Feedback has been described as the breakfast of champions, but giving feedback can be one of the toughest things we have to do, with many people avoiding giving feedback if they possibly can.

In this, another podcast in our series of questions from coaching conversations, Ricky and Graham focus on why some people find it so difficult to give good feedback and how developing your technique around feedback is a vital leadership skill.

From why we find feedback so difficult, through to models and structures to make you better at feedback - if you want to help the people around you be better at what they do, then this podcast is for you.

Paul and Graham tackle saying no in this latest episode of the podcast where we look at the questions that are frequently raised in coaching sessions. Saying no, especially to the boss, is one of the things most of us find hard to do.

From the desire to say yes to the mindset that makes it okay to say no when that is the right thing to do, this episode explores all the aspects of saying no and offers some simple strategies to help you navigate these difficult conversations without ever having to actually say no.

There is an old saying in business psychology: People rarely leave a company; they normally leave a manager! Not all bosses are good bosses, yet at the same time, not all bosses people think are bad are really bad bosses.

Sometimes what appears as a difficult boss, is actually a different style that evokes a reaction from some of the people working for them. Sometimes though, it is the managers behaviour that makes it difficult for those working for them.

In this podcast, Ricky and Paul explore the different categories, from bosses who are just different to toxic bosses who may not provide the support their people deserve.

Continuing with our series of podcasts exploring questions that come up during coaching sessions, this podcast builds on episode 131, this time looking at how you find your purpose in life (not just work).

In this episode, Ricky and Graham, chat about life's purpose, talking through the different areas of life, and the different things that motivate us in life. They have a really open and honest conversation on how they have had to consider the different aspects of their own life, using the five balls or the wheel of life to ensure they consider all of the aspects of their life.

Most of us spend over a third of our time at work - until we get to retire! Next to sleep is the part of our life that we spend the most time doing, yet often, we have no idea why we are there or what we are trying to achieve. Yeah, we are there for the money, and that means hitting some goals, but is that enough?

What makes work meaningful? What is our 'ripple on the universe'? Without a clear understanding of why we are here, we risk mistaking what we do as our purpose and ignoring why we are doing it.

This is one of the questions that regularly comes up in coaching. In this podcast, Paul and Graham explore how coaches help people find their work purpose and how they can make work meaningful.

Continuing our journey into the questions that often come up in coaching sessions, in this podcast Richard and Paul explore how success in demanding jobs and work-life balance often can seem incompatible.
Creating balance is a popular topic, with no end of articles and influencers talking about the tricks to create balance, or the sacrifices required to be successful. However, the topic is more nuanced that commonly presented, as balance is a very personal thing, and what might look like as balance for one person, would feel like purgatory for another.

It is possible to create balance and have a demanding role, but as Richard and Paul discuss, this takes self-awareness, an ability to prioritise different aspects of your life and choices.

Uncertainty has become a very present factor of modern working life, yet almost all of us crave certainty and spend a lot of our time and effort working very hard to create as much of it as we can. Only to find that uncertainty often wins out!

In this podcast, part of a mini-series looking at the questions and topics that often come up in coaching sessions, Richard and Paul dive into the world of uncertainty. They explore some of the ways that we can ensure that we don't get stuck waiting for certainty, or derailed when the world gets messy.

Uncertainty can feel disorienting and makes decisions far more complex, yet we can all learn the skills that enable us to lead, work, and succeed in an uncertain world.

Another podcast in our mini series exploring some of the questions that come up in coaching sessions, in this episode of the podcast, Richard and Paul discuss the questions that is asked without ever being asked, what are my values?

Values are at the heart of behaviours, driving both purpose and actions. Yet, we are often oblivious to them and their impact on our decisions and perceptions of the world. Paul and Richard explore their influence on our lives, how you can find out what your values are, and the ways they change at different stages of our lives.