When we lead, we often think that we have to show our best self to the world. That we need to present a bright and shiny version of ourselves in the belief that that’s what people want to see. We have a culture of perfectionism…
In OD or coaching, there’s often a call for us to bring something into the system that’s missing. We need to notice what’s not there and sometimes be that something. To be the difference that makes the difference. Which got me wondering about my own…
You know that achieving the coaching goals you set don’t really matter, when: a question stops your client in her tracks to the extent that she can’t speak and her eyes can’t leave yours as she’s gripped by the possibilities in the answer you have…
In leadership development, I often work with binaries, with different ends of a spectrum in order to explore something, maybe creating a false polarity to make a point. Are you a strategic or an operational leader? Is your style one of advocacy, or inquiry? And…
Funny what sticks with you, isn’t it? I was a participant recently on a coaching workshop where the facilitator mentioned two images, almost as asides. Throwaway, almost. And yet they’ve really stayed with me. The first was, when listening to your coaching client, to let…
‘I need to operate more strategically …I need some space’. This is a common cry when coaching at senior levels in organisations. How to step away from the operational octopus that threatens to suck us back into the depths of the detail, how to create…
One of things I noticed when I first starting talking about ‘work as love in action’ is how many people didn’t like using the word love. It felt as though they wanted to steer me onto safe ground when I talked about my new blog….
Working in leadership development and helping people change and grow, despite having a practical focus, I have become increasingly interested in the notion of love. And I’m curious – as we go about the business of creating and encouraging change, what might happen if we put…
