High achievers. Successful people. Talented employees. Mindful leaders. They all have their blinds spots. My job as a coach is to ask provocative questions to surface the root issues that are serving as blocks to their success, and help people resolve and remove those blocks, so that they can get back to the business of …
Think of decisions instead as “best” in the moment, and “adjustable” if necessary. You can trust yourself and be all in – just decide.
Decide how you’re going to show up regardless of others’ reactions, responses, or behavior.
Whether anxiety is a daily battle, or it’s something that crops up in your life occasionally, it can be crippling and distracting. But it doesn’t have to be this way. When anxiety builds, you can learn to dissipate it – without fundamentally changing who you are or the circumstances you’re in. Join this webinar on …
Sometimes, it’s hard to kick down the intensity of your thoughts in these crazy times. So stop trying. Do this instead!
You have to be willing to feel the discomfort of growth and risk in order to achieve the levels of performance you seek.
Sometimes, I get questions about my company name and logo; people want the story behind my brand. I love telling people about those origins! I thought I would do a fun Q&A here. Q: What does Aurelian mean? A. Aurelian is a color on the yellow/gold part of the spectrum. Yellow is the color of …
Check out this week’s short video (<5 min) to learn how to ask yourself the question that will give you greater freedom, to get everything you want. (As a side note, the link heads over to my free Career Prime Facebook Group – you should definitely join!) If you’re more of a reader than a …
You need a crystal clear roadmap to your next promotion. Without it, you’re floating around aimlessly, hoping for lightning to strike.
There’s not enough curiosity in our jobs, and there should be. Curiosity can be an excellent alternative to anxiety or uncertainty.
Positioning yourself for opportunity is all about storytelling. But before you get wrapped up in how you tell your story to others, revisit the “career stories” you tell yourself. Make sure you evaluate the narratives you’ve developed about your interests and goals, your work history, your failures and capabilities, and determine whether those serve you …
Revisit the “career stories” you tell yourself. Are they holding you back? Read More »
Let’s separate your decisions to do something – or not do something – in your career from whether you are capable of accomplishing it.
A little planning, a little letting go, and a heavy dose of gratitude will help you effectively manage working on vacation.
You can’t manage your career more proactively if you have thinking that holds you back. Resolve the most common mindset blocks! By doing so, you free yourself up to make better decisions and sound investments in yourself. This is a million times better rather than pouring time, energy, and money into externalities that you don’t …
Keep a career journal to help you surface and address both uncertainties and opportunities, and begin crafting a career with purpose.
The focused and effective leader knows how to communicate well. Here are 3 ways to determine whether you are in command of your communication.
No experience? Transferable skills not enough? There’s one other thing you can do to get in the door.
When you find the root of your motivations for working, you can write your career vision statement which serves as your professional North Star.
LinkedIn published a survey reporting that the #1 soft skill wanted by employers was creativity. Are you creative in your job?
You don’t have to wait until an authority grants you an opportunity before doing something you feel needs to be done.
There are different ways to speak up at work, and you can decide which strategy to use at any opportunity.
Learn the single most powerful way to increase your own relevance and impact within your network.
A one page resume at mid-career is a huge opportunity to demonstrate the impact you’ve had on your organizations.
To position yourself well for promotion into leadership, tell your stories from the perspective of the organization’s goals and challenges.
Appreciating the difference between career and a vocation (or true calling) means that you can leverage one to improve the other.
Recognize the opportunity that arises when you delegate tasks… and discover how to ride out the ensuing frustration you experience from oversight duties.
You’re at a conference. You are constantly meeting people, collecting business cards or LinkedIn connections. And then you get back to the office and try to catch up to the slew of email and neglected projects… putting the networking follow up on the back-burner for a bit. And you never really get back to it. …
Historically, people approach negotiation with some level of negativity: fear, uncertainty, disadvantage, aggression. The “new order” of negotiation uses a more sophisticated, emotionally intelligent approach: empathy. It might seem strange at first, but if you think about the conditions that make a negotiation favorable all the way around, there is some level of trust among …
Today, we are going to tackle a bit of an evergreen question that professionals often struggle with, and that is how to talk about yourself. Whether it’s advancement into management or positioning yourself for another job or industry change, the way to talk about yourself in an effective and meaningful way is to ask yourself …
How to position for change: “Who are you,” exactly? Read More »
One of the most challenging biases to overcome is confirmation bias. To address this, you can look to information sources that might seem unrelated at first, but can provide valid underlying concepts that might challenge your assumptions. You can also talk to outsiders in order to test that your information will hold up under scrutiny. …
Addressing confirmation bias: what information sources do you need? Read More »
I love the holidays – and I love helping people get over their discomfort around networking. So this season, I will combine my two loves for a fantastic networking challenge! If you are interested in participating, sign up for the Aurelian Skill Masters group at the top bar by entering your name and email, and …
The 12 Days of Networking! Sign up for a great networking challenge. Read More »
One thing I keep hearing from all sides is that the best decisions are devoid of emotion. The more rational, the better. If you can look at the cold, hard facts, and not be influenced by emotion at all, then you are setting yourself up for a great decision. This is so wrong, I don’t …
Just say no to sociopathy! (Or, how to make good decisions) Read More »
Listen in as Karen Yankovich and I catch up and talk experience vs expertise, carving out a career and homeschool lifestyle that uniquely works, and setting up “networking campaigns.” Click to listen:
“In this episode I talk with Nicole about medical technology, VC consulting, advancements in medicine, Covid, making decisions beyond your emotions, being a leader, and we finish with my own quick coaching session to identify my faults and shortcomings.”
Check out my interview on Jonathan Westover’s Human Capital Innovations podcast: https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/podcast/episode/1aca8e47/s26e8-decision-making-amidst-uncertainty-with-nicole-coustier
Check out my interview on the Efficiency B podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/balanced-nicole-coustier/id1559668136?i=1000536761335
Check out my interview on the Making It Last podcast with Noreen Daley:
Check out my interview on the Making It Last podcast:
Check out my podcast interview on the Aim to Win podcast: https://aimtowinllc.com/decide-in-advance-with-nicole-coustier/
Check out my interview on The Wonder Series with Denise Stegall!
Aurelian Coaching was born out of self-care during a tough time, and a need to teach others – especially those in the medtech sector who always have their focus on serving others – how to do the same. Video run time 3:24 https://youtu.be/bUKiMm7NtB4 Schedule a Consult
Aurelian Coaching is hosting a free webinar on this topic on Thursday, June 4 at 7am Pacific/ 10am Eastern. Register to either join live or get a replay link. When you are doing something you haven’t done before, when you want to do well but are intimidated, you need something to boost your morale in …
Does anyone else feel like they’re constantly on the defensive? External circumstances are thrust upon us. We respond as best as we can. Let me offer an alternative to being on the defensive: being more proactive. Being proactive actually doesn’t take more energy than being passive or reactive. The energy you use in being proactive …
Registration for this free webinar is below. “I *really* need to create some boundaries at work…” When I tell people what’s actually involved in setting healthy boundaries, it gives them pause. It might make them uncomfortable.It might shed new light on their circumstances.It might make them second guess whether they need a boundary at all. …
On this side of career risk, where you are today, you may have fear and uncertainty. But on the other side of that risk, once you take that leap, you will know exactly what happened. The difference is simply preparation – knowing what to do if things go sideways. Avoiding risk isn’t the answer. Check …
Whether you are trying to get promoted, land a big bonus, or change your career, fix your mindset to see success. Surface and address limiting thoughts holding you back. Then you can achieve all you want to achieve in 2020! Take advantage of a 20% discount on a 6-session career mindset coaching engagement for the …
As you might know, Aurelian Coaching regularly provides career and management guidance through various media channels (Reader’s Digest, Medium, Girlboss, the USAToday network, and more). I have a few new ones to report, this time via UpJourney. Check them out below!
I’ve taken this week’s blog entry onto another channel for a change. Check out my Medium article on how traditional, standard resume formats are actually a disservice to mid-career professionals. I describe three specific ways to change your resume to speak from a place of impact, value, and expertise over experience.
A number of clients seeking my guidance on becoming better workers, better managers, or better planners inevitably ask about how to develop positive habits… and stick with them. When I ask what they’ve done to date in developing new positive habits, and why they believe they’ve failed to maintain them, two themes arise: The achievers …
Many leadership articles discuss how to communicate with and effectively manage the millennials. But what about managing an age gap in the other direction? How should millennial managers supervise someone older – maybe much older? There can be a decades-wide spread between a manager and a direct report. Awkward, uncomfortable, even upsetting? Most of the …
Big age gaps between managers and direct reports Read More »
I had a few clients who were expressing sentiments such as: “I’m not feeling like myself,” or, “I’m just not how I used to be on the job,” or, “I’m not really feeling it anymore, and I don’t know why.” They attribute these feelings to no longer being challenged at work, or having no growth …
Procrastination can feel stressful. For some, the stress comes from not having produced anything yet. For others, the stress comes from the label “procrastinator” and actually has little to do with what has been produced by when. Which are you? Because it matters. If the stress of procrastination comes from the label – and all of …
How do you really know if you should leave your job? At the root of this question is not salary and benefits and commute and flexibility. If it were really about those things, you could evaluate the trade-offs and make a decision already. But if the question about whether to leave your job is lingering, …
How to be assertive is one of those topics that I’ve always found to be a little funny. Assertive in what way? Assertive according to whom? If you’ve ever received the constructive criticism or professional feedback to be more assertive or to be less assertive, and you’re struggling with this feedback, I’ve got some great …
Just one critical implementation issue will ruin the most beautiful, perfect strategy. I’d like to talk about those types of implementation issues. In my mind, there are only three: insufficient buy-in from people; failure to achieve brilliant execution; and lack of a pivot when new information points to the strategy being wrong. Even if you …
Avoid an implementation issue that ruins a great strategy Read More »
UPDATE: Check out this week’s Facebook Live on this topic, which does a deep dive with some practical steps not included in this blog post: The foundation of navigating change in your organization’s leadership is managing up. You must align your work and results with the priority initiatives of your (new) leadership. While you should …
Navigating change: how to be visible and protect yourself Read More »
When I ran divisions and managed people, and when I oversaw client initiatives and led multi-disciplinary teams, there was one thing I always protected for my staff, my clients, and myself: Vacation time. I’ll be away for the rest of the summer, and I’ll see you back at the end of August/ beginning of September …
The bottom line in any service interaction and engagement is to move forward toward resolution. When you feel stuck in those customer service engagements, when things are really not moving forward (or moving forward productively), maintain the following tricks up your sleeve to gain some traction. (Note: I use the term “customer service” very broadly. Customers …
Knowing how to set boundaries at work in unhealthy or unproductive situations is an important skill, both for yourself and ultimately for the team involved. But what does it mean to set boundaries at work, and how should you do it to achieve the desired outcome? Let’s start by talking about what a boundary is. …
3 questions to ask before you set boundaries at work Read More »
Challenges of midlevel managers have some common themes, one of them being managing multiple initiatives within limited resources. “Limited resources” might be defined as not enough people, not enough budget, or not enough time (or all three). There are two types of work we perform: daily whirlwind tasks and larger, overarching initiatives. You’ll need to …
Two questions if you are managing with limited resources Read More »
Working in isolation is very rare these days, so when one of your team members is fired, it can have a negative ripple effect that can seriously impact productivity. So when employee termination affects your team, what should you do? Of course, it’s important to get work done – even more so when you’re one …
After employee termination: how to care for the existing team Read More »
Networking warm or hot can be easy. Networking cold – especially if you’re more introverted and don’t have a lot of practice under your belt – can be extremely intimidating. When I was starting, the idea of just showing up somewhere and chatting people up was awkward and confusing. But I’ve learned a few things …
Networking: The 4 Things You’re Probably Not Doing But Should Be Read More »
Strengths and weaknesses. Areas of command vs. areas of improvement. Stuff you’re good at on one hand, and stuff you’re bad at on the other hand. People often present these characteristics at opposite ends of a spectrum or as absolutes. You might get similar feedback at work year after year, and even with nominal improvements, …
Strengths and weaknesses: Using one as a gateway to address the other Read More »
In 2011, Grant Cordone wrote a book called The 10X Rule. In it, he described how to take “massive action” toward your goals. It’s very much a rah-rah-rah book, geared toward salespeople and entrepreneurs, but when I read it, its concept of “more is more” didn’t quite resonate with me. Other books and online resources about …
The 10x Rule: How Fear and Discomfort Can Signal the Path Forward Read More »
Many interview processes these days involve on-the-spot business case analysis. Companies do this to assess a candidate’s thought process, and whether the candidate follows any particular methodology in their analysis. There are many methodologies out there, and I’ve created a simplified model for my clients specifically to employ during the interview process if they have …
Business case method: a simplified model for interviewing Read More »
Good management requires some solid systems in place to manage toward or against. You can create systems and effective SOPs (standard operating procedures) for any operational aspect of your and your team’s work. This includes running meetings, documentation, projects execution, individual and team reviews – the list goes on. Naturally, companies have systems and SOPs …
Writing effective SOPs: 3 points most people miss Read More »
Being a boss is a job, an actual job. Being a manager means you need to learn how to do employee recognition well for your direct reports as part of your duties and responsibilities… even if it’s not explicitly listed in your job description. Employee recognition = acknowledgement + reward. If you know how to …
Employee recognition: Here’s how to do it right. Read More »
Even if you’re the type of person who loves your job and doesn’t mind being consumed by it, at one point or another, you’ve probably faced the challenge of how to limit the mental energy you expend on work in non-work situations. You’ve searched for a way to make sure you leave work at work …
I remember having to fill out performance reviews where one of the questions on the forms assessed the “creativity” of the employee. Creativity? Hm. At that time, to me, creativity either had to do with art (not relevant in my line of work), or the demonstration of some grand, brilliant solution to a problem that …
You can actually cultivate creativity. Here’s how. Read More »
Turnover sucks, but it happens! As a manager, congratulations: it might be your job to replace people who leave your team. While you may or may not have complete authority in the whole process, you know you’ve got to conduct an interview (probably a bunch of them). This is your roadmap for making sure you …
Conduct an Interview to Land the Right Person: The Midlevel Manager’s Guide Read More »
For many organizations, mid-year reviews on job performance are either underway or soon to be underway. You probably developed goals for 2018 in the latter part of 2017, and it’s the perfect time to see how far we’ve come! … or how far we haven’t come. Every year, a few of my direct reports would …
Mid-Year Reviews: Only Two Solutions You Need to Get Back on Track Read More »
Use email only when you need to impart information, not have an exchange of information.
Companies often set up their management roles as rewards for outstanding individual performance. There is one fundamental problem with this: individual achievement has nothing to do with good management. (See my post on the differences among leadership and management and authority.) But all is not lost! In order to transition well from stellar individual performance to …
Growth Mindset: The #1 Key to Management Mastery Read More »
When I interviewed a number of mid-career managers about their greatest pain points, one item came up again and again: managing up. You can find a lot of great articles online about managing up, and they’re useful for tips and things you can try to do to manage up better. However, I’m interested in exploring …
Managing Up: Address the 3 Biggest Challenges to Mastering this Elusive Skill Read More »
This week, we are reviewing the 3-2-1 Model for Critical Thinking. I walk you through it in the video above. In the Analysis step, we ask two questions: (1) How we decide to interpret the information we receive, and (2) What principles, whether from different perspectives, viewpoints or assumptions, we are applying. Let me make it …
I simplified critical thinking into a short model because I would rather we all practice it more systematically in our daily lives. I would prefer to see that critical thinking is not something we have to strive toward when it really matters, but rather, we flex that muscle so regularly, it’s second-nature. Super complex critical …
Application of the 3-2-1 Model for Critical Thinking Read More »
I have a simplified model for critical thinking to share with you. (If you are interested in more complex models, you can check out The Foundation for Critical Thinking, Pearson’s RED model, or others.) We define critical thinking as analyzing information prior to making a judgment. Therefore, at its most elemental, my version of a …
For situations in which you do decide to be 100% accountable, it’s not something you mention to people. It is only something you can rise to the occasion for.
Good managers understand that they cannot make someone be accountable. That is only for the individual to accept and act on.
The key to avoiding the victim manager mindset is understanding the difference between responsibility and accountability.
The D.A.R.T. Method(TM) applied to note-taking for meetings: doing it right.
Reduce brain clutter with a proven method of taking efficient meeting notes.
What if being proactive meant not that you prepare for what’s coming, but that you CREATE what’s coming?
If you want to learn how to be proactive at work, step outside the existing rules of engagement.
Be prepared to do extra to make up for being “in the negative” when you mess up.
Resilience is really about a super simple concept: doing better next time.
While people can feel comfortable putting together slides, people often don’t know how to prepare a speech.
