The psychosynthesis of work and life

“The starting point is curiosity: pondering why the default exists in the first place.” – Adam Grant, Originals

When the war stories told in the workplace are primarily about what people have sacrificed for the company, there is an assumption presented: “In order to be valued here, you need to be willing to let work take over.” Beneath that, there is another assumption: “Work and life are separate things.”

To leave or stay? When core values conflict with your leader

As we grow as leaders, we become more aware of our values. Often this is a process of discovery as we learn how to separate our own beliefs from unhealthy principles we may have been taught in the past. When we begin to outwork our newly unearthed values, we can experience resistance from the organisations we work within. This can be the teething problems of growing together as a company, but sometimes it can come from the people we are directly responsible to. So what should you do when your own values and those of your leader are in conflict?

Coach Training Explained

If, like me, you’re convinced of the benefits of Coaching and would like to make it part of your personal development, or if you’ve heard enough to want to know more, then there is a good chance that like I was, you’re a little confused about the best way to move forward.

How to Create a Team Dynamic that Actually Works

In traditional leadership structures, power is seen as something hierarchical. The greater your position, the greater your ability to effect change. The primary issue with this is that it is simply incorrect. Just because power is not being used, does not mean it doesn’t exist. Hierarchical leadership structures are ineffective because they rely on the illusion that those at the top have all the power, all the knowledge and all the significance. If people believe the illusion, they will act accordingly – as a disempowered team.

Where curiosity could take you: The TPCL story

“The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.” – W. Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game

15 signs a coach can deliver what they claim

In theory the first sign should be a qualification. ICF, EMCC, ILM and the Association for Coaching are the main accrediting bodies for leadership coaches. They all exist to uphold a certain standard of coaching, and require that coaches exhibit self-awareness and relational skills, and learn accepted models, techniques and ethics, but two coaches with the same accrediting body can still have very different approaches to coaching.

How to stay true to your values as a leader

“We need leaders to be more than just figureheads and fall guys…leadership is not a thing but a process – as we have defined it – to coordinate and direct.” – Nigel Nicolson, The “I” of Leadership

Leadership is a process of making decisions that affect other people. Our personal decision-making informs how our team makes decisions, which determines what our organisation becomes. Whether it becomes anything worthwhile will depend on what values we set out with and whether we stayed true to those same principles.

How to navigate uncertainty

When was the last time your work excited you? Not because of how others might reward you but because of the work itself. If the fire fades for too long, it’s likely we’ve made things too predictable for ourselves. That doesn’t mean the future really is foreseeable but that we’ve relied on a mode of behaviour to convince others (and ourselves) that we have things under control.

“Transition and uncertainty are attendant to any path.” – Sarah Levitt, Magnificent Leadership

Avoiding uncertainty is a lot of work and can drain even the most driven leaders. Not least because it can’t be done. The question is not whether we will stay ahead of the game but how we will respond when we realise the roll of the dice is not in our hands.

How to align your inner and outer worlds

Have you ever found yourself acting contrary to your core convictions? When we’re at base camp it can be easy to draft out an organisation’s ethos. But when we’re approaching high altitude – and the wind feels like it’s going to blow us off the mountain – it can be easy to dig into old habits and slip into survival techniques that ignore our personal or corporate vision.