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About Denise Corcoran
Denise Corcoran works with CEOs and executive teams seeking rapid growth yet are challenged by the “invisible barriers” that keep them stuck, overwhelmed or in crisis mode. Her company —The Empowered Business — is one of the few companies providing whole brain, strategic solutions for unleashing leadership and organizational potential. Her secret sauce is assisting CEOs and executive teams develop the “X factor” – i.e., the mindset, attitudes and game-changing thinking -- that drives double and triple digit growth … by design.
Here are my most recent posts
What’s sabotaging your growth?
Driving profitable growth is at the top of every leader’s priority list. Yet, according to Bain and Company, only 10% succeed in achieving sustainable profitable growth.
While growth is the life-blood of every business, at some point, your company will experience the double edge sword of growth.
Either your company will grow faster than your internal capacity to handle it. Chaos, breakdowns and burnout are the result.
OR
Your company hits a wall and growth flattens. As a result, panic often sets in and leaders make rash decisions – either prolonging the stall or causing the company to spiral downward.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on March 23, 2016 in Company Culture, Fast Growth, Hiring Practices, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Organizational Performance, Organizational Transformation, Profitability.
The Secret Weapon of Great Leaders.
Have you ever experienced in a meeting where a seasoned leader listened intently and then, with exquisite timing, asked one question that shifted the direction, focus and thinking of the entire team?
That is the magic and power of questions!
To move the needle in your organization in 2016, the first place to start is by asking thought-provoking questions. The 7 questions below are by no means exhaustive. They serve as a starting point to stimulate your own questions.
These (or comparable) questions can make the difference between a successful 2016 and a disappointing one.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on January 27, 2016 in Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Strategic Thinking.
The Secret Groundwork to an Extraordinary 2016
A new year is just around the corner. Another year is about to end.
Be honest with yourself …
· Are you feeling tired, stressed or depressed?
· Are you feeling disconnected from what really matters to you?
· Are you feeling like you have lost your way, not even realizing it?
In my experience, when December hits, many leaders are burned out and depleted. They are running on empty.
And understandably so. The demands on a leader’s energy and attention throughout the year are endless. I’ve been there myself. I know.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on December 9, 2015 in Emotional Mastery, Goal Achievement, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.
Are You Ready To Make the Leap?
Your company is growing and has gained recognition and success. Your culture and employees are thriving and you are so proud of everyone’s accomplishments.
Yet …
you feel something is missing. You can’t put your finger on what. After all, it’s been a challenging journey. In many ways, you and your organization have arrived at its desired destination.
How could something be missing?
Guess what?
You are not alone.
That gnawing feeling of something missing is a positive thing. It’s a sign your soul is stirring …
To something greater than your role and your company.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on October 20, 2015 in Emotional Mastery, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.
Guest article by Marcella Bremer
How are you?
Busy? Relaxed? Energized? Tired?
I notice a pattern in modern life. I’m going too fast and packing too much in my days. I’m hunting for 
stimuli – or at least I’m distracted by them. I notice restlessness when I’m already tired. I see most people around me living by schedules that don’t leave space to slow down and to be mindfully aware of what really happens. How do you wake up to the present?
I’m lucky, though. Since I am self-employed, I can schedule time for contemplation. I know that I need some time for silence – to be my best self again when I work with clients.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on September 29, 2015 in Emotional Mastery, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.
Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Gloria Steinem
When I was a little girl, my mother encouraged me to dream. She would often tell me … “Dream big dreams. It does not cost anything to dream.”
So as a child, I would imagine myself becoming …
possibility thinking
… A gold Olympic ice skater on one day.
… The first woman astronaut on another day.
… Then it was a toss up between a princess, a cowgirl or a Mickey Mouse musketeer on the other days.
Nobody ever told me that anything was impossible. I am grateful for those early days that shaped me to thrive possibilities.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on August 18, 2015 in Accountability, Goal Achievement, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Vision.
What if…
- You could easily predict the performance of your leaders, your teams and your organization?
- You could gain access to the underlying motivators that drive a leader or employee to do their best work?
- You could eliminate costly hiring mistakes and determine in advance to what extent a candidate will perform well in a role?
Such a solution exists and can unleash the potential and performance within your organization.
It’s called motivational profiling. Your underlying (and often unconscious) attitudes and motivations determine what you pay attention to and focus on in your leadership role.
These deep motivation and attitudinal patterns (MAPs) ultimately drive – yours and others’ –
- Behaviors
- Decision making style
- Requirements for change and variety
- Dominant motivation driver
- Levels of strategic and visionary thinking
- Relationship to norms/rules
- Orientation toward innovation and creativity
- And much more
Drawing on recent evolutions in cognitive science research, motivational profiling is a state-of-the-art assessment tool that provides a window into yours and your employees’ intrinsic motivations and attitudes at work.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on July 14, 2015 in Assessments, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation, Organizational Performance, Top Talent.
Guest Article by Dan Seidman
Picture this, you’re 12 years old and you fly into the house after school. “Mom, Dad, guess what I decided today? I’m gonna be a doctor!”
Mom is always encouraging. “Honey, that’s great! Doctors are well respected. You’ll make good money, have a nice spouse and a nice house. I’m so glad you’re going to be a doctor.”
In contrast, how might Dad respond? “A doctor? Are you kidding me? Do you know how many years you have to go to school to become a doctor? Do you know how much money it costs? And you’ll be working with sick people all day.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on July 7, 2015 in Influence, Mindset, Motivation, Selling.
Which keep you small?
Fears keeping you small
All leaders have fears. However, not all your fears are created equal.
Some may manifest as low level anxieties. Some are life paralyzing phobias. Some may be triggered only by certain events – like fear of public speaking. Others may be life-long fears.
Then there are the “big guns.” These are the core unconscious leadership fears from which all other fears come. They override every aspect of your being.
In this article you will learn 7 unconscious leadership fears that keep you small. First, it’s important to understand the nature of fear.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on June 17, 2015 in Beliefs, Emotional Mastery, Leadership Development, Leadership Performance, Mindset, Motivation.
From time to time, I find an article written by one of my colleagues that I want my clients to know about. The following article — Time is Money: The 3 Different Approaches to Strategic Planning — was written by Gabriel Najera — Founder, Najera Consulting Group. For more information about Gabriel, see his byline below.
Even though I did strategy development for billion dollar corporations in the early days of my business 30 years ago, I had no idea that there were 3 different approaches to strategic planning. I learned alot from this article. I know you will too!
Time is Money: The 3 Different Approaches to Strategic Planning
“The marvelous thing about lack of planning is that failure comes as a complete and utter surprise.”
– Peter Green
One of the biggest challenges organizations face is making the commitment to develop a well thought out strategic plan.
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Posted by Denise Corcoran on June 16, 2015 in Goal Achievement, Strategic Thinking.
While growth is the life-blood of every business, at some point, your company will experience the double edge sword of growth.
