Blog Layout

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS WITH SHANDEL GROUP

Shandel Sutherland • Apr 18, 2024

7-MINUTE READ


THE CONTEXT

I am thrilled to pass on a note that my partner, and the founder of Shandel Group, shared with a number of colleagues and clients that we have partnered with over the years on Monday, August 17th, 2020.


Before you read through a brief pulse on Shandel Group, I want to lay some context for us to bear in mind. At the time of writing, Q3 2020, the U.S. is wrestling through a number of uncertainties. 


ENTERING THE 1920S

We were still fighting The Spanish Flu. The virus that infected 500 million people worldwide & killed an estimated 20 to 50 Million victims—that's more than all of the soldiers and civilians killed during World War I combined. 


ENTERING THE 1930S

We were feeling the impact of The Great Depression. Known as the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939.


ENTERING THE 1940S

We were gearing up to help fight against Hitler’s conquest of the Balkans and extermination of the Jews from throughout German-occupied Europe.


ENTERING THE 1960S

While we were already in the fight for Civil Rights and ongoing protests, traction began to increase. In fact, we were on the precipice of more than a quarter-million people participating in the March on Washington where King would give his “I have a dream” speech.


ENTERING THE 2000S AND 2010S

We were experiencing the early 2000’s recession with a decline in economic activity which mainly occurred in developed countries. The economic decline was perpetuated in 2008 with the beginning of The Great Recession. 


THE 2020S

Pause for just one moment here, look at that timeline! These dates go back to just over one hundred years ago. And yet, here were are in Q3 of 2020. Within the last seven months or so, we have experienced nearly all of those monumental moments! There has been and still is a viral pandemic, a self-induced economic downturn, hundreds of prolonged protests, and to boot, a heated presidential election is just months away. Thank goodness there is a Middle East Peace Treaty instead of preparations for war!


Yet, amidst all of this uncertainty, there is one thing I know. In fact, it is actually one woman I know that stands waiting ready. Ready to help, support, and even just be a sounding board if you need it. Her name, as I imagine you can guess, is indeed Shandel Sutherland. She is one of the most patient, kind, helpful, generous, self-sacrificing, and faithful people I know. Were it not for Shandel and her tenacity and wisdom, this organization would not be here, helping people and teams in a time that lacks clarity!


While this update might take four-minutes longer than usual to read, I encourage you to read through until the end. Why? Because there is good news and evidence of real leaders, doing real work, with real risk, all while striving to serve others really well.


Cheers to you, Shandel! I know that we did not discuss this nor did you know that I would share all of this publicly. You may not pursue the spotlight (though when put on the spot you do shine :) I simply want you to know that I represent 1000’s, if not 100,000 other people, who have grown into a better version of themselves because of you! 


I love you, my friend and mentor!


Alan Andersen


ENJOY SHANDEL’S NOTE…


20 YEARS OLD TODAY!


August 17, 2000 right in the heart of Time Square in NYC, I discovered coaching at a CEO conference. I knew I found my calling!


Twenty years later, I am as passionate as ever. We are thriving and serving our clients with vigor, wisdom, and tools via this boutique coaching firm called Shandel Group (formerly True Life Coaching) and loving it more each day.


A FEW SHANDEL GROUP 2020 HIGHLIGHTS:

Alan Andersen got certified in The Prioritized Leader in March and is crushing it with our Leadership Labs (90-day training for up and coming leaders.)


  • My husband, John “Scott” Sutherland, has launched a division for Dental Practices. He has been a dentist for 2 decades and in less than 3 years we doubled his practice with the Shandel Group tools. He loves it so much, that he puts down the drill a few days a month to invest in other dentists to grow their people and their profits.


  • Shandel just finished the two-week intensive training to be Enneagram certified – so awesome to offer this to our clients.


  • Our book, Clarity: Focusing on What Matters, is going to be revised and published for 2021. Timeless principles for these crazy times!


NON-PROFIT LAUNCHED CALLED J FACTOR KIDS.

TODAY we launched J Factor Kids Academy where a single mom with 5 kids can continue to work her full-time job while we assist 4 of the kids with their distant learning. This is part of a bigger mission to encourage, exhort, and equip single parents and kids from hard places to be next-generation leaders. Scott and I are beyond thrilled with the results we experience as we pour our time and resources out for this vision. We want to invite like-minded investors along in our journey to both serve and sponsor more kids to be coached and mentored. We have our 501 (c) (3) with the IRS but waiting still on official papers from California. Watch us grow here.

 


LEADERSHIP CONTENT FOR FREE!

With no more foster kiddos in the house, Shandel is back in the saddle and focused to deliver leadership content like the good ole days. The “Silver Lining of COVID” has enabled me to live my dream. My skill set in facilitation and coaching teams has shined forth via Zoom Meetings. It is awesome to be impactful and not leave my house!" Our newsletter is coming back. Our blog and daily quote are being refreshed. We see the need for leadership training more than ever with all the changes and stress. We are compelled to help educate with skills, tools, and knowledge. We plan to join the podcast / You Tube scene later this season. 

 

I hope you will join us on Satchel, we will send another one later this week via that platform with a special treat.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US ALL! It all of you who have contributed to making us successful for 20 years! 


HERE’S TO THE NEXT 20!

Your Shandel Group Team

TAKE THE TIME TO INVEST IN YOURSELF BY INVESTING IN OTHERS

By Shandel Sutherland • 21 Apr, 2024
3-MINUTE READ As a leader, what are you missing that would help you achieve “the next level'? Chances are it is a person. Even more likely it is a person who is in the next room or down the hall from you at this very moment! Yet, we sit stressed and maxed out as they sit underutilized and bored. They desire meaning, mentoring and challenge, while we desire initiative and productivity. Still, both parties sit in their comfortable and familiar rut. This is a very poor utilization of assets and leaves huge profits on the table. THE ART OF INVESTING Think of your time as you would your money. A wise person thinks in a long-term manner about their money and how to spend and/or invest it for the greatest ROI (return on investment.) Consider the focus, time, and energy you devote to making, saving, and investing money for a specifically defined purpose. Now, that is exactly how you need to approach the time you invest in the people in your sphere of influence; and it is an art. A skill that must be learned and then uniquely applied according to each individual who can share in accomplishing the goal. STEPS ON INVESTING IN OTHERS 1. You must have clarity about what you are trying to accomplish. What outcomes you want to focus on and why does it matter? Is the vision compelling enough to get others involved and want to share in the ownership? 2. Focus on the few things only you and you alone can do. What are the unique strengths that you bring to the vision that no one else possesses on the team? What are the other things or tasks you are currently doing (and yes, we know you can do them well) but others could do just as good if not better? Make a list and identify the ones that steal the most time. 3. Find people that have the strengths and abilities to do the tasks you have identified. Before you approach them, work through all the fears you have about delegating, letting go, and giving up control. You may need your coach for this portion. 4. Connect with the person you would like to delegate your tasks to and make sure you have plenty of time to talk it out and get buy-in. Share your vision and your goal of investing in the person's professional and personal growth by passing on these specific tasks. Press for push back, find all the holes together, make sure you have healthy conflict to vet out all their fears and share your concerns as well. 5. Train the person on how you currently do the task. A: Show/tell them how to do it. B: Do it with them. C: Observe them as they do it for you. D: Coach them as they do it without you. E: Trust them as they do it alone. F: Check in often and create space for continuous improvement. You have just invested in one of your people and they are feeling empowered and trusted. Equally as important, you have just opened up a huge amount of time to operate in your strength and talent which you alone do best. It is now time to do it again and again until you are only operating in your strengths! What do you think about investing in yourself by investing in others? Your Coach,  Shandel Sutherland

HOW'S YOUR TEAMWORK?

By Shandel Sutherland • 21 Apr, 2024
3-MINUTE READ Teamwork is a method that aligns employee mindsets in a cooperative and usually selfless manner towards a specific business purpose. Today there is no business or organization that doesn’t talk about the need for and value of teamwork in the workplace. Some things cannot be accomplished by people working individually. Larger, more ambitious goals usually require that people work together with others. Because of this, teamwork is a desired goal of many businesses and organizations today. People who have well developed teamwork skills easily form relationships with mutual respect among diverse types of people. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of others and place a high priority on the success of their department and/or organization. People with strong skills in teamwork support team decisions and share responsibility with team members for successes and failures. How do you develop your own skills in Teamwork? • Show respect for all other people and display sincere interest in them as individuals. • Work on improving or enhancing your communication skills. • Give positive feedback as often as possible. • If you have a difficult relationship with someone, work to improve it through self-awareness and respect for differences. • Be enthusiastic about your ideas but don’t be overbearing or domineering when you express them. Try not to interrupt other people and listen to their ideas carefully before you disagree. • Discuss your ideas with your teammates until you agree. • Be willing to step back from a disagreement and cooperate. • Teach yourself not to be defensive. Think of negative feedback as opportunities for improvement, not personal affronts. • Be tolerant of others. Recognize that others’ viewpoints are as important to them as yours are to you! Self-observation Ask someone you trust to help you identify times when you come across as overbearing, domineering or intolerant of others. Keep a log of your behavior over the next month or so. Then, try to answer the following questions as you look at your notes: • Are there patterns to your actions? What are they? • Do you interrupt often in meetings or conversations? Do you interrupt certain people more often than others? • Are you particularly sensitive or domineering on certain topics or with certain people? • How does your behavior make those people feel and/or react? If you discover you would like to build your teamwork skills or the skills of your team, we would be glad to be part of the process. Your Coach,  Shandel
More Posts
Share by: