By Stephen Tisch Personal Comments from Mary Verstraete, President of the Center for Coaching Excellence Stephen Tisch is founder of Activate Writing, a thriving content agency located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The agency works with a variety of clients in the areas of marketing, branding, digital and print with a strong focus on helping organizations utilize content more effectively for their strategic …

A number of years ago, I was in coach training and learning what seemed to be foreign concepts. During that time my wonderful trainers gave me homework that I thought was unusual: Create a list of characteristics that fit your ideal client. My first inward response was, you’ve got to be kidding! I can’t choose who I want to work …

One particular small business that I consulted with needed mission, vision, and values clarified, systems and processes developed, and team and staff development implemented. Sounds like straightforward tangibles, doesn’t it? It was only a matter of one week when the most evident need became apparent: Effective Communication. I initiated conversations with the business owner and his team to begin the …

On my way to a consulting project,  I stepped into an elevator to hear two men intensely discussing their upcoming meeting. One said, “We will have to be careful in the conversation with her so that she will hear what we have to say. This has to be done in an appropriate manner. She has to listen at some point …