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…
Tag: leadership
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…
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…
Using the silence in your leadership conversations
“I nodded, smiled encouraging and said nothing. It felt like ages and I was conscious of the quietness and then she spoke and came up with a way of moving forward …” These are the words of Tom as he feeds back on his coaching ‘homework’ which was to practice his listening skills. Tom is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…