Why is this leadership role harder than my last one?

Every leadership role you undertake is slightly different. Different people, different problems, different cultures, maybe just a different time and place. Our ability to lead can be as much about the context or situation we find ourselves in as it is the skills we bring to the party!

As part of our series of questions commonly raised in our coaching practice, Ricky and Paul explore the situation that many people find themselves in: doing the things that have always worked for them and finding that, for some reason, this time,, they do not get the outcomes they envisaged.

Leading to Here with Jon Dawson

Meet Jon Dawson, a keen follower of his beloved Everton Football Club and the UK and Ireland Director of STAAR Surgical, a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of the EVO family of Implantable Collamer® Lenses (EVO ICL™). Their lenses provide visual freedom to patients, lessening or eliminating the reliance on glasses or contact lenses.

Jon’s inspiring career started in the family business, a local printer. He took it upon himself to go door to door to drum up business in his local area. He navigated various sales and management roles before taking the opportunity to lead STAAR’s strategy in the UK and Ireland.

Why do I find giving feedback so difficult?

Feedback has been described as the breakfast of champions, but giving feedback can be one of the toughest things we have to do, with many people avoiding giving feedback if they possibly can.

In this, another podcast in our series of questions from coaching conversations, Ricky and Graham focus on why some people find it so difficult to give good feedback and how developing your technique around feedback is a vital leadership skill.

From why we find feedback so difficult, through to models and structures to make you better at feedback – if you want to help the people around you be better at what they do, then this podcast is for you.

How Do I Say No (To Senior People)?

Paul and Graham tackle saying no in this latest episode of the podcast where we look at the questions that are frequently raised in coaching sessions.  Saying no, especially to the boss, is one of the things most of us find hard to do.

From the desire to say yes to the mindset that makes it okay to say no when that is the right thing to do, this episode explores all the aspects of saying no and offers some simple strategies to help you navigate these difficult conversations without ever having to actually say no.

How do I deal with a bad boss?

There is an old saying in business psychology: People rarely leave a company; they normally leave a manager!  Not all bosses are good bosses, yet at the same time, not all bosses people think are bad are really bad bosses.

Sometimes, what appears as a difficult boss is actually a different style that evokes a reaction from some of the people working for them. Sometimes, though, it is the manager’s behaviour that makes it difficult for those working for them.

In this podcast, Ricky and Paul explore the different categories, from bosses who are just different to toxic bosses who may not provide the support their people deserve.

How can I be successful and have balance in my life?

Continuing our journey into the questions that often come up in coaching sessions, in this podcast Richard and Paul explore how success in demanding jobs and work-life balance often can seem incompatible.
Creating balance is a popular topic, with no end of articles and influencers talking about the tricks to create balance, or the sacrifices required to be successful. However, the topic is more nuanced that commonly presented, as balance is a very personal thing, and what might look like as balance for one person, would feel like purgatory for another.

It is possible to create balance and have a demanding role, but as Richard and Paul discuss, this takes self-awareness, an ability to prioritise different aspects of your life and choices.

Leading to Here with Steve Britton

This latest episode of Leading to Here is a must-listen; Steve Britton shares his story, his journey to here that includes a life-changing experience as he turned up to a football match looking forward to seeing his beloved Liverpool FC in the 1989 FA Cup semi-final that quickly descended into a tragedy.

Listen to how Steve navigated life in the immediate aftermath and how another life-changing moment meant he had to take a job before embracing every opportunity that came his way. Hear how he transitioned from ‘old-school’ into a modern people-focused leader who leads with passion and energy and someone who proudly says, “I love my job.”

How do I become comfortable with uncertainty?

Uncertainty has become a very present factor of modern working life, yet almost all of us crave certainty and spend a lot of our time and effort working very hard to create as much of it as we can.  Only to find that uncertainty often wins out!

In this podcast, part of a mini-series looking at the questions and topics that often come up in coaching sessions, Richard and Paul dive into the world of uncertainty.  They explore some of the ways that we can ensure that we don’t get stuck waiting for certainty, or derailed when the world gets messy. 

Uncertainty can feel disorienting and makes decisions far more complex, yet we can all learn the skills that enable us to lead, work, and succeed in an uncertain world.

What are my values?

Another podcast in our mini series exploring some of the questions that come up in coaching sessions, in this episode of the podcast, Richard and Paul discuss the questions that is asked without ever being asked, what are my values?

Values are at the heart of behaviours, driving both purpose and actions. Yet, we are often oblivious to them and their impact on our decisions and perceptions of the world.  Paul and Richard explore their influence on our lives, how you can find out what your values are, and the ways they change at different stages of our lives.

What’s The Point?

Sometimes (at work) we get a little lost. Maybe our actions are not working, our dreams suddenly appear unattainable, or we become disconnected from the purpose. It may happen slowly over time or can be a sudden upheaval when things around us change.

It can be very disconcerting to feel lost, yet many of us experience it at some point. As coaches, we are frequently asked the question, ‘What’s the point?’.

In this podcast Paul and Ricky explore how people may find themselves lost, and what they can do to reconnect with their purpose, or discover a new purpose that will give them the energy and desire to carry on.