Blog
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Be Bold in 2015
“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”, Basil King Join me and a small group of like-minded women as we find the courage, commitment, support and help to achieve the results, success and fulfilment that we desire On the 26th April 2015 I will running my first London Marathon for Children with……
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4 ways to boost your confidence and self belief
Have you ever been in a situation in which you did not perform as well as you could or something untoward happened which has resulted in your confidence being blown away? If like me and many others, just thinking about it fills you with dread and a reluctance to put yourself in such situations again?……
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Getting to aha moments with your staff
There is nothing more magical than observing a client harnessing his creativity and inner resources to generate that ‘aha’ moment. Oscar, one of my clients entered the room, appearing to be carrying the world on his shoulders which are hunched, a look of weariness on his face and fatigue in his body. He had been……
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Go beyond your limit
“Set some goals then demolish them” ( Nike) Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt so overwhelmed by the task ahead or where you have set a goal which seems so mammoth, that you go into panic mode and spend your energy being in a nervous state? This has been me:……
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Are you Thriving at work?
Last week I organised and spoke at the Thrive Yorkshire Business Growth Conference. I facilitated a discussion on Thriving. I deliberately chose to focus on ‘the self’ as often in our busy 24/7 lives we tend to forget about the most important asset –ourselves. We can learn new skills, acquire knowledge about marketing, sales and how to be……
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Eeh by gum, that was Grand
When the world’s biggest cycle race came to Yorkshire, it did so with a big bang last weekend. Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July were a climax after events across the county in the 100 days leading up to the Grand Depart. I am not a cyclist nor am I a cycling fan. However I……
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Rejoice in being a Quiet leader
“From the start, with a quiet demeanour, Vera has provided robust input and challenge at board meetings…” and so goes my board appraisal (my first with this organisation) last week which was an excellent one, exceeding expectations. As I read the above, I wondered if there was some inference that by being of ‘quiet demeanour’, I……
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Where has my mojo gone?
These past few weeks have been mentally and emotionally challenging for me. I was uncertain as to whether I should ‘bare/ expose’ myself by sharing a personal story. After much contemplation and cogitation, I have concluded that life has it ups and downs and it would be inauthentic to just focus on the……
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6 ways leaders can build their resilience
Change, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity can be found in most workplaces today. In such environments, leaders are required not only to cope with the resulting adversity, emotional ups and down and stress but at the same time, support their people and help them move forward in these challenging times. This requires leaders to be resilient.……
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Whose on Board?
It is 8.20 am and I have taken up position in the corner of the boardroom waiting for the meeting to start. I am here to observe the board meeting of a not for profit organisation as part of helping the board with its development and performance. My initial observations include: Of the 11 people……
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Storytelling in leadership development
This week I was facilitating a new leadership development programme with a group of directors. For the past couple of years, the company has been going through some challenging times due to being acquired by a large global organisation resulting in changes, restructuring and shifts in culture. There was a feeling of powerlessness and a……
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Failure, success and life
Earlier this month I took on the National Blog Posting Month challenge of writing a blog each day. I started out well, writing daily, full of ideas on what I could post and then life got in the way. Committing to the time to write was always the challenge. I could have written less words,……
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Who ‘does’ leadership? You, me, everyone?
The term ‘leadership’ has become something bigger than us, something removed from the grasp of the ordinary people and seem to be reserved for those who have been given the title, run a company or a business or lead a team. Such people are deemed ‘leaders’ because of their position or title. Whilst formal leadership……
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Growth and development is ageless: 5 nuggets to becoming a better you
I often get asked to speak at schools and universities about my journey. Afterwards, many of the professionals feedback that they have also found it stimulating. This has made me realise that some of the fundamentals of growth and development is ageless. Here are 5 nuggets which I share with a younger audience and believe that they are……
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How your stories of leadership can help develop 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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One day
One day One day I will spend more time with my family One day I will do something that I want to do One day I will catch up with all my friends One day I will get fitter and healthier One day I will leave my boring job One day I will finish that……
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Where are all the women?
Yesterday, I spent the morning at my local grammar school engaging in mock interviews for the students who will be heading off to university next year. The school organises interviews to help support students’ applications and to offer them valuable practice interview experiences. They ask people in the local community for help and then match……
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Are your beliefs holding you back?
Last night on a rare occasion I decided to watch some TV and came across BBC4’s The Cursed Valley of the Pyramids. The film centres on the Lambeyeque valley in Northern Peru where the ruins of 250 pyramids lie. It tells the story of why the Lambeyeque were obsessed with building pyramids and unearthed a culture……
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Crowdsourcing, crowdworking: the future of work?
NaBloPoMo Blog 2 In July of this year whilst engaging with the HR/OD Twitter community I noticed a Tweet from @dds180 (David D’Souza) about crowdsourcing a Book of Blogs and a call for contributors. Having never been involved in such a project I thought it was a novel idea and sent in my contribution, ‘No……
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Taking up the NaBoPoMo challenge
Blog 1 I have decided to take up the National Blog Posting Month Challenge to post a blog every day for the entire month of November. There are no themes, rules or word count. I am already 3 blog posts late and have further challenged myself to make this up by writing 2 posts on……
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Don’t just sit there: 9 tips to help women find their voice in meetings
Earlier last week, I was in a meeting and was conscious of being the lone female voice, despite there being 2 other women around the table. I knew that they shared similar perspectives to mine when I chatted with them earlier, yet neither of them spoke up to express those views. Since then I have……
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Is creativity inherent in your leadership? 9 ways to harness
My group is drifting into the first day of a leadership development programme. As they pass the tables laid out with an array of creative materials I could hear some mutterings of delight and also of ‘oh no I can’t draw, I am no good at making…’ I try to use a number of creative……
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You can teach an old dog new tricks
This summer I have been sharply reminded of my need to continue to learn and to adapt to the changes that are taking place around me. This can sometimes be a challenge when you are older with ingrained habits and entrenched mental models. It was time to move out of my comfort zone and keep up with the pace of……
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Mindless distractions
Today I went running on the moors, not having been there for a week due to my hay fever. As usual I started off being very mindful – noticing that my stride had lessened in length as I climbed the hill and that my breathing was getting quicker as I was running against the wind.……
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A tale of 2 leaders: same organisation different leadership cultures
Last week I donned my NHS governance hat and visited 2 hospital wards. They belonged to the same organisation, were in the same building, yet the difference between the 2 was so prominent they could have been in 2 different organisations. Whilst both were clean, tidy, patients cared for, looked after….it was their style, attitude……
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17
Today, 17 years ago my life was changed forever and has shaped who I have become. My eldest daughter came into this world prematurely. To say that I wasn’t prepared, was an understatement. There was not even an item of clothing, let alone a cot or a basket! Weighing just more than a bag of sugar and with……