To Lead is to Serve: A look at Austin Involved

One of the best parts of my business is that I get to talk about something I love all the time. I love leadership! When I talk about leadership, more often than not I talk about serving others. The old saying, “to lead is to serve” really defines my leadership philosophy.


As a young professional I am always looking for ways I can live out my purpose, which is to be a servant leader. I am constantly striving to become this, but I know I have a long way to go. Recently, I have been introduced to a new service model that has had a tremendous impact on me and on the Austin community.


This past summer I met Courtney Clark, who is the founder and executive director of an Austin non-profit called Austin Involved. I was immediately drawn to her energy. I started to learn more about her organization and was very much impressed. I could tell by her passion that she was a leader who was striving to make a difference. I started to run into Courtney everywhere. She seems to be everywhere in Austin. I decided that I would join Austin Involved mainly because of her leadership and my desire to grow as a servant leader.


Austin Involved gives its members the opportunity every month to learn about local nonprofits, vote on their choice of inspiring organizations, and give a donation of a small amount of time and money to that organization.  Each month, members contribute $25, and then vote on what charities they’d like to win their time and money.  Members follow their money and see where it goes by giving of their time to a service project at the chosen nonprofit. Austin Involved is educating the future patrons, volunteers and philanthropists of Austin.


As an Austin Involved member, I will tell you that the experience has been great so far. I have had the opportunity to volunteer for an organization that works with kids. There I worked directly with children as a part of their after-school program. I also worked with an organization that helps small businesses get funding, as well as people buy homes at lower costs. With this non-profit, we helped them brainstorm ideas for some future events. We helped them grow!


I began this blog by talking about my philosophy of leadership, which is servant leadership. Austin Involved, unlike any other organization I have seen, gives its members the chance to lead by serving! What an amazing opportunity! I challenge everyone to step up and learn more about this organization. You will undoubtedly be impressed! Please join us and help make a difference!

Learn More about the SOS Coaching Network!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the SOS Coaching Network, an elite group of coaches, trainers, and consultants from around the world, providing them with customized content, personalized coaching, and tools to help them succeed in the rapidly growing coaching industry. You can watch the video above to begin learning about the SOS Coaching Network or check out the links below:

- SOS Coaching Network web site
- Press release announcing the launch of the SOS Coaching Network

We look forward to sharing more about this new division of SOS Leadership Institute!

Share Your Goals Carefully

As I was telling someone about the work SOS Leadership does in teaching people the goal setting process, I heard the following (very common) response:

“I don’t share my goals with people because I don’t want people to know when I don’t achieve them.”

When we’re honest with ourselves, most of us probably feel this way to some extent. It’s not easy to put your goals out there because sharing them can result in accountability (best case scenario) or sabotage (worst case scenario).

In our Protecting Goals Program, we remind participants that it’s important to only share your goals with those who will affirm and support you in ways that are helpful. Ultimately, we have to choose to overcome the effects of the negative attitudes and low expectations of others. At times, we may even have to ignore the input of others, particularly those who don’t believe in our ability to achieve our goals.

Sometimes those who love us the most can put up roadblocks between us and our goals. Why? In some cases, it’s because they’re trying to protect us, because they love us and don’t want to see us get hurt. In other cases, their intentions aren’t as honorable and can often be very complicated. This is their problem, not yours. We must not let others dissuade us from achieving our goals. We must believe in ourselves, even when others don’t believe in us.

When you find affirming, positive people who will hold you accountable in ways that are helpful, hold onto them. We all need good folks like this on our life journeys. Say thank you often.

Share your goals with someone who matters to you today. Tell them what you plan to achieve, when you will accomplish the goal, and what steps it will take to get there. Be sure to share how you would like for them to support you and hold you accountable. I’d love to hear how it goes.

Be a Lifelong Learner!

I have always loved to learn. I was one of those kids who loved school. I couldn’t wait for summer to end so I could get back into the classroom.

As a parent of two young children, I want to be a good teacher. I recently asked my parents for their advice about how to raise kids who love to learn. They obviously know a thing or two about it since they raised 4 kids who combined have 7 college degrees – 4 Bachelor’s degrees and 3 Master’s degrees. Their best piece of advice was to model the way.

When you grow up with a father who’s a self described “personal development junkie” and a mother who’s a social worker, you learn a heck of a lot about the importance of continuous personal improvement and the value of being a lifelong learner.

For 2011, I have a personal development plan. It’s a clearly defined path of what I want to learn this year and how I will improve myself. I always want to be engaged in the process of learning. I have some great mentors who continue to teach me. I am deeply committed to being a lifelong learner.

One of my “quotes for this year” is by Leo Buscaglia: "Change is the end result of all true learning." I hope to embrace the change that comes as a result of learning. I am striving to become the best version of myself, and I look forward to the changes that I will encounter on this journey.

Are you committed to being a lifelong learner? Do you have a personal development plan? What do you hope to learn this year? What actions will you take to become a better version of yourself?

Growth in 2011!

This year, more than any other, I am committed to growth. As I look back on 2010, I realize that I have grown quite a bit in both my personal and professional life. In 2011, I want to take my personal life and my business to the next level! Here are some thoughts on next level growth:


- Two choices in 2011: Grow or decline. Next level growth demands that you consciously choose growth and that choice always requires you to change. Change is difficult because that choice is contrary to our natural human instincts.


- Doing more of the same will never take you to the next level. “If you do what you have always done, you will be who you have always been.” When most people decide to grow their plan only reflects an increase in what they have already been doing.


- Effective change always begins with awareness and awareness always leads to choice.  People will always choose to change if they are aware that the change will serve their best interest.


- Next level growth requires courage, and the only way to get it is to develop it. Courage is your conditioned capacity to respond to all life events with positive actions rather than negative beliefs.


- Build on your strengths. Your weaknesses are merely dangers to be avoided.  “Never let what you can’t do get in the way of what you can do.” - Coach John Wooden


- Accountability pushes you past your self-imposed limitations. Accountability is the most powerful and effective force in helping you get to the next level. You can’t settle in because you have chosen to be accountable.  Accountability leads to personal responsibility.


With those thoughts in mind, I encourage you to do what I am doing in 2011, GROW! Here are some ways to choose growth:


- Reflect on your strengths.
- Set written goals for the year.
- Develop a plan of action for those goals.
- Track your progress.
- Believe that you CAN do it!
- Don't give up, don't ever give up!
- Find a good coach or mentor to hold you accountable.


And finally, take some advice from Rocky Balboa! If you choose to grow in 2011, "GO FOR IT!"

The Time Management Myth

A guest blog written by Amber Fogarty that first appeared in October 2010 on the Greenlights for Nonprofit Success blog

How can you make time work for you? The idea that time can be “managed” is a myth. No matter what you do, you can’t change the amount of time you have, nor can you change how quickly or slowly time goes by. You can only manage yourself and the choices you make with your time. Here a few tips to help you make the most of your time.

1. Improve Your Time Habits

One of the greatest tips I received from the SOS Leadership Protecting Goals Program is this:

Keep a small sign on your desk that reads, “Is this the best use of my time right now?”

Every time I see my sign, I force myself to give an honest answer. If what I’m working on isn’t the best use of my time, I stop. Procrastination is a habit, one that can be replaced as we make better choices about how we spend our time.

2. Identify Your Time Thieves

How many times each day do you get distracted from the task at hand? Whether it’s a phone call, someone stopping by your office, a coworker sharing endless details about his or her weekend, or receiving dozens (maybe even hundreds) of emails, we often allow time thieves to steal valuable hours from us every day.

For the next week, track your interruptions by writing down what happened and how long it took. Look for patterns among the time thieves. Is the same person always interrupting you? Strategize ways to minimize the impact of the time thieves so that you can remain focused on your goals.

3. Prioritize What Matters Most

Most of us make “to do lists” so that we don’t forget to complete any important tasks. When we tackle our “to do lists” each day, we often do the things that are easiest to do first, rather than starting with the tasks that are the highest priorities.

How many times do you get to the end of your day and realize you didn’t finish the one task you really needed to complete? You see lots of check marks on your “to do list,” but there’s no check mark by the thing that should have been first on your list.

Learning to schedule what matters most first and prioritize your tasks takes practice. We’ve been conditioned to schedule our work commitments, but not our personal ones. Our personal lives often take a back seat to our professional obligations. This is a choice we make, and we can begin choosing to prioritize what matters most TODAY!

New Year, New You?

Happy New Year! 2011 has arrived, and my Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with high hopes for the new year. I love hearing about people's goals and plans for this year. What's your vision for 2011? Do you want to see a new you this new year? I do. In fact, each year I hope to see a new and improved me. I want to embrace every opportunity to become a better version of myself.

It rocks to be me. It really does. One of the reasons I have such a positive attitude and a "zest for life" (so I've been told) is because I love myself while always believing that I can improve. I firmly believe that I am a work in progress, and I am patient with myself because I know that change takes time. I want to be the most awesome Amber Fogarty I can be. What does that mean? It means I'm constantly striving to be a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter, a better sister, a better business partner, and so on.

This year I'm committed to my Top 10 List, which includes goals that will help me to improve myself personally and professionally. I can envision how my life will be better when I achieve these goals. Not only will my life be better, but I can also see the lives of those around me improving as I change and become the best version of myself I can be.

How will I stay on track? I have processes in place to hold myself accountable, as well as several trusted accountability partners who will remind me of my goals when I get off track. I recognize the importance of sharing my goals with people who love me enough to hold me accountable and not let me off the hook when I lose focus on what matters most.

From the Protecting Goals program I facilitate, I've learned that to protect my goals, I must protect my energy. We all have certain activities (and people) that drain our energy so I do my best to stay in my "high payoff activities," which are those activities that directly contribute to the achievement of one of my goals.

Throughout my day, I ask myself repeatedly, "Is this the best use of my time right now?" It's so easy to get distracted from my high payoff activities with dozens of interruptions and a lengthy list of action items. When I stop and ask this question, it helps me to refocus and return to my prioritized task list for the day. My days are much more productive when I work this way.

In closing, I'll share a quote that was an instrumental part of my upbringing and is now a vital part of our coaching business:

"If you are not making the progress you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals are not clearly defined."
- Paul J. Meyer

What are your goals? Are they clearly defined? If not, take time today to write down your goals. If you want a new you this new year, goals are the way to get there.