blog: news and opinion

Cross-cultural coaching: complexities and pitfalls

29th April 2016

In cross-cultural environments the coach needs be cautious about challenging the assumptions that they might otherwise challenge: if the client's attitude or belief comes from their culture of origin, it may be close to their sense of self. Equally, issues such as self-promotion in the context of career development and the client's relationship to their family need to be handled sensitively.

Identity, transition and transformation

28th March 2016

What a caterpillar calls death a wise man calls a butterfly. The coaching client travels from their current identity, via transition, to their new identity, and the coach travels with them from their current meaning, via meaninglessness, to their new meaning, equipping them to move through uncertainty to a new identity. This is a journey of transformation. The client makes the change. The coach does not remove any part of them, but works with them so that they release more of their capabilities. As they add to their current identity, they enrich who they are.

The Neuroscience of Gender

21st March 2016

The next workshop in our series is entitled ‘The Neuroscience of Gender’. It will cover: the difference in structure between female and male brains; male and female brains might function differently; vidence for different skills and abilities in females and males; what works when you want to increase diversity. Book on the link at the end of this blog.

Constellations: 'Lean back and learn' - article in Coaching at Work

7th March 2016

My article 'Lean back and learn', just published in Coaching at Work, looks at the use of constellations in coaching. This approach demands both high-quality presence by the coach and the ability to step back and detach from intention. I've discovered that my detachment in constellation work can enable valuable illumination for the client

Talent management: the human side

29th February 2016

Doctoral research reveals that the experiences and aspirations of 'the talent' are often different from their organisations’ expectations of them and aspirations for them. What's the impact on authenticity, integrity and effectiveness when talent management is commoditised and individual interests go unacknowledged?

'The vulnerable coach': article in Coaching at Work

6th January 2016

My new article on 'The vulnerable coach' appears in the January/February 2016 edition of Coaching at Work. if I’m vulnerable I have a greater capacity to be non-judgmental and to compassionately hear the client. My being known to the client nourishes engagement, trust, connection and their feeling of safety - and so enriches the outcomes they create from their coaching.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

4th January 2016

What kind of leader are you? And what kind of leader do you want to be? What’s the style that gets you best results and feels right to you? When you return to work after a break you may have a more balanced perspective than when you’re in the thick of the pressure. What are you doing to act on the messages that are now clear to you, to become the kind of leader you want to be and to shape the career you really want?

From peers to direct reports: the senior promotion

24th December 2015

When leaders are promoted - and have focused great effort on actually getting the job - there's a risk of not putting enough effort, or not early enough, into making a success of the role once they’re in it. There may be new leadership skills to master - and one of the biggest challenges is to develop new relationships as leader with people who have previously been their peers.

Women, careers and personal safety

30th November 2015

Senior women at work, especially those working part-time, may not be as safe as they would like. They need to develop career resilience: a flexibility in being prepared for – and handling - the unexpected, and learning from tough experiences so as to feel more resourced for the path ahead.

'Who are you - really?': article in Coaching at Work

12th November 2015

Leaders can become so embroiled in their work that they lose their identity: they have so totally dedicated themselves to achieving outstanding results that they’ve lost touch with the boundary between who they are and the job: they are the job.