Taking Time to Use What Works

I was taking a break from something I was writing the other day, when I caught a snippet of some sort of historical reality show. It involved the participants living in Victorian conditions and those taking part in the show were learning lots of new ways of doing things. One of the participants commented that the one thing that struck them most is how revolutionary they found the various resources we have in the modern day as they provide us with so much more time.

As I watched, I was reminded of the quote “Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” (Churchill) So often people learn about history and not from it. Prior to my break from the writing I had been struggling to word a particular section. Recalling days gone by and the various time saving resources I already knew I realised that I wasn’t actually using what, for me, makes creating writing easier.

Read more

What can you do, as a coach, when a client doesn’t answer your question?

One of the fundamental aspects of coaching is questions, but what can you do as a coach, when a client doesn’t answer the question you asked? This is a question that I often see asked by those who are beginning to explore and learn coaching. The most common answer I hear given is to challenge … Read more

Seeing it’s You …

I received a text from a friend this week saying that they were running late and would it be OK if we meet half an hour later then planned? The text I sent back was “Seeing it’s you, that’s fine :-)” Having an extra 30 minutes I took my time to enjoy the journey across … Read more

Questions, Questions, Questions

“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” (Thomas Berger) As coaches we use a lot of different sorts of questions so I thought it was appropriate that I devoted a short time to a few of the different types of questions. Some you may have come across such as … Read more

Courage

After the amazing landing of US Airways Flight 1549 by Captain Chesley B Sullenberger I have heard many many people describe his actions as courageous. I think there can be little doubt that the skill and quick thinking of both him and his crew took ensured that everyone on-board reached safety having avoided so many … Read more

How do you prepare for a coaching session?

I was reminded recently of a question the group was asked on a coaching course I attended many years ago. The question was a version of “As a coach, how do you prepare for a coaching session?” There were a number of individuals in the room with varying amounts of coaching experience in different contexts … Read more

Labels – Part 2

Last week I talked about labels that concern a particular job or role and the impact that taking on a job title as part of your identity can have.  If you missed the first part of this piece you can still read it by visiting here This week, as promised, I invite you to play … Read more

Having problems selling yourself?

“People often remark that I’m pretty lucky. Lucky is only important in so far as getting the chance to sell yourself at the right moment. After that, you’ve got to have talent and know how to use it.” (Frank Sinatra) I’ve had a few requests that have said that they want to read more about … Read more