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

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

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

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

This content is for members only

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

Recently I sat down with Jennifer McClure on The Impact Makers Podcast where we had a conversation about the importance of power, influence, and politics in the corporate world. It was a stimulating conversation and we especially dove into the importance of understanding how to not only survive politics, but thrive with politics.

Some of my favourite parts of the episode are:

Read More

Chris is a senior-level change consultant. He is extremely good at his job, and with diligent networking has recently landed a fantastic opportunity to work on a team implementing change across Europe. Already he has made good inroads and has begun to exert influence because he has started to build strong relationships. He can see much more potential, but there’s a problem. What if he oversteps the mark and makes the guy who hired him feel threatened? What if he outshines the boss, and becomes viewed as an enemy? He is totally dedicated to the cause, for the good of the client, and is determined to do everything he can to ensure that the change works. Yet at the same time, he cannot afford to become a casualty, and his boss seems to have a very personal agenda in flight. Read More

We all start new endeavours full of enthusiasm, energy and positive attitude. Confident that we have the skills, the knowledge and the ability to make it happen. At the start, there is little to hold us back. With time, these feelings lessen. Problems arise, people challenge us and the going starts to get tough. Before we realise it, we are carrying a huge weight that is dragging down our performance, motivation and progress. Everyone faces these challenges and breaking free of this ball and chain requires awareness, courage and usually, a little help from a friend. With practice it gets easier each time too! To build awareness and prepare my clients for fast progress, I use a list of twelve factors that in my experience Read More

Several clients have recently been talking to me about preparing for their annual review. It seems to be getting earlier every year, and is as sensitive as ever. The annual clash of expectations, perceptions and rewards, or lack of them. And, the time the politics come to the fore, for good, or for ill. The common approach is to prepare your own summary of achievements, and progress. What the challenges and problems have been, and also, suggestions on what next. Oft times one wonders what the boss’ role in this is, apart from meting out the judgment, on behalf of the omnipotent HRD policy on such matters. Ah, the good old game of My Hands are Tied! Anyway, enough of that negative frame, let’s use this as an opportunity, a personal one, to Read More