Doing Too Much: The Signs, Symptoms And Practical Solutions

General managers who come to me for coaching often say that they: Are being pulled down into the weeds, and they want to be up on the hills Don’t delegate because they don’t have the right people around them with the right skills and competencies Can do “it” better themselves Are tired or overloaded and overwhelmed Do any of these feel familiar to you? Being a leader requires the ability to work with both the big picture and only...

Stress, Psychological Resilience And Vitality

Resilience can be defined by our capacity to remain responsive in the face of personal and professional setbacks. We all face these. A rejection for a job you really wanted, a project that doesn’t work out as expected, or being criticised by people whose opinions you value. It may be the loss of a loved one; a colleague or manager you loved working with leaves for another organisation; your own or another’s poor health, all of these are part of...

Spotting Successful In-House Leadership Interventions

In my work, I am privileged to be with many leadership teams in action. Recently, I worked with two business units from a large government agency. The two groups had run into difficulties. The corporate services group was driving many changes and the business unit experienced these initiatives as disjointed, overwhelming, and interrupting business-as-usual activities. The business unit managers were increasingly pulling up the gangplank and closing off to interactions with the corporate services managers. They were all experienced managers,...

Establishing Success Measures For Coaching

For leaders wanting to develop new behaviours and increase their effectiveness, one key is to identify specific success measures. This is not as easy as it sounds. Alongside desired outcomes of any coaching project, clients and I work together to identify 2 – 3 specific success measures which they, and others, will see and experience as a result of the behavioural changes they are considering. How do we do this? We identify specific relationships, in a specific setting, and describe...

8 Features Of Coaching Clients’ Success

In my many years of coaching leaders, I have noticed clients who benefit most from coaching have a few distinctive approaches to learning. The clients that have to most success have these traits: Are willing to accept tough feedback from bosses and peers Work to understand the impact they have on others Are open to learning new approaches Are able to identify the clear outcomes they are seeking Identify specific success measures both they and others will see and experience...

A Better Class Of Question

A few years ago, I found I had been chasing my tail. I thought that asking myself questions was likely to be helpful, as I was on a path of discovery. I began asking myself why did that happen? Why do you do that (not so great) thing? I discovered it was impossible to respond adequately to these why questions. I only succeeded in keeping myself on edge. I was creating uncertainty with my sense of self. Children ask, ‘Why...

This Thing Called Change

Organisational “change” can achieve outstanding results, or it can create chaos with results not reflecting the original purpose. Where a change is well led with a focus on relationships, achieving the desired results is more likely. Only by refreshing and rebuilding relationships between managers and staff, and how business groups relate internally and with customers can the new change be effective. New directions, new expectations, and fresh approaches can be implemented, with people more likely to give their best efforts...