Category: Business Coaching

When a request feels uncomfortable

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching, Resilience

Have you been asked to do something that doesn’t feel quite right?  Maybe you can’t see the path ahead clearly?  Maybe your gut instinct is saying no, but you can’t find the right words to articulate that and explain yourself. Here’s a ‘get out of jail free’ card: You don’t need to see a path forward for everything straight away. It’s often not possible.  When you can, park a decision that feels uncomfortable, and certainly park having to give any explanation until you are ready. Reflect first.  And then take action. Reflection is good to a point.  It is crucial to give your mind time to process a tricky situation, to allow any stress hormones to dissipate (a process that takes up to 26 hours), and to allow first reactions to clear away and create the space for deciding your response. However, assuming the situation hasn’t resolved itself in the […]

A privilege, not a nuisance

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching

Last week I wrote about recognising any increase in demand for your input and opinions from the people around you – as being in fact a transition into being a ‘leader’ or indeed moving up a leadership level.  I suggested how you might manage these additional demands to make sure you don’t burn out.  I also suggested having a think about what kind of leader you would like to be. Another important reflection is to decide what kind of leader you don’t want to be. On LinkedIn a few years ago I saw someone in a senior role complaining about new graduates asking her to connect.  She said it was a nuisance and she hadn’t worked so hard and come this far to have a circle of connections at graduate level. I loved some of the responses she got from her peers, mainly pointing out that this was happening because […]

Why always me?

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching

Do you sometimes feel like the Grand Central Station of all queries and problems? Are you the ‘Encyclopedia of Everything’ for everyone in your world? If you have found yourself at the end of the day with mental overload, brain whizzing, unable to take in another single detail, and hoping that the next person you encounter doesn’t have too much to load on to your pile, you are definitely not alone. Here’s something to think about though… What does this mean? What does it mean when everyone comes to you for your opinion, advice, solutions, a sympathetic ear or another perspective? I’ve left a space here to prompt you to stop scrolling to the answer until you come up with it yourself! – – – – – It means you are their leader. If people gravitate to you and require – or even demand – your input, it’s because they respect […]

Who is in charge?

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching

This week saw a prominent leader admitted to ICU.  This followed a 2 week period that saw him first diagnosed with Covid-19 and then self-isolate.  Explaining that his ‘only’ symptom was a fever, he continued to work. After his symptoms did not improve he was admitted to hospital.  He continued to work. Still his condition did not improve and he was transferred to ICU. We’re told he didn’t need to be ventilated.  There is less information about whether he was still working or not! The latest word is that he has been transferred back to the ward which hopefully signifies an improvement in his condition, finally. I wish him a full and speedy recovery.  However, as a leadership coach watching from afar, I think if I was his coach I would have worried that he didn’t prepare two things. In my opinion: He should have taken sick leave from the outset. Graveyards […]

Lost your structure? Regain it here

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching

In ‘peace times’ I help busy people build their confidence, leadership skills and resilience so they can achieve success without burning out. I’m expecting a lot of burnout over the coming weeks and months. I’m hearing about the difficulties for managers who are stuck at home, still have to work and be productive, and are home-schooling and caring for children as well. I have been working from home for over 18 years; I’ve managed two of my own businesses, several other businesses and a charity group, all while raising children.  Not only do I now have the coaching skills to help people find their best solutions in time management, but I guarantee I have all the t-shirts from every challenge people are currently facing! There was ONE core habit that made working from home a success, and to this day when I find I’m losing control of my days and […]

Resilient Leadership in a Crisis

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching, Resilience

I’ve written before that all of us are leaders in one way or another.  We are leaders in our workplaces, within our family and in our communities.  The seismic shock of recent weeks has left many (who were previously strong, confident leaders) feeling lost, under-confident and still finding their feet in quicksand. My coaching practice has now moved totally online, and the issues presented to me by clients have moved from a wide variety to one common theme:  ‘How do I lead myself and others through this crisis?‘ This week I thought I’d best serve you by summarising some nuggets of wisdom from an article published in the New York Times this week.  It was written by a former Army General and a former Navy Seal based on their experiences of leading through 9/11. They suggest four behaviours you can focus on.  They are easy to do and applicable for all who lead others (staff, […]

Covid-19 Self Isolation and Lockdown: Resilience Coaching and Training Options

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching, Online Training, Resilience

Build personal resilience / Leadership in a crisis Online 1:1 Coaching via Zoom or phone 1 hour               €100* 1.5 hours          €150* Contact Lisa to arrange a call first to discuss. Resilient Leadership (bespoke structured programme designed for each individual, 14 modules to choose from) 1:1 online coaching (1.5 hours) plus bespoke online resource platform built for you. €200* per month Contact Lisa to arrange a call first to discuss. The Resilience Hub 150 bite-sized online resilience tips and techniques via video, articles and downloadable exercises. Dip in and out as needed. Access to full dashboard for 12 months. €37.50* (half price during Covid-19 lockdown) Free version available too. Visit our Facebook page Free tips on building resilience. ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ and set notifications to ‘See First’ to ensure you don’t miss any in your feed. Payment options: One4All Vouchers (payable via Stripe invoice by […]

Battleship vs Lighthouse

Posted LisaPosted in Awakening, Business Coaching, Coaching, Resilience

One of the things that fuels a happy life is knowing what our values are. There is a story that often does the rounds on the internet, of the battleship out at sea.  The lookout reports to the Captain that there is a light in their sea-lane and it won’t move.  The Captain gets agitated and tries to exert his authority by stating his rank and commanding the other party to change course to avoid a collision.  The reply comes back – This is the Lighthouse.  Your move. We use this story a lot in coaching for various reasons, and one of them is as a metaphor for your values.  When you know what your true values are, they are your lighthouse. They don’t move. They are anchored fast to the ground.  Storms and even ships that are bigger in size can crash into the lighthouse or crash around it […]

How to control public speaking anxiety

Posted LisaPosted in Awakening, Business Coaching, Coaching, Event, Resilience

If you have ever been nervous or anxious about public speaking, join the club – there are about 7.5 billion of us! Public speaking is often listed among the top causes of anxiety, but you can totally manage those nerves using your own physiology.  You don’t need medication, liquid courage or your favourite lucky charm in your pocket.  You already have what you need. Most of the anxiety during public speaking is caused or exacerbated by forgetting to breathe.  Our brain then goes into panic mode about that, which we interpret as panic about speaking. The average adult has a lung volume of about 6 litres of air. During normal breathing, when we are not thinking about it, we exchange about 500mls of air during each breath. However, when we focus and take a long slow deep breath, we exchange at least 3 litres of air. As we breathe in, our […]

Confidence follows courage

Posted LisaPosted in Awakening, Business Coaching, Coaching, Resilience

I was privileged to be a guest speaker this week at the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust’s Annual Leadership Conference in Belfast this week, on the topic of how to be a resilient leader and build resilient teams. Two fellow speakers at the event were truly outstanding and their messages need to be shared as widely as possible. Amanda Oates from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust spoke about our tendency to jump to blame the ‘who’ of a mistake or error, rather than look at the whole picture – how and why it happened.  She has worked hard to implement a different approach, (click link to watch YouTube video that explains the concept of a ‘Just Culture’), where through structured processes and a compassionate approach, the person, their team and the organisation set out on a journey of learning together, so that the individual is supported and the […]