Lynda Bishop, a Core Energy Coach certified through iPEC (Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching), talks with LAsThePlace.com about Summit Alliance Solutions, her coaching practice providing executive coaching and life coaching. She also shares with us the fulfillment that can be gained from networking and support groups.  You can find her actively involved with various networking groups such as The Women’s Circle Network, Team Women of Scottsdale, eWomen’s Network, The Heart Link Network, Anthem Women, and Powerful You! Women’s Network.  She is also an active member of the International Coach Federation – Phoenix Chapter.

LATP:  You have such an incredible story for being one who has faced a lot of adversity and empowered yourself to not only get through it and you have inspired many others to do the same.  What suggestions do you give your clients who are going through their own adversities 

Lynda Bishop: There are many mottos I live by when it comes to adversity and just in life itself!  Depending on the client, who they are and what they believe, some of my own mottos may be helpful to them, some may not.  My background is in cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion focused therapy, so I like to bridge the gaps between thoughts, body signals and emotions.  I encourage people to become more aware of their thoughts, listen to the physical sensations in their bodies and then use this information to understand and manage their emotions.  The whole package equates to the actual experience they are having and their ability to change it.  The ones that seem to resonate with most people I work with include:

•  “The only constant is change – the way things are today will not be the same as they are tomorrow.” (instillation of hope)
• “What you focus on grows.” (Keeping focus on the positive)
• “Can you change it?  Change it.  If you can’t, let it go.” (Reducing feelings of powerless struggle)
• “Perception is reality.” (change your focus/thought and change your experience)
• “Be the kind of person you would like to meet.” (law of attraction concept and taking responsibility for ourselves)

LATP:  In the work you did with the divorce recovery group, what were some of the biggest breakthroughs some of the participants were having? 

Lynda Bishop:  One of the biggest breakthroughs that often happen with people dealing with and healing from a divorce is the moment when they realize that what they are mourning is the death of a dream – not the death of the relationship itself.  Peace often comes when they realize that most of them never had what they think they have lost – they had a dream of what they wanted that never materialized fully.  The other major breakthrough is a core understanding that change is inevitable and that the way they are feeling today is not how they will feel forever.  This realization is the first spark of true hope that carries them to their next step.

LATP:  You have played a very active role in many different networking groups; in what ways have they played a role in your life?

Lynda Bishop: I love networking – especially with other women.  Women network from a relationship perspective.  We make friends first, do business second.  Women love to help their friends so the networking isn’t like “working” at all when it is done from a relationship view.  I have friends that I met many years ago while “networking” that have and continue to enrich my life on a personal level as well as enhancing my professional life.

Being well networked adds real value to what I have to offer to others.  Many times the connections that I have made enable me to put more people together and help them make meaningful connections that have nothing to do with my own business.  This never goes unrewarded on either a personal satisfaction level or by some form of reciprocation.   I love being the “go to” person that people can count on when they need something – whether it is my services or someone else’s!

LATP:  What stands out the most to you in regards to the overall effectiveness of coaching?

Lynda Bishop:  Coaching is a partnership.  Many times I refer to myself as a support partner rather than as a coach.  Coaching Clients are not broken and do not need to be fixed.  Coaching Clients benefit most from having a supportive, honest, and skilled partner who can help them find their own answers and help give them the motivation to chase down their dreams.  This is what makes coaching effective.  The change happens within the client with the support of the coach.

LATP:  In your executive coaching experience, what do you see is lacking in the corporate training environment?

Lynda Bishop:  Empathy! In my experience as a corporate coach and trainer, I often realize that today’s workforce is more technologically savvy than ever – but in this fast paced world, the skill of understanding the experience of others and acknowledging and valuing feelings is often glazed over.  Empathy causes us to slow down and pay attention outside of our own tasks and engage in the human side of interactions.  It is the difference between performing as a human being and a human doing.  Many corporate training experiences are focused much more on proficiency at learning skills and completing tasks and not enough on caring and understanding the human experience side of the business equation.  This lack of empathy is extremely costly as it increases both customer dissatisfaction and employee burnout resulting in low customer loyalty and high employee turnover. 

LATP:  Because of your networking efforts and affiliations, you are able to add a unique service to your clients by introducing them to local support groups; how have you seen this benefit some of your clients?

Lynda Bishop: The benefits of connecting people into support networks are endless.  I have made it my mission to get to know and to link in to several networks and groups around the Phoenix and surrounding areas so that I can be a truly valuable resource to my contacts and clients.  Many of my clients are women who are in their own businesses or who have reported a deep sense of loneliness from a lack of feeling connected to a community.  By having the connections and relationships built, I am able to help guide women who want a deeper sense of belonging, community, support or friendship to groups or other people that fit well for them.  Many communities have become so separatist with neighbors not even knowing each other that it is challenging for people to make connections with others.  I take great joy in being a catalyst in building community and connecting others where they can get that feeling of belonging.

LATP:  What was your primary inspiration for creating Summit Alliance Solutions?

Lynda Bishop: After spending over 20 years in the corporate world, with the last 10 years being spent in executive management, I found myself constantly challenged with company missions and cultures that were missing the bigger picture of success through employee development.  No matter what product or service a company sells, it is the employees of that company that others do business with. As we have recently all been painfully reminded through the real estate industry’s “creative loans” which now are resulting in mass foreclosures and the even more recent Wall Street fiasco, greed and putting profits above people is what cripples our economic system most.

My inspiration for the creation of Summit Alliance Solutions was a vision to grow a company that is dedicated to the movement of putting the human experience and a sense of holistic, people driven purpose back into the bloodstream of corporate America.  Through coaching services and training programs that build on skill such as empathy, positive leadership development and exceptional customer service, Summit Alliance Solutions strives to do our part in the mission to move the corporate energy into a positive, productive energy able to develop people to be their best.  The second wave of Summit Alliance Solutions was developed to take this same concept and make it available to small groups and individuals through coaching and networking services.

LATP:  Out of all of your accomplishments, which would you say has had the most impact on your life?

Lynda Bishop:  This is a hard question to answer as I have found real value and gratitude for all attempted accomplishments, whether they ended up as “successful” or not.  Currently, the accomplishment that is impacting my life most right now is the formation of my women’s social and business networking group, The Women’s Circle.  We meet monthly for dinner and connection with several new and returning women attending each time.  I have watched amazing friendships and support happen in this group each and every meeting and am watching these incredible women overcome their fears and connect with each other, even in these difficult economic times which have affected every one of them.  They are growing stronger, even as the economy grows weaker, and they are laughing and letting go of fears while building a meaningful community together.  While I founded the group, plan and facilitate it every month, the accomplishment really belongs to them.  As in all of “my” accomplishments, I have not truly done any of them alone.

Lynda Bishop does corporate training coupled with corporate coaching, small group life and business coaching and individual coaching, both by phone, and in person in Phoenix, Arizona.  She trains on subjects such as empathy, customer service and leadership development and coaches on the areas of self development, relationships, career, parenting and discovering your life’s purpose.  She also runs monthly networking and coaching groups for women in her community.  If you are interested in learning more about Lynda Bishop and Summit Alliance Solutions, you can go to her website at www.summitalliancesolutions.com, by calling 623-215-6587, and emailing her at Lynda@summitalliancesolutions.com. You can also find her in the directory of iPEC coaches under Divorce Coach, Relationship Coach, Conflict Resolution Coach and more on www.ipeccoaches.com.
  
Lynda Bishop was interviewed by Alanna Levenson, a published writer for www.lastheplace.com and she writes blog entries for www.ipeccoaches.com.
 
Read our article on Lynda Bishop here…