Blog
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Coaches Connect 2013 reflections
3 years ago I wrote a blog post Thinking BIG: Turning vision into reality where I had a vision of what it would be like…. if we (coaches) came together and shared our practice and experiences so that we can learn from each other, extend our professional networks, collaborate….and from that the first Coaches Connect was born on 22……
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Will you be blossoming this spring? 6 ways to help you blossom
“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month” (Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman’s Luck) I am reminded of this, as the 21 March is ‘officially’ the first day of spring yet we have seen temperatures plummet, heavy snow fall……
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Life can be like a bowl of spaghetti: Making sense of midlife
It has been 6 weeks since my last blog post. I have had so much that I wanted to write about and whilst have mulled them over in my head have not managed to put fingers onto the keyboard. I was very disappointed in myself that I couldn’t find the time to write which was……
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What stories are you telling to our future leaders?
Monday 21st of January was a particularly snowy day with 16 cm of the white stuff gently floating down to transform the landscape and cause the usual UK chaos. As a result schools were closed and my two children took this opportunity to have some fun time in the snow. My eldest had crafted a……
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The tale of the red dress
Today I made a bold decision and updated my profile picture. It has taken about 6 months to finally change my ‘public face’! It is a step away the former traditional image that I have used publicly. Why so long? I am now 46 years old and have never had the courage to wear red. It seems such……
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I get knocked down, but I get up again
How do you get through a meeting when everything that you say is met with opposition? This was the situation facing me last Friday. Later on this year, the community project that I am leading is putting on an ambitious event. We have aimed for stars, dreamt big, shifted mindsets and gathered support and momentum……
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What stories are you telling ?
On the evening on the 21st December, the travelling crib came to our house. The crib begins its journey on the 1st of December travelling to a different family’s home each night before returning to church on the evening of the 24th December for the Christingle service. It’s a church tradition and has been a……
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Wishing you a joyful Christmas
To my readers and connections: You have all in your own way enriched my conversations, perspectives and worldview. I am grateful that you have been a part of my world in 2012 and hope that this will continue in 2013. Vera
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Should the young be taught leadership?
I was heartened to read Jack Zenger’s HBR article ‘We Wait Too Long to Train Our Leaders’ as it echoes much of my own perspectives and beliefs. I shared these in my blog ‘Everyday leadership’ where I posed a few questions around leadership becoming more mainstream, leadership in our everyday daily actions and introducing leadership……
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Don’t leave your career to fate. 5 tips to help women manage their careers
In my last article, I shared the story of one of my clients, Susan who like many mums get caught up in the treadmill of work, family and life and don’t take time out to actively manage and make plans for progressing their careers. 3 fundamental questions were asked to help Susan get started: What……
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Everyday leadership. What does it mean to you?
I first ventured into the world of leadership back in the early 90’s. I didn’t know it as ‘leadership’ then. I landed a role which was a step up in my career and it soon became apparent that my principles, values and professional ethics were being compromised by what was happening and not happening in the department. I……
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Does what you do define who you are?
‘What do you do’, this was the question posed to me at a community event. Being in a non conformist mood, I replied, that I ‘do’ many things, have many titles and wear several different hats, sometimes more than one at the same time. I could see the look of puzzlement flicker across the gentleman’s……
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Don’t leave your career to fate: 3 questions for working mums to ask
‘I can’t believe that they have put her in charge of the team. I’ve been here 7 years, worked my socks off and they go and bring in someone from the outside!’ grumbled Susan, as she shifted agitatedly in her chair. ‘I wasn’t even consulted, or asked if I wanted the role’, she continued. As……
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No need to act like a man: 6 tips for women to develop their leadership style
‘I can’t seem to get it right,’ sighs Joanna, as she slumps into the chair next to me. ‘When I’m assertive and forceful, I’m labelled, ‘aggressive and acting like a man’ and when I’m open and ask for everyone’s opinion, I’m called soft and pushover’…. Joanna has stepped up in her leadership role and is……
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10 tips to get you started if you are returning to work after a break
It’s Monday morning, Harriet sets off with nervous anticipation for work. It is her first day at work. What’s the big deal? Harriet is not a school leaver or a graduate but a 48 year old mother of 3 children. The eldest is 18 and the youngest entered into secondary education this week. Harriet is a……
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Ditch the work life balance scales and start integrating
Yesterday I read an article giving tips on work life balance. Whenever I hear the term ‘work life balance’ I think of a set of scales with life on one side and work on the other and people trying desperately hard to keep the scales balanced and getting very stressed. Does one happen at the expense……
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How to keep the Olympic flames burning? Be a cheerleader
Since Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening ceremony 2 weeks ago, Olympic fever has spread across the nation with epidemic gusto. There have been highlights and lowlights but one thing that has consistently stood out, has been the Olympic crowd. If medals were awarded for being a crowd, Gold would surely go to the 80,000 exuberant and……
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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……
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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……
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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……
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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……
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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.……
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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……
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What can you learn about leadership from your elders?
Last Bank Holiday Monday, I was helping my eldest to raise funds for her expedition by running a cake stall at a Spring Picnic event. The aim of the event was to raise money to build a sand dam in Ghana. During the hours of 1130 and 1630 hours, in addition to having your picnic……
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Top dog or underdog?
Last week I attended a briefing day for coaches on the BIS coaching for high growth programme. As with these types of events you are not informed about the other participants who will be attending. On entering the room it was immediately apparent that it was filled with dark coloured suits and middle-aged white men.……