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...
You’ll probably have heard the phrase ‘vacuum of vision’ being used over recent weeks. I came across it in a brilliant perspective piece from Richard Huntington in Management Today on the state of not just our current political leadership but also within our businesses. I think it’s worth a read. Of course, a deficit 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...
Looking in, acting out When issues arise asking ourselves if we’re the problem can be useful. After giving it due thought we might be shocked with the answer – discovering we’re the blockage. Not by design, of course. But whether inadvertent or not a blockage is a blockage and something we must clear. How did...
Having watched King Charles’ address the US Congress earlier this week has led me to reflect on the nature of courage and its essentiality in leadership and life. A quality of the heart, it is a quiet sort of power supply that carries us into the most difficult situations – places we probably wouldn’t choose...
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...
We all know the value of hindsight. That moment when the lightbulb goes on and we can see the thread of the choices we made and the connections that emerged and how that brought us to where we are in the current moment. Sometimes we see the good threads and sometimes we can better understand...
At the start of any coaching journey the road signs probably point to insights, released potential, new and more polished skills, personal and professional development. Quite rightly, they are a useful frame for the process. Coachee and coach have already agreed they’ll make the journey together, armed with some goals for the destination. All seems...
I’m just emerging from a 48-hour leadership retreat where we blended spontaneous creative thinking, deep reflection, cultural immersion, personal reflection and growth and practical project scoping — all while strengthening a working relationship that will matter deeply in the years ahead. I call it leadership alchemy. Sound appealing? When we consciously step away from operational...