In November 2015, Coach and Consultant Maeve Lankford took a leap and left her job to start up on her own. This radical shift encouraged Maeve to consider her professional purpose: who is she now? At the same time, higher education in Maeve’s native Ireland was also facing considerable change brought about by a new national strategy published in 2011…
Meetings, emails, packed agendas: our days at work are full, yet so much of what we do in these spaces relies on our ability to connect – negotiate, empathise, deliberate – with others. In this maelstrom of daily office life, where are we making room for building genuine human connections, through simple things like conversations, with the people we work…
What are the stories you’ve adopted that shape your professional journey? Helen Teague explores how we create our own narratives and how these can be used to help or hinder our professional growth. She asks: What chapter are you on? Are you tuning into the narrative you’re telling yourself and others? And offers some tips and questions to help guide…
What is a professional narrative? How do we know when we have one? And do we even need one? Louise Clifton explores how values, voice and purpose shape our individual and collective narratives, and how these reflect who we are and what we do. A career is what you do, not who you are. I saw this tweeted recently. The…
How confident are you to say that you don’t have the answer? Not knowing is powerful. It encourages us to question, rather than assume. It enables us to share expertise and promises collective enquiry. This is why it’s important, and it’s why we need to flip our mindset from seeing ‘not knowing’ as a deficit, to becoming intentionally more curious. ‘We’re at our best…
Strategy isn’t just facts, figures and mission statements. It encompasses the breadth and depth of the people who lead and live it. Drawing on two fictional universities facing real-life challenges, Paul Gentle examines how working with the grain can connect your strategy to the beliefs and values that people live by. How do you know when you’re working with the…
It’s natural for us to adopt the mannerisms of our work place; to become the decision maker, broker or peace-keeper. But what do we lose if we only bring just one part of ourselves to the office? Why we need to bring our whole selves to work, and three ways we can start do more of this. “What it really…
Nurturing influencing skills are like playing a musical instrument: the more you fine tune, the better you get. Paul Gentle offers his insights on recognising the scary stuff, reading the room, and how to use questions to influence for solutions. Every time I’ve asked people in a group I’m working with to think about an influencing challenge they face, I’m…
What can we learn from others about the intricacies and opportunities of leadership? Dr Jane Rand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at York St John University, tells the story of her leadership journey; from completing a diploma at night school to her most recent appointment working alongside colleagues to shape the future direction of her institution. Education is transformational: for individuals, communities…