When you are self employed or run your own business there are many hats to be worn: selling, marketing, networking, accounting….and that’s even before you do the day job! All these aspects need attention, are equally important and need to be undertaken on a regular basis. They are like pieces of jigsaw which fit together…
Author: verawoodhead
Put the boot on the other foot: develop a niche
Last week I bought a pair of trainers via the internet for the very first time. I have been buying the same Asics Kayano Gel make and model for the past 4 years. They were £40 cheaper than buying them from my local running shop of which I am keen supporter of. Having netted a bargain, I…
What does an empty boat and a group of golliwogs have to do with emotions?
On a foggy morning on a narrow river, a man is mooring his boat up the river and out of the fog he sees another boat hurtling downstream towards him. He shouts and screams at the other person to look out, get out of the way. However the boat continues to approach without changing course,…
Baby on Board: 6 coaching tips to help women at the top
Climbing the career ladder whilst looking after your family often results in great conflict for many women. Finding a healthy balance and maintaining and managing this delicate equilibrium is a constant challenge for most career women. This is cited as the biggest barrier to women getting senior jobs (‘What Holds Women Back?‘ Opportunity Now, Business…
Coaching clients in midlife and transition
Middle aged and loving it. This week I will be celebrating my birthday and it got me thinking about ‘midlife’ because I think I have already lived half of my life time! So what is midlife? I have a vivid memory of attending a 50th birthday party at the age of 22 years. I remember…
Reclaim your creativity! 5 ways to help you
“Even if we don’t have the good fortune to discover a new chemical element or write a great story, the love of the creative process for its own sake is available to all” (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) Over the past week, I have had the opportunity to make connections and meet with 3 people who use creativity within their…
Top 10 tips for initiating successful change
Challenges of growth, economic downturn, competitive pressures, shifting and global markets and tougher trading conditions are some of the factors that cause organisations to change. This may result in the changing of focus, expanding or contracting activities and rethinking products and services that are offered. Leading and managing change requires the objectives of the change…
Transitions
The last few weeks have been eventful. My trip to India has been postponed to a date that I cannot make in April. As this was the third change of date I have decided to withdraw from the challenge completely. This has been such a disappointment as I was really looking forward to going to India and…
How does coaching support team working?
How does coaching support team working? This was the question that my research sought to find out and which I will be presenting at the 7th Annual Coaching and Mentoring Research Conference on Thursday 20th January in Oxford. Why teams? The contribution that a team can make to an organisation’s goals can be far greater…
Planning for success
In my last blog I talked about setting personal goals and resolutions. Buisnesses also need to plan where they are heading, what they need to do to get there, how they will monitor their progress and evaluate success. Whilst one cannot predict the future, one can anticipate and plan for what lies ahead. A strategic plan will help you…