Today I am introducing Ask Coach Tony, a new monthly feature in the Operation Melt blog.
In Ask Coach Tony, you ask the questions, and I answer them.
I am a coach, author and project manager. I have had built a successful, twenty-plus-year career in corporate America. I have created a small business, Operation Melt, focused on helping others make their dreams come true. Oh yeah, I also lost over 100 pounds in under a year and have kept it off without any fad diet. This means that people ask me many questions, and I love to answer them.
A question asked by one is a question had by many. So, Ask Coach Tony will share the answers to these questions via the Operation Melt blog so everybody can see them.
Go ahead, ask me anything!
Amuse Bouche
Before we get to today’s post, I offer you this light “amuse-bouche” to entertain your mind before we get down to business. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate my “dad joke,” but it is worth every penny that you paid for it, right?
My wife yelled to me from another room, “do you ever get a shooting pain across your body like someone’s got a voodoo doll of you, and they’re stabbing it?”
Very concerned, I replied, “No, why?”
She then yelled back, “how about now?”
Ask Coach Tony: Reflections on Leadership
Earlier this week, I released my newest book, Reflections on Leadership. So, I thought it was only fitting to focus my first Ask Coach Tony on a few questions I have received this week related to the book.
How do I get the book?
You can find a summary of both of my books and the link to purchase them in the My Books section of the Operation Melt website. The book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback format.
Will the book be relevant to me even if I am not a leader?
Yes, this book has stories and lessons relevant to everybody. Plus, it is full of short, engaging stories and is just 150 pages, so it is a quick read.
But, I also want to challenge the “I am not a leader” perspective.
Being a leader does not mean that you run a company. It does not mean that you are at a certain prerequisite level in an organization. It doesn’t even have to mean that you are directly responsible for managing people.
Here is an excerpt from Reflections on Leadership about this topic:
You don’t need somebody to give you permission to call yourself a leader. I wrote about this last year in a blog post entitled You Don’t Need Permission.
Asking permission can prevent us from even getting started. Asking permission and seeking external validation before pursuing your goal is a major contributor to goals dying of loneliness.
There is a secret that I have learned about pursuing goals: there are no rules.
Operation Melt: You Don’t Need Permission
You can be a leader every day in your life, and you can call yourself a “leader” without permission. The lessons included in Reflections on Leadership will help you become a better one.
How does leadership fit with the other Operation Melt topics?
I get this question a lot. People don’t see a natural connection between leadership skills and the goal success content I normally publish. I assure you, they fit together perfectly.
Over the past fifteen (or more) years, I have coached and mentored dozens of people. In these coaching relationships, some core themes are frequently repeated. Here are a few relevant examples:
- How do I grow my career and move up?
- How do I build my confidence?
- How can I become a valued contributor?
- How can I improve my working relationship with a difficult coworker?
- How do I start a new endeavor (inside or outside a company)?
- How do I improve my leadership skills?
Each of these goals is related directly or indirectly to leadership skills. As we pursue our goals, improving our leadership skills will also improve our chances of success.
Most people seek goal success advice because they want to be happier in life. Whether it is our job, a passion project or other pursuit, our vocation can significantly contribute or detract from that happiness. Strong leadership skills will improve your performance in your vocation, which will boost your happiness with your life. Luckily, strong leadership skills aren’t something you are just born with; you develop them over time through reading, training and practice.
Put simply, reading books like Reflections on Leadership will help you achieve your goals and live a happier life.
Ok, maybe I am over-selling it a bit, but I don’t think I am. All self-improvement is life improvement.
Ask Me Anything!
Do you have a question you would like to submit for a future Ask Coach Tony post?
- Do you want to know more about me?
- Do you want to know more about my weight loss journey?
- Do you want to know more about my books or my creative process?
- Do you have a question about how to achieve your goals?
- Do you want to know more about coaching?
Whatever your question, I am here to help. Ask Me Anything!
If you want to have a deeper conversation and get more one-on-one help, click here to learn more about my Operation Melt coaching services.
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