As leaders we’re accustomed to the set pieces – the presentations, all-company briefings, big decisions – actions that are ‘on-show’ and probably being rated by those we lead. We know too that leadership isn’t performance. The stuff that happens in the background also has an impact on the culture we’re creating…the character of the organisation...
I sometimes look back on my career and think did I ever master anything and does it matter. I was a skilled generalist leader in my corporate career but didn’t really become a specialist until I became an OD consultant and coach. Provoked by another discussion though I found myself reflecting on the value of...
The past week has been one of new experience. Some planned medical stuff shifted/reduced the boundaries of what’s physically possible, thankfully temporarily. In this discomfort zone (and acknowledging an awful lot of help in the ‘baby’ stages of recovery) it has been about relearning how to be in my environment and with each stage of...
Optimism is dictionary-defined as an attitude or mind-set that things will turn out well. Some of us seem, naturally, to be wired more this way than others. Yet, given current events we might be finding its darker twin, pessimism, in greater supply. So, it was great to discover a different and really useful take in...
In executive coaching, as we peel back the layers of the onion with a client, we often discover that one of those layers is linked to what has been coined ‘imposter syndrome’ — the fear of being ‘found out’ or not being good enough to do the job. In a world where the list of...
Every day I’m reminded, like you probably are, that the ‘rules’ in life have changed. How we communicate. How we interact. How we make choices. How we get things done. Sometimes the convention, and its changed state, are less obvious. We only realise the nature of its replacement when we’ve transgressed and usually suffer some...
Stability has been on my mind in recent days given the apparent instability of the world around us. I imagine it’s much the same for you. For most of us stability is important. Part of our sense of security. When it is in seemingly short supply anxiety can take hold, distracting us from what needs...
Some people do of course…dance well in the unknown. Most of us have been conditioned to want a bit more certainty or control and so leading in the twist and turns of the reality we find today can be deeply unsettling. It can create almost a rigidity as we seek to hold on. We may...
Some recent conversations have reminded me again of how communication, the words we use, the energy behind them, and the context in which they’re set can easily undermine rather than achieve our intention. For me this is all about the framing. Time poor, results challenged leaders may feel they don’t have time to think carefully...
It’s been a week! Days of working to get different software systems to talk to each other and ‘conversing’ with chatbots, trying to penetrate the rigidity of their scripts, to access help. A life on repeat. Eventually a breakthrough has been made. Everything looks like it is synced (fingers crossed). As frustrating as the process...