Reflections

Useful Words

Welcome to my ‘Reflections’ page… a space where I share a bit of everything – poetry, stories, articles and those spontaneous musings that arrive in the quiet moments.

Why should you dive in? Well, it’s a glimpse into the little and big things in the journey of life, leadership, being human and doing things that make a difference; the challenges we face, the joys we celebrate and the wisdoms we gather along the way.

Find what resonates for you, look for something useful or simply enjoy what catches your eye. It’s all from the heart.

So, grab a cup of your favourite brew, get comfy and dive in.

Have I ever had an original idea?

I remember reading of Terry Pratchett speaking of how ideas zing around the universe, and occasionally one clatters into your head. It's an amusing image, but I'm not sure if he was entirely joking. Two writers I admire greatly are Satish Kumar and Thich Naht Hahn....

A Pocketful of Clouds

A Pocketful of CloudsOne day, in the summer of 2023, I downloaded a few pages of my thoughts and musings that I had captured on my phone. Over the course of the day they formed into short verses. Other ideas, old and new, got woven in. By mid afternoon I stopped,...

Tea for my Beloved

I went to the fridge, for milk, to finish making tea for my beloved. The milk bottle has ¼ inch of milk in the bottom of it. I look at it, frustrated. I think to myself, "Why does someone leave such a small amount of milk?" There are 4 of us adults in the house. We...

I Walk the Path

I walk the path
It appears before me:
My fear
Embodied. Real
I’m scared
But this one is different
It’s really angry with me
It’s really frustrated
It growls

How stories can speak to us, and change us

Sometimes things find us. In trying to find a podcast of a favourite show on the kitchen radio, I got lost within the menu and this came up. Out of curiosity I clicked ‘Play’. And began to listen. And goodness… If you are curious to learn, this is an exploration of...

Playground Lessons

Our children at the time were about 4 and 6. The elder one was pushing the younger one in the swing. It was a joy to watch as the younger squealed with delight, egging his sister to push him harder and higher.

Because it matters

Describing coaching and the experience of a coaching conversation is notoriously difficult. So I wrote this poem for new clients. Maybe it speaks to you in some way?

Amid the demands and desires
The plans and the chaos
The haste and the stuckness
The excitement and fears
The wanting to be more and do more
And sometimes less…

The Fast Car Workshop

I was 18, and looking forward to studying engineering at university. So when a friend mentioned the chance to visit their cousin‘s workshop where they ‘souped up’ cars, I grabbed it.

Lost & Found

Chaos: What’s happening?
Confusion: Where am I?

Not making sense of something doesn’t mean it’s senseless
And in truth I always know exactly where I am;
I might just not know where ‘here’ is in relation to anywhere else
For a while

The Game of Teams Podcast

Are you and your team wanting to make big, positive changes happen in a complex situation? You’ll know the challenges. I’ve just been listening to Tara Nolan interviewing me as part of her ‘Game of Teams’ podcast series. Tara is an excellent interviewer. Her quality...

Forgive and Forget

Forgive and forget
That’s what I was told
I struggle with this
If I need to forget, I haven’t fully forgiven
I’ve heard it said
Forgiveness doesn’t change the past
But it does expand the future
So I seek to understand
What happened for them?

My First Management Training

Shortly after I began my career as an engineering graduate, I was sent on a management development programme. On the first day a trainer took to the stage and said two things that have stayed with me ever since.

‘Productivitis’

Productivitis;
The inner compulsion to be remorselessly busy
To be constantly wanting to get things done
To be constantly wanting to be seen to be getting things done
To be constantly wanting to ‘make the most of every moment’
To feel the need to justify each day by the list of things done

The Wheel

In 2020 I shared a simple tool with an international group of coaches. We beta-tested it together. Then released it to the world. It invites people to make connections between what’s going on the world, and what’s going on within them, and their work, lives and much more. It quickly went global. And here’s a poem describing how it works…

The Earthquake, the Chasm and the Puzzle

In 2019 I was woken by an earthquake. In Surrey, England. I checked online. There were live seismographs. I wasn’t dreaming. The measurement equipment was apparently installed to monitor fracking. It was a real and metaphorical wake up moment. I wrote a piece for LinkedIn – something very rare for me at the time. It resonated and sparked calls for action around the coaching world.

What can we do? Part 1 – Making Good

How can coaches and coaching help us address the big social, environmental and economic justice issues? In 2011, I began a series of magazine articles exploring this. Here’s the first piece, co-written with Dr Alister Scott. The series went on to run as a regular column for 8 years and win awards for thought leadership.