What distinguishes great teams from good teams?

It’s a similar distinction to the one between a manager and a leader. A good team does what it was created for. A great team wants to be there, is engaged and proactive, and will creatively find new ways to go above and beyond the objectives set in its remit.

Most coaching conversations and in fact, probably nearly all of your business meetings, revolve around problems.

What difficulties are you currently experiencing in your team and your business?

How can you use them to your advantage?

What will you do differently, not out of fear but in search of an opportunity?

What makes a resilient leader? How can we retain optimism and focus amidst uncertainty in 2023?

None of us are biased. Or so we think. The issue with judgement is that it occurs subconsciously, and that our preconceived bias is usually repeatedly confirmed by our peer and socio-economic group till it forms our unquestionable, comfortable reality.

Purpose is not one day discovered in its fully packaged version to live happily ever after. It is something you decide on, create and nurture through a series of intentional actions.

Most of us hold fond memories and inspiring lessons from the leaders we have had the privilege to work with in the past. But there is also a wealth of wisdom hidden in our experiences with bad bosses, even though sometimes we'd much prefer to forget it!

In coaching sessions with my clients two very common questions are: who are you as a leader? and, what kind of leader would you like to be? Followed by perhaps a less obvious, but even more pressing: what kind of a leader do you NOT want to be?

One of the few studies focusing on the workplace, "Work Loneliness and Employee Performance", finds that loneliness undermines individual performance, team performance, and a sense of connection between employees and their organisation. What's more, lonely people tend to act in a way that increases their own loneliness, as they become progressively more reluctant to initiate social interaction and sensitive to the responses of others, expecting a potential threat or rejection from the surrounding environment.

Not only does it keep us infinitely busy, overachieving makes us perpetually dissatisfied. Overachievers make for demanding partners and bosses. Whats more, as overachievers we often link our self-worth to our results. If the outcome of our work doesn't meet our expectations, our self-esteem and confidence suffer, making us doubt ourselves. Overachieving weakens our resilience, often making us unable to take on constructive criticism and learn and grow from the experience in a positive way.

Ultimately, what got you here, is not what's going to get you there. In other words, even if overachieving contributed to your efficiency and productivity in the past, it is not what's going to bring about a deep level life satisfaction, allowing you for an authentic work&life balance and creating work you love.

There is nothing wrong with being a kind, helpful colleague, right? After all, collaborative spirit and the flexible attitude of ''always ready to pull one for the team'', are some of the key qualities that companies look for in employees.

''People-pleasing'' can be defined as putting others' wishes and expectations before our own needs and priorities. Kindness and generosity notwithstanding, there is a hidden, rather dear, cost to this widespread behaviour.

In our customer-centric culture, where we've been taught since day one that ''the client is always right'' and praised for consistently anticipating clients' needs, this may feel counterintuitive.

It's no news that exhausted employees give poor results and exhausted leaders make poor decisions. Tiredness decreases our ability to focus our attention on the person or the project at hand, and diminishes our capacity to manage our emotions effectively.

Numerous studies conducted on Fortune 500 companies by Tony Schwartz and his team from the Energy Project, have shown that improved energy levels in team members and their managers, lead to increased engagement, productivity and better company results.

We can then safely say that how you manage your personal energy is a key determining factor in your long-term success, devoid of crash and burn scenarios.

Fear of failure is the one thing preventing us from experiencing life fully and living up to our true potential.

Whether it’s getting a dream job, leaving a work environment, or a relationship that doesn’t serve us, it’s that fear that holds us back.

What if I get rejected?

What if my next job won’t be better?

What if I don’t find another partner?

These are just some of the thoughts that might be going through your head on repeat.

It’s even in the small things, like not trying out a new yoga posture - what if I fall and make a fool out of myself?, or asking someone for a favour - what if they decline and I make them uncomfortable by my request?