For people who want regular personal or professional development advice from a qualified executive coach.
How to Feel Peace in a Chaotic World
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I'm not at my best this morning. Not at my worst either but closer to that end of the scale. My mood is off, motivation is minimal, energy is low. There are several causes, and none at all, for my malaise. I've travelled a lot for work recently, doing very different things, and that has sapped my mental energy. There are some things happening to friends and family that are worrying me. I've not been able to exercise regularly and my diet hasn't been what it should be. At the same time my backlog of admin is growing and it has been raining for about three weeks. (If you're reading this outside the UK, I mean this literally. We're having grim weather.) So, when I get like this I have two remedies I like to use. One is to remember the phrase, "mood follows action" and just do something. Get going and the good feelings will follow. This is my default approach most days. But some days that's the last thing I need and so I do the opposite. I have a long sit in a chair doing nothing. No phone, book, TV or radio. Just me, the sound of the rain and my thoughts. I'll sit for as long at it takes for the snow globe of emotions to settle and then I'll ease back into the fray. This is a central idea in Taoist philosophy. It's called wu wei (effortless action) and helps to bring peace to the world. "Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?" Tao Te Ching (Chapter 57), by Lao Tzu I hope you found this useful. I'll just be in this chair if you need me. Stephen -- If you’re curious whether coaching could help you find more clarity or direction, book a free 15-minute Clarity Call and we’ll explore it together. If you want help to think about where problems might be arising in your organisation, try my Complexity Pressure Check. For anything else, hit reply. I answer every email personally. |
HeRO Chronicles
For people who want regular personal or professional development advice from a qualified executive coach.
I have a long background in service and systems improvement. Twelve years or so ago I won an award at the Lean Healthcare Awards for this. That's lean as in the Toyota inspired methodology, not lean as in skinny. Prior to that I'd worked on systems in the software industry. Since then I have studied Improvement Theory at Warwick University Business School, Leadership at Ashridge Business School and Innovation at INSEAD business school. I've also taught "Leading in Complexity" nationally in...
When things get tough in an organisation or company, people don't always behave well. Have you noticed that? Some people can get a bit childish. Maybe they withdraw, or they throw tantrums, or tell tales. Other people can get a bit parental. They start wagging fingers, telling people off and raising their voices. In other words, people stop behaving like adults and they regress into patterns they have known since childhood. And the worse the pressure becomes, the more likely they are to...
The most common frustration I hear from highly capable leaders is expressed in a variety of ways, but it can be summarised as: I can't seem to get anything done anymore! The frustration might be with themselves, for not being able to do the things they need to do. Or it might be frustration with their team, for not finishing things or getting them done right. When this frustration shows up, it is rarely about skill, confidence or motivation. More likely it is because people are being...