How many of these traits describe you?

1. Goals
Goals are not defined
We must clearly think out and state our professional, personal and/or educational goals. Without a set of goals that is reasonable, sequential and attainable it is very difficult, if not impossible, for an individual to move forward and succeed.

2. Plans
Planning is not a habit.
We need to have short, intermediate and long-term strategies in place to accomplish our goals and to keep our ideas moving forward.

3. Work
Work is often stressful and not enjoyable.
Job stress or job frustration often results when a person feels he or she has to do everything in order for it to be done correctly. This type of individual often has difficulty hiring and training people so that effective delegation can occur. Our work must be in synchrony with who we are and must be done in an environment that allows our creativity to flourish.

4. Follow-through
Follow-through of important tasks is random at best.
Some individuals have few methods or strategies in place to help them follow through on the tasks and actions needed to attain their goals. Their primary modes of operation are dealing with emergencies and procrastination. They constantly need to put out fires because there has been inadequate planning and follow through, and putting important things off has also become a chronic pattern. We need to establish ways to make our follow-through more consistent.

5. Emotional Containment
The person becomes easily overwhelmed.
Individuals often have difficulty containing the stress of multiple inputs. They have few or no coping strategies in place when the situation becomes overwhelming. At these times they may become frozen, withdrawn, impulsive or angry at those around them. When we have a mechanism in place to handle multiple inputs, we can help ourselves avoid overload and overwhelm.

6. Communication Skills
Positive communication does not come easily.
Many people need to learn and master essential relationship and communication skills. Creating good relationships is one of the most important assets any person or business can have. We want to work toward mastery of:

1) Saying no and setting boundaries
2) Asking for help whenever it is needed
3) Giving constructive positive and constructive negative feedback
4) Accepting constructive positive and constructive negative feedback
5) Expressing and accepting irritation and anger
6) Listening without the need to give advice
7) Handling conflict effectively
8) Building effective teams

7. Education
If we don't keep learning, we lose our edge.
Once we think we know everything, we are in trouble. We can always learn things that will improve our work and life. The challenge is to find the right form of education that works for us. To educate literally means "to draw out", and therefore education‹whether in the classroom, with a mentor, or on the job‹should lead us to explore our options and ask the right kinds of questions. Continued learning keeps us humble, keeps our thinking fresh, prevents burnout and actually helps our brain cells develop further. We need to discover how to keep learning what we truly need to know throughout our lives.

8. Money
Money often has a negative connotation.
Individuals often have trouble handling money and need to develop skills in such areas as: creating and sticking to a realistic budget, not spending impulsively, saving regularly, and investing money intelligently for the future. There may be underlying family issues about money, guilt about accumulating money or just a lack of information about how to create wealth and abundance. We want to develop the concept of building wealth as a means of gaining personal and professional freedom.

9. Marketing Skills
There are no basic natural marketing skills.
Many individuals lack the skills needed to market themselves or their business. They frequently feel embarrassed at "selling" or have difficulty articulating what they have to offer. Just the idea of selling often creates a bad feeling in the person. We want to develop the concept of selling as nothing more than presenting the person in front of us with positive options to choose from, without being pushy.

10. Organization
The person is not organized.
Some individuals lack the skills needed to organize tasks and clear out the clutter in a logical and orderly manner. Tasks, along with papers, pile up, and the individual doesn't follow through and becomes easily overwhelmed. We need to develop ways to organize both our materials and our activities.

11. Environment
The physical environment is not conducive to productive work.
When there is clutter, poor ambiance, and a pressured emotional environment in the workplace, the individual feels stressed. Our work atmosphere ought to be exciting, relaxing and orderly. Establishing a positive physical environment is essential to satisfying work.

12. Support Systems
There is no effective professional or personal support system.
Individuals often feel isolated and alone, without a peer group or trusted individual to check in with regularly. They make poor decisions when they don't have the input of others to create a balanced perspective. To be truly successful, we must cultivate an effective support system.

See also the full length article "Who Needs a Coach?"