Let’s start by reminding ourselves of the two fundamental questions of leadership: Where am I going? Why should anyone follow me? My previous blogs have focused on Strategic Thinking where I have outlined what it is and how developing an effective strategy may be best approached. This addresses...
If you were asked to describe the feedback culture of your organisation, what would you say and why? What, if anything, could be better? I have lost count of the times a client has said “Please cover feedback on your workshop as we want to create a...
How many times have you been to a meeting, whether a team meeting, project meeting or one to one with your manager, and felt like you had no idea where it was going? You might not have been clear on why you were there, what...
How often to you get to the end of the day and ask yourself “where’s the day gone?”, “how did I achieve so little?”, “how did I manage to waste so much time?” Let’s be honest – we all have days where we’re not as...
The email about the large networking event dropped into my inbox and I knew I ought to go, it would be a great opportunity to expand my network for my business...
What are the important one-to-one conversations you’ve had recently, perhaps as a professional, as a friend or as a parent? How could you have got more from that conversation, especially if it was with someone where the relationship is currently difficult? A conversation between two people has...
How many times have you categorically known that you are right about something but haven’t been able to persuade others? This has happened to me many times and it’s really frustrating. Why don’t people see what I’m seeing? Why aren’t they convinced when it’s so...
You’ve just sat down with one of your team to review his objectives and you’ve agreed that he needs to focus on developing his influencing skills, particularly in relation to his new project. You’re both very familiar with the concept of SMART, but have no idea...
Ever been in that situation where you’re put on the spot and asked a killer question? People are looking at you, the pressure is on, your reputation is at stake! ...
As you walk away from yet another meeting where you feel personally underwhelmed by the quality of ideas, are you convinced that with a bit more time you could have all come up with something a bit more creative? How do you achieve meetings that create...
Leaders of organisations spend a lot of time thinking about, and evolving, strategy but there are three questions that may be even more important to consider first: Why we exist as an organisation – What is our Mission or Purpose? Who we are – What are our...
In last month’s blog we covered tips on how best to network (How to Network - 7 Practical Tips) and maybe now you feel ready to attend that networking event you’ve been avoiding for the past 6 months! Instead of looking forward to it, you’re now...
What goes through your mind when someone suggests that you need to network more? Comments we often hear include: “Networking is insincere and manipulative” “It takes too much time and effort” “I’m shy, I can’t network” Do any of these sound familiar? Networking often gets bad press and can be seen...
It’s likely that a huge proportion of your working day is spent communicating with others, either verbally or in writing, be it text, email or social media. When we communicate verbally, we have lots of choices about the communication tools we use to say our piece. ...