This week I’ve delivered a client-centred leadership programme in Meriden, the centre of England. Centred at the actual centre – an intriguing metaphor? The centre of England is the point around which the country would rotate if you cut it out and balanced it on a giant pin. Being client-centred means supporting the other personContinue reading “Where coaching meets geography”
Category Archives: coaching
On the road again
Freelance life can be like tropical seasons. Things dry up in summer (just as well ☀️) and then suddenly there’s a monsoon of client activity in the autumn. 🌍 Today I’m on my way to London to coach a geospatial team for a major utility company. 🌎 Next week I’m in Birmingham to deliver aContinue reading “On the road again”
Why I chose to renew my accreditation
Why bother with a coaching accreditation? If I’m honest, I had a few doubts when mine was due for renewal recently. First, in my six years of practice as a coach, no client has ever asked me for my qualifications. It’s all about trust, relationships and referrals. Second, coaching is an unregulated profession. Anybody andContinue reading “Why I chose to renew my accreditation”
10 reflective questions for mid year
The summer holidays are always a good time to take stock of the year so far. Here are 10 reflective questions worth pondering: If my year so far could be summarised in a painting, what would it show? What am I looking forward to when I return to work? If my body could file aContinue reading “10 reflective questions for mid year”
Less effort, more impact
On 26 September 1983, the world was saved by one man whose heroic action was to… do nothing. Stanislav Petrov was on duty in a Russian bunker. He was monitoring the nuclear early warning system when it detected five US missiles flying towards the Soviet Union. Instead of immediately relaying this up the chain ofContinue reading “Less effort, more impact”
Life as a coach workshop
Yesterday I ran this free workshop for early stage coaches and we all had a great time! If you’re interested in a future edition, drop me a line. It was just nice to sit together and openly talk about the things that occupy us as coaches – things we love, things that drive us nuts,Continue reading “Life as a coach workshop”
Calling early-stage coaches
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”
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”
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?”
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”
