A recent coffee with a friend and colleague (thanks Nick) started me thinking about this whole business of imposter syndrome. I’ve written about it before and frequently encounter it as a coach. Here we were looking at it again, when Nick asked a really interesting question. Is imposter syndrome linked to class and background? As … Read more
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time working out how to properly embed learning recently. I’m an avid reader; in a typical year I will get through at least 40 books on a wide range of topics. Sometimes the books I read are entertaining and inspiring, sometimes they contain practical ideas and advice which … Read more
Every time I think I have cracked this productivity thing, it comes back to bite me. I wax and wane with the business of habits. But in the last few weeks I have read some articles online that make it really clear to me that the route to success is paved with good habits rather … Read more
Reading books, magazines, articles and blog posts across a truly diverse range of topics is a huge help to stimulate novel ideas. This is, I think, the heart of a creative approach. To be stimulated to generate new ideas, we need to draw from a wide range of influences. To achieve this, we should always … Read more
It’s an exercise I attempted a while back. Probably six months ago. I sat with a blank piece of paper and set out to write a list of 100 things that I am good at. It was hard, really difficult. Modesty kept kicking in. A voice inside me kept saying, well yes you’re quite good … Read more
This is a longer piece where I share the chance to #WorkOutLoud about my attempts to improve my productivity and apply the learning from extensive study of productivity books, websites and blogs. Last week was a turning point for me. Having been overwhelmed for several months with the sheer volume of things that I was … Read more
When we hold events, workshops, conferences, or just bring people together for a key meeting that will shape our work for the future, it is so easy to just move on to the next piece of work without reflecting on the experience. How often have you been involved in running an event, and then at … Read more
Recently I had an email exchange with a reader who was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of email she was having to deal with. This is a common problem. Instead of being a useful tool, email becomes a monster that has us in its control. I thought it might be useful to post the thoughts … Read more
Over this series of blog posts, I have set out the 6 core values that underpin the work that I lead in the NHS here in England. As I have explained, these values have been teased out through work carried out by external researchers who looked at the impact of our work on the health … Read more
This is the seventh post in the series on Core Values in the workplace. In it I talk about the sixth and final value. There will then be an 8th post with some conclusions. If this series has been of interest, you may be interested to know that there will be an expanded version in … Read more