Jen Waller

Want to be a guest poster?

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I’ve been delighted at the quality of the Friday guest posts that have already appeared on the site. (There’s also some exciting ones to come 🙂 ) If you have missed any then visit here for a full list of previous guest posts. Every Friday I include a post from a “guest”, ideally having a … Read more

Coaching “real people”

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I’ve had several conversations recently with individuals that have revolved around coaching “real people.” Now if you, like me, have been known to take someone’s language literally that can conjure all sorts of mental images appropriate for the run up to Halloween of coaching seasons with zombies! However, what they actually mean is coaching someone … Read more

“Every gig is like 100 rehearsals.”

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The above quote is from the band The Feeling. It was a comment said during an interview following a small live show where they had “tried out” some new songs in front of a live audience. They went on to explain that with the live feedback from the audience they can make immediate adjustments to … Read more

“Failure” Does Not Have To Be Soul Destroying!

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“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”
(Michael Jordan, who is aclaimed as one, if not the, greatest basketball players of all time.)

Many of the reports I saw about the Oscars mentioned the fact that this was Kate Winslet’s 6th nomination. Yet this was only the first time that she won. Watching her acceptance speech, talking about imagining this moment as a child, it did not appear that her previous “failures” were detracting from her success this time around.

I also recently came across a story of a Korean who has, so far, failed their driving test over 700 times. What struck me the most when I read this was the focus and determination to reach the end goal of passing the test and driving.

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What is the difference between the first and second coaching session?

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This was a question that landed in my in box earlier this week so I thought I’d publish a general answer here. I’ll premise my answer with each coach will develop their own style and system of working so if any of the following contradicts your approach then if it’s working for you and your … Read more

What Gets Measured Gets Done!

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I was being told a story the other day about some advice a now retired gentleman had been given before starting his first job. When working with statistics, the advice stated, the very first thing to do is ask your boss what they want to prove.

When working in the corporate world, and particularly with sales, it was second nature to not only have targets but also a measurement of what was classed as important to that business.

To borrow an advertising slogan, you’ve got to be in it to win it. One of the ways that people can stay stuck in a situation is that they stop (or don’t start) taking action.

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How can a client prepare for a coaching session?

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A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the ways that a coach can prepare for a coaching session. What has surprised me since then is the number of people finding the site by searching for how a client can prepare for coaching session. I’m presuming that this search is being done by individuals … Read more