As the speed and impact of technology continues to advance, agility is the new must-have competency that many employers are asking of their employees and screening for during the interview process. Agility has become as important as the those “bread and butter” competencies of personal initiative, concern for effectiveness, enthusiasm for work, and excellent communication skills. Many people assume agility is the same as flexibility, but I believe agility demands a higher performance level that leaves the typical definition of flexibility in the dust.
As a work competency, flexibility refers to the willingness and ability of employees to respond to changes in their job expectations and work environment. Flexibility is certainly valued by employers, who understand that human nature typically resists change and prefers predictability. I propose that agility is a proactive competency and defines how employees approach and carry out their work. Since agile employees expect change, they proactively develop ways to organize and adapt to deliver transformational results. Great leaders coach change management and help their teams grow their agility quotient, so they can continue to innovate in a volatile and complex business environment.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, leadership expert, and consultant with an extensive background in business development. She coaches individuals as well as designs and facilitates specific workshops that address her clients’ business needs. Reach out to her at sandra.s.dillon@hotmail.com or 281.793.3741 to further the conversation and determine how she can help you grow your business.
As an entrepreneurial business person, I have always pursued opportunities to transfer technology or share best practices across industries. When I was leading a liquid polymer business at Mobil Chemical in the early 2000’s, I worked with Procter & Gamble’s haircare division to reformulate its Pert Plus 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner with the synthetic base stocks in Mobil 1 engine oil. Who would have thought that the lubricants in motor oil technology could serve as the conditioning chaise in haircare?
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach and consultant with an extensive background in business development and leadership. She coaches individuals as well as designs and facilitates specific workshops that address her clients’ business needs. Reach out to her at 
Since September 2010, my friend, Henry, and I have been exchanging postcards on a weekly basis. No, we aren’t on the road traveling, only living life within commuting distance from our hometowns. Some weeks I receive just 1 postcard, and other weeks I might find 4-7 postcards in my mailbox. The quantity depends on the weather and how many miles Henry wants to walk to drop these little slivers of life news into the post office mail slot.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, consultant, and mentor with an extensive background in business development, leadership, and ministry which provides her with the experience, relational skills, and proven processes to move individuals, couples, and leaders to higher levels of personal awareness, effectiveness, and goal achievement. She coaches in a variety of areas including life purpose and plans, business, finances, and premarital/marriage. She can be reached at 
Although companies manage their businesses along three leading strategies, they usually select one primary strategy to drive revenue and gross margin: (1) operational excellence (low cost manufacturing), (2) technology leadership, and (3) customer intimacy. Many businesses do not have the resources to build the operational scale to beat their competition on price and gain market share. Others do not have the patent protection, know-how, or trade secrets to drive on a technology leadership strategy, nor the high product demand as Honda did in 1988 as advertised in its TV commercial: The car that sells itself. In most cases, businesses choose customer intimacy as their primary strategy to sell their products and services.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach and consultant with an extensive background in business development and leadership. She coaches individuals as well as designs and facilitates specific workshops that address her clients’ business needs. Reach out to her at 
People have a propensity to concentrate most of their thoughts and energy into either the past, present, or future, with their preferred time realm a result of a complicated set of personal circumstances and experiences. Without having thought much about this concept and its implications, we tend to behave in ways that align with our preferred time perspective. The first BIG question we should ask ourselves: In what time dimension are the majority of my thoughts and conversations directed?
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, consultant, and mentor with an extensive background in business development, leadership, and ministry which provides her with the experience, relational skills, and proven processes to move individuals, couples, and leaders to higher levels of personal awareness, effectiveness, and goal achievement. She coaches in a variety of areas including leadership, life purpose/plans, business, finances, and premarital/marriage. She can be reached at 
The media is flooded with research and articles on Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Intelligence/Quotient (EI/EQ), and their role in personal life success. On the contrary, few studies have mentioned the importance of Communication Quotient/Intelligence (CQ/I). Whereas IQ measures mental capacity to learn and EQ the use of emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, CI reflects the ability to communicate effectively. Communication intelligence is a complex concept encompassing both effective speaking and listening skills.
Not only are people not rewarded for good listening, they are generally not highly skilled at it. Why? I would propose, because effective listening is rarely taught. Burley-Allen (1995) compared four communication modes with their percentage of time used and formal years of training. Although the majority of communication (40%) is spent in listening mode, the American education system spends a fraction of the time teaching effective listening skills. Instead, most of our learning is modeled by our parents in early childhood and reflected in our reward and punishment patterns. Our communication intelligence is built on the socialization process started in our families.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, consultant, and mentor with an extensive background in business development, leadership, and ministry which provides her with the experience, relational skills, and proven processes to move individuals, couples, and leaders to higher levels of personal awareness, effectiveness, and goal achievement. She coaches in a variety of areas including leadership, life purpose/plans, business, finances, and premarital/marriage. She can be reached at 
Job searchers are asking the question, “What are interviewers really looking for in job candidates?” If you have not interviewed in years, you may be surprised that the rules and criteria of successful interviewing have changed. This should not come as a surprise. Just as the where, when, and how of our work has changed, so have what employers look for in potential candidates.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, consultant, and mentor with an extensive background in business development, leadership, and ministry which provides her with the experience, relational skills, and proven processes to move individuals, couples, and leaders to higher levels of personal awareness, effectiveness, and goal achievement. She coaches in a variety of areas including leadership, life purpose/plans, business, finances, and premarital/marriage. She can be reached at 
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, consultant, and mentor with an extensive background in business development, leadership, and ministry which provides her with the experience, relational skills, and proven processes to move individuals, couples, and leaders to higher levels of personal awareness, effectiveness, and goal achievement. She coaches in a variety of areas including life purpose and plans, business, finances, and premarital/marriage. She can be reached at 
What is the job description of a leader? I believe the number one responsibility of a leader is to draw out leadership in others. Who is more qualified to develop an emerging leader than another leader? If a leader will not do it, who else will? Although investing time in another leader may seem like adding more to a growing to-do list, leaders benefit and perform at their best when they coach and mentor emerging leaders.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach, consultant, and mentor with an extensive background in business development, leadership, and ministry which provides her with the experience, relational skills, and proven processes to move individuals, couples, and leaders to higher levels of personal awareness, effectiveness, and goal achievement. She coaches in a variety of areas including life purpose and plans, business, finances, and premarital/marriage. 
Leadership & Life Coaching 