Have you wondered why despite your best intentions to improve in a certain area of your life or leadership, (e.g., listening better; public speaking, doing less thinking more; delegating, networking) you find yourself not able to make meaningful progress leaving you feeling stuck and wondering what is going on? Understanding your body’s immunity to change may provide the clue and with this awareness you will be better equipped to make the changes you want.
Read MoreAs 2022 draws to a close in this last blog post of the year I offer appreciations, review the content shared this year and invite you to do a Past Year Review instead of New Year’s resolutions.
Read MoreEver wondered about how successful procrastination is at keeping you in your comfort zone and away from tackling what you know will lead to more success. Isn’t that the irony, procrastination often is so convincing in the moment that we lose sight of all of the good intentions and positive outcomes we want. If you have struggled to get on top of procrastination and found yourself dreaming more than doing, read on.
Read MoreMy recent post on the power of nature to nurture us and support mental clarity resonated with so many of you. In today’s post, prompted by a readers own passion and story, I challenge us each to to ask what are doing and can we do to contribute to sustainability initiatives so that our beloved planet is protected to ensure nature’s benefits for future generations.
Read MoreWhat helps you to make important life decisions? In the last 2 posts I covered career related topics linked to making decisions about your career. Today I write about the power of nature to improve intellectual, emotional, and physical wellbeing. I will share some of the recent scientific evidence and invite you to consider ways you can increase your exposure to nature to improve your mental clarity and overall wellbeing.
Read MoreLast time I wrote to you about getting stuck in mid-career and invited you to reflect and rethink your measures of career success. I continue with a focus on factors to consider in career decision-making. The metaphor of climbing the corporate ladder is still a surprisingly strong and influential image for many people, despite their being fewer opportunities for hierarchal advancement than in the past. There are also less clearly defined career paths, and yet most of us want to craft a uniquely meaningful career. Today, I want to invite you to think more kaleidoscope and less ladder when it comes to career success and decision making and here is why.
Read MoreFor today, I wanted to start this theme of career success by asking you to think about where you are in your career, and how are you evaluating your success. I will share two ways of thinking about career success and share a mini case study. I will invite you think about what criteria you are using to evaluate your current levels of career success and satisfaction and offer you my favourite career reflection exercise to help you appreciate your own gifts, values, and unique career journey to date.
Read MoreMuch has been written about Imposter Syndrome. It is so common in the modern lexicon, that many of my clients speak about it. They say it holds them back in their careers, detracts from their experience of joy as they feel the need to constantly prove themselves leaving them exhausted and unhappy. To free yourself from its grip and move forward with boldness read on.
Read MoreThe world as we know has changed, and this can impact our sense of purpose, meaning, focus, emotions, and behaviour, leaving us feeling dislocated, fearful or simply needing to step back and ask ourselves bigger questions; or re-evaluate the impact of external factors on our industry, businesses and teams. I have seen first-hand over and over the power of clarity for clients and for myself. This is especially so in this time in life where there is so much noise and so much fighting for our attention, it can be hard to discern the important few things from the less important many.
Read MoreInspiration without performance will not get you far, however, in today’s complex millennial world with flatter organisational structures, a greater focus on cross functional remote working, and employees demand for meaning at work, inspiration becomes a critical leadership capacity. Read more to discover what research shows about what makes for inspiring leadership and why it matters.
Read MoreIn the face of pain, grief and many challenges, finding what inspires us can be challenging. It is worthwhile though, as connecting with our own inspiration has the power to breath life into us and shift us beyond our immediate concerns and challenges to discover something fresh, creative and energetic. In a word, it can help us be more resilient.
Read MoreToday, I share a more personal story of loss and grief in the hope that it will touch your heart, spark a thought, create a possibility or simply connects us all in our collective grief and loss during this season in our world wherever you find yourself.
Read MoreThis past week, I asked a few of my long-standing clients what is the most valuable outcome of our coaching work together. One thing stood out – discovering blind spots. So, why is this so important to senior leaders? It seems at some level we know what research tells us: we are not great at assessing ourselves accurately. These self-awareness gaps can limit leaders’ opportunities, impede their performance, and ultimately drag down their career.
Read MoreLeaders and executives are being called on to rethink what they prioritise and how they lead so as to embrace more sensitised and empathetic styles of leadership appropriate to our context. However, empathy is not so easy to access when you too are subject to your own personal stresses and strains on top of the pressures on you as a leader amidst the uncertainty and turbulence. I share 3 tips to help you cultivate your leadership style appropriate for now.
Read MoreIn today’s context where many people are experiencing high levels of stress and report feeling overwhelmed, genuine recognition and acknowledgement can sow seeds of motivation and inspiration. If you are like other leaders, chances are you may think you are above average at giving recognition. However research shows there is a definite “perception gap” between leaders’ views of their competence in this area versus and their employees’ assessments. If you think this is a blindspot for you read on.
Read MoreIn this post I share the feedback from clients on their struggles and their strategies for balancing productivity with wellbeing in our current challenging context. If you want tips do this balancing act or are leading teams where people may be feeling this way, read what the full post.
Read MoreWe are well through the transition to the new year and marching ahead to March. Since this is no ordinary year or ordinary time, many of us may be wondering in this context whether to let go of any goals. In the face of exhaustion, more goals can just feel overwhelming.
Are you doubling down on goals and intentions or are you easing off and taking a different view of what is important? Are you playing into your action strength or are you appreciating that perhaps something different may be called for?
Read MoreThe pressures of last year have taken their toll on all of us, and sadly things have begun for many with physical and mental exhaustion and grief from the loss of loved ones, friends and colleagues as well as the pressure to remain strong and resilient for the people we lead and support. Today, I thought I would share some of the practical strategies that leaders I coach are finding useful:
Read MoreI write to you at a time when we are facing multiple uncertainties at once and this can feel overwhelming. It is a lot for our brains to process! Like many people I have spoken with, I am eager to find adaptive ways to deal with the crisis we face and establish some footing, so to speak, amidst the day-to-day worry, uncertainty and seeming chaos.
Read MoreI recently went on a retreat in one of the most beautiful parts of the Western Cape in South Africa where I live – the Hemel and Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley.
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