A key part of effective coaching is understanding how our emotions and thoughts impact our behaviours. As it’s not always easy to recognise some of...
I read a lot over Christmas and while I can’t remember where I got this from, it has stuck with me. It was a book...
I love behind-the-scenes TV shows about American Football. With so many players, coaches and support staff I find it fascinating to see how coaching works...
I recently read two articles on being vulnerable – one promoted the importance of sharing when you’re not sure what to do or that you’re...
A question to leave you with this time. Humans are driven by needs – food, water, shelter, connection and significance among others. In any interaction...
Would you say you’re an honest person? If it depends on the situation does that mean it’s OK to be kind of honest? I think...
One of my clients offers their staff a one month sabbatical after 10 years of service and as we’ve just passed our 10-year anniversary it...
I was at a train station recently and noticed a book shop promoting Summer Holiday Reads and it made me think about what we get...
You often see it. Someone hits a milestone that stimulates some, what did I learn along the way… reflection. This often leads to a list...
The following has been stimulated by two things. Firstly a really good book called Billy No-mates by Max Dickins about male friendships. Secondly, as my...
I hear this a lot. People with a certain level of experience of the working environment (older) get frustrated/surprised how people newer to the workplace...
People are now rightly being encouraged to be more open and talk about how they feel and while this is an important forward step in...
I tend to frequent the same coffee shop and over the course of a week I noticed 3 people who brought their lunch with them...
The start of a new year feels a good time to set some goals – “what would I like to achieve in the next 12...
I’m sure this happens to you often. You’re in the middle of something and a colleague/partner/child wants to quickly get your feedback on something that...
If I asked you to describe yourself, where would you start? Would you go with physical characteristics or focus more on personality? Would you be...
Are you someone who likes to prepare for your coaching meetings or 1-1’s? Does this include an agenda of things to discuss to keep you...
This comes up often for me – particularly when the coaching focus is to develop the skills experienced people need to allow them to feel...
There’s lots of opinion out there on ‘the best’ coaching style but something I wanted to draw your attention to is the idea that ‘the...
I think it’s crucial as someone’s values impact how they learn and grow, what they choose to prioritise and the effectiveness of how they interact...
I used to find it quite stressful when I met someone I didn’t know. Most of the time I struggled beyond – “what do you...
In terms of helping someone to become a better coach the most impactful thing I do is tell people what I think of them. How...
Credit where credit is due and the following was stimulated when reading Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit). The book made me think...
Would you be surprised to know there’s an International Journal of Listening (strangely it’s not available on audiobook 😊)? I was but then being a...
I was reminded recently how much I love simplicity when the Head Coach of the New York Jets, Robert Saleh, was asked about his philosophy...
If (like me!) having more effective conversations (at home and in the workplace) is one of your New Year’s resolutions then I thought it might...
A key part of being human is our concern about our status (in relation to our social standing) and being acknowledged as somehow adding value...
I recently finished reading a book about supporting families going through significant trauma and it reminded me about an approach I think is underutilised in...
While I do embrace my role when someone is in full venting mode and wants to get something off their chest, I’d also say it’s...
Often helping someone improve the effectiveness of their coaching requires them to change how they think. For me this is never more relevant than in...
Warning! This post has a lot more questions than answers so only read on if you’re looking for something to think about for a while!...
If you’re a frequent train traveller you’ll know that on the information board on the platform they let you know if the train you want...
I’m not long back from a relaxing holiday where I took the chance to read about less specific topics than coaching to see what ideas...
Although the origins are disputed, legend has it that Ernest Hemingway made a wager with fellow writers that he could write a story in only...
One of the habits my current role has helped me to build is the ability to give 100% of my focus of attention to one...
As you read this I’ll be a few days into a 3-week holiday which is a decent chunk of time (the life span of a...
Those of you who coach regularly will know that to help someone improve their performance can often mean having to impact their limiting thinking –...
If building quality relationships is on your priority list for 2023 then here’s something that might be useful (stimulated by a book called Conversations on...
I’m not sure who decides what becomes a hot topic but here are my thoughts in case it’s my turn! Managing the impact of our...
Is helping someone to improve their ability to give feedback the same as helping them help the person they’re coaching to be better at receiving...
Apologies for the clickbait headline but a recent Microsoft survey has looked at the latest work trends and this, unfortunately, was the headline that made...
How to measure the impact of coaching is a frequent topic of conversation in my world and while there are a number of ways to...
Although it’s been a while now, I find it interesting that I still spend a decent amount of time talking through issues around the balance...
I’m a big fan of using empathy in my coaching but the following from the book, Tell me the truth about love by Susanna Abse...
Being around my 16-year-old son as he studies for his Highers has reminded me of our ability as humans to be easily distracted! We know...
I was walking from Haymarket station into Edinburgh a couple of weeks back and about 30 yards in front of a me a bus swerved...
While too much stress in your life is not good, we all feel the pressure at times so helping people deal with stressful situations will...
I’ve been thinking about the role honesty plays in coaching interactions and particularly how we could get to a position where we can be 100%...
This was on the BBC website recently and it made me smile… In the US, President Joe Biden’s administration says it’ll distribute around 400 million...
The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on where you are in life and where you want to go and...
I’ve just worked out that this is the 50th article I’ve posted. That’s 50 individual (but linked) thoughts and ideas around coaching which hopefully people...
The people I work with learn quickly that I’ll hang on their every word. I do this for a number of reasons but mostly because...
In the build up to the recent Ryder Cup between Europe and the USA, the American captain, Steve Stricker, decided against what has become ‘the...
Being asked for your advice can often happen when you’re coaching and while you can use questions to help someone work out what to do,...
Although the media rightly focus on the good news stories from the Olympics, I’ll admit I’m fascinated with what coaches do when athletes don’t do...
What would you do in this situation? You’ve spoken to a colleague who’s not their usual self and you know another colleague is going to...
If you want to help someone reach their potential then understanding them as an individual makes sense. In sport they talk about, coach the person...
There’s a TV show on Sky Documentaries about an improvisation comedy hip-hop group (who knew!?) in America and it follows their story over a number...
I know someone really well (to protect identities let’s call him Tommy) who is passionate about his role in helping those around him reach their...
Over the past few weeks I’ve found people are more willing to admit they’re struggling with motivation. I am. I’ve found this lockdown the hardest...
I watched a post-match interview recently with a football manager whose team just had a really bad day at the office. He started by saying,...
Although there are no guarantees in life, one thing I’m certain will happen in 2021 is you will be faced with some tough coaching discussions...
Here’s something that might be useful. I had a golf lesson recently and one of the key elements of the session was to check my...
How much do you agree with the following statement – managers get the performance they expect? The question I’m really asking is, do you think...
If you’re familiar with goal setting, then you’ll know the recommended wisdom is to focus on the PROCESS of how you achieve your goal rather...
There’s a TV series on Amazon Video called The Test which follows the Australian Cricket Team in the summer of 1999 as they play the...
Here’s a scenario to get you thinking about how to use your coaching skills to ‘influence’ your boss!! You’ve developed an idea you think will...
To get you thinking about how to do this, list the pros and cons of two different approaches to a lockdown learning situation that happened...
Humans have always needed to be adaptable. Environments are ever changing and as we all have a vested interest in our own survival, we need...
I don’t watch much TV but I’m sure I’m like most of you in that my TV habit has increased quite a bit recently. And...
When I talk to people about how to plan their ongoing development, I ask them to think in percentages. People are busy and need to...
If you have ‘phone age’ kids (kids old enough to own a mobile phone – about 3 years old these days!) you’ll know that FOMO,...
Here’s something for you to try. Next time you’re called upon to give someone feedback (or decide to give it anyway!!), pay attention to your...
My youngest son asked me at Christmas if I had a New Year resolution. He knows I never have a straightforward answer to a question...
I set up a meeting recently to ask someone I know well (but hadn’t seen for a while) for some advice about an area I...
To get you thinking about how you could do this I want to share some work we did with Andrea Black and Monica Smith at...
I’ve noticed that ‘people’ are quick to get stuck in when their teams not playing well at the Rugby World Cup, so I thought I’d...
Even when you give someone time to reflect, people who are very good at what they do (and have often been in an organisation for...
Here’s a quick story about taking opportunities. As we went through security at the airport last month to go on a family holiday, I noticed...
What’s the difference? Sometimes it’s useful to set clear ground rules when you’re coaching – “this will be a coaching conversation, I’ll only ask questions...
This month I’m keen to get you thinking about coaching in terms of 3 C’s – and in particular the third C which the people...
I came across this idea recently in a book about the science of happiness and it made me stop and think about how I build...
I’m coming across this a lot lately. As I help people become effective everyday coaches, they often tell me the people they’re working with can...
I don’t know if you’re aware of this but there’s a lot of research that shows that in the ‘modern’ workplace, people want to FEEL...
You often hear people say that mistakes are a good thing because we can learn from them. I’m not a fan of generalisations like this...
My wife and I went to see comedian Kevin Bridges in Glasgow recently. He’s one of our favourites and as always, he didn’t disappoint. The...
I’ve recently taken on a role coaching my sons football team and one thing that’s struck me is the desire of opposing team’s coaches to...
I’m interested in WHEN you decide to read this Insight. And more specifically, what you do next. One of the big challenges we all face...
I’ve looked at a lot of approaches used to identify ‘talent’ in sport and business and it’s clear that many organisations aren’t too sure about...
I love the fact that when surveyed, 80% of people think they’re an above average driver! Not only does this make me smile but it...
I work with many organisations and one of the most consistent things I come across is a feeling that the annual appraisal process is not...
I’m not sure about you, but I find it difficult to switch off from work when I’m on holiday (I’m writing this while in the...
What would happen if an organisation provided no training to their staff? None. Zero. Would it be a disaster waiting to happen, or do you...
Unless you work for a demolition company this is probably not an expression you use very often but it’s become a key part of my...
I’m going to use this insight to develop the skill of, let’s call it, anti-procrastination! My default setting when I’m writing is to take ages...
Golf fans among you will know that the Masters starts this weekend. I’m sure you will also know that after a period plagued with injuries...
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being extremely, how important is it in your role (as...
Here’s a quote from US Olympic swimming star Katie Ledecky’s coach, Bruce Gemmell – “We’ll try a drill that she’s horrible at – something where she’ll...
If you just tell them how to do it, you risk them coming back to ask for help whenever they’re struggling – very time consuming...
I’m just back from Christmas in New Zealand and the plan was to have some quality down time with family. However, as someone with a...
