Blog
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Leadership
One word, with so many different meanings and nuances! What does it mean to you? How has your own perspective of leadership evolved over the years? How does leader development differ from leadership development? How are you building the collective leadership capacity of your organisation? If you are a leader, a coach who works with……
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8 reasons why your organisation needs an internal coaching function
An Internal Coaching function is a strategic investment that can yield substantial benefits for your organisation. Following my post on ‘How to build an internal coaching function’, last week, I was asked if there is a place for internal coaching and does it work! Having worked both as an external and internal coach, I have……
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7 tips to building an internal coaching function
“I’m now qualified, and want to coach people within my organisation, what advice would you give?” My week started with this conversation with a connection who wanted to ‘pick my brains’ on the topic. Whether coaching is carried out in addition to the day job or as a full-time role, for internal coaching to be……
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Holding a safe space
What does ‘holding a safe space’ mean? I was asked this question by someone new to coaching. It is the space that we hold for our coachees which enables them to feel safe to open up, to be vulnerable and be their authentic selves. A space where feelings, emotions and thoughts can expressed without the fear……
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Experience alone will only get you so far
‘What can you do?’ asked Mr Smith (not his real name!) in a somewhat riled manner. His dull blue eyes stared across the table. I was in the early days of my consulting practice and at a business networking meeting explaining what I do, how I work, add value, outcomes… ‘ I’ve been running my business for……
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9 reasons to engage in group discussions and 10 ways to generate good ones
When asked to form discussion groups in a workshop, on a training day or at an event ….do you do so grudgingly or with an energy and enthusiasm? Discussions come in many guises and can be: Informal or formal Structured or unstructured Open to those with an interest e.g Twitter chats #ldinsights on a Fri……
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C is for Coaching
Coaching is a highly personalised way of learning as it focuses on your specific individual needs and context. Working one to one with a coach in a confidential and non judgemental space, it harnesses your own resources, skills and creativity to help you create new ways of thinking, doing and feeling to move you forward.……
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B is for Blogs Blogging
Whatever your interest and passions are, you are likely to find a blog on the topic. Since the early 2000s, there has been an exponential rise of blogs which are now well established within the online space. Why read? Blogs from respected authors, industry experts, people are passionate about their field can: Provide insights and……
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A is for Action Learning
A recent conversation about how learning has changed over the decades has prompted this series and challenged me to come up with 26 ways to learn #AtoZofLearning. Digital content, tools and technology is transforming how learning is designed and delivered. Accessing learning any time, anywhere, any device, individually or collectively has given choice, flexibility and……
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Walk in her shoes, Coaching walks
A few days ago, this picture of Celine caught my eye. Instead of going to school, 4 year old Celine walks miles every day to collect water. No school means no education – no opportunity to learn to read, write, have a better future. It resonated. Born in a developing country, I know what it……
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Am I too old for promotion?
‘Am I too old to go for that promotion?’ asks Mary. At 53 years old or young, she is questioning the possibility of going for a promotion at work. Mary took a career break to bring up her 3 children. She re entered the workplace 7 years ago when her youngest child started secondary school.……
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Banish limiting beliefs to progress your career
Have you ever been in a situation in which you did not perform as well as you could, leaving your confidence at a low and a reluctance to put yourself in such situations again? I know that I have and in most cases have plucked up the courage to have another stab at it. But……
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Develop your team by helping them to be problems solvers
Emma is nettled. I can see it in her body posture and hear it in her voice. She is describing her boss and the impact his approach to managing and leading the team is having. Emma is a highly skilled professional. Her new boss keeps telling her what to do, gives advice and always has……
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Why be a Hero when you can be a Leader?
Katy flops down in the chair. Her shoulders are sagging, she looks drawn and weary. When asked how she was feeling, her response was, “I am worn out, pooped, dog tired’. ‘What’s causing this?’ I enquired. ‘I seem to spend all my time fixing other people’s problems, and then having to catch up on my……
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Effective leaders coach. 5 guaranteed ways to better conversations
Tony wants to have better conversation with his staff. He is keen to enable his team to experience the benefits of coaching conversations as he did through our coaching sessions. ‘How will I know that I am engaging in coaching conversations?’ he asks. Coaching conversations differ from normal conversations. The purpose of a coaching……
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Get the most out of your team: Start building trust
Last week I was working with a leader who was poor at communicating with his team in a timely fashion, often micromanaging and engaging in excessive oversight. Things came to a head when one of his team members blurted out in a heated exchange that he was “controlling, made promises that were not fulfilled, didn’t……
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How to have those difficult conversations you avoid
It’s weighing on your mind, disrupting your thoughts, pulling you down. You know that you got to have that conversation. But you don’t want to. You are not sure how the other person will react and even more importantly how you will react. You are hoping that someone else might address it, that it might……
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A tale of 3 leaders
Once upon a time there lived William, the owner of a company called, Allsorts. He had 3 children and bestowed an equal share of the company to each. His wish was that they use their share for the benefit of Allsorts and the people that work there. He gave them free reign, promising to return……
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Get the most out of your team: Stop micromanaging & start coaching
“I couldn’t possibly let him close the deal on his own. What if he gets it wrong or can’t answer a question, I have to be there”, says Gary. I am in a room with 11 sales directors who have been identified as ‘not able to let go, not letting their sales reps develop, taking over their……
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Telling stories: to inspire future leaders
Everyone loves a good story and most of us would have been captivated by stories in our childhood. Good stories grab our attention, touch our hearts, inspire us and enable us to vicariously learn through the other person’s experiences. Stories can be used in any aspect of communication to create a journey of imagination in……
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Learning to lead through adaptive challenges
I am listening to my group of participants as they share their updates on their leadership projects. Their projects are scoped from the challenges that their teams and organisations are facing. Leadership skills cannot be tested out in the classroom. It must be developed, practised and honed in real life, real time situations. There is……
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Getting into the leadership pipeline: advancing women in leadership
Earlier this week, the Royal bank of Scotland set a target for one third of its top 600 management roles to be held by women by 2020. The world we live in and in which organisations operate are diverse and senior management positions should reflect this. A world in which women make up about half……
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Women, lead without losing yourself in the process
Do you believe that ‘you’ are your greatest asset? It is your ‘self’ that others connect with, trust and get inspired by. Yet we do not acknowledge and harness what we innately have, to leverage success. Instead we try to impress, to act and be like others because we want to fit in, to meet……
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Invest in your career, whether you are staying put or seeking promotion
Have you ever been complacent or comfortable at work? Perhaps on autopilot? That was me at one stage in my career. With my children, a great job, good salary…life was rosy. I was coasting along. And then I started to notice that my peers were moving on and changes were happening around me. The landscape……
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Harnessing the leadership power within you
“My biggest challenge was getting comfortable with the notion that I am a leader; I don’t line manage a team of people which in the past to me seemed a pre-requisite for leadership. I’m quiet, I have a natural preference to work collaboratively rather than compete with others. How can I lead?” This is the……
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The best is yet to be
As the year rolls to end, it presents a timely opportunity for reflection and taking stock. One thing that has stood out is that given that the life expectancy of women in the UK is 82.5 years, I have lived more than half of my life! And in a couple of years I would have……
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Fill up on success; Goal setting for the New Year
Are you one of the throngs of people that make New Year’s resolutions only to find that they fall by the wayside? Perhaps some of these popular resolutions have been on your list? Doing more exercise Losing weight Improving your diet Saving more money Pursuing a career ambition In a survey of 1937 British adults,……
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Women, it’s time to stamp out the naysayers
In my previous post, I made a call for Women, it’s time to Be Bold. As part of my own Be Bold journey, I am running my first London marathon on 26 April. At aged 48 and with a dodgy left knee and hip, it pales in comparison to the parathletes at the Paralympics……
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Women: It’s time to Be Bold
Last Friday I was invited to attend the Forward Ladies Women in Business awards. One of the speakers was Rachel Hannan, who co-founded Gatenby Sanderson, a leading executive recruiter and now a business adviser and angel investor. As she shared her entrepreneurial journey, citing Angela Coutts as a role model, her message was for women……