Mentoring or Coaching – Which and Why?
What happens if you put 10 economists in a room? You’ll get 11 opinions, as the old joke goes. I find it similar with definitions of mentoring and coaching, and the difference…
Still learning from my greatest leadership challenge
My greatest leadership challenge has been ongoing for 25 years, and I am still learning from it every day. If you have glanced at my bio you will have seen that…
Values – Have I got Mine Right?
I have spent a lot of my professional life in an organisation that prides itself on the strength of, and adherence to, its values. Indeed, I was leading the British Army’s…
Executives’ Awareness – Why would they ‘admit weakness’?
A challenge posed recently by a critical friend questioned why an executive would approach their board asking for funding to engage in a mentoring relationship. Would admitting to their board…
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 27: Owen Farrell of England looks on during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Bronze Final match between Argentina and England at Stade de France on October 27, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)
Leader or Lightweight? I know how he feels
So the England rugby captain who, this autumn, led his team to within one point of reaching the World Cup final has 'decided to take a break from international rugby…
High Performing Teams – Not What I was Expecting
The unstinting support of a Service person’s spouse, or life-long partner, is little recognised or appreciated by those outside of the relationship, and sometimes not even by both of those…
Who’s going to Follow the Leader?
Today I had the pleasure of attending the Centre for Army Leadership’s ‘Creating Effective Followship’ conference. It was an enjoyable and stimulating day of CPD, learning more about this important area…
Plans Are Nothing
But as Dwight D Eisenhower went on to say, ‘planning is everything’. That is one of my favourite quotes and one that I used frequently when I was coaching the…
What’s in our Why?
I have had some thought provoking comments about my website, where it says that ‘we inspire people to become the leader they want to be led by’.Not unreasonably, some have…
Don’t Take My Word For It
‘Too few people receive help developing their leadership yet crave becoming better leaders. Intuitively, they know that they, their teams and their organisations would be enhanced if they did.’ You may…