Well, did you have champagne, roses and romantic cards for Valentine’s Day last week? Followed by unexpected thoughtful gestures for Random Acts of Kindness Day? Valentine’s Day isn’t really my thing and I had an interesting experience with Random Acts of Kindness a few years ago, which put me off that day a bit too!  Here’s the reason. A few years ago, I came across the idea of Random Acts of Kindness and really liked it. It wasn’t the actual day ...

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Following up on my last article so I can share the fourth and final Leadership Resolution before we get too far into 2021. Otherwise, it’s getting a bit late for New Year commitments 😊. Over the last few weeks I’ve shared three resolutions that leaders can take to significantly increase performance and productivity within their teams when done effectively. But effectiveness isn’t the only criterion. To really get results we need to learn a lesson from the worlds of bacteria and ...

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I missed posting this article last week; I was ‘bubbling’ with my niece, helping with her three-year old toddler and four-month-old baby, neither of whom seem to find that sleeping (either day or night) is a requirement. Once again, hats off to every parent of young children in this lockdown situation. What a tough gig. Back to my rather quieter office this week so let’s get to work with a bit of mathematics. Which of the following questions can you ...

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It’s almost 30 years since “Coaching for Performance” by Sir John Whitmore catapulted coaching into the leadership psyche. Before that, coaches were found in the sports arena, not the Boardroom. It’s a good book and its impact endures – there’s a very strong chance you have used Whitmore’s GROW coaching model.  There are spin-offs too – there’s TGROW and there’s GROWER and there’s GROWLER (actually, I don’t think there is a GROWLER, but I like the sound of it 😁). Coaching ...

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I guess we start this year with optimism and yet less certainty than we would normally do.  I know most of my friends are much more likely to say ‘If I can…’ rather than ‘I intend to…’ when it comes to personal plans and projects. 2020 was a stark reminder of both how resourceful and how powerless we are as individuals and as humanity. So, within this ongoing unusual context, I wish you all the very best for 2021. Over ...

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Well, December has arrived. It’s an auspicious month; one that brings Hanukkah and Christmas festivities, one that heralds the end of the calendar year. Here in the UK we’re hunkering down in the depth of winter, while in Australia people are looking forward to summer and the long school break. In the workplace, it’s a time for year-end accounts, budgeting, performance reviews, bonus announcements, objective setting… December isn’t just another month. And, for that reason, it’s a month of heightened ...

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