Category: Performance

  • More great questions for managers

    Here’s Part Two of your ‘Listen more, talk less’ guide to third sector one-to-ones. Today, I’ve got five more super-powerful questions for line managers. These explore progress with a current project and will help you steer clear of doling out advice straightaway after “what have you done so far?” 1. What’s not happening for you?…

  • Five incisive questions for managers

    Got a one-to-one coming up with one of your team? Line managers don’t have to do all the talking. Here’s five super-powerful questions to help them set goals they’ll want to achieve: What will achieving this goal give you and the organisation? How will it get you closer to your bigger, overall goal? If you…

  • Difficult conversations – mistake #3

    Having difficult conversations Mistake #3 Muddying your message Perhaps you’ve avoided procrastinating about holding a difficult conversation with a third sector colleague or direct report. (Congratulations!) Maybe you’ve been crystal clear about the changes you’d like to see. (Well done, it’s not always easy) But then, you blow your advantage by muddying your message with…

  • Difficult conversations – mistake #2

    Having difficult conversations Mistake #2. Not being clear about what behaviour you want to see exactly Phew! Thank goodness that’s over. You’ve had the difficult conversation you were dreading. You think the meeting went quite well and your report seemed to take on board what you’d said. You’re hopeful things will start to change for…

  • Difficult conversations – mistake #1

      One of the most challenging aspects of being a third sector manager is that you sometimes need to have difficult conversations with people in your team. This is a recurring issue for my third sector coaching clients. They can see what’s going wrong (poor performance, unreasonable behaviour, and so on) They know they are…

  • The inner game of… tennis

    Unfreakability is the state of having a calm, clear mind which allows you to observe things exactly as they are, and take sensible action. It’s exactly what Andy Murray needs to reach his goal of holding up the Wimbledon trophy on Sunday. It was first used in the book, The Inner Game of Tennis, written…

  • What makes a great team player?

    Love her or hate her, not many people would say that Margaret Thatcher was a great team player. These days even top leaders recognise they need to be team players to get the most out of their people. Team working really matters. Tensions and conflict from poor team playing wreck havoc on productivity and take…

  • How to thrive in your role and beyond

      I’ve coached some fantastic third sector clients in the past few years. Some have been managers, others leaders, some striving to be leaders. Others have become aware of their leadership potential through coaching. And I’ve coached all personalities too – flamboyant extroverts, quiet introverts, powerful orators, gentle persuaders. Each one of them bringing a…

  • Now or later? The best time to work with a coach

      When’s the right time to get coaching for your third sector staff? When David is under-performing so badly he’s about to lose his job? When Leila is totally fed up, demotivated and desperate to leave? When tensions and disagreements in the team are taking up hours of your precious time? Certainly, organisations often bring…