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When Success No Longer Feels Straightforward
Over the past year, I’ve found myself returning to a similar thread with a number of senior leaders. On paper, they are doing well, they enjoy aspects of their work, they respect their organisations, and they value the financial stability and intellectual stretch their roles provide. There is no obvious crisis, and yet, as our…
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Burnout, Wellbeing, and the Quiet Power of Kindness
A few months ago, I was invited to speak with the leadership team at World Rugby about avoiding burnout and protecting wellbeing. It is a topic that has shaped not just my coaching work, but also my own journey. I shared a story that still sits with me. Many years ago, I was navigating a…
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Finding the Right Fit: What I’ve Learned About Choosing a Coach
One of the quiet truths about coaching, and something clients don’t always talk about upfront, is the impact of past experiences. Over the years, I’ve had many new clients come to me with stories of coaching that didn’t work out. Not necessarily terrible experiences, just…. not quite right. A disconnect in style, or a mismatch…
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The Feedback Monster
Have you ever been asked for feedback by someone who then became defensive when you provided it? After all, what’s the purpose of asking for feedback if you don’t want to hear it? Or have you been on the receiving end of feedback that has offended you? Either way, giving and receiving feedback can be a bit…
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Build Your Personal Reputation Strategy
Many executive leaders have thought long and hard about their personal brand and have invested time and effort in developing a persona that shows the world of business what they have to offer. Building a personal brand is an important step in promoting yourself at work – and is a culmination of what you want the…
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Life After Amazon
This week Amazon let 18,000 employees go. In January 2023, we read about large-scale layoff announcements from Microsoft and Google. In 2022 tech lay-offs affected a staggering 150,000 people and 2023 looks set to continue. ‘Let go’, ‘made redundant’, ‘terminated’, ‘laid off’… Whichever way you look at it and whatever you want to call it, it’s…
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Rebuilding Confidence After Exposure to a Toxic Workplace.
I was recently asked to provide a response to the ‘Dear Jonathan’ reader letter in the Financial Times. The reader explained a situation where their manager had lied about their performance when they had in fact been overperforming. Despite presenting evidence to the manager and involving HR, the manager refused to change the review. The reader resigned, engaged a solicitor,…
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Breakout Rooms, Love Them or Hate Them?
Recently I held an online talk about well-being and more specifically my approach to well-being considering it has different meanings for different people. When I’ve held talks or online presentations in the past, I’ve often incorporated breakout rooms. Particularly for large groups of people I felt that break-out rooms are a great way to be…
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Why Reaching Your Goal Might Not Make You Happy
Do you ever reach a goal and yet still not feel satisfied? You’ve worked really hard, and you’ve got the result you thought you wanted, but still, something seems to be missing. If the answer is yes, then it’s possible that you’re not thinking about goals the right way and are not factoring in the outcome. Think…
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Setting Boundaries
How many of us struggle with setting boundaries and staying true to our own values? Setting boundaries is an important part of self-care and self-respect and requires a level of assertiveness. This means remaining firm whether it applies to your availability, your level of responsibility or something you want to negotiate. When we learn to say “no,” we not only…
Executive Coaching for Real Conversations, Lasting Change, and Confident Leadership – EMCC Accredited Coach/Mentor at Senior Practitioner Level