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…
Tag: leadership
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
What can you learn about leadership from parenting?
This weekend my eldest child begins her training for her expedition to the Amazon and Andes. It seems like only yesterday that she was a helpless and dependent infant. As I reflect back on my journey as a parent I am humbled by the mammoth learning that I have gained from it and how it…
Getting to the top: women in senior management
Last week I met Sarah Day who is the head of Finance and Projects group at DLA Piper, Leeds which has been providing legal services for over 200 years. I asked her what helped her to become the first female Managing Partner and elected member of DLA Piper’s International LLB Board. Her response was that…
Decisions Decisions: Oh why do I have to make them?
Last week I started to work with a team of lawyers who are all partners in a firm. It was apparent quite quickly that making decisions in a timely manner and acting upon them was a challenge. Business leaders and managers face many challenges one of which is the ability to make effective decisions. Information…