Thursday Tips & Tools #1 [Free Coaching Tool]

Hi friends,?

Professional development is about much more than just having a coach or attending training. Most people drop the ball when it comes to the "in-between stuff": reading, reflecting, trying new approaches, and ultimately stepping outside their comfort zones.?

If you don't know where to start regarding these things, or if you haven't got time to create a personal development plan right now, here are some of the reflections, books, and exercises I can recommend to you as a coach.

What I'm Reading

The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics and Society by Azeem Azhar . Do you ever feel like you're leading during an age where scale, automation, and adaptability are everything? Well, you're spot on. Business *really is* getting faster and more unpredictable than we are prepared to deal with—it's time to revamp your understanding of economics, politics, and the future .

Azeem Azhar's ~350-page book is truly one of the most eye-opening reads I've stumbled across this year. If you want to understand why tech is changing the world so rapidly—and what that means for?you?as a leader—I couldn't recommend it more highly.

App I'm Loving

Motion .?This has been a game-changer for getting more done without the stress of re-planning, prioritizing, and keeping track of deadlines. I can simply input the tasks I need to do, let the app sort my schedule out, and always get everything done. It's almost like a mini assistant—I'm serious.

Tool I'm Using [FREE PDF]

Setting Positive Goals .?Do you wish your team would show more initiative and drive? Strong, inspiring, and motivational leaders know that positively valenced goals are the most effective strategy for triggering that engagement—it's all about the way you communicate. Whether you want to strategize or delegate responsibility, this exercise helps you reformulate avoidance goals into positively valenced goals, enabling you to ignite a sense of purpose in your co-workers.

Quote I'm Loving

The ability to shift from reacting against the past to leaning into and presenting an emerging future is probably the single most important leadership capacity today.

--Otto Scharmer

Reflection I'm Pondering

"Who's driving? Me, or fear?"?Risk aversion is the human tendency to prefer less uncertain outcomes over highly uncertain outcomes, even if the latter could be far more beneficial for our organizations. Most leaders rarely stop to consider this when it's time to make a decision, so it's not a bad idea to write this on a Post-It and keep it somewhere you'll see it often. Read more about loss aversion in my?Pleasure or Pain Newsletter .

That's it from me this week—let me know how you go with any of these resources. Or, even better, share your favorite apps, books, and reflections with me!

— Govert

1. I share regular leadership and coaching tips, articles, and news on my LinkedIn every few days.?Send me a DM !
2. Want to start leading with Professional Closeness? Download my book?The Power of Professional Closeness?here .

Govert van Sandwijk ?is a seasoned international strategy facilitator, leadership development consultant, author, and executive coach who has delivered high-impact business, people management, and leadership development programs to over 5000 leaders across 40 countries. His first book, The Power of Professional Closeness, is an Amazon #1 Bestseller and shares the strategies that have made his approach so successful. Download?Helping Leaders Navigate, his free guide to using professional closeness to improve your life and organization at?https://timetogrowglobal.com .