Work & Leadership
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Getting back into the back-to-work vibe
The summer holidays are over. Brussels is slowly coming back to life after its sleepy summer. We’re coming back into the traditional return to work. I actually am enjoying a sense of energy in the air. It’s nice to have things happening again in this…
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Getting back into a life of structure
I’ll be starting a new role in September. It draws a line under a rather chaotic period in my life. What started off getting signed off for a week of sick leave in February 2024 turned into an 18 month descent into executive dysfunction and…
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Answering the call of leadership (in Toastmasters)
first attended the Claddagh Toastmaster’s club in early 2022. Fast forward to three years later, I’ve now been elected as the club President for the 2025-2026 term. I had never heard of Toastmasters until I came across it in a personal development book. It highly…
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Navigating the turbulence of the December work rush
One thing I’ve noticed is that lots of people (including myself) have been radiating stress. This is probably caused by the squeeze of work before the year end. Christmas is usually a busy moment, but tied along with increased workloads and tired souls, I’m noticing…
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The power of understanding our productivity fluctuations
In the past four weeks I’ve been doing more public speaking than I’ve done in the last six months On Wednesday I gave the final push to a paper we’re launching at COP on the social aspects of circular economy. In practice, this meant mass…
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Being an outsider in a room full of insiders
This week was a European tour for me. I started in Brussels, then went up to Amsterdam to speak at the Sustainable Packaging Summit. on Wednesday I came straight to London (with a small box of chocolates for my dad’s birthday) to speak with a…
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The importance of being in the room where it happens
This week’s theme for me was about getting myself out there. Over the last few months, I noticed that I haven’t been going out to meet the world as much as I could – particularly around and about in Brussels. Perhaps it was a hangover…
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Why our views on building people’s skills are outdated
2023 is the European Year of Skills. This is an initiative from the European Commission to address skill shortages within the EU. Considering that it’s October and you probably never heard of this, I’m going to suggest that this initiative hasn’t been a roaring success.…
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The importance of simplicity in our messaging
I’ve worked in technical fields throughout my career, using words that most people would simply not understand. A key skill has been to make these things understandable and relatable for anyone. I could easily bamboozle the people around me through specialist language, acronyms and obscure…
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Feeling ‘very busy’ is a changeable state – no matter our workload
Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time working with people with increasing workloads. I can probably hear the word ‘busy’ being used at least 10 times each week. This week I read something that really struck me this week – that…
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Take a stand for the power of your work
‘It’s not too bad’ ‘I could have worked on it more’ ‘Hopefully it will help’. These are all phrases I’ve used when talking about my book, Make Diversity Matter to You. But what am I saying about myself if I am not really willing to…
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Prioritising the important over the urgent
This week I travelled to Stockholm. Although work trips are an exciting opportunity to travel, I must admit I wasn’t particularly energised by the idea. I’ve been somewhat worn out over the last few weeks. But it was important for me to go. From a…
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Mistakes interviewees make – from a panellist’s point of view
In the last two months I’ve been doing various interviews for roles within our office. It made me reflect at how jarring the interview experience can be for someone who may be looking for a new role, particularly if you’re just starting your career. It…
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How to make your tasks feel more effortless
Do you find yourself constantly at the wrong side of a never-ending to-do-list? The stress and overwhelm can take a massive toll. Worse, without remedial action we’re doomed to a cycle of overwork, burnout and always needing a holiday. People often talk about prioritisation as…
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Starting Fresh – how to handle starting a new job
It’s officially September. Summer is over. For some of us, that also means a fresh start in a new job. A new job can be a daunting process. We are entering into a new role with a new team, new area of work, as well…
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What does working with a coach look like in practice?
You may have come across the idea of a ‘coach’. You’ve certainly seen sports coaches too. But what does it actually look like to work with a coach on personal development? Different coaches have different styles. It’s why it’s important to find someone that you…
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Why people use personal coaches for development
Who uses a ‘coach’, and what are they exactly? The word ‘coach’ comes from the idea of an old coach carriage, which could take you from one place to another. A coach does the same thing, only rather on a development journey rather than a…
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Bringing Diversity and Inclusion into Coaching Practices
Coaches want to help others. So it’s no wonder that there is growing interest in diversity and inclusion. If you’re a coach, you may be feeling overwhelmed with the subject. After all, how can a mere individual do much in the face of large systemic…
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My reflections three months into a job transition
Moving to a new job is a stressful time, though particularly so when moving to a new sector or shifting career. For me this was also combined it with moving countries, as well as having to do so during the pandemic which just made everything…
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Why I chose to leave my government career
In the last few weeks, I’ve connected with a number of individuals interested in knowing more about what it’s like to leave the UK Civil Service. So I thought it might be an interesting chance to write about why I chose to leave, what opportunities…