Authentic Change Blog
Values…
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. They are Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit, and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But...
Preparation
Yesterday I eventually got the bathroom ready for painting. Stripping the walls and ceiling of the original wood chip wallpaper and the many coats of paint on top seems to have taken an age. A lot more time than I originally planned. Up and down that ladder,...
Scones…
I love scones. Must be a sign of my age. Relishing the idea of tea or coffee and a scone as an afternoon treat. Know what I mean? Yet it was one of those things that I have never got around to making at home. I have made my own bread, baked an assortment of cakes, but...
Choice…
I am developing an article on 'Values'. I wonder if you can help me. Understanding your values is important in so many ways, so knowing what they are is useful. I'll be writing a fuller article on this soon. When working with people I like to ask about values, but...
Curiosity
I had the pleasure of travelling to Switzerland last week to witness a machine being tested. The clients were from Turkey and it was the first time they had seen such technology. I was there as the ‘expert’, having had experience of operating and maintaining a similar...
Careers advice for school leavers
I believe that supporting young people of today holds the key to the future. In recent years I have worked extensively with the unemployed, training, coaching and mentoring young people to realise their potential and motivate them to not be part of the media’s ‘Lost...
Connection
I am a great fan of Ken Robinson. He simply talks sense, and is thought provoking. This latest talk is about connection. How well we connect with ourselves and how well we connect with others. Picking up the latter thread, I have the privilege of coaching leaders in...
It’s just a ride…
I came across this today after watching Chris Bliss on TED, when he mentioned Bill Hicks. So, with a few spare minutes to hand, I googled him and watched this video (transcript below). See what messages you get from it: The World is like a ride in an amusement park,...
ICF 2012 Survey
2012 ICF Coaching Survey (pdf document, 934KB) The International Coach Federation (ICF) asked me to get involved in their annual survey, and today I got the 2012 Executive Summary. The key points are: Coaching continues to grow, especially in Western economies, though...
Will to live, will to die?
We hear of many brave stories of those who demonstrate a strong will to live. What about having the will to die? My mum passed away last week. She was an extraordinary woman. One of her many qualities was her strong determination. Be it her desire to get something...
Doodling away…
Remember that time in the meeting when things were not as interesting as they should have been? You had that pad of paper in front of you and a pen in your hand, so you started to draw something. Probably not a masterpiece, certainly nothing you would want to share...
Follow your passion…
Has anyone ever asked you this question? I have heard this question many times over the years and admit to being a little overwhelmed by it. My thoughts run into overdrive as I analyse all the permutations of the things I am passionate about. Of course, it depends on...
Lesson in Leadership
Do you need to be mad to want to be a leader? It takes courage, self belief and a lot of passion to be a true leader, though many would argue that you also need to be a little mad to want to take on the responsibility. Yet if no-one else does, how are we going to...
True North
Are you ready to be the next leader? What will you use to help you set your direction? I was sitting with a potential coaching client recently. We were discussing the opportunity that had arisen in her organisation where the CEO was retiring. Our discussion revolved...
30 Days…
It seems that the self help fraternity have been saying for many years that you can change a habit in 30 days. A simple Google search on changing habits returns 150 million references, so there is a lot of useful stuff out there, with varying levels of detail, from...
Choice…
Some say that having choice allows us to be free. Remember the days when you wanted a pair of jeans you had no more than 3 brands to choose from, and 2 or 3 styles per brand. Today there are more brands than I could ever name and so many styles and options that I...
Plugging back in…
Just back from my holidays and found this film waiting in my inbox, talking about the benefits of taking time off. Have a look and see what you think. As always with vacations / holidays / whatever you want to call it, but sure to be taking time off - no sneaky peaks...
Time to unplug…
Well, time for go in holiday for a few weeks. For me, that means going off line completely, chilling out even more than I normally do, and relaxing. Follow my own advice,...
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