My Executive Coach blog

I’ve been working recently with clients who have undertaken the goal of maximising team effectiveness within remote and non-remote working environments.  One of the key findings for these leaders is the ability to manage polarities within their teams.  Polarities are everywhere because we live in such a complex world, for example work / life balance, […]

The Jim Madden GPA Leadership Programme for 2024 has kicked off this month and it is with great pride and pleasure to be part of this impactful Leadership Development initiative.  The program establishes a learning pathway for both male and female players who wish to develop and expand upon their leadership qualities to become real […]

A hugely influential mentor and coach once said to me that any sense of certainty, in coaching or in business, is an illusion.  This stayed with me over my career as I led global teams in various sectors, working with and for my clients.   Now as a coach, no matter what model I use, I […]

My sincere thanks to all my clients for your trust and confidence in the coaching process. May 2024 be a successful and fulfilling year for us all, I’m very much looking forward to working with you.

FPAI, in association with Enterprise Ireland and FD Technologies, hosted #FinTechNation 2023 on Friday September 15th in the Marker Hotel Dublin.  Dara Calleary, T.D., Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation spoke at the event that was well attended by professionals from the Financial Services sector including domestic and international banks, fintechs, tech companies, legal and advisory firms, […]

As a follow on from National Enterprise Day and the wonderful events I attended, I was struck by the number of women I met who said they still lacked self-confidence professionally and that they struggled with imposter syndrome.  Not a new topic but one I was surprised to hear, especially as the audience was full […]

We had an insightful and informative day at the Tech Connect conference today.  The events focused on the AI & Future Technologies and how this will trigger Innovation and sustainable Digital Transformation – for every industry.  The key takeaway for me was how AI and Chat GBT is influencing social media trends and digital marketing […]

Perseverance. Persistence. Resilience. Trending words right now.  Ones I hear on a daily basis from all my clients.  But what do they really mean and how relevant are these traits in our day-to-day professional challenges? Very interesting take on what makes us ‘gritty’ and how related this is to the relentless drive for Talent Acquisition […]

The topic of the moment seems to circle around how to build high performance cultures in today’s challenging business environment where performance is critical to individual and team success.  When I’m working with clients, this is one of their main concerns: how to drive success and achieve KPIs and quarterly targets while maintaining a culture […]

It was emotional and inspiring to watch as former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern gave an emotional farewell to parliament last week.  She announced she was stepping down and retiring from politics earlier this year, after five and a half years in the role – a time that was turbulent and challenging as she […]

The Jim Madden GPA Leadership Programme has kicked off this month and it is with great pride and pleasure to be part of this impactful Leadership Development initiative.  The program establishes a learning pathway for both male and female players who wish to develop and expand upon their leadership qualities to become real leaders in […]

January has been a month filled with plans, goals and renewed determination to make change happen.  I’ve been fortunate to work with a group of talented young professionals in workshops this month and they are inspiring.  Although I’m adverse to labels, they have unofficially identified as ‘high achievers’ and when asked what are the traits […]

Recently I’ve been working with a number of clients who are on the cusp of C-Suite roles or the move is on their career path in 2023.   There is unlimited information on what leadership skills are ‘critical’ and how to acquire them.  Our Inbox’s are bulging with invitations to leadership training courses, programs, discussions and […]

As the DCU Mentorship Program ends for this academic year, we look back on the benefits to both mentors and mentees of participating and contributing to this purposeful initiative.  Huge appreciation to all at the DCU Alumni Office for supporting and promoting engagement within the global DCU Alumni community and the current DCU undergraduate students.  Already looking […]

I’m fortunate to be part of DCU’s Emerging Leadership Programme, which aims to inspire the next generation of leaders through a diverse schedule of innovative professional development initiatives.  It’s so interesting to hear from these emerging leaders of the importance of thinking strategically and having solid goals while keeping the plan flexible and adaptable, especially […]

Congratulations to all who contributed and attended the EMCC Global Research Conference last week – what an amazing event, with phenomenal speakers that included Professor Jonathan Passmore, Alison Mitchell, Dr Riza Kadilar, Nathalie Lerotić Pavlik, Dr Lise Lewis, Dr Suzy Green and Professor David Clutterbuck, Dr Travis Kemp, Professor David Lane and Dr Michael Cavanagh […]

What a welcome return of Dublin Tech Summit (DTS), two days of tech innovators, influencers and entrepreneurs globally, highlighting the capabilities and creativity which form part of a wider tech ecosystem with a superb session for women in technology to meet in person, make connections and network with Tech thought leaders.  Amazing to be back!

I am struck by how many times I have heard recently from my clients that they are struggling with being all things to their management team, their own teams and their clients.  These leaders are struggling with the expectations of all and commonly highlight feelings of personal failure in their performance.  One recurring concern is […]

After the last two turbulent years, as leaders continue to seek new mindsets and strategies to manage and transform their teams within a challenging pandemic, a volatile present and an uncertain future, adaptability and flexibility seem to be gaining visibility as the most valuable qualities for effective leaders within leadership programmes.  This is driven by […]

Huge congratulations to EMCC Global for such a superb event at the 28th EMCC Global Mentoring, Coaching and Supervision conference this week! Fantastic networking opportunities with coaches from all over the world, and a huge thank you to all participants and presenters – especially our Research Development Advisory Workgroup – humbled and proud to be […]

Exploring the links between purpose and impactful leadership What is the value of defining individual leadership purpose and how can we get clarity on how to translate this into actions that creates significant impact… The links between purpose and impactful leadership is an intrinsic part of every leadership course and something that I come across […]

Reading an intriguing book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It by Oliver Burkeman that was mentioned to me by a client.  It’s a curious take on the thriving and expansive industry that has grown up around goal optimisation and productivity and how we all are part of the endless list making and […]

Welcome to my blog, where I hope to share with you all the events, books, topics, questions and trends that I experience in my role as an Executive Coach. Lovely to have you with me on this journey!

Early in my career, I admired a leader who communicated clearly, made confident decisions, and earned everyone’s trust. An impressive, likeable, consistent, confident leader with their own distinctive style who triggered for me how I wanted to show up during my twenty years in global management roles. So, what strengths do great leaders have?  There […]