Do you know that feeling when you have maybe been down in the weeds for a while, living your life in the day-to-day. Then you look up and something that seemed far off on the horizon, maybe not even visible, is suddenly directly in view? I’ve just recently had this...
(My first time being managed that is!) I’ve had a couple of personal disappointments recently including not getting a facilitation consultancy that I was hoping for. And this was on the tails of a conversation with someone who was asking how they could stretch...
(My first time being managed that is!) I read recently, and I wish I remembered where, that the first boss/manager/supervisor you have is significantly more influential than subsequent ones. This is because the tone and way in which they manage creates expectations...
It’s counterintuitive. Like being told to drink hot tea on an even hotter day because it will cool me down. For me, the amount of hope I need to sustain me, is inversely proportional to the level of overwhelm and disillusionment I’m feeling. It should be the other way...
Quite often I get asked to come and facilitate workshops to help build trust within a team. Or in my coaching, I am working with someone who places low trust in their reports or supervisor, or who has received feedback that they aren’t trustworthy. I’m always curious...
Jury deliberations present a unique facilitation challenge. Twelve, randomly selected citizens sit through a criminal or civil trial for hours, maybe days or even weeks, and are then asked to come to reach a verdict which depending on the verdict and the place where...
I was asked this question recently by someone who is looking to move from a role in facilitation within an organization to setting up her own business. And the question flummoxed me. Because it’s really complicated. At least it feels that way. On the one hand there is...
“I didn’t get any work done today because I was stuck in meetings”... If I had a dollar for every time some has said that to me – my spouse, colleagues, friends, peers – I would be rich indeed. And every time I hear that, I cringe internally. Because built into that...
(NB. This blog was inspired by a combination of some recent facilitation and being immersed in the current season of the British Baking Show! If you aren’t into baking, you might still find some morsels of use in this blog!) I love to cook but I have a pet peeve when...
I grew up doing a lot of volunteering. My friends and I set up our town's first paper and aluminium recycling program which involved a lot of sorting of rubbish and jumping on cans to squash them flat! And my first year overseas was volunteering for a peacebuilding...