Balkin Coaching Leadership Insights

It’s been a long glorious summer here in Australia, and I hope you all had some time away from your desks to relax and refresh. February always marks to the beginning of the school year, and the realisation for all that there are and there are no public holidays till April. Most of you have the self-awareness to know what good habits enable you to switch off, to ensure you refresh and recharge. Unfortunately, as our lives get busier inevitably these good behaviours slip, th

Some readers may be aware, there have been some lovely milestones in my family, which were celebrated with much joy and fanfare. The challenge for us all is to take the "normal" events of life and work and make them more meaningful. To be a remarkable leader it is essential to be aware of when hand how you can elevate ordinary and make it extraordinary. My Celebrating Moments breakfast focused on many of the creative and innovative ideas from the book Moments by Chip

When I think back to my first job as a psychologist in child protection, my colleagues were fond of harmless pranks. It was common to hear shrieks of laughter when people realised that the letters on their key board had been switched, their office chairs were missing, or they spotted a plastic spider in their office drawer. The unexpected laughter was a welcome relief in this emotionally draining work environment. Yet today's workplaces seem to be characterised by silence. D

Why are some people energised by pressure, and others debilitated? The more we progress in our careers and the more complex the world of work becomes, the more regularly we need to deal with the unexpected. Irrespective of the specific coaching brief, there is an underlying expectation (self or externally imposed) that my all clients are expected to perform at their best under pressure. A great example was a CEO who was being bullied by his direct report but didn't want to