Have you got back into work after the Christmas break and feeling you wanted a change? During the break did you you rediscover yourself under the layers of stress and exhaustion? Did you dream of the new job, change in responsibility, improved work relationships? But if only it was as easy as day dreaming - rather …
Procrasinating vs Mastering the Art of ‘Just Start’
Are you aware of procrastinating? What is your favourite method? Social media? TV? Tidying? Eating? One of my clients has noticed that he would sometimes rather file his emails than get to the challenging task he is meant to be doing. I view this as good news! He has something to can watch out for …
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Ruled by your phone?
I'm increasingly aware of the all pervading presence of my smart phone. Thankfully, when I'm with others I'm able to leave it alone, to ignore the siren call of Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia.... But when I'm alone, or working on a tricky programme design I'm alarmed at how often I interrupt myself by picking up …
Two Things to Do After Every Meeting
We spend a lot of time in meetings and almost as much grumbling about meetings! But what do we really do to improve them? How can we make best use of the investment of time, energy and breath? This article from @hbr suggest two good and simple ways to get value from your meetings - …
Start before you’re ready
I saw this in Do the Work by Steven Pressfield. I know a few people who think they procrastinate too much or wait for the perfect solution. How about this for inspiration? Don't prepare, begin. Remember, lack of preparation is not the enemy; it's not the difficulty of the project, or the state of …
Stop Calling Every Conversation a “Meeting”
Helpful clarity in "Meeting inspiration" from @HBR. I find the following distinctions helpful: conversations, group work sessions, decision-supporting, brainstorming. In giving clarity on what is meant to happen in the time you have together in the office you can help others understand what is required of them, how to prepare and make the most of …
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Are you caught in the ‘don’t know’ trap?
I saw this post recently from @tarasophia and found it quite shocking. Here is the quote that grabbed me: "When researchers gave women and men a short quiz that tested their financial literacy, men did better. Not too shocking, right? Men are exposed to more informal financial education, and they are encouraged to learn about …
Small steps are good steps
# executivecoaching This quote applies to so many situations! I've rarely found that there is a single solution to reduce your stress, increase your happiness or satisfaction. Instead, there are many small steps that slowly and persistently take us toward a different future. Small steps give us a chance movement, change, shift and a satisfying opportunity to …
How do you want to be today?
I really like this thought from @boxofcrayons. We might talk about our career plans, business goals, holiday dreams - but what about what sort of person you want to be? Sometimes we've fallen into bad habits or become overwhelmed by stress and we look and think - "this isn't me", "this isn't the person I want to …
How Mindfulness Improves Executive Coaching
Many coaching clients want to change how they respond to certain situations. It could be that they don't say what they think in meetings or at the other extreme that they dominate conversations; that they say yes to everything or not to all opportunities and changes; that they are avoiding conflict or getting into disagreements …
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Achieving Your Potential Coaching 