Praying for people often involves a few reminders, “Lord, help her to know how much you love and care for her,” a fair amount of encouragement, “Jesus, help him to see that he’s doing his best,” and a sprinkling of advice, “God, I pray she could be bold and talk to her boss, relying on your confidence, to make her case directly.”

At a missions conference last week, I joined with others praying with coaching skills. What I heard included listening, asking, waiting, responding, and partnering – both with the Holy Spirit and the person we prayed for. It went something like this:

Coaching is a rapidly growing field, but with that growth comes the risk of substandard training programs and false promises.

I’ve been training Christian leaders in coaching skills for 20 years and regularly speak to people who joined training programs from other organizations. Sadly, some have found only after paying and taking their training that the program didn’t live up to the marketing hype. 

I want to help you to be able to do your research and discern which programs over-promise and under-deliver, and which will be able to deliver on what you’re looking for.  

Productivity is getting things done. There are two streams of productivity in which you need to work, at the same time. The problem is, these two streams are at odds with each other. Mastering both is the key to personal and professional productivity.

I keep trying to prove the old adage, “You get what you pay for,” is wrong. I want to pay little, yet get a lot. This a question of cost versus value. By nature we seemed wired to focus on the cost of a product or service. By changing your focus to value instead, you will make better decisions, get better results, and even save money in the end. Here’s how.

I recently grappled with the cost versus value equation regarding my exercise. Over the years, I’ve joined various gyms, bought home equipment, and downloaded exercise apps. My results were always mixed. I would do well for a period of time and then it would drop off.

My wife and I checked into a hotel in Spain that was built for royalty and now caters to the rich and famous. I felt like I didn’t belong. I kept thinking, “These people can afford to stay here. I don’t belong.”

“We’re hiring.” You’re serving more people and have new opportunities for people to partner with you. It takes work to effectively hire someone. Here are the steps I put in place, perhaps they will help you.

Much of education, be it in school, church, home, or around the office, is based on the assumption that if people have the right information they will make good decisions. More information does not produce better decisions, shifts in thinking does.

Many people I coach or who attend our workshops believe that they are missing that one piece of information or know-how that will be the key to unlock the door to their success. 

As you finish the year and begin the next, take a few minutes to make sure you’ve learned from what you experienced. Every day we have experiences, good and bad, yet more often than not, we fail to notice them. Worse, we fail to learn from them. Asking a few questions can draw out learning for yourself or to prompt someone else’s learning.

In my coaching practice, I help smart people think more deeply, figure out problems, and ultimately to learn, grow, and change. As we talk, sometimes clients aren’t aware of the unformed insights emerging from their thinking. Here’s an example,