“Coaching: The manager’s multi-purpose tool” We all have coaching needs, particularly if accelerated growth is required. Managers all have coaching responsibilities within their respective roles. Coaching is not just reserved for professionals, however, although they can be incredibly helpful in certain circumstances. Their professional approach and practised skills make coaching sessions meaningful and bring clarity…
For authentic learning and growth to be realised, leaders need safe contexts to explore new lines of thinking and subsequent new practices. Frequently leaders feel unsafe, as if they are under a microscope, their every action scrutinised by those around them. As such, they never take the risk of exploring new habits. Knowing that others…
“Set team members free to grow within the organisation” (JNM) We all want them in our respective teams – talented people who make a remarkable impact on our team’s efficacy. These ‘stars’ are innovative, positive, future-oriented, visionary and hard-working. They make us look good. Others start noticing our respective department’s inputs and outputs and hail…
“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth” (Bonnie Friedman) In our fast-paced world, expectations grow – partly as a natural consequence of development and the realisation of less than perfect results (oh, I wish this computer would just speed up and work for me!), but chiefly because of an inner…
“You can’t beat the smell of fresh ambition in the morning” (ANON) Some levels of ambition are needed for achievement – the desire or will to succeed at something or to realise a set goal. Channelled correctly, ambition can bring great results. Ambition often gets a bad reputation, however, where the very characteristic that encourages…
One of the most persistent of all temptations as a leader when arriving at the workplace is to greet employees swiftly and then “escape” to the office to deal with the pressing needs of the day. E-mails, spreadsheets, reports and planning are all necessary components of managing processes and systems to get optimal results, but…
Self-reflection of one’s career periodically engages the mind of most employees: “Am I on the right track? Is anything derailing my development? Is what I am doing now going to lead me to where I want to be? Why do I doubt the career decisions that I have made? Am I even making progress in…
In a recent discussion with Nico Uys, subject-matter expert, consultant and biological distributor (gobiofarming@gmail.com), I learnt that soil health is foundational if great crops are to be realised. He explained that soil is not an inert, lifeless growing medium, which some modern farming tends to represent, but rather a living, dynamic and ever-changing complete environment….
Organisational change and growth is seldom produced by a once-off event – employees need time to acclimatise to new expectations and to digest new learning. Behaviour change requires a strategy of ongoing modelling of “the new way we do things around here” and consistent reflection on “why” we have embarked on this journey. In other…
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions” (Ken Blanchard) “if palatable and digestible” (mine) All athletes need them – coaches to assist with enhancing performance: tweaking movement techniques, giving feedback on past performances, reinforcing mental stamina, suggesting alterations to diet, building body mass, etc. This assistance makes the athletes deliver better results – exactly what the…
“Wheel-spinning” literally refers to a situation where a vehicle has lost traction, e.g. on ice, in snow or mud. Here the wheels may spin without the vehicle going anywhere – continued pressure on the accelerator may result in the vehicle digging itself in deeper, thus exacerbating the problem. A new strategy needs to be found…
In a very competitive market, nothing is more valuable than reputation. With companies across different sectors rising and falling overnight, the responsibility of shareholders, employees and other stakeholders, in partnership with customers, to sustain and grow value for the long term is more important than ever. Co-creating value should be everyone’s priority, especially when a…
