successful career is admirable. But, if you want to be happy and enjoy the process, there are three keys to success that you cannot overlook.

Three Timeless Keys for Faster Success

1.Hire the Right Mentor and Right Coach. Select a mentor from your company, profession and/or industry. The right mentor accelerates the learning process and guides you in building stronger relationships. Hire the right external coach. This person will confidentially talk you through upsets and build solutions for faster success.

2.Job Fit Assessments. Job fit is the number one reason people are successful (Harvard Business Review)! Sadly, many professionals pursue occupations they believe will make them the most money and make them happy. But, poor job fit doesn’t build a strong financial future or make you happy. Also, it can hurt your self-esteem and ability to bounce back after failure.  Clarify job fit by using a scientifically validated job fit assessment. Review the results with your mentor and coach. Focusing on the right job and career path now will speed up your success.

3.Stand-up and Speak-up. Raise your hand and volunteer for new experiences. Learn how to share your ideas.

Use opportunities to learn and grow. Raise your hand and:

  • -Be on a nonprofit board
  • -Participate in a cross-department company project
  • -Volunteer for a humanitarian interest group

And, develop your skills for success by:

  • -Listening more than talk
  • -Doing what you say you’ll do
  • -Influencing new ideas
  • -Appreciating others’ efforts

Remember, developing these three key success factors will help boost your success faster.

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, success, and inspiring results. Contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

To receive our ongoing keys to your success, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”

How to Manage Your Emotions as a Leader

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emotions.leader

“Leadership requires taking responsibility for your feelings and reactions towards others. A momentary lapse can create a permanent impact.” Jeannette Seibly

 

Have you ever struggled with your emotions?

It can happen when:

  • -Employees don’t agree or have an emotional reaction towards you.
  • -You’ve had a meltdown after a bad meeting.
  • -You’re worried about the outcome of a project or the fear of being embarrassed.

Every leader has experienced these emotions. Successful leaders have learned how to effectively handle these emotions during difficult times.

“Emotions have power and that power can enhance or limit your leadership.” Unknown

Broaden Your POV

Improve your decisions...consider all the data. Employees will react when they don’t believe you’ve made the right decisions. Get all the facts. Instead of becoming defensive, understand “why.” Ask them, “What would you do to improve this decision?” Remember, your ability to make good objective decisions will address the facts and people’s concerns.

There will always be disagreements…it’s not personal. When employees disagree with you, lashing out in response or retaliation is not a good idea. Remember, other’s emotional reactions are not about you. To overcome upsets, use persuasive listening skills to clarify and build alignment for a new outcome. With a broader POV, you will stop taking sides regardless of your opinions.

People will challenge you…address quickly. Many take part in rumors or gossip without considering the impact on others. Normally, it’s due to feelings of insecurity and disempowerment, and/or hating their jobs and bosses. Often, it’s because they want your attention. Be aware that the perpetrators often turn into victims. If you don’t address the issues now, they will grow from small molehills into giant mountains!

Productive employees do not happen by accident…focus on employees first.  It’s up to you to create a healthy and happy workplace. Review coaching, managing and training programs to ensure they support employee success. Design benefit programs to provide for counseling, health, and wellness. Update your hiring and selection process to focus on job fit (the #1 reason people are successful in their jobs!).

Acknowledge your emotions…then, address them appropriately. Being a leader can be a lonely job. Hire a coach to confidentially share concerns and address issues in an effective manner. Also, engage in conversations with others. Stop talking at them. These simple actions will improve your relationships, remove biases, and help you develop compassion. Remember, you have a choice in the words you use to express your feelings.

Take responsibility for your emotions, expand your POV, and become a successful leader.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. Contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

For weekly keys to your success, sign up to receive this weekly newsletter. When you register, you will receive FREE “How to Select the Best Coach for You!”