Here is the press release:

WILMINGTON, DE, 5/12/10 — Careerminds Group, Inc., a North American provider of web-based outplacement and career transition services is pleased to announce a business partnership with Delaware-based A Better You Coaching.

Seeking to expand her company’s service offerings, A Better You Coaching’s CEO Candy Myura chose Careerminds as a career transition solution option for her growing client base throughout the mid-Atlantic region. A Better You Coaching has significant experience helping senior level managers develop leadership skills, achieve balance, build relationships, and deliver results. With more than 15 years of mentoring in both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, Myura and her team share a passion with Careerminds to improve the lives of those in today’s workforce through quality coaching and career transition services.

“We are pleased to have A Better You Coaching join our family of business partners,” said Careerminds CEO Raymond Lee. “They are well equipped to deliver and service Careerminds’ solution to organizations that are downsizing or reorganizing.”

The current economic climate led Myura to seek a strategic relationship with a career transition services provider that speaks to the needs of mid-size organizations. “Careerminds was a natural fit for us,” said Myura. “Their unique position in the outplacement market makes for a compelling value proposition to companies that want to reduce costs, improve participant convenience, and limit risk during a reduction in force. The timing is right and Careerminds’ brand visibility is on the rise. We look forward to a productive relationship.”

About A Better You Coaching

A Better You Coaching provides Executive Coaching services, which is a blend of Leadership,
Business and Personal Coaching. A Better You Coaching was founded on core values that provide rich impact and a mission that focuses on strength and discovery. Not being your traditional coaching company, A Better You Coaching, prides itself on taking a very unique and intimate approach with each client. The process of Coaching helps to identify the true aches and pains individuals or companies are experiencing, giving the advantage to work together as a team to create an action plan for accomplishing results, both personally and professionally.

For more information about A Better You Coaching, visit http://www.abetteryoucoaching.com

About Careerminds

With over 15 years of human resource consulting experience, Careerminds provides strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 platform that delivers affordable, web-based career transition services, Careerminds provides a blend of on-demand resources supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers get off unemployment and back into the workforce quickly.

For more information about Careerminds, visit: http://www.careerminds.com

Professional coaching by Candy Myura and A Better You Coaching will help you hire the right people, motivate them and keep them. Having the right people who know your business will lead to less customer attrition and more customer loyalty. Acquiring new customers costs more than keeping your current ones and Candy Myura can show you how to succeed.

Call Candy directly at 1-800-892-5356 or email her your questions today!

Effective Delegation

Become an effective leader and understand the concepts of delegation, and the power it can give to a team.

Corporate Branding

Branding, it’s not just for Nike, Apple and Google. Perception is reality, so make sure your brand is sending the right message to your current and potential clients.

Company Culture

Company culture can inspire continuing education, employee retention, and improve profitability.

Financial Literacy

The more your employees understand their impact on the bottom line, the more apt they are to move the needle.

Writing Performance Appraisals

Performance appraisals are the single most critical component to employee productivity and morale.

Interviewing and Hiring

Perfect the interviewing and hiring skills in your organization to hire and keep A players.

Managing Acquisitions

Fast growth companies might choose the acquisition channel to increase revenue and improve the overall financial picture of their business.

Rate Increases

If you deliver exceptional products or service then charge for it, people will pay.

Customer Service Surveying

Providing exceptional customer service can happen, you just need to ask them.  Surveying your customers can tell you everything you need to know and help you plan for future success.

Project Management

Growing businesses find the need for project management talent and skill sets. A Better You Coaching will teach you how to break down even the most complicated projects into actionable tasks.

ICF (International Coach Federation) is a highly regulated organization that helps set guidelines for coaches to follow where they can provide support to their clients while maintaining a superior quality standard for the community.

At A Better You Coaching, the focus for their clientele is Executive Coaching.  Executive Coaching by definition is comprised of business, leadership and personal coaching.  Business leaders, CEO’s, and COO’s turn to coaching as a means to promote growth within their organizations; growth for themselves, their managers and ultimately their organizations.  When you engage a 3rd party coach for an individual who is ready and eager to learn, it can open doors of opportunity.  Leadership skills are sharpened, communication skills are carefully examined, business competency skills are identified and all along the way goals are set and progress is monitored.  Because of a balanced and holistic approach, the coaching client is able to improve their overall quality of life, while developing their professional skills.

There are 11 competencies each Group Sponsor or client can expect when engaging A Better You Coaching:

1. Meeting Ethical Guidelines – The ethical guidelines were designed to promote a highly professional experience for the client.  Confidentiality, Professionalism and Conduct are of the utmost importance.
2. Establishment of a Coaching Agreement – Setting clear expectations creates a respectful environment between coach and client.  Understanding when and where coaching sessions will occur, homework accountability, payment parameters, etc. are best communicated clearly at the onset of a coaching relationship.
3. Establishment of Trust – Being confident that your coach has a neutral position to support and provide a safe environment to learn and grow will ensure true results.
4. Coaching Presence – Your coach should keep your session moving, stimulate good conversation, while pushing the client to consistently work towards their goals.
5. Listening – Listening is the most powerful piece of communicating.
6. Powerful Questioning – Asking questions that push a client outside their comfort zone and force them to find ways of resolving conflict or overcoming hurdles provides a skill that clients can have for a lifetime.
7. Direct Communication – The best coaching relationships are built on direct communication.
8. Creating Awareness – When a client works with a coach, the skills to be more aware of surroundings, issues and leadership become more evident.  Clients can then use these skills to carry back to their organizations to help others who may be struggling.
9. Designing Action – Identifying opportunities for improvement are only a piece of the puzzle.  Putting goals, action items, impacts and risks together is a critical component to accomplishing those results.
10. Planning and Goal Setting – Learning how to identify big picture goals and breaking them down into factors help on multiple levels.  Delegation, communication, strategic thinking, and time management skills are refined.  Not to mention the confidence that comes with planning and accomplishing professional and personal goals.
11. Managing progress and accountability – Having a coach to ask about progress creates a higher level of importance to “get things done”.

Each coach and coaching organization has their own unique approach.  Be sure to understand what that model is and if it is the right model for you and your organization.  A Better You Coaching’s Coaching Model is 5 prong approach.

• It starts with self discovery to dig into what could be the root of some of the client or organizations “stucks”.
• Building strong relationships is the most important and best opportunity to ensure a successful coaching experience.  We believe that you have to have a great connection with your coach.
• Accountability is the next step in ensuring that client is focusing on the tasks at hand and moving forward to make progress.
• Results are a must!  Group Sponsors and/or clients expect tangible results.
• The circle of accomplishment provides a comfort to the client.  After a client moves on, it allows them to continue to utilize the skills and methods they have been taught.

Be sure to do your homework when engaging a coach.  If you have questions or think A Better You Coaching might be the right fit, call Candy Myura today at 800.892.5356.  Remember, It’s still you, only better…

Strategic and Tactical Planning

Learn the difference between strategic planning and tactical planning.

Goal Setting and Accountability

Anyone can set a goal, but are you holding yourself accountable to achieve results?

Negotiation

Skilled negotiators possess a talent businesses find very attractive.

Communication

Controlling the vehicles, frequency and techniques are all ways to master communication.

Feedback

Deliver constructive criticism and feedback to get the most out of your performance management efforts.

Motivating and Inspiring Others

Willing employees produce better quality work and faster than disgruntled employees.

Time Management

Get organized and find that you have the time to manage all of your important tasks.

Conflict Management and Resolution

Inter- and intra-office conflict is exhausting and a huge waste of money! Learn how to resolve conflicts quickly and effectively

When you have identified the need to fill a position or create a new position, you are typically long over do for someone to perform the job responsibilities.  You will hear the cliché’, “hire slow, fire fast”, this couldn’t be truer…  Taking your time to interview and hire the right person can save organizations tremendous time and money.

Consider this; you quickly identify the candidate who you feel is the right fit for your open position.  You race through the interview, most of the interview was a casual conversation about the local baseball team and you fail to check references.  Now you bring the individual into your organization where your human resource specialist and information technology analyst spend countless hours completing paperwork and setting up equipment for your new person.  You spend hours, days or weeks educating this new person, depending on how extensive your education program is…  And then the reasons why this person was not the right candidate begin to surface.  Whether it is performance or behavioral, your candidate is messing up!  Ah, now you have the trickle down, the job you hired this individual for is not getting done and employee morale is beginning to tank.

Be sure to allow the appropriate amount of time to “shop” for your new talent.  Create a series of questions that are going to help you identify if the candidate is qualified for the job.  Look for aptitude, attitude, and proven skills.  Ask yourself what you want to accomplish today and strategically within this position.  Think ahead and identify a candidate that can be a long term/permanent member of your team.  Interview them and really dig into their background.  Understand their work history, establish strengths and weaknesses, ask questions and wait for the answers.  Always check references.  Use the internet!  Do background checks.  Give yourself, your company and your candidate the best opportunity for success!  Learn more about interviewing and hiring and how it impacts your organization by calling Candy Myura of A Better You Coaching at 800.892.5356.

A Better You Coaching defines coaching as building trust and rapport to guide and educate their clients. Assisting them with overcoming hurdles and circumstances which ultimately provides opportunity for growth, both professionally and personally.

Most professionals are familiar with the concept of coaching for executives and business owners, but I wanted to introduce you to Group Sponsor Coaching.  Group Sponsor Coaching is when an organization engages a coach for one or many of their employees.  The goal is to provide an outside perspective for the  individual.  An objective 3rd party can work with the employer to establish business needs and gaps in skill-sets.  The individuals have an opportunity to work with a coach who can educate and groom them with business and leadership skills, while providing a safe place to grow.  No employee wants to show weakness or vulnerability to their employer, but the reality is, we all have opportunities for improvement.

Each individual will have their own opportunities for improvement.  Maybe one individual is fluent in business competency skills, yet lacks the ability to manage people.  Maybe another individual is that “diamond in the rough”, yet could use a boost of confidence.  No matter what the deficiency may be, the value of coaching can be limitless!

Statistics published by the International Coach Federation break down the value of the coaching investment:

70% “very valuable” 28.5% “valuable”

Level of confidence in the coach:

50% confide in their coach as much as their best friend, spouse or therapist, 12% confide in their coach more than anyone else.

Main role of the coach:

• 84.8 % sounding board
• 78.1% motivator
• 56.7% friend
• 50.5% mentor
• 46.7% business consultant
• 41% teacher

Typical issues:

• 84.5 % time management
• 74.3% career guidance
• 73.8% business advice
• 58.6% relationship / family issues
• 51.9% physical / wellness issues
• 45.2% personal issues
• 39.5% goal-setting
• 38.1% financial guidance
• 11% creativity

Outcomes attributed to coaching:

• 67.6% higher level of self-awareness
• 62.4% smarter goal-setting
• 60.5% more balanced life
• 57.1% lower stress levels
• 52.9% self-discovery
• 52.4% more self-confidence
• 43.3% improvement in quality of life
• 39.5% enhanced communication skills
• 35.7% project completion
• 33.8% health or fitness improvement
• 33.3% better relationship with staff
• 33.3% better family relationships
• 31.9% increased energy
• 31.9% more fun
• 25.7% more income
• 25.7% stopped a bad habit
• 24.3% change in career
• 22.9% more free time

The survey was conducted by Amy Watson, Principal, PROfusion Public Relations, with survey design assistance by Jackie Rieves Watson, Ph.D., professor of Management and Statistics, Amber University.

For those employers who many be wrestling with the expense or the tangible ROI, I have gathered some information from some pretty reliable sources for you to take a look at…

“Asked for a conservative estimate of the monetary payoff from coaching they got, these managers described an average return of more than $100,000, or about six times what the coaching cost them.” –Fortune, they also stated, “Today’s managers, professionals and entrepreneurs are hiring coaches to help them with time management, a change in career or balancing their work and personal lives.”

Quoted from the article Agencies find value in coaching, by Wade-Hahn Chan, “For the past few years, federal agencies have used outside consultants to advise senior executives on ways to handle managerial challenges. “   Christine Williams, director of leadership development at NASA, said the agency has used executive coaching since 2004. NASA hires consultants to coach its senior executives, and those executives in turn act as coaches for employees at the GS-15 level.

Quoted by Zinnia Consulting, “There is a strong link between business results and emotional intelligence (defined as self awareness, self management, social awareness and social skill). In one study of the divisional heads of a global food and beverage company, the divisions outperformed their annual revenue targets by 15% to 20% when the leaders had a critical mass of emotional intelligence skills. By contrast, when the division’s heads lacked emotional intelligence, they under performed by almost 20%.” for more info, http://www.zinniaconsulting.com/pdf/What%20are%20the%20benefits%20of%20Coaching.pdf

Check out the article, Business Coaching Statistics: How to Gain a Competitive Edge During a Recession.  http://finance.9downsoft.com/2010/03/business-coaching-statistics-how-to-gain-a-competitive-edge-during-a-recession/ “Business coaches give you an outside perspective on how your business is running. Because this is something most businesses do not bother to find out, this in itself gives you a lead over your competition.”

So whether you run a fortune 500 business or a small mom and pop business, it is your responsibility to understand the value of coaching for you, your employees and your business.

To find out more about hiring an executive coach, contact A Better You Coaching at 800.892.5356

For those of you who think that you can shelter your work life from your personal stresses and vice verse, I am here to tell you, you are wrong.  I am sure some of you might be able to keep it a secret from your co-workers, some of you might be able to get through the bulk of your days without thinking much about it, and some of you may even be able to channel that stress into positive energy to help plow through some of your larger projects or tasks.  But please don’t kid yourself and think that there isn’t an impact.  The best option, reduce the source of stress in your life.

Easy, right?  Wrong!

Let me give you a fragment of an example just to show you how hard it might be to identify the source of stress and put a plan together to fix it.  I am a single mother and I try very hard to balance my work/family life – I mean, that’s what I do for a living, teach people how to balance their lives…  Anyway, I recently took a vacation with my boys and it was fabulous!  We spent 7 days basking in the sun and surf without any conflict, however, on the last day we had any early flight out.  I did not sleep at all the night before and was anxious about getting back to work, etc.  Most of the morning was fine, everyone was a little sluggish, but we made it home without any issues.  Around noon, the boys were tired and behaving poorly.  Not really bad, just tipping the scale a little.  Well, you would have thought that they were burning down the house.  I was so tired at this point that the smallest things were grating my nerves.  I might have tagged the boys as my source, all the laundry awaiting me, the pile of work on my desk, or even the boys behavior, but the reality is, my source of stress was the fact that I was soo tired.  Resolution to problem, boys and mama take a nap!

I know this doesn’t address stress that sneaks up on us and consumes us, but it does help you become more aware of your surroundings and the factors that might be contributing towards your stress.

I deliver an education seminar strictly focused on stress that helps my clients identify the sources of stress, the signs, managing techniques, and the process of compartmentalizing to reduce and resolve.  If you take one thing away today, when you are feeling “stressed”, I want you to close your eyes, take 5 BIG deep breaths, then give yourself a mini break.  Walk outside, go get a snack, stretch, read, whatever makes you feel good, even if it is only for a few minutes.  Our bodies are telling us that it doesn’t like what we are doing to it and asking us to stop, so please listen…

To find out more about stress, how to minimize stress and helping your employees reduce their stress, contact Candy Myura at 800.892.5356 or email at cmyura@abetteryoucoaching.com.

The Bad – Ah, this employee performs by the hair on their chinny, chin, chin.  They do just enough to get by.  They are probably decent at their job, but aren’t setting the world on fire.  They might be that rotten apple that is spoiling all the others in the basket. They just seem to linger.  Their performance is mediocre at best and they annoy their manager more than they add value.  This evaluation is challenging to write and even more challenging to administer.  There is enough information to provide feedback, but it’s hard to put your finger on examples.  You certainly don’t have enough to performance manage them out, which can be very frustrating. And in order to get enough information to manage them out, you practically have to micro manage their every move to document the performance issues or catch them doing something wrong.  Can anyone say TIME SUCKER??

The Ugly – Sometimes as employers we prefer this employee.  Why?  Because they are easy to get rid of.  This employee may be good at their job, but they are too busy causing trouble.  Or maybe they really stink at their job.  They are probably extremely defensive when getting feedback.  They might disrupt their co-workers or harass them.  This person sends chain emails and downloads porn.  This employee wears completely inappropriate attire to work.  Or how about the person who gets bombed at the company holiday party and let’s just say, makes very poor decisions?  The performance evaluation for this person might not even need to be drafted because you have worked swiftly with HR to terminate.

Every manager has a responsibility to write and administer performance evaluations; however that is not always easy to do.  Feedback, opportunities for improvement and celebrating accomplishments should not be held until evaluations are administered.  But how do you find the time, the words or the place that’s appropriate?  How do you know what to look for?  How do you avoid conflicts?

Take a look at these quick tips that just might help:

• Take Your Time and Hire “A” Players – hiring the right person will help you avoid the Ugly employee
• Pay Attention – as a manager it is up to you to know what is going on with your staff and their performance
• Deliver Feedback Immediately – timely feedback gives the employee tangible information while the mistake is fresh
• Treat Others as You Want To be Treated - No screaming, No punching walls, No public humiliations – be professional and discrete
• Document – the more information you document about behaviors and performance, the better equipped you are to deliver helpful feedback
• Write the Evaluation – prepare, make time and provide meaningful feedback and opportunities, talk about the good and the bad
• Deliver – schedule quiet, uninterrupted time to administer the evaluation for both the employer and employee

The manager that takes the time to celebrate an employee’s successes and provide constructive criticism in a timely manner, while backing it up with performance evaluations that supports their progress is going to give their employees every opportunity to grow and learn.  To learn more about effective leadership call A Better You Coaching today at 800.892.5356.

Having to pay the mortgage and send our children to the best schools motivates us to go to work everyday.  A best friend calling you in the morning to tell you they will be in your driveway at 5:30 in the morning so you can hit the gym together motivates you to work out.  Having your father almost die from a heart attack is enough to motivate you to stop smoking or eat less red meat.  Being motivated is wonderful, especially if it brings joy and satisfaction in your life.  It is important to surround ourselves with people and things that motivate us.

Inspiration is something very different.  Inspiration is something that I have struggled to truly define.  I tell my clients that if they are inspired by something, they will know it.  It will consume them.  It is that thing that pushes you to be the best.  The thing you always think about.  That thing that helps you when you are feeling beat down, it lifts you up.  I found this quote once and it really resinated with me and helps me to define inspiration.

“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.”- Dawna Markova

If you struggle with identifying what inspires you, you are not alone.  Many people are afraid to push themselves to that uncomfortable place, that “not normal” place.  If you are not totally comfortable in your own skin and could care less what others think of you, you are probably closer to finding what inspires you than most.  If you live in a society where you are just like everyone else, you will need to stretch yourself and dig deeper to find out what moves you.

I don’t want you to think that inspiration is all about religious intervention, it could be, but it doesn’t have to be.  I also don’t want you to think that it is all about the sun, moon, wind and fire.  Again, it could be, but is doesn’t have to be.  Inspiration can be and will be different for everyone.  It will be different for you depending on where you are in your life.

I had an opportunity to meet a tremendous woman once who really introduced me to the idea of sitting with an idea or thought and really letting my mind, body and soul find the meaning and impact.  It sounded so cliche at first.  The reason it sounded cliche was because I wasn’t ready to open my mind to a deeper way of experiencing life.  I was afraid to let people see me in such a non-conforming way.  I was a strong professional woman who always needed to be on my game.  Always a step ahead.  The reality of it was, I was not really living.  I was allowed to be that strong professional woman, none of that was changing, but now, I was inspired.  I was inspired to be a communicator, a mentor, a coach.  Being a coach allows me the opportunity to meet the most amazing people who want to move to the next place in their lives.  I am able to reach people and help them see their full potential.  I get to help people find self confidence.  I get to watch people excel in their careers.  I am inspired everyday…

If you are ready to reach your full potential and find out what inspires you, call Candy Myura at A Better You Coaching today!! 800.892.5356

The reality of it is, people will pay for what they want and need.  If you as a service provider are delivering on a service that the consumer wants and needs or if you sell products that consumers just can’t live without, well then you are golden!

With the economy is such a slump, business owners have quickly recognized the need to get back to basics.

What is back to basics you ask?  It is rediscovering the root of what made you want to enter into your business.  It is delivering QUALITY to the consumer.  It is streamlining the fat and focusing on what is important.  Are you as a small business owner delivering exceptional service?  If you are not sure, ask.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to your customers and ask them how you are doing.  Your customers will tell you everything you need to know about improving your product or service.  All you need to do is LISTEN.

Once you have established that you are the BEST, then I would say it is safe to raise rates.  The best way to improve the overall health of your business is to pump more REVENUE in.  When you have more revenue coming in, it gives you more leverage to keep people employed.  It helps you do things that will increase MORALE, therefore improving PRODUCTIVITY.  New revenue coming in can help supplement any ATTRITION you may have experienced.  It really does give you some flexibility to fix some of the problems within your business.  What you want to do is create a cycle of GOOD for your business.

If you are not the BEST and you increase rates, well just the opposite can and probably will occur.  If you are delivering a product or service that is mediocre and attempt to raise rates, you are going to lose customers.  You will most definitely increase the complaints, which will frustrate your employees, ultimately, creating a NEGATIVE cycle for your business.

Let’s pretend I am the owner of a plumbing company.  I decide that I am experiencing some cash flow problems and want to raise my rates.  If I go into someone’s home or business to resolve an issue that they have and I do it well, my customer is going to feel good about the service I delivered, feel good about paying my fees and maybe if I am lucky tell their friends about me.  Now, let’s pretend that I went into a customer’s home or business and I made a complete mess, didn’t resolve the issue or had to go back because something I did was not done well.  My customer is not going to feel good about my rates or service.  I’m pretty confident that if I did something wrong; they will want their money back.  And even worse, they might talk about me to their friends, but not in a sweet referral voice, more of a “I will never do business with them again and you shouldn’t either”!

Be competitive and charge for the product or service you are providing to the consumer.  Just be sure you are able to back it up!  To learn more about raising rates and profitability analysis, contact A Better You Coaching at 800.892.5356.