In too deep? 7 questions to judge how involved to get in a piece of work
How involved should you get in work which is not your sole responsibility? It sounds like a straightforward question, but actually it can be quite tricky to work out. I've been thinking about this lately while coaching a client I'll call Brian. Brian is a very senior manager in a large and complex organisation, who has just taken on a role which sits outside the organisation structure. He's a kind of chief of staff to the CEO, his eyes and ears. He fixes things. He has no staff of his own. Brian is having coaching to help him navigate the ...
Joining at a distance: Five things missing when people start new jobs remotely
We’re nearly a year into the pandemic and, for many of us, life goes on. I'm working with companies who are recruiting and coaching a couple of people who’ve started new leadership positions during lockdown. But starting a new job is different now. This month I want to focus what's missing when people start new jobs in a pandemic. So here are five things you don’t get in a remote working environment - and some of them have an upside. 1. Physical presence Like it or not, we make judgments about people, often unconsciously, based on their physical presence – ...
Are we all imposters now?
A recent survey on LinkedIn suggested that the pandemic has caused an outbreak of Imposter Syndrome among senior leaders. Apparently 52% of the leaders surveyed have found themselves doubting their ability to lead their organisations through this crisis. I wasn't surprised by this - who can really say that they know what they're doing right now? The only people who've lived through a pandemic are now over 100 and they were children last time round. No one has experience of this. So are we all imposters now? What is Imposter Syndrome? Imposter syndrome is more than just self-doubt. It's that ...
Finding focus in difficult times – A leadership challenge
If you're a leader, how do you find focus at a time like this? It's unlikely you've ever faced such a significant challenge. You may be in a front line organisation with staff in personal danger; you may be worried for the very survival of your business or you may be struggling to cope with unprecedented demand for your services. Whatever the situation, this is not business as usual and it will be a test of your leadership. A guiding framework It is important at times like these to know where to focus your effort and attention. With that in ...
Part 3: A leadership coaching journey – Analysing the business plan
This is the final instalment of an exploration of one person's leadership coaching experience. This is a real client, who kindly agreed to become a case study, with details changed to maintain his anonymity. "Andrew" was the newly appointed MD of an IT company employing around 150 people. In the first instalment, I looked at coaching conversations related to Andrew's working relationships. Last month I looked at delegation and team working. This month, I'll be looking at Andrew's plans for the business. In reality these conversations were intertwined and did not happen as neatly as this. Returning to my go-to leadership model, it ...
Part 2: A leadership coaching journey – Delegation and team working
This is the second instalment of an exploration of one person's leadership coaching experience. This is a real client, who kindly agreed to become a case study, with details changed to maintain his anonymity. "Andrew" was the newly appointed MD of an IT company employing around 150 people. Last month I looked at coaching conversations related to Andrew's working relationships. This month I'm looking at delegation and team working. In reality these conversations were intertwined and did not happen as neatly as this. Delegation - breaking a pattern Delegation is a frequent topic in coaching, but in Andrew's case the ...
Part 1: A leadership coaching journey – Improving working relationships
Leadership coaching is one of the key services I offer but it's not easy to explain what it's actually like. So over the next couple of months I'm going to tell the story of one person's coaching journey to try to bring it to life. This is a real client, who has kindly given his permission (thanks "Andrew"). Whilst it reflects his experience, I've changed some of the details to maintain his anonymity. The client Andrew was the newly appointed MD of a medium-sized IT company employing around 150 people. He had recently taken over from Tony, who retired after ...
“Maybe you should see a psychologist” – How do you bring up this sensitive subject?
"Maybe you should see a psychologist". Has anyone ever suggested this to you? If they did, would you see it as a positive suggestion or would you be affronted, as if they were implying that all was not right in your head? It's tricky, isn't it? A bit of a taboo subject. Recently, I've had a few conversations with people who've said they think it would be helpful if their colleague/client/boss/friend talked to me but they don't know quite how to broach the subject. Let's be clear here, I'm talking about work-related issues. I'm neither a psychotherapist nor a clinical ...
Conquering your anxieties. Tiny steps of astonishing bravery
How do you make progress with those day-to-day anxieties that hold you back in life and at work? I’m thinking of those fears that seem irrational when you try to explain them to others but which can exert a great hold over you. Most of us have some niggling worries, but some people have more than their fair share to contend with, usually as a result of their upbringing. Take Will, for example, a Finance Director in a large corporation. Outwardly he is very successful – smart, articulate and always on top of his subject. Inwardly, Will is incredibly anxious; he worries ...
How do you handle disagreement at work and what does that say about your level of maturity?
Think for a moment about a time when you disagreed strongly with a colleague. What was it like? How did you feel? What did you do? I’m thinking particularly about those situations where you can’t ‘agree to disagree’; you have to come up with an agreed course of action. These situations tend to occur most in your family life and at work. You and your partner can’t agree to disagree about where to go on holiday or which house to buy. Similarly, at work there are times when you need to reach a decision with others – which of these ...
In too deep? 7 questions to judge how involved to get in a piece of work
How involved should you get in work which is not your sole responsibility? It sounds like a straightforward question, but actually it can be quite tricky to work out. I've been thinking about this lately while coaching a client I'll call Brian. Brian is a very senior manager in a large and complex organisation, who has just taken on a role which sits outside the organisation structure. He's a kind of chief of staff to the CEO, his eyes and ears. He fixes things. He has no staff of his own. Brian is having coaching to help him navigate the ...
Joining at a distance: Five things missing when people start new jobs remotely
We’re nearly a year into the pandemic and, for many of us, life goes on. I'm working with companies who are recruiting and coaching a couple of people who’ve started new leadership positions during lockdown. But starting a new job is different now. This month I want to focus what's missing when people start new jobs in a pandemic. So here are five things you don’t get in a remote working environment - and some of them have an upside. 1. Physical presence Like it or not, we make judgments about people, often unconsciously, based on their physical presence – ...
Are we all imposters now?
A recent survey on LinkedIn suggested that the pandemic has caused an outbreak of Imposter Syndrome among senior leaders. Apparently 52% of the leaders surveyed have found themselves doubting their ability to lead their organisations through this crisis. I wasn't surprised by this - who can really say that they know what they're doing right now? The only people who've lived through a pandemic are now over 100 and they were children last time round. No one has experience of this. So are we all imposters now? What is Imposter Syndrome? Imposter syndrome is more than just self-doubt. It's that ...
Finding focus in difficult times – A leadership challenge
If you're a leader, how do you find focus at a time like this? It's unlikely you've ever faced such a significant challenge. You may be in a front line organisation with staff in personal danger; you may be worried for the very survival of your business or you may be struggling to cope with unprecedented demand for your services. Whatever the situation, this is not business as usual and it will be a test of your leadership. A guiding framework It is important at times like these to know where to focus your effort and attention. With that in ...
Part 3: A leadership coaching journey – Analysing the business plan
This is the final instalment of an exploration of one person's leadership coaching experience. This is a real client, who kindly agreed to become a case study, with details changed to maintain his anonymity. "Andrew" was the newly appointed MD of an IT company employing around 150 people. In the first instalment, I looked at coaching conversations related to Andrew's working relationships. Last month I looked at delegation and team working. This month, I'll be looking at Andrew's plans for the business. In reality these conversations were intertwined and did not happen as neatly as this. Returning to my go-to leadership model, it ...
Part 2: A leadership coaching journey – Delegation and team working
This is the second instalment of an exploration of one person's leadership coaching experience. This is a real client, who kindly agreed to become a case study, with details changed to maintain his anonymity. "Andrew" was the newly appointed MD of an IT company employing around 150 people. Last month I looked at coaching conversations related to Andrew's working relationships. This month I'm looking at delegation and team working. In reality these conversations were intertwined and did not happen as neatly as this. Delegation - breaking a pattern Delegation is a frequent topic in coaching, but in Andrew's case the ...
Part 1: A leadership coaching journey – Improving working relationships
Leadership coaching is one of the key services I offer but it's not easy to explain what it's actually like. So over the next couple of months I'm going to tell the story of one person's coaching journey to try to bring it to life. This is a real client, who has kindly given his permission (thanks "Andrew"). Whilst it reflects his experience, I've changed some of the details to maintain his anonymity. The client Andrew was the newly appointed MD of a medium-sized IT company employing around 150 people. He had recently taken over from Tony, who retired after ...
“Maybe you should see a psychologist” – How do you bring up this sensitive subject?
"Maybe you should see a psychologist". Has anyone ever suggested this to you? If they did, would you see it as a positive suggestion or would you be affronted, as if they were implying that all was not right in your head? It's tricky, isn't it? A bit of a taboo subject. Recently, I've had a few conversations with people who've said they think it would be helpful if their colleague/client/boss/friend talked to me but they don't know quite how to broach the subject. Let's be clear here, I'm talking about work-related issues. I'm neither a psychotherapist nor a clinical ...
Conquering your anxieties. Tiny steps of astonishing bravery
How do you make progress with those day-to-day anxieties that hold you back in life and at work? I’m thinking of those fears that seem irrational when you try to explain them to others but which can exert a great hold over you. Most of us have some niggling worries, but some people have more than their fair share to contend with, usually as a result of their upbringing. Take Will, for example, a Finance Director in a large corporation. Outwardly he is very successful – smart, articulate and always on top of his subject. Inwardly, Will is incredibly anxious; he worries ...
How do you handle disagreement at work and what does that say about your level of maturity?
Think for a moment about a time when you disagreed strongly with a colleague. What was it like? How did you feel? What did you do? I’m thinking particularly about those situations where you can’t ‘agree to disagree’; you have to come up with an agreed course of action. These situations tend to occur most in your family life and at work. You and your partner can’t agree to disagree about where to go on holiday or which house to buy. Similarly, at work there are times when you need to reach a decision with others – which of these ...
