Earlier this week, I was listening to a Louis Theroux podcast, where he was interviewing Ben Elton. I was struck by one particular phrase:
‘Everyone goes into the wilderness’
Finding Your Purpose
Why Conflict in a Team is a Good Thing
Following on from my previous post about building trust in a team, I wanted to talk about team conflict. I’m someone who naturally shies away from conflict and doesn’t enjoy getting involved in arguments. I’ve also felt that the best teams are harmonious. Where everyone agrees with each other.
How to Build Trust in a Team
In the past few months, I’ve been running a number of coaching sessions designed to improve team performance. I’ve drawn inspiration from the work of Patrick Lencioni and his classic book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’. As he says, an ‘Absence of Trust’ is the foundation of all dysfunctional teams. Fix this, and you’ve got a solid foundation. So I thought I’d explore this topic in a bit more detail.
Back to School
So, it’s the 1st of September and the Summer has officially ended. The sun is getting weaker, there’s a chill in the air and the days are shortening. To me, it feels like a new beginning. Much more so than the 1st of January. It feels like the start of a new school year. So, my suggestion is to take the time to start afresh as if you’re heading back to school. Here’s what works for me.
How To Prepare For Your First Coaching Session
10 Things I've Learnt About Achieving Goals
In our personal and professional life goal setting is easy. We find it easy to imagine the life we want to lead. A life where we’re happier, fitter, richer and more successful. Achieving goals is much harder. Unsurprisingly, New Year’s Resolutions usually end in failure. Goals help us grow, but we can get so much better at setting and achieving them.
How to Give and Receive Feedback
Over the past few months I’ve learnt a lot about feedback. I’ve been giving lots of feedback on presentations delivered to me as part of an ongoing training programme.
Plus, whilst training to become an accredited coach, I’ve received lots of feedback on my own coaching approach.
Here’s my key lessons.
Coaching vs Mentoring vs Teaching vs Counselling
Supporting others in this difficult time is essential. So, when your friends or co-workers ask for your help, how do you react? Most people just dive into offering solutions. Instead, learn to hold back, listen and figure out what kind of help they really need. Spend time immersing yourself in their problem.
Broadly, there are then 5 potential approaches you could take.
Why You Should Never Ask 'Why'
Whilst I was training to become an Executive Coach, one of my big ‘a-ha’ moments was to discover that asking ‘why’ when trying to get deeper into a discussion was completely the wrong thing to do. It was a real revelation to me. I always ask ‘why?’ whenever I’m trying to find out more. Whilst my intention is positive, I learnt that simply asking why can have a negative effect.