My Blog

This blog is for me, it’s my sketch pad where I think things through and work things out. Having worked ‘stuff’ out I think it’s good to declare it, so I am sending it to you. Hopefully you will also find it useful.

Latest Posts

The four legs of my sturdy table

1st September 2020

Preparing for a talk to fellow coaches on how we price for work I discovered something about my business. Four things seem to underpin my success and how I enable my customers’ success.
They are the four legs of my sturdy table …..

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The myth of “alignment”: it’s not enough

17th August 2020

The team is aligned, they are on course to reap the multiplying benefits of their collective effort. Yet they are often frustrated and come up short. Stuff happens.
Alignment gets you started as a team, but it’s the painstaking and unending work of reaching agreement along the way that counts. That’s what real collaboration looks like.

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Three little questions: A simple tool for getting promoters and silencing detractors

6th August 2020

If only you could find out what they really think, then you could do something about it, make improvements and become remarkable. So you commission an expensive customer or staff survey, generate loads of data and do nothing with it.
There is an alternative here

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The natural way to change – become more of who you are

1st August 2020

How best to change or bring about change?
Change happens naturally when we become more of who we are, rather than when we try to behave differently.
Try and change behaviour and they will resist, you already know that.
Start with thinking.
Here’s some thinking on thinking.

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We need to talk about values

27th July 2020

The title of this post is based on one of my favourite films “We need to talk about Kevin”.
It’s a tough watch.
Kevin’s Mam thinks there is something wrong with him. His Dad says, “leave him alone he is just a normal kid”.
Kevin grows up and does something terrible.
We need to talk about values

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Strategies for VUCA

14th July 2020

We are now operating in Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous times.
VUCA was coined by the military, though applies to all of us, especially those leading businesses and projects.
You and I have got this far, we have developed strategies. I’m sharing some of mine here in my new video series; I’d love to hear some of yours

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How to get great things happening

6th July 2020

Executives look up to the horizon to spot opportunities and risks and in response adjust the organisations course.
Sometimes they lose sight of the horizon because of the size of their accountability hoard.
Here’s how to win back your time and get great things happening.

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Zero-sum or relationship? It’s up to you

22nd June 2020

One game of chess is hard enough though what if you have dozens running at the same time, each a zero-sum game.
The project leadership team is centre stage – are the members playing out their own zero-sum game or working together through the complexity?
You’re the Project Director, you choose.

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Headspace: how to get it, how to use it, and something much deeper

15th June 2020

My customers value headspace cos they don’t get it anywhere else. Though I know something bigger is going on – they are going to deliver their best results ever.
But it takes more than headspace, as good as that is, they develop heartspace. Head and heart together – now wer’e talking.

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An awful lot needs doing, You can’t do it all.

8th June 2020

When there is too much to handle it’s often easiest to grapple with the short term.
The ‘normal’ route is closed and the new route is unchartered. How are you going to unleash the talent around you so you can win back your time and gain headspace to think and lead the way. On and up.

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