The Power of Reframing When You’re Told “No”

May 20, 2025 | Coaching, Engagement, Mentee Guidance, Mentor Guidance, Mentoring

At some point in every career, we face a moment that feels like a line in the sand. A job you don’t apply for because you’re not ready. An opportunity you pass on because you assume the answer will be no. A seat at the table you talk yourself out of asking for — not...

Leading Through the Hard Conversations

May 2, 2025 | Engagement, Mentee Guidance, Mentor Guidance, Mentoring

One of the least glamorous, but most essential skills in leadership is knowing how to have a difficult conversation. Whether it’s challenging a board decision, confronting underperformance, or pushing back on a superior’s judgment, hard conversations are part and...

Can Empathy Be Taught?

Apr 8, 2025 | Diversity and Inclusion, Engagement, Mentoring, Retention

There is a simultaneously profound and practical question that today’s leaders need to grapple with: Can empathy, a critical skill in modern work environments, be taught? Among all the soft skills that distinguish exceptional leaders, empathy stands out as...

Addressing the Authenticity Paradox in Mentoring

Feb 25, 2025 | Mentee Guidance, Mentor Guidance, Mentoring, Resources

There’s a common trap in mentoring relationships that’s easy to miss. It occurs when both parties try and shape the mentee into a “carbon copy” of their mentor. This creates an “authenticity paradox” in which the very relationship meant to help a person,...

From Managing to Mentoring – easy to consider but hard to achieve?

May 20, 2024 | Mentoring

It is 2pm and Claire has been in back-to-back meetings since 8am. She has not had lunch yet and has had to present to ExCo, meet a critical client and address a couple of urgent issues with the tech team. She is finally getting back to her desk and a quick glance at...

Is the gap widening between people leaders and team members’ perceptions of what good management looks like?

Jan 29, 2024 | Coaching, Mentor Guidance, Mentoring

As an executive coach, I have the privilege to be invited into people’s minds. They share their frustrations, their moments of joy and their day-to-day experiences…or rather their perception of their day-to-day experiences. I have learnt over the years that there is...