“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
John Lubbock, The Use Of Life
So far 2018 has been a busy and relentless year, Brexit, political unrest at home and overseas…
And it is also proving to be a year to celebrate what is possible, individuals coming together with a common goal, hard work and good coaching to achieve the seemingly impossible. A great example being the young England football team managed and coached magnificently by Gareth Southgate, President Obama celebrating Mandela’s life and inspiring a new generation of young Africans to pursue their dreams and create a better world.
The themes arising from our work this year have a new feel too.
Individuals wanting to contribute to society and at the same time find time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and friends and family. Until recently there has been a shift to move most learning and development online, pop in and learn something new, upskill from online tutorials. This has its place and is a wonderful source for easy access to knowledge and saves so much time.
It can never replace the power of human connection, the art of conversation and exploring with others the possibilities for a better future.
Our coaching clients increasingly want more than performance coaching, their focus is to perform and contribute their best and embed that in a lifestyle that aligns with their values and the life story they want for themselves. This demand ranges from clients preparing for their final roles as they move to retirement and a portfolio lifestyle through to millennials who are clear that this is the best way for them to work, live and for society. To be frank the “snowflakes” are not so flaky, they can teach us all a lesson about better ways of working, engaging with society and living.
Other work has been building networks across sectors, check out the Exchange Programme which we deliver with others for The Whitehall and Industry Group. A programme bringing together Senior Leaders from all sectors to exchange, understand, learn from each other and create better ways of working across boundaries to deliver better business and services for society.
Away days have come of age. No more building balloon towers, instead individuals taking time out to get to know themselves first, understand the people they work with and to create working environments that respect diversity and optimise complimentary skills and approaches. We have been working with top teams in the UK Companies, The UK Civil Service and Charities.
We reach August ready for a rest, full of optimism and looking forward to what comes next….
Have a great summer, rest, imagine and we will see you in the autumn.
In the words of Bob Dylan
“Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.”
All the best
