Our species is in crisis. Increased psychological spaciousness is needed more than ever to help us solve the devastating problems the world faces today.
Development
10 tips to maximise your coaching experience
You did our non-scientific quiz and decided to get a coach – now what? Here are our 10 top tips to maximise your coaching experience. Tip One: Choose your coach carefully Isn’t that obvious, I hear you think? Well yes, and here are some pointers to get you going. Ask for recommendations from friends, family, […]
Surprising things coaches do
We coaches are full of surprises it seems! Today I had no less than four different conversations in which I mentioned something that I do as a coach that surprised the other. It made me think how much of what I do is part and parcel to me and new to other people. Here are some of the […]
Transformation is in fashion
Maybe it’s the time of year, and we can that feel spring is in the air and we’re ready for some dramatic change… Have you noticed how many television programmes are about transformation of some sort? Just a quick look at BBC iPlayer reveals these: Homes under the Hammer – a long-running property renovation show The Great Interior […]
How creative is creative?
If you gave me a penny for each time someone uttered to me “I am not the creative type” I’d be rich. The remark often comes in the context of discussing resilience in coaching or team development sessions, and is also a word that features in conversations about strengths. When the conversation develops around the […]
Everyone needs a theory
I think everyone needs a theory to play around with. Something that interests you, an idea you are working on and like to share with other people. A ‘what if’ question perhaps, or a conviction about something you cannot quite explain, so you like to put it to other people, or spend time thinking about by […]
Catharsis and catalysis in coaching
Sometimes a client arrives for their session clearly carrying something with them which will get in the way of a productive session if it isn’t declared and discussed. That ‘something’ isn’t necessarily on the agenda we have established so far, but the fact that it has made its way into the session makes it part […]
Humour at work
When I opened The Guardian this morning, I was greeted by the headline: Jeremy Clarkson joins Guardian drive for fossil fuel divestment. Of course – it’s April 1st today! The hammed-up, amusing piece brought back to mind a conversation about humour I had a few days ago. Earlier this week I had an impromptu coaching session […]
In praise of ‘mild unhappiness’
Happiness, it seems, has become synonymous with success. It won’t do to feel meh or mild unhappiness about something: we aspire to having constant positive emotional responses that boost our mental resources and motivation. Positive psychologists, Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener penned a new book titled The Upside of Your Dark Side in which they argue the case for […]
When coaches are really mentors
It appears that the terms coach and mentor are becoming increasingly interchangeable. Attend any business network and you’ll meet a business coach, who on closer inspection turns out to be a mentor instead. They define their practice by their business experience and work with clients who are specifically interested in benefiting from their industry expertise. Let me clarify […]