Category Archives for "presence"

4 ways to take your team (and your relationships) to the next level

He held his head in his hands in frustration. The level of effort and commitment to move this organisation forward was immense. And yet Charlie felt so let down by his partners who seemed to drop the ball all the time. He struggled to stay calm and maintain his composure. Inside he was boiling with anger, wanting to call […]

When I get confident, I’ll do the thing

Dan was desperate. He stared into his coffee feeling tears of frustration prickle behind his eyes. The warmth of the cup was little comfort.   The thought of another frustrating conversation with his boss where nothing ever changed filled him with despondency. His energy felt sapped. This wasn’t his idea of fun anymore. He knew a change was needed but with […]

How to cure the curse of ‘do do do’

I found myself rushing again. I could feel the heat growing in my chest. The tension building in  my forehead. My mental to do list had taken on Sisyphian proportions (you know the endless pushing of the boulder to the top, just to have it roll down to the bottom again.) In that rushing, I wasn’t paying attention. To what […]

Is this the simplest route to success in any field?

I was very much into cycling in my teens and twenties. I wasn’t the fastest or the fittest, but I was always pretty good at climbing hills. It was the same for running. I wasn’t much of a sprinter but I could go long distances. For a long time I didn’t make much of this capacity but recently I […]

Are you ignoring the Check Engine light?

Imagine if you were wrongly accused of fiddling the books. That your life and livelihood were put into serious question. Your reputation trashed. Your standing and wellbeing undermined, without just cause. How would you feel? What would you do? How would you cope with having your truth ignored, challenged, dismissed? If you’re in the UK and you’ve been following the Post Office […]

It’s like eating junk food

This week one of my clients was sharing how they had spent some time on a shared business trip with another colleague in discussion about a leader in their business. The conversation, and I’m sure you’ll recognise the type, because we all have them from time to time, focused on what was wrong or challenging in […]

Your message is dumb, he said

This was the conclusion to a terse exchange between me and someone I’d reached out to on a social media platform. It was the end of a pithy back and forth after their first reply to me had seemed to be derogatory both to me and a particular profession. Of course there are so many potential responses […]

When yes battles with no

Thursday 4am. I sit bolt upright in bed. Thoughts of the day’s tasks coming up thick and fast. My stomach clenches. My mouth is dry. There is a gnawing anxiety already present. My head feels tight.   I lie back down, tossing back and forth but knowing the night is over. I try to stay breathing in calm; bringing my attention to my […]

Do you fall into the trap of ‘this or that’?

I leant forward in my seat.  It couldn’t be done.  No way. To get the project finished on time, would mean another weekend at work. My heart sank, and my stomach contracted.  I would have to tell my partner this was another weekend written off for work, in service of my clients, my business. I felt myself growing […]

What rockbottom really tells you

Neil (not his real name) had been fired from his last two positions.  His confidence was at rockbottom.  He knew he was a capable and experienced leader, but twice in a row.  Surely that meant there was some fatal flaw that he was simply not seeing? At heart, he was a natural problem solver.  He thrived […]