Resources
I write regularly on topics and resources that inspire me, disturb me, invite me to see the world differently… I post them here to invite a conversation with others in my community – whether friends, colleagues, peers, clients… I believe that by entering into dialogue and sharing more of what matters with each other we will become more connected, more resilient and ultimately find better solutions to the world’s challenges. Please read and join me in conversation. I will respond to everyone who writes back.
My First Time – Do You Remember Yours?
(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...
Hope in the Small Spaces
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...
Why Should I Trust You? Models to Help Understand Trust in the Workplace
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: What I learned about facilitation from sitting on a jury.
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...
How Many Hours Do You Work Each Day?
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...
The (Work) Phrase That Makes a Little Part of Me Die Inside.
“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...
Lessons From the Kitchen: The Secret Ingredients of Effective Meetings
(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...
When Coaching Isn’t Working For You – What Then?
As an executive and leadership coach this feels like a strange title for a blog! I’ve experienced personally how coaching has at different points transformed how I was showing up in the world. There was the time when my coach helped me to understand how to advocate...
Volunteering vs Paid Work: Why I Need to do Both
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...
Dismantling vs Destroying: Why It Matters
This is an article inspired by the work of a dearly beloved Portland insititution called the Rebuilding Center. They are maybe best known for their 30,000 square foot warehouse where you can find pretty much any piece of second hand building supplies for cheap to...