My blog for this week can be found on Rachel Miller’s Diary of an Internal Communicator site. You can follow Rachel on Twitter at @AllthingsIC You can also read it below: On July 10, I was tuned into Radio4 on my way to meet a client. At 9 o’clock, the economic historian Professor Niall Ferguson started his presentation…
Author: verawoodhead
If you are happy and you know it…
Yesterday the Office of National Statistics released its findings as part of the inaugural subjective wellbeing survey commissioned by David Cameron in an attempt to chart the nation’s happiness alongside economic data such as GDP. Whilst you may disagree with its subjectiveness, cost of £2m a year and view it as being “candy floss –…
Doing our work with love and compassion
Today’s guest post is by Jan Brause (@JanBrause) who shares her insights from Coaches Connect. Jan is a performance development consultant, professional coach and coach supervisor with many years successful experience of enabling personal growth and performance improvement through a passionate focus on the individual in an organisational context. There was an inspirational line up…
Connectedness: relationships for a better future
In my early teens, my older sister and I left our home in Guyana, South America and our parents to live with a spinster aunt in England. Civic unrest and a better future led to the agonising decision of my parents to send their only 2 children to live in a distant land. I left…
What foundations are you laying for the future?
Yesterday, as I dropped my eldest child off to spend a month with a group of strangers in another continent, I experienced a multitude of emotions from tremendous anxiety and worry to pride. My worries ranged from concerns about her safety, her health and wellbeing, about being so far away from home… to immense pride…
Can your strengths become your flaws?
After 20 years of facilitating personal and leadership development, I think that I have a good understanding of what my strengths are and put them to use as much as possible. However, a series of unfortunate events over the past few months have made me realise that my strengths are also a source of my weaknesses.…
Will the real Mrs W please stand up? Banishing The Impostor in the room
Earlier this week I was working down in London and took the opportunity to catch up with a friend. I inquired how her morning had been as she did not seem her usual bouncy self. She responded that she has had a couple of graduates working with her and went on to say, “You know…
Culture: connecting home and the workplace
Whilst we tucking into our Sunday roast, the discussion strayed into getting the eldest to keep her room tidy, something which she describes as nagging. ‘We are good children’ she remarked, ‘some of the people at school are just not nice, you could have had them as your kids’. My husband and I simultaneously responded…
Leading with your gut. Do you trust and use your intuitions?
Whilst out running on the moors last Sunday, I came upon an expansive boggy area where a few strategically placed stones acted as stepping stones. I stopped to look where I was placing my feet when I noticed something brown and well camouflaged within the bog. A closer inspection revealed that it was a lapwing chick.…
Who’s hiding behind that professional mask? Authentic leadership
Last week I was at a networking event where the format was based around coffee and cake. You turn up, mingle, eat cake, drink coffee and chat with fellow guests. Next was a Question and Answer slot where the guest is questioned by the audience. There is a real mix of audience participation and sharing of…