‘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…
Category: Leadership
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…
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…
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…
Telling tales: Storytelling as a communication tool
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…
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…