Inspired by the weeknotes of friends and coachees including John Fitzgerald, Steve Messer and Nour Sidawi - I thought I'd give it a go.
Here's a dive in to the success of this past week.
A high level of the week and then I start with the successes; because it's easy to look into the dark rather than the light. Isn't it?
Hope you enjoy it; comments, observations and thoughts welcome.
What have I been up to? (Question inspired by @James_ Arthur_Cattell week notes)
It's been a gentle week this week.
A fabulous 3 days in Cornwall with Dominique
1 x 95Km ride in Cornwall, a 100KM in 3 hr 22 Mins Island ride and a 1 hour SST - 4 X 5 Mins - Attack, Stalk & Kill! Training ride 1 x 1hr endurance ride. Oh and a Sunday 3 hour 'ride as I wish' ride.
Coaching with a design lead client talking connecting personal, project and org objectives.
Online meet up with the fabulously purposeful @alan_tang (thanks to Ben) as well as catch ups with @anthony_donohue and @esther_patrick
Agreeing delivery dates for the next @Angela_Mclelland lead Digital Marketing course I deliver and mentor on with the great @Ben_Whitaker and @Mike_walker
Collecting Will and Vera for 4 days; it's back to school next week - Will is off to the 'big school'.
A bbq down at the beach and skate park with Dom and her kids too.
2. What's been good about this week?
Let's start with a fabulous holiday in Cornwall - just three nights and 4 days; it was so chilled and enjoyable and Dominique's and my first holiday together. Arrival day was relaxed and fun, followed by a fab day in St. Ives, a 95KM cycling loop taking in Hayles, St Ives, Penzance and St Michaels Mount at sunset. Staying in a Shepherds hut overlooking a beautiful pond; we couldnt have asked for more - well maybe more days. What made it so special? Apart from Dom of course - it's been many years since I took a holiday which wasn't about renovating a house, taking national calls or taking client calls to secure work for the year ahead.
Great ride on my return from Cornwall - 3 hours 22 mins with 1200m of climbing at largely zone 1 and 2 - real progress; boding well for my aim of a 3 - 3hr 15 min 105km island loop next year.
Coaching session focusing on clarifying objective and establishing role perameters and considering key stakeholder engagement - loved it.
Sport Psychology/Triathlete Coaching Client - seeing very positive results from our coaching session and whatsapp coaching (yes I do that too). Great training rides and two very good competition rides in the bag; focusing inputs not outputs and feeling - calming the mind and getting in flow. Looking forward to sharing more soon.
Brilliant chats with potential and prevous clients - it feels like there's something 'more' just around the corner.
3. What am I grateful for?
I am grateful for the experiences that I have had in my life; the rich tapestry of 'forcing myself' to do stuff way outside my comfort zone or certainly the CZ's of others - continues to inform my coaching practice and bring opportunties to work with even more creative and capable coachees. An 'inquisitive call' led to a potential client saying that they loved my "...ability to pivot in so many things". Inspired we talked excitedly about shared interests, passions and motivators and the potential of a 'new sector' for me to work with. Humans are humans and performance is performance. I'm grateful for the chat, the potential opportunity and a network that is beginning to speak more openly about the work I've done with members of it.
I posted this post on Linkedin yesterday; highlighting that I have availability to take on more coachees, as two coachees come to the end of theor programmes. A lovely response from my coachees willing to share it too including @Adam_bedford with his 'back to school feeling' post.
If you know anyone looking to lead or already leading great things who would benefit from a coach/mentor who excels in helping people get stuff happening - send me this link and brochure.
A client of mine wonderfully pointed out the spelling and grammer error I'd made, including randomnly including the word 'hormone' in the text; thank you - you rock.
3. What could have gone better?
This week; there's nothing I can really think of that could have gone better. A small thing might be not writing a long form blog this week and getting to the new website tweaks I would have ideally made so that the fabulous @andrew_eberlin could launch my new website. He's brilliant, patient and a legend. I'm blessed to know him and have him working on my new site.
4. What am I reading?
Less reading again; than i might like and more watching.
I've really enjoyed:
Watching episodes of The Cleaner starring Greg Davies
and
Freddie Flintoffs secind series of field of dreams - which led me to reply to a fabuous @stephen_logan post on linkedin highlighting how inspirational Freddie is; as well as the boys taking part in it. which you can read here:
I write "It reminded me of my journey to re-integrating myself back into the world after my breakdown. The social anxiety that overwhelmed me for nearly two years and and pockets of self doubt which can still rear its head if I don't acknowledge and work with it on a daily basis". I genuinely beleive that this experience brings a richness to the coaching clients I work with as I know how far the body and mind can go (challenge) and how little we often look after our minds and bodies (support).
5. What am I wishing for?
This week I am wishing for organisations to begin to recognise and act on the fact that they have stripped away too many people, increased spans of control too widely and created roles which mean that managers are having to be too task focused rather than people and strategy focused. As we used to call it in my leadership in banking days - too many people are getting stuck 'in the business' rather than working 'on the business' and it's telling:
Levels of presentee'ism are higher than ever - how do I get to Friday or through this day thinking.
People want to leave - why would you want to stay?
Work levels are down - stats might not show this but I feel it.
People are leaving managers who arent getting time to manage only complete tasks
Managerssare leaving organisations (and sadly their people) as they have so little time and support to coach and develop their peoplle and in most cases 'just breathe'.
I've always said that 'if you enjoy being in work more than you enjoy being at home, then something must be wrong. But i truly do beleive that you should get something from it other than a pure finiancial outcome, purpose, cameraderie etc. Shouldn't you?
2nd wish
That we rapidly find the strength to say that the planet comes first.
3rd wish
That all of my coaching clients find the confidence to be open about having a coach (me) and begin to tell all their friends - so that I can do even more of this coaching thing that I love and help even more good people lead great things.
Athletes have coaches, footballers have coaches, and some of the worlds greatest leaders have had 'advisers' who no doubt asked the odd thought provoking question in their time ahead of key meetings and interactions. it's something to be proud of (more of that next week).
Thank you to those who have shared. You rock.
6. A Last Word
This weeks word is recognition
My old boss @Ian_Duncan (who gets quoted a lot by me) used to say that 'what gets recognised gets repeated.
This week say well done, thank you and please do that more we love it - when you notice something good. It makes a big difference to what gets repeated.
I'll be saying it to 'good' car drivers this week. I always say it to my coachees.
Love to you all Stefan
Stefan
I am an executive coach who specialises in helping good people lead great things; their great things for the betterment of humanity - sounds big and fun - it is.
I'm also an endurance racing cyclist; the racing bit is fledgling.
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