Manage your stress reaction – are you guilty of Awfulisation?

Heart pounding Tight chest Stomach churning Can’t think straight Irritability Loss of sense of humour… All are classic signs of a physical reaction to situations or events that have stretched our tolerance of pressure beyond its threshold.  Most of us will experience ‘stress’ at some point – a negative reaction, physical or emotional, to a […] Read More...

Get the Habit – Habit 6 – Synergize – Recognise your own Strengths and those of Others

The sixth in a series of articles based on Stephen Covey’s acclaimed book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” – to view the other articles click the links below:  Habit 1 – Be Proactive Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind (goals and vision) Habit 3 – First things First (time management) […] Read More...

Improve your productivity – get more of the important stuff done

An article based on a  course I went on introducing “The 5 choices” -a  development programme from Franklin Covey – taking themes from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. If we are to be successful we need to make the most of the time available to us.  Technology has both enabled us […] Read More...

Get the Habit – Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand – the art of Listening

The Fifth in a series of articles based on Stephen Covey’s acclaimed book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” – to view the other articles click the links below:  Habit 1 – Be Proactive Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind (goals and vision) Habit 3 – First things First (time management) […] Read More...

Boost your Confidence

Many of us are held back from achieving our full potential by issues of confidence.  It can also cause us to suffer excessive nerves or stress in the lead up to situations such as exams and presentations. The Oxford English Dictionary defines confidence as: “self assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s own abilities”. This […] Read More...

Get the Habit – Habit 4 – Think Win Win

The first three “habits” in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” are about your personal effectiveness; to quote the author: “You can’t be successful with other people if you haven’t paid the price of success with yourself…self mastery and self discipline are the foundation of good relationships with others.” To refresh your […] Read More...

The Power of Body Language – Recommended TED Talk

Whether you’re about to give a presentation or preparing to go in for an interview, you want to feel and come across as confident and powerful.  Did you know that your body language can play a big part? Amy Cuddy explains just how our physiology affects our thoughts and feelings about ourselves and how just […] Read More...

Get the Habit – Habit 3 – First Things First – Managing Priorities

In my first blog on Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 1 taught us that being proactive is an essential underpinning to being more effective; in Habit 2 we explored what we really want to be and do in our lives.  Habit 3 is about the way in which we go about […] Read More...

Speak so People Listen – Recommended TED Talk

  Listening is one of the key competencies of a coach – we have to listen to our clients, whatever they are saying!  Many of the people I work with are managers who want to influence others or those who want to increase their effectiveness in their careers.  So I was drawn to the potential tips in […] Read More...