Balkin Coaching Leadership Insights

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

Photo by Bud Helisson on Unsplash In the past, promotion was gradual, and employees would get a combination of mentoring, formal training and experience as they progressed through the structured hierarchy to leadership. Accordingly, organisations tended to rely on training, mentoring and formal study to develop their leaders. Now with the rapid pace of change, coupled with the flattening of formal hierarchies, leaders often rise to the top quickly. As such, evidence has demo

Recently I was reminded of the significant impact good leadership behaviour has on others, particularly direct reports. I challenge you to ask yourself the following questions: What impact do you want to have as a leader during the next six months? Why? How will you achieve this? What are your internal and external sources of support? How will you access them? What are your internal and external sources of feedback? How will you access them? How will you measure succe

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

My clients regularly talk to me about conflicting demands on their time and strategies to ensure they are focused and gain a sense of accomplishment. In a previous blog I mentioned Steven Coveys techniques and provided a link to a worksheet on my web page. Over the weekend I read an excellent article which links a weekly prioritisation process to personal values, and giving to others which go a step further to increasing motivation and a sense of accomplishment. The process

Social psychologists found that when people were exposed to an unfamiliar face they made judgements about attractiveness, like-ability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness in about a matter of seconds. Yet we know establishing genuine trust in a relationship takes time. It is essential for leaders to forge trusting relationships with their: team colleagues; stakeholders; customers; and whomever they report to. Over the last few weeks the theme of building tru