Difficult conversations are risky conversations. It is like taking your car off-road. The journey can be bumpy, unexpected hazards appear at short notice and you’re often heading into uncharted territory. If you’re going to boldly enter the zone of uncomfortable debate (ZOUD) then, just as if you were contemplating an off-road jaunt in your car,
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I first came across Simon Sinek’s work when training as a Vistage Chair in San Diego earlier this year. Sinek has a simple yet powerful message which he captures in his book ‘Start with Why’. And the message is this – people do not buy what you do or even how you do it,
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How do we best give challenging feedback to others? What are the little tips and techniques that can make the difference between having our message heard and understood rather than triggering a defensive and hostile reaction? Recently, I learnt a new coaching tip on this topic which surprised me through its simplicity and its impact.
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One of the most common challenges faced by business leaders is to keep a proactive focus on what is important in the long term rather than to be consumed by reactive and urgent daily tasks. Many a courageous goal has been undermined via endless distractions. To counter this risk I find that Steven Covey’s story of the ‘big rocks’
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What is the most challenging question you have asked a coachee? I was asked this once when presenting at a conference. Linked to this I’ve also noticed a number of Linked In discussions about questions coaches could ask. By asking for examples of challenging questions are we seeking an answer,
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As the Americans would say ‘Brene Brown you rock!’ I finally got round to reading Brene Brown’s hot-to-trot book ‘Daring Greatly’ and, after all the hype, I was not disappointed. Given Brene Brown’s role as full-time academic researcher, I expected the book to be highbrow and sophisticated so I was surprised at the simple,
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Sheryl Sandberg’s recently published book ‘Lean In – Women, Work and the Will to Lead’ is causing quite a stir. Currently No.1 in the Amazon leadership best sellers, the book is Sheryl’s manifesto for helping professional women get to the top; as COO of Facebook she certainly has the war stories to be a credible author.
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We are delighted this week to have our first guest blogger, Angela Sabin. If anyone else would like to blog on a theme related to Challenging Coaching then please get in touch. Here are Angela’s intriguing thoughts on the topic of the ‘loving boot’. (John Blakey)
‘I am a passionate advocate for John and Ian’s work on Challenging Coaching,
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As you set your goals for the coming year you might find it useful to read the LeadershipIQ white paper – Are SMART goals dumb. This US based leadership and training firm surveyed over 4,000 workers across 397 organisations to find out whether SMART goals (usually defined as specific,
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This week John and I presented to the Bristol and Bath Coaching Group. After discussing the FACTS coaching model we talked about chapter 10 of “Challenging Coaching” and what we call the ‘deeper FACTS ‘ for the first time. In chapter 10 we move our focus from the balance of support and challenge in coaching to the balance of freedom and responsibility in the world at large.
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The Trusted Executive Ltd operated from May 2017 to January 2025 and successfully pioneered the organisational implementation of the Nine Habits of Trust model, originally researched and developed by Dr John Blakey at Aston Business School and featured in his book, ‘The Trusted Executive’.
Although the company has now ceased trading, this site is preserved as a legacy archive of insights, case studies, blogs and free resources. To learn more about the ongoing work and thought leadership of Dr John Blakey, plus contact him personally, please visit www.johnblakey.co.uk.
Thank you to all our clients, associates and partners for all your support over the years.
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