The purpose of a difficult conversation is to honestly address a colleague’s performance, behaviour or relationships, so that you can help them improve. Done well, it is a timely, professional and a kind conversation, which provides an opportunity for reflection and impetus for changed behaviour. As I wrote in my series on confidence, school leaders … Continue reading Leading Difficult Conversations

This is the final post in the series about building my confidence. The good news we learned in Steps 1-6 is that our degree of confidence is neither predestined, nor permanent. It’s a skill rooted in a set of behaviours we can learn and habits we can build, which help us become more confident. Here, … Continue reading Finding My Vocation

This is the sixth post in the series about building my confidence. The good news we learned in Steps 1-5 is that our degree of confidence is neither predestined, nor permanent. It’s a skill rooted in a set of behaviours we can learn, and there are practical steps we can take to build habits which … Continue reading Making Confident Decisions

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself" - FD Roosevelt This is the fifth post in the series about building our confidence. The good news we learned in Steps 1-4 is that our degree of confidence is neither predestined, nor permanent. It's a skill rooted in a set of behaviours we can learn, and … Continue reading Facing our fears

This is the fourth post in the series about building my confidence. The good news is that our degree of confidence is neither predestined, nor permanent. It's a skill rooted in a set of behaviours we can learn, and there are practical steps we can take to build habits which help us become progressively more … Continue reading Knowing our own strengths

This is the third post in the series about building my confidence. We’ve learnt that our degree of confidence is neither predestined, nor permanent. It’s a skill rooted in a set of behaviours which we can learn, and there are practical steps we can take to build habits which help us become progressively more confident. … Continue reading Being more assertive: speaking up in meetings

This is the second post in the series about building my confidence. We learned in the last post the good news that our degree of confidence is neither predestined, nor permanent. It’s a skill rooted in a set of ideas and behaviours which we can learn and apply. There are practical steps we can take … Continue reading Improving my public speaking

This is the first post in a series about how we can build our confidence: It can be a real eye-opener when we realise just how much success and happiness is based not on people’s talent or knowledge, but on the strange lightness of spirit we call confidence. We often lack confidence because deep down … Continue reading How confidence works

First I brought you petals from collapsed roses And you would hold them wet and full of dew And marvel with me the drops reflecting Shifting clouds across a happy sky. You would colour shells, throw and catch, Dry-run obstacle courses, play chase On hazy, butterfly-full, yawning days. I’d hand you pictures painted Pots I’d … Continue reading Mother

Try to fail more. That’s my one resolution this year. To be fair I’m already fairly well qualified. I’ve failed so many times at so many things that it would be difficult to know where to begin. At work, friendships, unfinished projects, decisions regretted. On the surface I see this as serial failure. A litany … Continue reading Ten ways to deal with failure