Something I’ve been thinking about. As an antidote to the online sharks who promise to “10x your coaching income” and other bullshit. The early years as a self-employed coach can be exciting as well as daunting and isolating. You’re figuring things out as you go along – your confidence, purpose, offering, clients, business, process, philosophy,Continue reading “Calling early-stage coaches”
Author Archives: Thierry_G
On geospatial human-centredness
At the recent Esri UK conference I was reminded of my time in the Libyan desert many years ago – a geospatial career highlight with surprising parallels to my work as a coach today. I loved travelling with seismic survey crews across the Sahara. Endless space, a clear task, and daily progress visible on aContinue reading “On geospatial human-centredness”
On flying solo and the symmetry of mutual learning
How do you keep a group of leaders engaged in learning for a full week without a single slide? Today I’m wrapping up my first ever client-centred programme run on my own. Normally we have two facilitators but with a smaller group than usual I was offered a new learning opportunity: to fly solo. HowContinue reading “On flying solo and the symmetry of mutual learning”
What does coaching have in common with contemporary art?
Should we send leaders to art school? Would artists make great coaches? Is coaching essentially an artform? A few years ago the British artist Grayson Perry wrote the acclaimed book, Playing to the Gallery, to demystify contemporary art. What struck me in this book is how often you could simply swap the word ‘art’ forContinue reading “What does coaching have in common with contemporary art?”
Living your values as a team
On my way to work with a senior leadership team in London. The mission: help them clarify and embrace their values as a team and organisation. Values aren’t a nice to have. Apart from being a requirement for any organisation with clear purpose and identity, values also have a practical neurological function. From a neuroscienceContinue reading “Living your values as a team”
When the client needs more than coaching
Are there times when a client needs more from a coach than just coaching? Recently I worked with a technology team facing competing priorities and endless to-do lists. Our first workshop had gone well, but on Day 2 I sensed that something wasn’t working. My systemic coaching questions were bouncing off people as if coatedContinue reading “When the client needs more than coaching”
Coaching teams
Team development is a big part of what I do – next week I’m in Aberdeen to coach a geospatial team. People often ask me, what does that look like in practice? A team workshop typically lasts a few hours to a couple of days (depending on requirements, time, budget). Because every team is differentContinue reading “Coaching teams”
Stepping into your own greatness
So far this year I have worked with school teachers, corporate managers and first-time geospatial leaders. And they all have something in common. They already have the capacity to lead and to coach – they just don’t know it yet. Because their head is getting in the way. Much of my work as a coachContinue reading “Stepping into your own greatness”
A new kind of leadership
A perfect match for my Lego world map 😊 This new book offers fresh perspectives on how to lead in today’s complex world, drawing on wisdom from around the globe. As a coach, I’ve grown increasingly circumspect of western leadership models. Not that they’re wrong – what’s not to like about authentic or servant leadership?Continue reading “A new kind of leadership”
Building bridges
These days when a rare letter arrives in the post, I think oh no – what have I done? So it was a great relief to find GEO 100 stickers in the envelope 😊 Thank you Alex Wrottesley and the geospatial jury for the nice touch! While my work as a coach now takes meContinue reading “Building bridges”
