Resources and insights

The late 1980s were a challenging time for many. We were just emerging from a recession, and I was navigating the early years of my coaching business. The day before Thanksgiving, I took a huge step: I signed a lease for my very first office. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once.

I wasn’t planning to write an article before Thanksgiving. Honestly, the thought of sitting down to string together coherent sentences in the middle of all the things felt like another item on an already-too-long to-do list. I mean, life is busy. But then I did what I usually do when I’m stuck: I asked God for help. And wouldn’t you know it, He came through.

I asked a mid-30s business owner what he wished I would write about. My client, an exhausted young dad, did not hesitate. He sheepishly responded as if he was the only person in the world with this challenge. Sadly, I think he convinced himself he was failing miserably while everyone else had this all figured out.

Try Some Provocative Questions

Think of aging as taking art lessons in finding meaning, joy and purpose in ordinary life.

I’ve had a flurry of people contacting me lately about coaching around their career. This is a new trend.

See my latest blog and newsletter called The Inside Stuff at newsletter.elainemorris.com!

The early ’80s was a great time to be in Dallas in the commercial real estate business. It was the Dallas boom years. People were flocking to the South. Business and career opportunities were abundant. But little did they know what was coming in just a few short years!

In case you have been oblivious to your judge, allow me to introduce you. It’s that little and sometimes loud voice in your head that is constantly running in the background like a radio station you can’t turn off. It’s a running commentary that sounds something like this…

It turned out that his anxiety was costing him thousands of dollars in new business. Here’s how we worked through it.

I just returned from a 7-day writing retreat with 30 women from all over the country. Some fiction writers, poets, non-fiction writers, some published, some not.I have written blogs for the past 20 years and loved writing as an English major in college – but have not identified myself as a writer.Yet, when my long-time friend, Suzanne, invited me to go on a writing retreat, my head said NO and my heart said YES!

A new series gives us a personal perspective on facing tough challenges and how they managed to not only build their career but nurture their life!

Leadership is often seen as an external function, characterized by decisions, actions, and outward expressions of authority. However, effective leadership stems from a profound understanding and management of one’s internal landscape. This concept, often referred to as the “inside stuff,” plays a crucial role in shaping a leader’s success, both professionally and personally. Let’s dive into what this inside stuff entails and why it’s vital for effective leadership.

Positive intelligence plays an essential role in both personal and professional development. It's a groundbreaking methodology that helps us recognize when our brain is at its peak performance, known as the “sage brain,” and when it falls into counterproductive patterns, or the “saboteur brain.”

As we’ve all experienced, goals at this time of year is a tradition marked more by their failure than their success. Why is it that these well-intentioned goals often fall by the wayside? The key issue lies in our ambition to change too much too quickly, without a solid plan or adequate support. This is where the transformative power of coaching can truly shine.

As we close one year and begin another, I’m so excited to share with you some personal reflections and new developments in my journey as an executive coach.

I was recently asked for an interview for the South Carolina chapter of the International Coaching Federation, and here’s what I wrote!

Today more highly successful leaders than ever are working with a coach on a regular basis, and the trend is predicted to increase over the next five years, according to a recent study by the International Coach Federation.

Much study in the last 25 years in the fields of neuroscience, positive psychology, cognitive psychology and performance science leads to similar conclusions — how you think and what you believe about yourself, plays a significant role in determining your outcomes and overall success in life.

If you’ve been a leader for any amount of time, you’ve likely faced the dilemma of wanting to be more positive than you actually felt inside. You’re not alone. Being upbeat and calm in the face of difficult situations is a challenge for all of us. It’s especially important for the impact you have on others.

In a recent leadership summit, Dr. John Townsend, best-selling author and psychologist, defined personal power as the capacity to change the environment. Organizations require constant movement and it takes leadership energy, focus, and intentionality to take a company from where it is to where they want it to be.

We all have a unique relationship with goal setting. January is the time of year for goal setting junkies to rally. Then there are the rest of you — the 83% of the U.S. population who do not set goals.

Are you feeling a little down right now? All the big festivities are over. For some of you there is some sadness as family members have gone back home to cities far away.

Highlighting the importance of taking time for reflection and celebration of achievements at the year's end to gain a balanced perspective on personal and professional growth. Encouraging leaders to move beyond a "gap" mindset focused on unmet goals to a "gain" mindset that appreciates accomplishments and lessons learned, supported by a personal practice of stillness and the resource "Life As Art" for guided reflection and planning.