Colin Gautrey

Feeling Powerless in a Relationship? Seven Critical Things to Remember

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A good friend of mine is stuck in a relationship which makes her feel undermined, devalued and stupid. It's not a work relationship, however helping her through this difficult time it reminded me that exactly the same thing is happening to so many people in the workplace. Replace boyfriend, husband, partner with boss, colleague or even friends at work, and exactly the same psychological principles are in place. This hit me hard, so I wanted to record and share with all of you the same points I made to my friend, in case it helps you. Rather than extend the text on this post and your reading time, if you are in this a relationship where you feel powerless, find a quiet corner, or put your headphones on, and watch the video below. Read More

Culture, Ethics and Morality in the Boardroom

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Taking trust and integrity to a new level, last week I interviewed a fascinating expert by the name of Dr. Joop Remmé. He has extensive experience in large organisations, leadership and what works, and certainly what can go wrong and why. So much so that he also lectures on the topic of anti-corruption as a visiting Professor. So, he knows what he is talking about, and we had a fascinating discussion. As you know, my focus is influence, so aside from the philosophical dimension, I bore down on what people can do to influence decision-making when they think a "bad" decision is about to be made. Read More

Joop Remme Interview: Ethics in the Boardroom

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Dr. Joop Remmé is Partner Globalacquaintance, Benelux Representative for the American Anti Corruption Institute and Academic coordinator Limburg Graduate School of Business. He has extensive experience in organisations large and small, and has a specialist interest in leadership and anti-corruption. Talking to Joop was an education, and helped me to understand the distinctions between ethics and morals, and more importantly, the impact these can have on individual leaders. Perhaps the highlight for me was the urgent need for leaders at all levels to engage with the expectations of stakeholder groups regarded expected standards of behaviour. If you are aiming for board level positions, this is definitely a topic to take seriously, before you find yourself on the wrong side of a decision you regret! You learn more about Joop and his work on LinkedIn. Meanwhile, I hope you find this interview stimulating and useful. Colin   Read More

How to Demonstrate Your Expertise without Blowing Your Own Trumpet

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Many people have a problem with self-promotion - i.e. promoting their own skills, capability and experience. They believe their results should speak for themselves. The harsh reality is that while results do speak for themselves, that is only useful if people are listening. One of my clients has been a change manager for over 20 years. Huge capability, great track-record, and as soon as you engage with him, it is clear he knows his business. What he lacks, by his own admission, is impact. Gently spoken, good listener and reflective thinker - not someone to shout about things, especially his own capability. Yet we need to increase his impact so he can achieve his career goals. Read More

Do you feel violated by workplace politics?

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Without doubt, the word "politics" stirs the emotions. But, is your emotional reaction getting in the way of being able to deal effectively with the politics that are swirling around you? That's what is happening for one of my coaching clients at the moment. She is a very strong and principled woman. As a senior level HR professional she has a great deal of experience to fall back on, yet one thing that has thus far eluded her, is being able to handle the politics. Her values include loyalty ad fairness. These values are so strong that when she experiences anything that runs counter to them, she has a very deep and very strong emotional reaction. As we went deeper, one of the things I encouraged her to consider is: Read More

What is Your Purpose?

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During a call today with one of my coaches, something happened for me that I think is really important to share. We were working on my goal. The ultimate destination I am shooting for. During the call, we threw around the ideas, tested the assumptions but most importantly got much clearer about what I am aiming to achieve, my destination. And what hit me, again, is just how powerful it is to get this clarity, and how practical the benefits are. For instance: Read More

Learning How to Build Trust Faster

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During a call today I was sharing some ideas on trust building with a client, so I thought I would share some ideas and resources with you on this topic. Because, unless you have trust in a relationship, your ability to influence will be severely restricted. Why? If they don't trust you, they will seek verification from others, will check out the facts more carefully and will generally proceed with far more caution, especially if you are asking them for a big decision. There are three really important factors to bear in mind: Read More

Influence for Project Managers: Preparation

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Introduction

Minimal Preparation

As mentioned in the video:

  • Please think about your work and the challenges you face. Ask yourself, what do you need to influence over the next 3-6 months that if you are successful, will make a major difference to the work you are doing. For instance, this could be a decision to remove a major roadblock, securing additional resources, suspension of a work stream, etc.
  • If you have time, please watch the interview I did with Diane Dromgold, who commissioned me to write A Project Manager’s Guide to Influence. She has some very clear views on how the role of project manager is changing, and needs to change. This will help to stimulate our conversations during the workshop.

The Changing Role of Project Managers

View Diane Dromgold Interview

Building the Relationship with Your Boss (WBS)

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It was a delight to present "How to Win Over Your Boss" to the Executive MBA group at Warwick Business School on 1st October. Lots of discussion, precious little time to answer all the questions, and I am now keeping my promise to provide you all with more resources, and some brief answers to outstanding questions. Read More

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