Big & Strong: A Year in London; Reflections on World Mental Health Day
I’m sat under a picture in coffee shop in Blackfriars writing this blog for World Mental Health Day. The image is one of a bull with ‘big and strong’ as a strapline. As I reflect on the last 10 months of working in London, especially working across both corporate and public sector environments, I’m struck […]
Ask great questions as to key to develop outstanding strategy
(10 minute read) There have been a myriad of books and articles about strategy development so I’m not sure this contribution aims to say anything revolutionary …but…. working with consulting clients recently across a range of sectors I have noticed common features where strategy development is immediately restricted, and I have some solutions to suggest […]
This Too Shall Pass
A coaching client of mine is in the middle of a separation. It is both painful and complex. She had demonstrated huge compassion and resilience throughout the process but it appears, at present, to have no immediate end in sight…. to the chaos and uncertainty, emotional weight and bandwidth this brings. Asked directly for advice, […]
Craving Simplicity
In simple moments, Life’s beauty quietly blooms, Elegance revealed. I was sitting in my Cumbrian Garden yesterday. The light was starting to fade. At my feet was my labrador Murphy who was drifting in and out of nap time. I had a cold drink to quench my thirst after working hard in the garden cutting […]
“Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast”
Last week I was working with a coachee on a complex issue. She was constantly pushing hard in our conversation towards setting actions and a strategy. It was clear to me that we were yet to fully explore and understand the problem. Not only that but implementing this emerging ‘boot strap strategy’ at the pace […]
Why get out of bed in the morning? Coffee, Mental Health and Ikigai
Why get out of bed in the morning? Coffee, Mental Health and Ikigai The other morning, over my coffee, I allowed my gaze to lazily wander across the bookshelves where it rested on “Ikigai” by Hector Garcia and Francesca Miralles. It’s a beautiful book and one I encourage you to pop out and buy straight […]
What happens when your best just isn’t good enough?
Understanding the differences between ‘good’, ‘good enough’ and ‘best efforts’ are often conflicted and confused within the workplace and indeed in our own heads. From front line delivery through to senior leadership I have experienced this to some extent in almost every team I’ve led. So, let’s explore some concepts around this common problem and […]
Career Choices…. Minefields and Opportunities- Time to think.
In the last two weeks I have separately spoken to five different coachees all of whom are in a period of career transition. For each of them it is a profound life moment with direction uncertain and unpredictable, exciting and frightening in equal measure. In each case the motivation is different, the desire to change […]
The “present” of “being present”
You don’t have to be wearing saffron robes and sitting on a mountain to utilise mindfulness in daily life. There are clear advantages for leaders building the concept of “being present” into leadership practice. As Sylvia Boorstein, a great mindfulness teacher said: “Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more […]
Hero leaders are failing everywhere!
Leaders are facing huge pressure, which is taking toil on their mental health, says Stuart Rimmer, founder and head coach at Inner Mountain Coaching (www.innermountaincoaching.com ) A couple of years ago now, I was driving back from another late evening executive board meeting; it was the end of a 70-plus-hour working week and lists of unfinished jobs […]