Listening is one of the most underrated skills in the workplace; leading figures in collaborative organisational change like Otto Scharmer from MIT, say it is the most necessary leadership skills in the world. Looking at our world of work at the moment you can perhaps see that this makes sense.…
In my conversations with staff and my research, Further and Adult Education college groups are facing a triple opportunity and challenge: Ofsted’s reflective focus demands deeper thinking about how leadership is happening, yet time and space for reflection are limited. Leading on well-being support is often a challenge, as…
Earlier this year, I set out to speak with mentors and staff about their early experiences of coaching in the workplace. I was curious about what those first few years were like and how they compared with my own — a time that was vibrant, well supported by my organisation,…
Dramatic endings, new beginnings Losing my voice was a painful, dramatic response to stress when a college I’d been working with for 10 years went through whole organisational restructuring. As a coaching leader, my highly successful job that I loved, disappeared — (‘You did great, now we want you to…
We are working in complex times. VUCA is the phrase we now commonly use to describe these times. Volatile, uncertain, complex and adverse. It makes sense that if you're working in an organisation which is also responding to and working with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and adversity, that you change how…
Photo by Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash I’ve been revising my “Emotional Intelligence for Leaders and Staff” programme, and two areas of particular interest are ‘emotional awareness’ and ‘managing emotions’. Emotional awareness Emotional awareness is a complex subject, but at its heart is noticing and acknowledging what you are feeling in…
Photo by Chris Montgomery and Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash Is best practice executive coaching really excellent coaching with moments of mentoring where appropriate? This was the focus of an EMCC webinar led by Nigel Cumberland today, as part of the EMCC GPS series. For me, ultimately, it’s about not…
Harness the power of effective conversations to drive innovation, build strong relationships, and lead with integrity in higher education.
These last two weeks I’ve been UN Women UK delegate at the UN #CSW68. I didn’t know what to expect. But I’m so glad I took part. I recommend you do as well, next year, if you care about global equality for women. There were some insightful moments at official,…
Where there is a lack of care in coaching, the impact can be an unsuccessful relationship, in which change doesn't happen for the coachee. This blog post addresses what care looks like in coaching from both the coachee’s and the coach’s perspective. It also provides care tips for the coach…