Tag Archives: personal reflections

Celebrating the day

About Dorothy,

Friday.

I wake early with a busy day ahead. I am at my local supermarket just as it opens, knowing I won’t get time to shop over the weekend, and I’m back in time to prepare for my first coaching session with a new client. We have two luxurious hours together and I know I’m going to enjoy our work together.

Shortly after she leaves I also leave. My nephew, Edward, has his final concert as part of his MA and I travel to central London, to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to join him. His mother (my sister-in-law) Judy and my mother also join us and we enjoy the work of Edward and his fellow composers and the instrumentation which includes an accordion and alphorns. The steps of the Recital Theatre, supporting the alphorns, take the place of the Swiss Alps.

After lunch together I travel home, enjoying the views along the river as I cross London Bridge on foot. Something about these river views continues to delight and sustain me even after all these years. I am home for a brief period before going out again so I prioritise, down-loading information for my weekend workshop and checking my e-mails. Then a few minutes to blog before I head back towards London Bridge.

I am on my way to join former colleagues from the Hay Group, where I worked until I set up my own business in 2002. The ‘ex Hay’ network meets twice a year and many former colleagues continue to cherish friendships, to collaborate as colleagues, or as colleagues and clients. I look forward to our meeting on the South Bank.

As I write I celebrate the day.

Blogging: another “must do”?

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Travelling home yesterday after my last coaching session of the day I check in with myself. My full attention has been on my client and suddenly I notice how hungry I am – and ready to put my feet up at the end of a full day.

Suddenly I find myself thinking “I must write something on the blog before I make supper” and, almost simultaneously, “when did I decide that I ‘must’ blog every day?” I check in again and recognise that no, this evening I have other priorities.

I am amazed at how quickly my mind has tried to sneak in this blogging rule by the back door. Hah! And grateful to have spotted the little bugger!

On becoming an alkalarian

Alternative approaches, Your personal and professional well-being, , ,

As I pick up e-mails at close of play I pick up a request from a friend for details of this strange green drink I enjoy, aka Supergreens. It’s almost a year since I started drinking it (two litres a day most days) and my skin is supersoft.

More recently I have been making changes to my diet after reading Robert Young’s book The Ph Miracle. This is one of a number of books which point to the benefit of a diet which is based substantially on alkaline-forming foods (basically, greens) in place of the acid-forming foods that comprise a modern Western diet.

Three months in I am realising this is a journey rather than an overnight transformation. Giving up coffee and tea has been a major step and largely successful. I’m happily eating salad for breakfast most days. Giving up dairy products is proving more of a challenge – how hard I find it to say “no” to a chunk of mature cheddar or strawberries and cream!

More than anything, in recent days, it’s been a marker for my progress that I can now say “I am becoming an alkalarian” without giggling.

Emotionally intelligent leadership: it’s all very well in theory…

Developing as a leader, Emotional Intelligence, ,

On Mondays I am almost invariably in my office with a schedule of coaching calls and other meetings. Today is no exception.

I start the day with a call with my colleague Sandra Morson, with whom I am planning a book. We both work one to one with men and women in leadership roles, helping them to develop the capabilities which, together, are increasingly labelled “emotional intelligence” or “leadership competencies”. Although there is plenty of published research about what makes for a successful leader, it isn’t so easy to know how to develop as an emotionally intelligent leader.

Collaborating in writing a book is a way of sharing our experiences with a wider audience than we can possibly reach one to one. Having mapped out the structure and content of the book we are starting to make contact with potential publishers. This morning we start planning a proposal which we aim to submit to a publisher with whom we are already in contact.

As I put the phone down at the end of our call I notice the excitement I feel about this project. I think of the men and women who will find this book an invaluable resource as they prepare for leadership or as they address the challenges that face them in their current leadership role. And I think of the joy I experience: in collaborating with Sandra, in writing, in finding out how to make something happen that I have never done before – as well as in reaching and supporting this much wider audience.

Nelson Mandela, Bill Gates and my father

Developing as a leader,

London is papered with posters this week to announce today’s concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. A host of musicians are preparing to perform in honour of the old man of South Africa in London’s Hyde Park.

Reading the posters evokes memories of my father, who was 95 when he died a little under two years ago. I think of the span of both men’s lives, including Mandela’s time – 27 years! – in jail. His willingness to face imprisonment in pursuit of equality for black people marks him out, as does his willingness on leaving jail to “get stuck in” to the task of creating a South Africa, post apartheid, that was worth fighting for.

I also think of the loss of Mandela’s son, Makgatho, to AIDS in January 2005. For my father, one of the greatest challenges of old age was the death of loved ones, though never – thankfully -a son. Thinking of Makgatho’s death I think of Bill Gates, retiring this week from the fulltime chairmanship of Microsoft to dedicate more time to the Bill Gates Foundation. Gates’ commitment through the work of the Foundation to the health of some of the most disadvantaged peoples of the world touches me.

At the end of a busy day, I take a moment to sit with all these thoughts.

Blogging, coaching and client confidentiality

Coaching, ,

Whilst some coaching clients infinitely prefer to meet face to face, today I speak with clients who prefer to speak by phone. This has many benefits all round – our calls are condensed and productive and nobody spends any time travelling. What’s more, our calls today are timed so that I have time to walk to Blackheath at lunchtime, adding 4,000 steps to my daily target of 10,000 minimum.

As I walk I savour the privilege that comes from working with clients one to one. I think how much it would inspire others to be, like me, a witness to the work my clients do through coaching. I think also of the tight confidentiality agreement I have with my clients and make a mental note to alert my clients to this blog and to remind them of my commitment to our confidentiality agreement.

Still, recognising the way we are inspired by the experiences of others, I also start to play with asking for permission: what will it be like when I say, “if you’re willing to allow me to share it, I’d like to say something about your experience on my blog”?

Coaching for the top team

Coaching, Developing as a leader, ,

I have had early conversations in recent weeks with clients in two very different organisations. Both have indicated that they want to explore the use of executive coaching for their most senior leaders.

So, it made sense to me to focus the main article in my quarterly newsletter on top team interventions. What differentiates the most successful from those that are seen as a poor return on investment? And where does coaching fit in? In recent days, I have been sketching the outlines of the article and today I get my first chance to begin the process of writing it.

At 15:37 I decide it’s time for a distraction and choose to put aside writing in favour of… Mmm… maybe there’s a better way of taking a break.

Let’s get blogging!

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It’s been a few weeks since I started to think about blogging. This morning I woke up knowing that today is the day to set up this blog and post my first entry.

More generally, I have become more aware in recent months than ever before of the joy writing gives me – whether to share with others or for myself. Setting up a blog is one step towards exploring writing and what it brings to me and to others in my life – friends, family, clients.

I am already aware of some questions I have yet to answer. I’d like to write about my experiences and many of these involve other people. As a coach I guarantee the confidentiality of my work with clients – so how do I share and maintain confidentiality? I also have a love of literature and will no doubt want to include quotes – so what copyright laws apply? No doubt I shall be exporing the answers to these and many other questions as I go.

Oh – and who will read my blog? I wonder…