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…
Tag: leadership
Empathy in leadership: can it be developed?
Heather, the boss storms out of the department, slamming the door behind her. She is grouchy from lack of sleep, being kept awake by her youngest who is ill. ‘Bloody staff’, she muttered to herself, ‘why can’t they do what they are told’ . Lisa stands, red-faced and humiliated. She has just had a ticking…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…