Professional coaches are professionals because they have a calling. They are not made, they are born and then they develop, honing their skills through training, experience, inner work and personal development. This is what
Patience & Resolve
I constantly keep reminding myself of this. It was the mantra of an old “Boss” of mine, which was his way of saying never give up, or keep the flame burning . Easily said, but not so easily done. Even as an experienced professional coach, I have to constantly keep
To Niche or not to Niche…. That is the Question
As we start 2020 more and people are getting involved with coaching. As the broadsheet newspapers have stated we are in the “Boom” time for coaching. One of the most difficult conundrums for any newly qualified coach while setting up their business is about “Niche” . Having been a coach for ten years now, this […]
Time poor – How do we maintain performance in the VUCA world ?
There are plenty of articles around time management and managing the complexity of life. As a coach, one of the areas I spend significant time is around helping leaders and executives maintain focus. There are so many distractions form work and media channels which make it less possible to focus on a daily basis. I […]
Truly Not Judging
I have posted many times about the theory and practice of non-judgement. I talk about the importance of not judging individuals. In my view judgement is OK for circumstances, events and situations but not people. I fear that in a very politicised and polarised society judgement of people is becoming way more prevalent. I have […]
Short Interval Control & Coaching
Not necessarily a title you would expect to see in a coaching blog, but something I have been giving a lot of thought to recently. I am fortunate enough to do a lot of work as part of my consulting work . This generally includes an amount of group and or team coaching as well […]
Not Being Shy – Let’s Keep Talking
We live in interesting and uncertain times. As I referenced in my recent paper around having impact in hostile environments, we are far from self-actualised. Through the nineties, companies were working hard, to be more open, engaging and collegiate, but
Coaching or Leading in Challenging Environments
I thought I would dedicate this Blog post to coaching or leading in challenging environments, as I will be talking about this at the UK ICF Conference next week. I have decided to revisit the topic, even though I have covered it before. It seems to be becoming more relevant as the world is becoming […]
Giving Feedback
I was interested to read an article in this months HBR (Harvard Business Review) about giving feedback. It starts to question whether that giving feedback is one of the better tools in the management armoury. There is no doubt that giving a appropriate feedback can be very powerful in the right hands.
Coaching in Times of Great Uncertainty.
There is no doubt that we are in a time of great uncertainty with the geopolitical state in constant flux. I cannot recall a more dynamic situation in my lifetime. I am not going to talk about the VUCA world as I have touched on this before.
When is Coaching not Coaching ?
I often get asked what is the difference between coaching and other forms of performance related interactions? There are many ways in which we can have a positive influence on our clients. We can train them, where we are sharing information and validating their understanding in such a way that they can execute new work, […]
De-cluttering in a complex world.
To most people de-cluttering means removing physical items, either at home or at work. This could also be a process we do with our brains or minds. However, I got to think about this a different way, having read a recent article in the New York Times about freelancing. A staggering 47% of millennials are […]
Coaching in a Factional Culture
Life is getting more complex, with the rise of factionalism. I have referred to this in recent blogs. The geopolitical climate is generating more polarisation, and tribalism, which we see clearly on social media. This of course will filter down to business and the workplace. In turn this factionalism will reduce authenticity and create a […]
Keeping Your Best Employees.
This is an often talked about subject, and there is no doubt that the sands are shifting in terms of what employees want. It is quite clear that it is not all about money and financial benefits, certainly with the younger generations.
Having Powerful Conversations
It was a real pleasure to be given the opportunity to speak at the BWN (Business Women’s Network) in Colchester last week. The group was lively, interactive and hungry to learn. The subject matter was not about how to sell or gain business, but use both your cognitive and emotional skills to structure a conversation […]
The Power of Coaching Diversity
It was really energising to attend a CPD event organised by the Cabinet Office last week. It was foremost a programme review, for all the coaches who are coaching the current cohort of government high potentials. There were some great speakers their too, with different backgrounds ranging from manufacturing, engineering, fashion, commerce, facilities management and […]
Change Management
I just delivered a 3 day module for an eMBA course, on ” Change Management” and it had me really thinking. Firstly the levels of engagement were really high from all the students. I have talked about VUCA , and the rate of change numerous times before, but the changing world is real and is […]
Personal Expectations Misalignment
I read a recent article from the US. It was written from a “Faith” background and was discussing the thorny subject of marriage failure. There were the usual discussion points around money, sex, at the high levels, and other disagreements further down the order. However it postulated that the main reason for marriage failure was […]
Team Coaching Reflections
I am currently involved in a large consulting engagement that involves a significant level of coaching at senior levels. It also involves some local coach training, both individual and group. I thought I would share some reflections on these types of coaching because away from the specific coaching techniques, ethics and confidentiality, there are some […]
Trust – Different Things to Different People
I had occasion to think about what “Trust” really meant yesterday. I am working in Russia and it has some significant cultural differences to what I am used to in the UK. We spend a lot of time talking about building trust, as it is important and fundamental in the coaching arena. I experienced what […]