Productivity Tips to Restore your Focus
My executive coaching clients often tell me that they want to be more productive. It’s a lofty goal, but what does ‘productive’ really mean? When we talk about productivity we…
5 Steps to Help you Declutter your Mind
Decluttering is big right now. Almost everyone I know has heard of Marie Kondo and her brilliant methods for claiming back some of your physical space in your home. And…
Habits are the key to great leadership
One of the books I frequently recommend to my executive coaching clients is Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s as relevant now as it was on publication…
Handling anxiety and overwhelm in leadership
One of the most common issues I help my leadership clients with is anxiety. They often link this with a sense of feeling overwhelmed. Anxiety and overwhelm is something that…
How to Manage Stress at Work
Stress. It’s a word we hear a lot these days, and for good reason. We live and work in a fast-paced society where we’re constantly connected and constantly contactable. In…
Effective Conflict Management for Leaders
Conflict. It’s something that many of us prefer to avoid, but it can often be unavoidable. It’s a natural, if not always pleasant part of dealing with people. As leaders,…
My Significant Emotional Event
I recently experienced a Significant Emotional Event, and it’s shaken me to the core. It’s disrupted my emotional, mental and physical wellbeing; making me think and behave differently. I know…
Leaders: Stop labelling and start communicating
Labelling others. We do it all the time. Labels make life easy for us. In the supermarket, labels make it easy to identify and pick up the exact items we…
Doubting yourself as a leader? Replace your affirmations with facts
I’ve been working with a leader recently who is going through the recruitment process. He has completed his application form and has been invited to an interview. It’s the job…
If you’re not listening, your meetings are a waste of everyone’s time
Before my mum passed away, she used to phone me every evening at 6pm to have a quick chat. This started back in the days when it was cheaper to…
If you keep hearing ‘no’, try a different approach
When negotiating or entering discussions in the workplace, it’s easy to talk about what energises and excites you rather than trying to frame the discussion from another’s point of view….
When a team member’s not performing, have you asked what’s getting in the way?
Recently, I’ve been working with a senior leader who was slowly losing patience with a team member. My client noticed the team member was struggling to complete his work, which…
When facing difficult behaviour, will you react or respond?
How do you feel when you hear negative feedback about your behaviour, especially when the complaint comes from the person you feel is at fault? As a leader, you are…
How connected are your external outcomes to your internal ‘stuff’?
Something I’ve noticed when working with leaders in coaching or facilitated sessions is our natural tendency to focus outside ourselves. We spend all our time concentrating on the things that…
If you don’t get what you ask for, you might be using ‘Fat Words’
How often do you think about the language you use with your teams? No, I’m not talking about whether you swear or use terms that might be offensive. Just wondering…
If your meetings aren’t working, are you asking the wrong questions?
Recently, I was working with a group of senior leaders who all expressed their frustration about the lack of engagement with staff. This was particularly noticeable during meetings, where the…