I feel compelled to write this blog on kindness but I can’t say that I’m sure quite where it’s going to end up. A coachee recently talked to me, in some anguish, about how they’d tried to help someone at work over a number of months and had felt ‘dropped’ once the problem had been resolved. Coincidentally there was an excellent Twitter discussion on kindness this morning. You can find it here or just search on #ldinsight. One particular sub-thread really resonated with me in the context of the above coaching session but also given a couple of things that have happened in my life. The thread w ..read more

  It does feel as if we’re taking part, unwittingly and unwillingly, in the largest psychological experiment in history. Unwittingly … so we may not be fully cognisant of the potential for psychological impact. Unwillingly –  we are not in control of the situation and cannot act at will, have no agency.  In my coaching practice, which has taken a knock but which, I’m delighted to say, also continues, I’m noticing exhaustion as a fairly common thread across my clients, often accompanied by a sense of demotivation, of feeling ‘flat’. I’ve experienced it myself, in fact ..read more

    If ever there was a test of a leader’s ability to adapt to their circumstances, to prove their ability as a situational leader, then it is now. I was working with a coachee earlier in the week. Yes, some work continues. I find them extremely impressive – my hypothesis has long been that they are more talented than they realise. It’s always nice when it’s that way around. Very successful and with greater success ahead of them. Of that I am sure. It should come as no surprise that they wanted to focus the session on ‘leadership during (1) the lockdown and (2) the economic crisis’. We had al ..read more

  The topic of the day for many businesses: managing homeworkers. Or leading them? What might be the difference? There are lengthy articles appearing outlining both the practical angles (which technologies to use) and policy considerations. Hmmm…policy. It has its place but now is not the time to default to trying to control, is it? More forward-thinking businesses will be values-based in how they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. We all have the opportunity to “get this right”, to show that the values are not just a fictitious list on the office wall. My view? Aside from the practical/facili ..read more

  Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and it will be over, there will opportunities radically to change the way we work on a permanent basis. My three questions for any Board of Directors will be: (1) What did we actually lose by not travelling, not flying? There will be some valid answers to this and they will need to be taken into account. There will also be areas where not travelling has actually made little impact, where it was shown to be a business habit. These offer every business a cost-saving opportunity and, much more importantly, the route to a permanent, and possible significant ..read more

    Not for the first time I put pen to paper whilst on my recent, not-quite-annual detox yoga retreat.  The scribbles will become more structured thoughts on varying but related themes.   You may have seen my previous blogs about the retreats: Complete. Clarity. Of. Thought. Equilibrium, Energy & Intuition As I have said before, I see the holistic detox process as deeply developmental. In fact they have become a core part of my continuing professional development as a coach. I have learned more about myself during the fasting process than on any course, and I’ve been on some excellent ..read more

    I’ve been coaching for so long now and enjoy it more than ever. The endless fascination of working with other human beings, generally extremely talented and very successful, and the unique nature of each relationship leads to profound satisfaction. After all these years a source of wonder for me, no matter how often they happen, are parallel processes. As you no doubt know, and at its very simplest, I’m talking about things that happen in the session which have parallels with events, conditions or behaviours in the client’s world.  Phenomena experienced by the coach based on the dynamics ..read more