It’s depressingly well documented that when a woman makes demands, challenges the status quo and generally speaks up, there is often a backlash from those around her. And that backlash isn’t just from men; there’s a great deal of research supporting the dismal view that both men and women penalise the woman who dares to… Read more
Image by Ron Harvey/Deposit Photos The ‘10,000 hours’ theory often comes up when I’m running workshops and the discussion turns to practising and applying learning back at the day job. Many participants have read or heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Outliers: The Story of Success’ (2008), or Matthew Syed’s ‘Bounce: The Myth of Talent and The… Read more
Image by vectorlab (Pavlo Syvak) Ouch, that’s a tough one. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. Yes really, many of us (me included) have had a stinky review or two. Sending you a virtual hug now. Take a few deep breaths. Don’t do anything rash. Stop and think – and consider these prompts that… Read more
Ah, yes. The old ‘you need to speak up more in meetings’ edict. A comment that is often casually tossed towards someone who has: asked for feedback on their performance, dared to discuss their promotion prospects, asked for advice, discussed their appraisal – or all four. It’s not all that helpful is it? You… Read more
1. What’s your understanding of ‘coaching’? Maybe you know someone who’s worked with a professional coach; it may have been on an aspect of their personal life, or to focus on their performance and success at work. As the ‘coachee’ (clunky word, but we know what it means) told you how it was working for… Read more
It’s great when participants on Zoomly’s ‘How to coach your people’ workshop start to see the difference they can make when they add a coaching approach to their toolkit. They experience the power of switching from being in ‘tell’ mode all the time to ‘ask’ mode. Indeed they can get a bit evangelical and want… Read more
What caused you to notice you’re ‘stuck in a rut’? Was it something someone said? Or an event, such as a reunion? Looking at others’ ‘wonderful’ (idealised) lives on social media? Or comparison with friends or colleagues? Caution: beware comparing – I’m convinced it’s some kind of neuro-poison. Your situation may be absolutely fine for… Read more
This is one of those questions that I sometimes get asked after a training workshop, when someone hangs back because they’ve got a burning question that they didn’t want their colleagues to hear. On one hand I can help, as I can offer suggestions that enable the individual to clarify what they may need to… Read more
I’ve been riveted by the Olympics, and will now be by the Paralympics. Whatever the sport, I’m always curious about what’s going through each competitor’s mind. Before they start, when they’re under pressure and when they’ve had a setback. Yes, there’s a lot we can deduce from their body language – posture and facial expression… Read more
This question often comes up when I work with managers; it may be that a) they’ve delegated something and the team member just didn’t get to complete (or even start) the job; or b) they’ve been applying their newly-learned coaching skills and their team members are mostly really responding well to this approach, but some… Read more
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