Category: Business Coaching

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 […]

The Right to Disconnect – how to set boundaries today

Posted LisaPosted in Business Coaching, Coaching, Resilience

This week there was a call by the FSU in Ireland for the ‘Right to Disconnect’ to be introduced as legislation.  The Right to Disconnect would mean that workers are not obliged to answer calls, reply to emails or engage in work-related activities outside of paid working hours. It followed a survey of 2,000 workers which found that a quarter of them reported that their employer expected them to answer calls or emails outside of work hours. It made the news on Mental Health Day, but was also flagged in August when Ireland’s Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys announced that an interdepartmental group had been set up to explore the issue and make recommendations before the end of the year. You don’t have to wait for the end of the year, or for Ireland to follow France and introduce legislation, to put some boundaries in place if this […]

Flying trapeze – for brain health!

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

If you regularly feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained and unable to meet constant demands, you might be burned out. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It has become so prevalent that the World Health Organization (WHO) added burnout to its International Classification of Diseases, IDC-11,  describing it as a syndrome “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed…” There are many ways to avoid or manage burnout, one proven tactic is to have a hobby that’s purely for leisure.  Nowadays we let hobbies fall out of our lives because we are too busy, but when you’re really engaged in a hobby you love, you lose a sense of time and enter what’s called a flow state. When your brain is in a flow state, neurotransmitters in your brain — endorphins, norepinephrine and dopamine – are activated and these regulate your mood […]

Actively listening to enrich your life

Posted LisaPosted in Awakening, Business Coaching, Clinical Leadership, Coaching, exams, Online Training, Resilience

I often speak about the difference between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’, usually in relation to conversations in a leadership context, but this week I am focusing on how to listen, really listen, (and what to listen to!) as a simple form of mindfulness to help relieve stress. Listening is sometimes called an art and a science.  (In fact, I counted once – coaches are trained to listen in 11 different ways!). It is really important for our mental health to actively listen sometimes because it encourages our brain to work the way it’s supposed to.  Listening tunes our brain to the patterns of our environment faster than any other sense, and paying special attention to sounds, the non-visual parts of our world, feeds everything from our intellectual performance to our motor skills and coordination. Listening to the sounds around us, particularly sounds of nature, soothes an overactive mind and can alleviate […]

Close the Gate

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

If you live in or visit a rural area, you will be aware of the need to always close a gate. It’s to keep livestock safe and to keep humans safe from the livestock that like to escape and explore the world! ‘Closing the barn door after the horse has bolted’ is a common expression to describe the futility of closing the gate too late. Did you know that there is a way to ‘close the gate’ of your mind – to be more focused, less distracted, better able to concentrate, and happier, every day? The latest video I’ve uploaded to The Resilience Hub explains in detail how to do it with a demo and the neuroscience behind it so that you will have a better understanding of how it works. If you haven’t yet signed up to The Resilience Hub you can do so for FREE here. Until next […]