Articles

Using Learning-Style Awareness in Leadership Development, Coaching, Mentoring & SUPERvision People take in, process & apply information differently — & the people we lead, coach, mentor & SUPERvise are no exception. Learning-style awareness doesn't mean putting someone in a box; used well, it's a lens that helps you notice when your own default approach might not be landing, & gives you other doors to try. This article looks at how that awareness shows up in four related but distinct practices,...

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Why the Best Teams Don't Leave Trust to Chance If you've ever been part of a team that just clicked, you'll know how it feels: trust is high, communication flows, & even conflict tends to strengthen the team rather than fracture it. That kind of alignment isn't luck. It's designed — & one of the most effective ways to design it deliberately is through a Designed Team Alliance (DTA), sometimes called a team agreement or charter.        ...

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A cognitive defusion practice for coaches, mentors, facilitators and leaders It is natural to get caught in the traps of listening to narrative, because we are drawn to a good story — one that fits our existing view of the world, or that lets us push discomfort away (Hayes, Strosahl and Wilson, 2012). In a coaching, mentoring or leadership context, this often shows up when we review someone else's work: a mentee's coaching session, a team member's presentation, a client's...

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The psychology of knowing what needs to change — and choosing not to change it There is a particular kind of stuck that has nothing to do with not knowing what to do. The person in front of you can name the problem precisely. They can describe the decision they need to make, the conversation they need to have, the habit they need to break. What they cannot do — for months, sometimes for years — is act on it....

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Why the best leaders say things more than once, more than one way For years, one idea has quietly shaped how leaders are trained to communicate: that people learn best when you match your delivery to their preferred style — visual, auditory, reading, kinaesthetic. It sounds intuitive. It has also been tested for roughly fifteen years, and the research verdict is unambiguous: it doesn't work. Matching instruction to someone's stated learning style produces no measurable improvement in outcomes (Pashler, McDaniel,...

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Here is a spatial reflective exercise for a SUPERvisee who feels stuck. Rather than only talking about the problem, the person physically moves through different positions and examines the “stuckness” from progressively deeper levels: Environment → Behaviour → Capability → Values/Beliefs → Identity → Purpose.                                                                      ...

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Real change is rarely a single decision followed by a perfectly straight line. It is more often a dynamic process involving awareness, ambivalence, preparation, experimentation, action, adaptation and renewed commitment. Three things this article shares: 1: What each of the six stages of change means, including the different forms of support that are most useful at each stage. 2: Why lasting change depends on more than willpower: readiness, self-efficacy, decisional balance, relationships and environment all matter. 3: How coaches, leaders...

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Effective Mentor Coaching begins before the session itself. When the Mentee Coach arrives having listened carefully to their recording, reflected on their coaching and identified what they most want to explore, the session can move beyond general feedback into focused, developmental work. Preparation also gives the Mentor Coach valuable information about the Mentee Coach's self-awareness. Are they accurately assessing their coaching? Are they underestimating strengths that are already evident? Are they overestimating competence in areas where further development is needed?...

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Leadership and motivation are deeply connected within organisational life. Leadership refers to the ability to influence, guide and support individuals or teams towards shared aims, while motivation refers to the psychological processes that stimulate, direct and sustain goal-focused behaviour. In practice, the two cannot be separated. A leader may set direction, design strategy and clarify expectations, but people rarely give their best simply because they have been told what to do. They are more likely to engage when they understand...

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Every professional has been in the meeting where everyone agrees on a plan, feels genuinely energised, and then walks back to their desk where the plan quietly dies under the weight of emails, deadlines and competing priorities. The thinking was good. The follow-through was missing. That gap - between insight and sustained action - is why I have extended De Bono's Six Thinking Hats into an 8 Hat framework.   Read: Think Better Together: De Bono's Six Thinking Hats +...

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A structured reflective exercise to align success with what truly matters nowSuccess is often shaped by external expectations - family, culture, organisations, and society. Over time, these definitions can become outdated or misaligned with who we are becoming. This reflective practice invites you to pause, examine, and consciously redefine success in a way that is authentic, energising, and sustainable.   Read: Redefining Success: A Reflective Practice                            ...

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Across global work with senior leaders, coaches, facilitators and organisational professionals, one consistent pattern emerges: technical capability alone is not what differentiates effective leadership. What matters more is how individuals think, relate, regulate, and act within complexity. Leadership is experienced by others, not declared by role.   Read: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership Practice                                                      ...

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The innovation framework was built around a seminal discovery: that there are 10 distinct types of innovation that need to be orchestrated with care to make game-changing innovations. This approach to innovation that looks at innovation through the lens of 10 dimensions, was invented at Doblin, around 1997. Doblin is a global innovation agency, founded in 1981 by Jay Doblin and Larry Keeley. According to Doblin’s website, the agency is approaching innovation based on people and multidisciplinarity. On the website,...

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This non-linear process approach to reflective SUPERvision gives SUPERvisees (leader, coach, therapist, teacher...) a simple, repeatable way to slow down experience, learn from it, and carry that learning forward into real practice. The rhythm of Stop, Stay, (Re-)Start makes for intentional reflection and creates a container that balances psychological safety with challenge: enough structure to prevent reflection becoming vague rumination, and enough openness to surface what matters in the work, in the relationship system around the work, and in the person doing...

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The Authority, Presence, Impact (API) model, attributed to Professor Peter Hawkins, offers a powerful lens to articulate what often feels intangible in our professional lives - how we show up, how we influence, and what lingers after we leave the room. This model is useful with leaders, coaches, and teams - it deepens awareness, shifts presence, and amplifies impact enabling us to be conscious of what we wish to create and who we are showing up as. Read: The Authority,...

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Reflective SUPERvision can be understood as examining what comes up for us – our thoughts, feelings, choices, actions and reactions. It may also include reflecting on ways of working with colleagues, co-coaches, our SUPERvisor, our professional development needs, the business side of our practice, and habits that show up over time. Read: Why You Need Reflective SUPERvision for Your Board Coaching Work Article                                   ...

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The International Coaching Federation’s (ICF) recently refined Core Competencies (September 2025) have introduced a powerful emphasis on “Partners with the client to integrate learning and sustain progress throughout the coaching engagement…” (8.07). This is not just a technical refinement; it signals a recognition that coaching is not a neat, linear process and that learning needs action for it to be fully utilised. Read: Integrating Learning into future action: How the ICF's Updated 2025 Core Competencies Advocate a Focus on Transitions...

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Effective team coaching harnesses collective wisdom and facilitates deeper systemic insight, fostering sustainable change and innovation. Central to achieving this is cultivating a ‘Systemic Thinking Environment,’ where individual and collective potential flourish through intentional behaviours. Drawing on systemic principles, this guide adapts ten foundational components originally developed by Nancy Kline, reimagining them specifically within team coaching contexts. Read: Creating a Systemic Thinking Environment in Team Coaching: A Practical Diagnostic Guide                     ...

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We all have a default way of looking at problems and our role in them. Whether it’s a minor issue or a full-blown crisis, there is a narrative that automatically plays out in our heads, colouring our perception of solutions. Sometimes, this perception is correct; other times, it’s counterproductive. However, understanding how we approach conflict - and positively reframing our role -can make real solutions possible. This is where the Drama Triangle and the Empowerment Triangle come in. Let’s explore...

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Transactional Analysis (TA) is a psychological theory developed by Eric Berne, in the 1950s, that examines interactions between people as transactions. It categorizes people's behaviour into three ego states: Parent, Adult, and Child. These ego states influence how we interact with others, and understanding them can help improve communication and resolve conflicts. TA coaching  uses this model to analyze and change unproductive behavior patterns by helping individuals recognize their ego states during interactions. The goal is to foster healthier communication...

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Imagine your CEO asks you to prepare a crucial presentation with just days to spare, on top of an already full schedule. The stress is real, and it’s easy to lose focus. This is where the Eisenhower Urgent/Important Principle can transform your approach. It helps you prioritize tasks by distinguishing between what’s truly important and what’s merely urgent. By using this principle, you can reduce stress, focus on long-term success, and deliver high-quality work under pressure. Let’s explore how to...

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Our work in organisations across various sectors has shown that building trust between people alone isn’t sufficient to make delegation effective. Leaders must also carefully assess the level of trust in the organisational processes and align their approach accordingly. Delegation continues to challenge many leaders. Whether it's an overburdened manager looking to alleviate burnout or an executive aiming to take a well-deserved break, delegation is often necessary but frequently avoided. Handing over responsibilities can lead to anxiety, tension, or unsatisfactory...

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John Heron’s Intervention Model offers six categories of Intervention that can be applied in any feedback or enabling process. These apply equally to interventions in one to one and group situations. John Heron offers his approach as a conceptual framework for understanding interpersonal relationships and as a means of analysing a range of possible interactions between two people in work or personal situations. Read through the list below and familiarise yourself with each category. Knowing the range of interventions can...

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In his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) Covey distinguishes between proactive people – who focus on what they can do and can influence – and reactive people who focus their energy on things beyond their control. Reactive people maintain an attitude of victimisation and blame. The model is based on two circles. The first is our circle of concern. This includes a whole range of things – global warming, the state of the economy, the clothes...

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