The Magic of Asking for Help In a world where we’re often told to be self-sufficient, asking for help can sometimes feel like admitting defeat. But let’s take a closer look at why reaching out for assistance is more than ok. In fact, there are some surprising benefits that researchers have found when studying people who ask for help.  The social dance Wayne Baker, a professor at the University of Michigan, has been delving into this topic for quite some time. He’s all about reciprocity – basically the idea that giving and receiving help is like social currency. In his book “All You H ..read more

Gratitude: What’s the secret sauce? Gratitude is regarded as a mega-strategy for achieving happiness.  Studies suggest that one of the best ways to cultivate gratitude is to have a daily practice of intentionally noticing and appreciating what’s working well in your life and why.  Our brains have a negativity bias, so it’s really important to make a conscious effort to think about the positive, and notice what’s going right! Years ago, I started a gratitude jar in our family to help all of us to appreciate when good things happened. Anyone can use the jar at any time; there’s ..read more

Diagnosing Trust Think about one of the most difficult relationships you’ve ever had at work. The type of relationship where you  cringe when you have to go and speak to this person, where your chest tightens when you’re put on a project together, and you get heart palpitations when you need to ask them to sign off on something.   We’ve all had them. The hard part is knowing how to improve them. Often when I’m talking to my coaching clients about being stuck on a piece of work or a key project, the biggest roadblock is not the work itself, it’s the people they need to work with ..read more

The Human Side of Redundancy Last year a friend asked me to attend a meeting at work as her support person. As she relayed to me the email that had been sent to her from HR, I gently suggested that it was likely she was going to be made redundant (as gently as one can suggest this…)   We spent some time discussing what this might mean for her and the impact it would have on her life. My first thought after hanging up the phone was how she would be treated as she exited this business. I once had a leader who would talk about ‘moments that matter’; the moments that make an undeniab ..read more

6 Things Great Leaders Don’t Do “What should you do if you’re in a meeting with one of your employees, and they become so upset that they try to throw something at you?” This was a question posed to me on an otherwise normal day, in the midst of facilitating leadership development. To make it even stranger, it came from one of the most senior people in the room amongst this group of leaders. So many things ran through my mind in the next few seconds, and so many questions. Instead, I turned to ask the other leaders in the room and asked, “What does everyone else think?” One of the brand n ..read more

Brains Trust March 2020 – November 2020 Seniority in business is often coupled with isolation, which compromises wellbeing, decision making and subsequently leadership effectiveness. As organisations continue to look for efficiencies, senior leaders often find themselves juggling operational, people and strategic priorities, without effective support.   Research shows: • Women with a well-connected female inner circle find jobs that are 2.5 times higher in authority and pay • High performing individuals have an array of role models, sponsors and mentors • Social connection is the grea ..read more

The Dreaded F Word There’s a new topic emerging in the conversations I’m having with my clients recently, and it’s all about the dreaded F word ‘feedback’. This word has so many negative connotations; I’ve had leaders in workshops and coaching sessions talk about how their blood starts to pump, their heart rate increases and some feel the need to flee the scene as quickly as possible! I’ve always found these reactions quite fascinating. I’m a firm believer that you can’t continue to learn and grow without constant sources of information to assist with course correction. If you’re only get ..read more

The Cliff Edge of Career Decisions I’ve been reflecting on many of the conversations I’ve had with friends, clients and ex-colleagues recently, and so many of these discussions end up in the area of ‘career ambiguity’. Many in my tribe are ruminating on making a change in their career, and their thoughts are going around and around in circles. The decision to make a career change seems like a huge cliff they need to jump off. They move close to the edge, peek over, freak out, then swiftly shuffle back again. A couple of weeks later they may get a bit closer to the edge, look over, see som ..read more

Lessons from Falling Off the Horse – Conscious Choice February 2019 Last year was a year of positive change for me. I decided after three years of study completing a Master of Coaching Psychology and four years in the same job, that it was time to take a leap of faith and leave my safe, secure and comfortable corporate job and start my own business focussed on coaching and leadership development. Fast forward to December and I had a ‘big’ birthday. Another milestone in a deeply anticipated year. We decided to take a short break with the kids to celebrate rather than having a party (fellow ..read more

Christmas Cheer November 2018 As I’ve been in at client sites in the past couple of weeks, I have started to feel the energy change. There’s a mix of frenetic activity, high stress, some exhaustion, and a little bit of apathy mixed in for good measure. Everyone has so much to achieve and so little time to do it before the big bearded man arrives late December, and emotions are starting to frazzle. We all know Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration, spending time with family and friends, giving, and generally quite a lot of eating (and maybe drinking). However, what happens in t ..read more