Choose hope
Ten months ago almost to the day, as we went into the first lockdown I wrote about how we dare hope. I chose the image of a snowdrop as they…
Best of times, worst of times…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it…
Powerplay
Holding others in high esteem, having regard and respect for others and being in awe of someone are all situations that can leave us feeling less than personally powerful in…
Networking with purpose
Networking comes up regularly as a topic in coaching conversations. Clients often ask why they should network, especially as they are very busy and it takes time. Here are a...
Effective Board meeting?
I wonder whether you left your last board meeting feeling informed, clear, supported, understood and most of all energised to move things forward faster and more effectively in the coming...
The new world of work
In conversation with clients, we often examine what needs to change to ensure leadership effectiveness and business performance in an ever changing environment. We have to make way for new...
Perspective
Waiting in a client’s 11th floor meeting room, I looked out the window at the London skyline and thought how what I saw could be a metaphor for coaching. The...
Chairing an effective Board
You have three hours a month, ten months of the year when the Board, who have both operational and legal responsibility for a company on behalf of its shareholders, sit...
Grow a global mindset
Many, if not most of us, work and live in globally interconnected ways. Our businesses employ diverse people, often from different locations and cultures. We manage and lead teams across...
Learning from our mistakes
In the wake of yet another public debacle on who knew there were failings in the NHS Trust and did not do anything about it, I can not help but...
Feeling like a fraud
Feeling like a fraud is experienced by up to 70% of us at some time. Even Michelle Obama admitted recently that she still feels like an impostor when others tell...
Leading the new leaders
Many of the commonly held beliefs of the past 30 years, about how businesses should be run, and how people should be led, are being challenged by the now up...
Listening for perspective
Our article about perspective reminded me of Maestro: A Surprising Story About Leading by Listening, the excellent book published in 2009 by Roger Nierenberg, the widely acclaimed international conductor from...
Recommended reading and watching
Clients often ask us "what do you recommend for me to read, watch or listen to?" Here are some resources that have proven popular and useful. Please let us know...
Case Studies
Creating a Coaching Culture
Context Our client, a market leader in pharmaceutical research and manufacture, has recently invested in training ten of their managers to perform the role of internal coaches to support...
Navigating Office Politics
The context Beatrice has just been promoted to her first Board role in a global bank, and is finding the experience rather unnerving. Politics, relationships and managing through others who...
Putting the accelerator into growth of a law practice
Context Following their annual appraisal process, the Managing Partner of a market leading specialist law practice wanted to ‘lift the bar’ to accelerate the speed at which his firm was...
Leadership Team Development
The context Harry is the CEO of a group of companies, one of which was performing well, one was just about meeting targets and one was showing signs of failing....