A walk along the road : my reflective blog

In our fast lives it is all too easy to be caught up in the busyness and miss or not see what is around you. While driving today it was hard not to notice a herd of mountain goats on the road - not to mention these two who were having a full on disagreement.  The novel or unusual will obviously get our attention easily - but how often do we go through life on 'auto pilot' oblivious to what is going on around us - caught up in worrying about people and future events and not present in the moment ? How often do you notice things on your drive or walk to work ?  Do you take time to be conscious of the familiar sounds and sights each day? I challenge you to go for a walk this evening - walk around somewhere familiar but go with the intention of being aware and take notice of your environment. As you walk, look up and around, notice things, be aware of the noise your feet make as you walk ... try and focus on your breathing ....  Stop half way on your walk and consider your life, wh

I wonder if discovering your Everything DiSC® preferred behaviour style is a bit like ordering a meal in a restaurant ? While you are happy with your style - everyone else's style looks more appealing ! Completing the online assessment to uncover my Everything DiSC® type was easy and took about 20 minutes to complete - and it turns out I am a 'strong' D style. There are four 'types' in the DiSC system D - Dominance, i - Influence, S -Steadiness and C - Conscientiousness. Of course there is no ideal or perfect style to be and in truth most of us will demonstrate a mix of styles. I was assessed as  unmistakably  D and it is hard for me to disagree since the assessment result was based on my responses to the questions !  Doing this assessment allowed me to reflect and re-consider my behavioural patterns and reactions.  My detailed report reminded me and I had to agree that I am motivated by power and authority and success. I couldn't disagree and neither could my

Your leadership ability is not static and just as your role develops and as we all increasingly work in VUCA environments (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) the need for leaders to develop their abilities and skills does not end.   Self awareness provides a strong foundation to understand your behaviours, motivation and reactions for example. Effective leaders put in the work to progress from having self-awareness to self-improvement and this is where coaching and leadership development support can support you becoming the best version of yourself. To progress towards self-improvement work on the following four areas of behaviour change: Be present  Be self-aware Identify a range of behavioural choices and  Intentionally choose behaviours that are believed to be the most productive. Coaching and leadership development i s personal -  so it is vital that you have access to a professional coach who can tailor your meetings and planning in a way that recognises your sp