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…
Tag: leaders
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…
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…
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.…
6 ways that listening can help you become a better leader
Last week, I spent some time in an organisation with their executive team attending different meetings and discussions which gave me the opportunity to observe them in action with a range of people and situations. As the week progressed it became evident that there was a common thread running through my observations. There seem to…
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…
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…
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.…
9 ways to help you build your resilience
Resilience is an essential attribute for leaders, who need to remain flexible and adaptable during today’s rapid and continuously changing environment. Building resilience has been topical during my work with a group of managers of an organisation which is undergoing a period of difficult transition and significant changes. Although we cannot control what happens to…
Trust, leading change and storytelling
In my last blog I posed the question, ‘What does Trust have to do with communication and feedback?’. Here’s my take on the role of Trust in leading change. Trust plays an important role in organisational performance and has been shown to have positive commercial benefits when it has been built, developed and maintained (Searle…