Posts

Conflict coaching

Want to avoid conflict & misunderstandings? Keep talking.

As a coach working with people in all sorts of fields from CEOs and senior managers to entrepreneurs, I am present in a wide range of conversations covering many specialised topics.  There are many, many commonalities which I guess is no surprise as we are all human facing similar challenges.

One common theme is communication. Or lack of it.  Time and time again, I see people suffering in silence, making assumptions about others and how they’re thinking  which lead to misunderstandings and resentment – and conflict even, which is something most of us want to avoid.

Why do we not set up that chat? Why do we hold back our thoughts, not vocalise our observations? Why do we let things go unsaid, assume we know what’s going on for others (or not want to know), why is it easier for many to ignore what’s in front of them and bury their head in other work?

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Decision making coach

Good at Decision Making?

We apparently make around 35000 decisions a day – many inconsequential and unconscious such as whether or not to have that second cup of coffee and some which have substantially more impact on others and our own lives. Without all these decisions, we wouldn’t get out of bed and if you think you’re bad at making decisions, remind yourself that you’re constantly making them and they mostly turn out fine.  Trusting yourself really helps.

You can listen to this as a podcast here.

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lorraine cairney

Taking the plunge – into self employment.

Following up on my previous blog and podcast on becoming self employed, I thought it would be interesting to speak to someone who’s taken the plunge recently. 

It’s fascinating to find out what made her do it and how she set up – with some tips on the way that might be helpful if you’re thinking of doing something similar.

Here is a transcript of the interview with Lorraine Cairney, who went from full time very successful employment of over 25 years to setting up on her own.  

You can listen to the podcast here

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confidence tips

Self confidence – how to build it

Confidence is something that pretty much everyone struggles with. Some people are very good at hiding it and coming across as confident, accomplished people.  I can guarantee you that when you get them to a safe space where they can talk freely, you’ll hear all sorts of self doubt and worries.  But they’ve learnt that to achieve what they want, they’ve had to work hard to overcome these and dive in regardless.

When I discuss confidence with coaching clients, some will say they don’t want to be too confident as that means they’d be arrogant.  I think this thought holds people back too. It’s as if suddenly, they’d go from quiet, self doubting and humble person to super arrogant, shouty one. It’s really important to challenge this belief as the likelihood of this happening overnight is pretty low.  They are still in control and still able to decide how they come across.  Having self belief makes it all a lot easier.

Prefer to listen to this? Click on the podcast

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fear of what people think

Is worrying what others think holding you back?

We all worry what others think to one extent or another. It’s normal. However, when this worry stops us from getting on with life, business and doing the things we really want to do, it’s time to challenge this thinking.

If you haven’t got time to read, you might prefer to listen to my podcast.

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