NEW BOOK RELEASE!

Dancing the Tightrope; What Falling Off a Horse Taught Me About Embracing Pressure, Fear, and Uncertainty

In Lynn Carnes new book, find out how pressure, something we may not like, can become the catalyst to unleashing our most courageous self.

Read the Introduction and the First Chapter by Clicking Here.

Get the book on Amazon! 

lynn-carnes

Hi, I'm Lynn Carnes. My official title is Executive Coach, focusing deeply on leadership.  My unofficial title is "Professional Unleasher", focusing on unleashing YOU. If you believe you have to choose between performing under pressure and having work life balance, you might be making a false choice.  What if you need BOTH in order to get what you want?

Is pressure happening to you or for you?

Pressure takes our power away. You can either strive to keep pressure from crushing you  -  or you can allow it to elevate you. The first way is an outside–in approach that allows the external world to define you. It comes from the proving mindset that our modern world perpetuates. Following the “rules” puts the power in everyone else’s hands. Isn’t that convenient for them?

Does any of this happen to you?

  • Everyone you work with thinks their priorities should be YOUR priorities.
  • You’ve been told you are up for promotion, but it would help to have more ”executive presence.” (And what the heck is executive presence anyway?)
  • You feel powerless to delegate because people are making mistakes and you are not sure what to do about it.
  • Just about the time you are in a rhythm with your boss and co-workers, they change everything, and it feels like you are starting over.
  • The only way you will meet your objectives is to say no to people that matter…and you hate disappointing people or feeling like you can’t do it all
  • You feel like you must answer every email or phone call immediately, and yet doing so leaves you little or no time to get your primary work done
  • You believe that you could perform so much better if you just had less pressure.

If this kind of pressure defines your life, you might feel like you are slowly drowning.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Pressure is the catalyst for your growth

The second way is an inside-out approach that keeps the power in your hands. We cannot escape pressure (as much as we would like to). However, we can make new choices under pressure that free us from our past. Pressure is not the problem; how we’ve been indoctrinated to handle pressure works against us. When you choose an improving mindset, it’s ok to make mistakes. Recovery from disequilibrium becomes more important than the end goal.

  • There is a way to say no to those who are sweeping you up into their game, including your boss.
  • You can develop executive presence, only not the way you’ve probably been taught.
  • Your glass ceiling is defined by your ability to handle mistakes made by others on your behalf – and you can raise that ceiling.
  • Change is a constant and co-workers, bosses and strategies will come and go; you can dance with all of it by learning how to reach for your “tools” instead of the “rules” made by others.
  • You can become the co-writer of your life.

You are going to be uncomfortable either way. The focus on proving yourself creates a hole you can never fill. The discomfort from cultivating an improving, learning mindset offers deeper rewards by charting your own path. You might even find peace of mind.

Instead of chasing empty goals, my hope for you is a journey of self-awareness, one which unleashes the true spirit within you.

Curious about how to make pressure work for you? Start by discovering the hidden rules that limit you. Download this free coaching exercise:

The Rule Breakers Guide to Success

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

* Bonus *

You'll also get access to the Coaching Digest - four emails a month where I share coaching insights and podcast interviews with personal mentors who give their secrets for resolving pressure, dealing with mistakes, and pivoting from failure.

Here's my story.

Fighting to make it to the top then realizing I could have a great life - TODAY

GO DEEPER WITH THESE BOOKS

Lynn Carnes: Dancing the Tightrope What Falling Off a Horse Taught Me About Embracing Pressure, Fear, and Uncertainty

Lynn Carnes: The Elegant Pivot: An Inspired Move for Navigating Corporate Politics

Lynn Carnes: The Delicate Art: Learn to Say "No" and Unleash Your Performance

The latest from my desk

banner-image
TEDx Talk

Raging Bitch to Engaging Coach

Oct 19, 2015

Energizers, De-energizers and Capacity

Over the last week, I’ve been doing my “prior year review”, as I mentioned in my email on Friday. What a clarifying exercise it has been! In no particular order, I will start with some of the insights I’ve gleaned. Maybe the most important was this: My energizers far outweigh my de-energizers. Yes, I had […]

A Year End Review

Well, here we are again. It’s the end of the year and everyone is talking about New Year’s Resolutions. If deciding to do something different changed things, I would be all for it. But think about it. How well does the annual New Year resolution process work? If the empty gyms at the end of […]

Another Kind of Listening

We had a weather warn day here in the mountains of North Carolina this week. Actually, we had three of them. The weather forecasters at our local station started informing us that a massive storm was coming and that initially we would have rain and then we would have extreme wind, along with falling trees […]

Courage Fuels Confidence

My pottery studio calls me during the dark nights of fall and winter. When I’m tempted to go to bed at 6:00, playing with the clay offers a productive alternative. Over the last decade, these dark nights have netted me many more pieces than I could ever use myself. My studio is full of bowls […]

Tis the Season for…Recovery

We are now into the season of gratitude, cheer, love and…exhaustion. While this time of year can fill us with joy and connection, it can also wear us out. It’s easy to forget our own needs while we welcome friends and family to our table, look for the perfect gift and eat the fun foods […]