Posts Tagged ‘professional development’
Throw Me a Rope – I’m Scaling a Procrastination Mountain Here
I’m currently experiencing the worst bout of procrastination of my entire life. It’s excruciating, it’s embarrassing, and I think it has the potential to sabotage the most significant goal of my professional career. Let me explain: I’m travelling to New York at the end of May to undertake research for the book I’m writing. In order for this trip to be a success, I…
Read MoreHow To Turn Irritation Into Inspiration
We usually view states like dissatisfaction, frustration and exasperation as negative. Admittedly, they are not as pleasant to experience as their opposites. The thing is… When you’re feeling satisfied, you lose the impetus to look for opportunities. Dissatisfaction is beneficial to the creative process. That annoying itch can inspire action. [Tweet “If you want to change,…
Read MoreWhat To Do When You Stuff Up
It’s gonna happen sooner or later. Probably sooner. Sometimes it can even feel like it’s happening on a daily basis. You stuff up. Let someone down. Don’t do what you said you were going to do. Make a judgement call that causes some grief. Inadvertently offend or hurt someone. If you’re taking risks as a leader – or simply learning, growing and living a…
Read More6 Wise Tips To Increase Your Productivity
There are profound lessons to be learned from our children, teens and young people in general. Today’s guest blogger is my 13-year-old son, Nicholas. He might be young, but he’s an old soul – and his leadership tips are spot on. My mum hasn’t been feeling well, so I decided to write her blog for her today. I know…
Read MoreHow To Prevent Fear From Stealing Your Leadership Mojo
Did you know we are born with only two fears? The fear of falling and loud noises. Everything else is developed through our experiences. So, fear is an intrinsic part of our human make-up. And it sure does drive a WHOLE lotta behaviour. What does this mean if you are a leader? At its worst, fear leaves us paralysed.…
Read MoreWhy New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work (and 2 powerful alternatives)
Here’s a frightening statistic. According to the University of Scranton research, only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals. Crazy right?! If resolutions or specific goal setting just ain’t your gig, don’t sweat it, you’re doing OK. Instead of the traditional resolution-fest, I’d like to suggest a different approach, which can apply to the beginning of…
Read MorePhrase Your Praise: How A Leader’s Praise Can Influence Mindsets
I’ve just stumbled across this little gem of information. In this enlightening video clip, psychologist Carol Dweck talks about the results of a study she did on 5th graders, where she tested the effect of praise on mindsets. It shows the difference between praising children for their intelligence versus the effort they made i.e. “Wow,…
Read MorePositive Flashpoints And Energy Vampires
Every year around this time, the focus of most of my coaching sessions seem (for the most part) to be less on ‘development’ and more on ‘how the hec am I going to get through to Christmas’. In other words, resilience and filling up our tanks enough to get through to our long-awaited break. Cue…
Read MoreHow To Be A Subtle Ninja
There’s a subtle difference between: Reacting and responding. Blaming and holding someone accountable. Delegating and passing the buck. Failure and learning from our mistakes. Subtlety is the quality of being understated, delicate, or nuanced. These are words not often associated with leadership – but when it comes to leading people, subtlety can make all the difference. If a big…
Read More20 Ways To Challenge Effectively
“He who has learned to disagree without being disagreeable has discovered the most valuable secret of diplomacy.” – Robert Estabrook The skill of challenging effectively is a constant area of focus – not only in working with my clients, but personally as well. There’s no doubt about it, challenging is challenging. It’s a tricky skill to master…
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