Unsung heroes (Introverts) – whose ‘QUIET’ dedication makes them special.

Unsung heroes – whose quiet dedication makes them special.

For those who live in UK and/or follow the tradition, know about ‘Her Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech.’ given on December 25 at 3pm local time. This is an old tradition which was started back in 1932. The first time was given by Elizabeth II’s grandfather King George V and the Queen has been giving address since 1952.

Since I moved to UK, 2014, I watch The Queen’s speech with great interest. I did some research to know who writes her speech and came to know that the Queen does it herself and use it as a chance to reflect on major events that have occurred that year, her personal milestones and her view on Christmas in general.

Last year’s speech was very touching, as it usually is, and she covered topics that I immediately related to business reality. But there was one part that resonated in my mind and inspired me to write this article. When she spoke about ‘Unsung Heroes’.

Her Majesty’s words “I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.”

Deliberating about it and the different interactions I have had throughout my career and a book I read some time back, Continue reading “Unsung heroes (Introverts) – whose ‘QUIET’ dedication makes them special.”

‘Sense of being’ in Coaching and Leadership.

Coaching is a trusting relationship, and not exclusive to the coaching journey it is also applicable to leadership relationships between leaders and their followers.

In the midst of own research with learners in formal educational settings and those coached through virtual reality technologies, I discovered what formed the bedrock to my coaching and leadership interactions – Five Levers. The associations between one’s Identity, Presence, Co-Presence, Emotional Intelligence and Immersion produce an effective sense of being in those experiences.

According to Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ([CIPD] 2017) coaching supports individuals become high-performers in their workplace activities. The coaching relationship is targeted at the specific skills, behaviour and goals identified by the individual and their employer. The duration of the relationship is variable and has no fixed timescale; it is proportional to the individual’s development and Mastery of practice (Pink 2011). From the onset, a coaching relationship has a purpose of aligning human abilities to organisational leadership. The Coachee has a goal to unlock and fulfil their potential; they may wish to become better furnished with know-how in dealing with complex and challenging organisational situations.

Continue reading “‘Sense of being’ in Coaching and Leadership.”

Preparing Yourself Mentally for Coaching – Part 2

What are the concepts of ‘good’ coaching? I ask leaders to read about the concepts of good coaching before they attend my Coaching Master Class training.

Preparing yourself mentally for coaching is about coming to a shared understanding with your boss and your peers on what ‘good’ coaching looks like. This is the second of two short articles on the concepts of good coaching. It is based on the pre-reading assignment I set for leaders attending my Coaching Master Class training.

Continue reading “Preparing Yourself Mentally for Coaching – Part 2”

Leadership is a contact sport

Leadership is a contact sport. In 2017, more than ever before, as leaders let’s invest in our people through the time we spend with them and the effectiveness of that time we spend together.

I came across the statement forming the title of this post towards the end of 2016.  It is attributed to Marshall Goldsmith, who is an American leadership coach.  I have paired it with another quotation, which was made by President Eisenhower, “You don’t lead people by hitting them over the head.  That is assault, not leadership.”

Continue reading “Leadership is a contact sport”

RADA in Business and The Apprentice Final 2016

Charlie Walker-Wise of RADA in Business lifts the lid on their role in coaching Courtney Wood, a finalist on The Apprentice 2016.

Calling all Apprentice fans. I’ve decided to lift the lid on that ‘exercise’ and explain how it helped finalist Courtney Wood shine in his final pitch.

We were asked to be part of ‘The Apprentice’ final but ended up with more airtime on the ‘You’re Hired’ programme following it. If you saw it you’ll know that one exercise in particular became a running theme with Rhod Gilbert, the ‘You’re Hired’ presenter, who even made it part of his opening segment.

Continue reading “RADA in Business and The Apprentice Final 2016”

2017 – Bring it on. I’m ready … are you?

A New Year means recommence, renovate hopes, reflect about the past and resolve how to make the future better.

Within two weeks, we will be saying goodbye to 2016 and welcoming 2017. It seems it was yesterday that we were garnishing our houses for the end of the year festivities – 2016 has just fleshed! Looking back, in 2016 we witnessed a lot of interesting events, to say the least, worldwide. Donald Trump became the US-president-elect; European migrant crisis; BRExit and the unexpected outcome of David Cameron’s plan / referendum; Zica virus spread in Latin America; Narenda Modi’s government demonetizes old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 banknotes in India; on shipping we have seen bankruptcy, merges and alliances being formed etc – and many other remarkable ones with different impact.

These were/are substantial happenings that ‘may’ even change the way we see the world today and may also affect some of us directly or indirectly – although we, or some of us, cannot and have not influenced them. But how about you on personal level and those things you can (could) influence directly. Have you reflected about that?

  • What have you seen in 2016 that you would like to change or improve in 2017?
  • Have you accomplished everything you planned (If you had a plan at all) in 2016?
  • What would you like to happen or be different in 2017? And more importantly…
  • What are you doing for that to materialize?

Continue reading “2017 – Bring it on. I’m ready … are you?”

“Enjoy the Silence” – What I have learned from the quiet ones.

Quiet people have the loudest minds. What can you learn from quiet people?

We live in a society where being introvert – or ‘quiet’ – is often labelled as a limitation. After many years of working with teams, I have reached to the conclusion that this statement is so far from being true. What most people fail to acknowledge is that every team need their fair share of ‘quiet’ players. These are the ones that think and follow an introspection process before reacting. This virtue is so crucial in the planning part prior to executing. Quiet teachers that allow students to express and pay attention to their needs instead of following a standard ‘one size fits all’ script. These are the true ambassadors of the ‘do more and talk less’ principle so commonly found in over achievers. In most recent times, I have had the opportunity to learn from a few outstanding ‘quiet ones’.

Continue reading ““Enjoy the Silence” – What I have learned from the quiet ones.”

Preparing Yourself Mentally for Coaching – Part 1

What are the concepts of ‘good’ coaching? I ask leaders to read about the concepts of good coaching before they attend my Coaching Master Class training.

Preparing yourself mentally for coaching is about coming to a shared understanding with your boss and your peers on what ‘good’ coaching looks like. This is the first of two short articles on the concepts of good coaching. It is based on the pre-reading assignment I set for leaders attending my Coaching Master Class training.

Continue reading “Preparing Yourself Mentally for Coaching – Part 1”

Leadership Interview: Michael Han ‘My Coaching Journey’

“I want more leaders in this Company join this great journey; once and forever this will change our way of leading people and managing business. As a coaching ambassador and trainer, I aim to help more people become professional leaders, to use these great tools in their daily life and become great coaches”.

I first started working with the Top Team at the Far East Asia Liner Operations Cluster (FEALOC) in Shanghai when I visited them in January 2013 to kick off the Coaching Master Class program. Michael Han was a member of the senior management team and had already made a start on his coaching journey.

Michael turned out to be one of the bright stars of the coaching work I did in 2013 in eight different worldwide locations. He is a great coaching ambassador and trainer. His humbleness meant he often used to hide this brightness. Here is an example. In one of our coach-the-coach sessions I gave Michael positive feedback on the great results he was achieving with his coaching. Then came the humble bit from him: “OK Trevor – that’s all bright side. But what can I do better?” In another example I observed this characteristic again in group sessions where he instinctively held back from offering his views on a topic to allow others to contribute. He was making sure others were able to shine.

Michael became a facilitator for Coaching Master Class program and rolled it out to the next leadership level in China and in Japan. He is a bright shining star for coaching in the Far East.

Here Michael reflects on his journey three years on. I took Michael through four stages of his coaching development journey to find out what he has discovered along the way, and what can we learn from his experiences.

Continue reading “Leadership Interview: Michael Han ‘My Coaching Journey’”

Trust: The Underrated Enabler

My mother was a tough lady and in order to be trusted and supported, I needed to earn it. Every time I look for a new position I do research about how trust is managed within that specific team and if I will be in a key position to influence trust.

my-brothers

I was traveling from Cape Town to Panama to attend my mother’s funeral and my brothers agreed that I would speak at the ceremony. I was sitting on the plane trying to think what to write since she has been a huge influencer in my personal and professional life. It was an impossible task to fit it all in one speech. Then I decided to just focus in one word that will define her greatest legacy in my life. After hours of thinking that the perfect word was ‘trust’. She trusted me to do well, always. It didn’t matter how much I failed in something, she will always be there to cheer for me.

Continue reading “Trust: The Underrated Enabler”