Category Archives: Coaching

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FFP 041: It’s Not Time For That. Yet!

How to Stay Focused and Finish

In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast, I talk about how to deal with lots of ideas and projects competing for your time.

I have been working hard on the skill of finishing. I get a lot of creative ideas. I take on a lot of projects and responsibilities. While all of that is good, I must finish what I start to get the results I and others need. So how can you stay focused when your brain gets flooded with other cool ideas, or others request your time for their project? Well, it can be a challenge, but I have found a few strategies that help me, and I think they might help you too.

Hit play and take a listen to this ten-minute podcast.

Click here to listen to this episode.

Thank you for listening. I hope you will subscribe and leave a review.

Happy New Year!

Kelly

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Want to give your child or a child you know the gift of confidence and tools to tackle worry and anxiety? Order my new book Unthink Before Bed. It is a children’s book on mindfulness. It’s the perfect gift and bedtime book. I am so proud of it! It is a very fun read.

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 184 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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Begin Every Day with Gratitude!

Begin Every Day with Gratitude!

For years a banner hung in my classroom that read: ‘Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?’ It was one of my favorite posters because it packed so much into one small saying. I learned right away as a teacher and coach that my students and athletes would mirror my attitude.  If I arrived with an enthusiastic spirit willing to learn, so would they. If I was short-tempered and impatient, well, they would mirror that as well.  It’s no surprise then in the workplace or in sports that people mirror the attitudes of their leaders, whether they are the manager of a company, the team captain of a sports team, the classroom teacher, or a parent leading a home.  Attitudes are mirrored. 

I once read a powerful quote that went something like, “If you can’t be thankful for what you have, be thankful for what you have avoided.” I just love the power of quotes.  In order to have a great attitude as a leader, you must be gracious. There is always something to be thankful for in any situation regardless of how bleak it seems. Be thankful for all that you have and begin your day by giving thanks. Run through your mind all to which you can offer thanks. Be thankful for the material things you have, the people in your life, your mental health, your physical health, opportunities, your faith, a good attitude, and anything else that crosses your mind. Get your journal out and brainstorm your thanks if necessary.  Giving gratitude puts your entire day in perspective. Your problems begin to shrink.  When you look for the best, you find it.  You’re not avoiding the problems; you’re focusing on the goal. 

So many wise and helpful leaders have shared with me the importance of gratitude.  Each emphasized the need to begin our day being grateful, and in times of doubt or trouble reminding ourselves of our blessings. It works. Every time I have encountered some dismal prospect, I remind myself of the great opportunities and people I have been surrounded within my lifetime. My attitude instantly gets back on track. 

Leaders have an attitude of gratitude. 

Give up some gratitude! When you feel the pressure building to a point that you aren’t sure you can handle it, start thinking of people, situations, and things in your life for which you are thankful. When you start thinking about what you are thankful for it puts your life in perspective.  You remember it’s not just about you. Others are counting on you.  And the biggie… many, many people have it worse than you and would trade spots with you in an instant.

How is your attitude?

Kelly

 

Want to give your child or a child you know the gift of confidence and tools to tackle worry and anxiety? Order my new book Unthink Before Bed. It is a children’s book on mindfulness. It’s the perfect gift and bedtime book. I am so proud of it! It is a very fun read.

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 179episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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FFP 039: Five Financial Apps You Must Have on Your Phone

In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast I share the five financial apps you must have on your phone, and share a little on how to use each one to level up your leadership and design a more dynamic life. 

Finances matter. They really do. You can’t lead others nor live your best life if the weight of financial strife is holding you back and impairing your decisions. While these five apps are extremely helpful and will give you an edge, it takes personal discipline to manage your money. These are not get-rich-quick apps or anything like that. These are apps that help you spend less, budget, keep an eye on your money, invest, and learn about finances.

Click here to listen to this episode!

Money matters. To be a good leader and to design a dynamic life, you need to master your finances, and mastering your finances begins with mastering yourself. You need to be extremely disciplined. Rules I follow: Eliminate Debt. Build savings. Create multiple revenue streams. Invest.  You need these buckets. You do need to have fun too. 

This podcast will serve you well. Let me know what app I should have included and why in the comments below.

Kelly

Want to give your child or a child you know the gift of confidence and tools to tackle worry and anxiety? Order my new book Unthink Before Bed. It is a children’s book on mindfulness. It’s the perfect gift and bedtime book. I am so proud of it! It is a very fun read.

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 178 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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FFP 038: The Importance of Mindfulness

Unthink Before Bed

In this 38th episode of The Future Focused Podcast, I discuss the importance of inaction, stillness, and mindfulness in relation to leadership and living a dynamic life.

We live in a fast-paced culture where multitasking, overwhelm and frustration are not only the norm but are often spoken of as virtues and badges of honor. I challenge this notion in this episode and remind listeners that like muscles, our brains need rest, and like devices, we often need a reset.

Listen to this episode by clicking here.

Knowing about the importance of stillness and mindfulness is not enough; it must be scheduled and practiced. Too many people don’t start because they feel they must study it and learn more. Nonsense! I’ll share everything you need to know to get started NOW and share a couple of helpful resources too.

This episode is an important episode that I hope you will really put into action. If you want great ideas, and the end to anxiety, then this is the episode for you.

Unthink Before Bed is my newest book and it has made a tremendous debut across the globe by helping families teach their children (and themself while they’re at it) to learn the art of mindfulness. How do you expect children to become mindful, reduce worry, anxiety, and stress if you don’t teach it or provide the tools? Well, that is what my book does in a really fun way! Unthink Before Bed is the perfect bedtime book with over forty, beautifully colored illustrations and a whimsical rhyme reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. Follow the bedtime adventure of a young boy and his dog as they learn how to prepare their mind for bedtime. Written and illustrated by a veteran educator of thirty years and a father of four. This is Kelly Croy’s second book. Unthink Before Bed teaches children (and adults) how to slow down, build a routine, get to bed, and fall asleep. Woven into every stanza and illustration are the ten, secret lessons of mindfulness. Reduce anxiety, worry, and stress. Fall asleep happily. Get a peaceful night’s rest. It’s also two books in one…. There’s a QR code in the back which takes you to the audiobook of me reading it. Order your copy on Amazon today. 

Please let me know your thoughts.

Have a great week.

Kelly

Mentioned in this podcast: 

Ryan Holiday’s book Stillness is the Key

My new book Unthink Before Bed.

A great resource of them importance of breathing titled, Breath by Belisa Vranich

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 176 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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WEP 037: Repetition is a Strength, Not a Weakness

Level up Your Leadership, Design a Dynamic Life

Repetition is a strength, not a weakness.

You don’t need a pandemic to start building good habits. You just need to start. 

Repetition is a gift when it is intentional and skillful. Any successful person is so because of one factor, consistency. What is consistency? Consistency is a disciplined repetition. 

This episode of The Future of Podcast is about how to look at the pandemic differently and positively.

When all is lost, repetition offers us hope. Routines serve us, not imprison us. They free us. 

I do hope you are safe and well. Thank you for listening to this episode. 

Level up Your Leadership, Design a Dynamic Life

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 170 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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FFP 036: Patience and Tenacity in Leadership

In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast I breakdown how patience is not a force of opposition to tenacity but rather fuels it. You’ll learn how to build patience to fuel, better execute actions with tenacity to become a better leader at home, at your job, and in life.

Tenacity is one of the six core elements of leadership, but it is fueled by patience. Patience is a skill that can be acquired and built. I’ll show you how in this episode.

Patience is one of the greatest skills we can learn as a leader.

Thank you for taking the time to listen. Thank you for being a leader. I hope you will share this out and reach out to me.

Stay safe and healthy friends.

You are a leader. This is our time. Our best days are ahead of us, not behind us.

Kelly

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Future Focused Podcast.

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 160 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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5 Things You Need to Lead Your Team in Uncharted Territory

Every day I hear people use words like ‘unprecedented’ and ‘uncharted territory’ to describe our current global pandemic and the crisis it has created. I do not question the accuracy of these descriptors, but we cannot allow them to become excuses for inaction. While we may truly not know ‘exactly what to do,’ we know we must provide leadership, whether in our home, of our self, our organization, or community.

This must be a time of compassion, understanding, and forgiveness, both in others and of ourselves. The challenges upon us are real, varied and dire. We need to assume everyone is doing their best. We must empathize and realize every person’s challenge, situation, mindset, ability to cope, and resources are all different.

This is not a time to be selfish; be selfless. This is not a time to seek profit; serve. This is not a time to hustle; help.

While the 6 core elements I wrote about in my book, Along Came a Leader, have served me well in life: Attitude, Wisdom, Communication, Tenacity, Vision, and Authenticity, I wanted to provide leaders some insight on how to help their team during this tough time. Here are the 5 things I believe leaders NEED to lead their team in uncharted territory:

1. Vision: Leaders need to provide their team with a compelling vision of what the outcome could be if everyone does their part. The vision needs to be realistically optimistic, but a bit grand in some ways too. Everyone needs something to look forward to in a crisis. Everyone needs clarity and direction. Everyone needs a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Without a vision, a team meanders, stalls and becomes lost in the crisis.

2. A Good Crew: Hopefully you have built a great team but during a crisis even the best need coaching and professional learning. Clarify your expectations. Deliver accurate feedback. Provide opportunities and resources to help them to continue to grow and improve. Columbus could not hire a new crew in the middle of the ocean during the many trials on his exploration to discover the New World; he had to coach them up each and every day.

3. Flexibility: You have to roll with the punches. You have to get back up after getting knocked down. You have to adjust and adapt your plans and procedures. The way you did things before a crisis worked for that time and situation; they may not be appropriate now. Reflect, evaluate, test, execute, and continually adjust.

4. Tenacity: Have you ever seen someone freeze or just shut down in a time of crisis? Tenacity is not something we are born with, but rather something we build. A crisis demands tenacity and so does leadership. I live in a state of permanent beta. I am always trying to improve myself. It is something I admire in others. I not only expect to make mistakes, I understand they are paramount on the journey to success. They are the feedback we need to achieve. Be relentless. Celebrate failures. Keep getting back up and trying.

5. Attitude: Without the right attitude in a time of crisis you are lost and helpless. It is the single most important quality of a leader. It is the single greatest characteristic of success. It is the antidote to a crisis. Your attitude is contagious. Those you lead become infected with the way you approach the crisis. An awesome attitude is one of the most impressive and admired traits of exceptional leaders.

I do not write these words with ease nor approach our crisis lightly. My heart is full of admiration for our nurses, doctors, first responders, and all of the many essential workers providing all we need to keep the world running. My heart aches for the sick and all that is yet to come.

I fully understand that what lies ahead will be tough, trying and at times bleak, but I know that leadership, personal and professional, is the requirement of all, as we stand in the shadow of a crisis. It is leadership that will get us, and those we love and care for, through it.

Neither a book, a course, nor a title makes you a leader; action does!

I hope this post provides you with some assistance during these tough times.

Wishing you great health & happiness, peace & prosperity, and love & laughter.

Stay safe and healthy.

Stay away from one another.

Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 148 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

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FFP 033: Leadership Agility

How agile are you as a leader? It’s important to know.

There are a lot of important leadership traits leaders need, but how is your leadership agility? Our current time and our future as a leader is demanding that leadership inside the home, community and within any organization be agile. Not sure what leadership agility is? You’re not only going to find out in this episode, but you’re also going to learn how to summon it and apply to get ahead.

One observation that I repeatedly reflect on as leaders share their goals, challenges, and success, is their necessity to be able to move from one challenge to another quickly and make solid leadership decisions. All shared the enormous variety of issues and responsibilities that a leader must tackle daily.

This ten-minute episode will help you improve as a leader in big ways.

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 148 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram