How do the words ‘continuous professional development’ make you feel? A little flat and lacklustre?! Trust, me I get it. At times, it can be a little less than inspiring but it’s imperative to professional success and happiness. Tapping into your intrinsic motivation and helping your teams to do the same, you’ll create something worth [...]
In this blog I wanted to hear from one of my clients all about what working with me and using a business coach is actually like. Karen Campbell runs two businesses, Karen Campbell Marketing and Hotsy Totsy, a London members’ club for women. We have been working together specifically on Hotsy Totsy’s launch and growth [...]
Be honest, when you think of a leader in a business context – who do you think of? A white-haired, white man in a suit? If you did, then you’re not alone as sadly this has been, and to some-extent still is, very much the norm. But in reality, how much privilege is there in [...]
There is often a preconception that business coaches are only for large businesses and small businesses might find this inaccessible. In my experience, this is wrong as I’ve seen incredible things happen when working with independent businesses. Alternatively, you might have tripped over at least 50% of networking attendees being business coaches and are a [...]
There have been many articles lately about the impact working from home has on individuals. Are people craving and needing in-person interaction in their working lives? The mission is on for leaders of businesses large and small to build the best working environment for them, their team and their business objectives. But is a hybrid [...]
The fabulous Brené Brown describes vulnerability as "uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure". It is that unstable feeling we get when we step out of our comfort zone or do something that forces us to loosen control. I would say it’s most definitely a strength and not a weakness, but should leaders show vulnerability? Stepping out of your [...]
Small business owners are a unique bunch – they are resilient, brave, hard-working and, often, master of all trades because, well, they have to be! SMEs account for 99.9% of the business population (6.0 million businesses). And at the start of 2020 there were 5.94 million small businesses (with 0 to 49 employees). This is [...]
Have you heard the phrase, ‘you’re only as good as your team’? Really great leaders live and breathe this. This is when you get the wonderful power of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Together, everyone achieves more. Now, let me say it as it is. There are the leaders out [...]
When I get asked what I am, I say I am a business consultant, but what exactly is a business consultant? ‘Consultant’ can be a very broad term for many areas of business improvement. And sometimes it comes with the connotation of someone swanning in and not doing an awful lot. We’ve all met them [...]
This feels like a very timely post to write following on from my recent post on why everyone is talking about resilience. Last time I wrote about how to support others and this part explores what you can do for yourself and what's needed in business. Why is resilience such an issue in businesses large [...]
It was a real pleasure to chair the recent Smart Bidding event as part of the Catch the Wave business support programme for the Brighton Chamber on 3 December. Having spent many years managing bid teams and running major pursuits, I find these events to be so informative and relatable for small businesses. With the expert panel [...]
I have worked with businesses and their leaders who have experienced rapid growth but then find cracks in the foundations. These challenges can often be alleviated with improved infrastructure, knowledge or training but typically the most challenging area is how to scale up as a leader. There is a lot of information out there supporting [...]
