It is possible that a break will prompt a re-evaluation of your work and life ambitions – especially after the stresses of the past year. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that it’s not great to be at the mercy of events outside of our control. Deciding on our own path and what constitutes an ideal future for ourselves (and by extension our loved ones) is in our own gift. In his article, Executive Coach, Richard Spilg shares his strategy on how to tackle the task of figuring out what you really would like your future life to look like.

A current Global Workplace Analytics survey about work-from-home participation, predicts that up to 30% of people will work from home multiple days per week by the end of 2021. In effect, the pent-up demand by employees for greater work-life flexibility has coincided with the impact of Covid-19. In this article, Executive Coach Richard Spilg shares his view of the many implications that will arise as a result of this shift.

When you’re fighting fires on any number of fronts, it’s a great time to take a step back and figure out what really good leadership looks like. In the following article, Peoplemax Executive Coach, Richard Spilg, shares insights from his own executive experiences, combined with experiences of his coaching clients. Enjoy.

Peoplemax Executive Coach, Richard Spilg, reflects on, and draws from publications titled “Best of 2019” to focus on key themes we are seeing and reading about in our executive coaching practices. These themes include:

• Freeing up executive time

• Managing energy and authenticity

• The challenges of agile for previously ‘traditional’ organisations

• Flexible working and post-retirement career planning

• Defining purpose

• Leveraging impact through team coaching

In this article, Richard Spilg shares his thoughts on organisations that recognise the importance of providing the proper level of support to senior executives and managers who, usually through no fault of their own, are made redundant. He believes in the benefit of putting external executive coaching ahead of the more process-driven elements of outplacement, through what may well be a traumatic time for the individual but an opportunity to reflect and reinvent ones career.

There is no way for busy executives to escape the mental equivalent of running in today’s fast-paced environment. However, if they want to maximise the value they add to their organisations (and to their own sense of self-development), they need to find ways to spend the bulk of their time in the “Being” space. That’s when finding the time to slow down will provide the greatest benefits – quieting the mind to find those invaluable moments of insight. Executive Coach, Richard Spilg shares his ideas on how best to allocate your time. 

To achieve a congruent outcome for any client, a coach needs to have a good understanding of that client’s values, belief systems and ways of thinking. That can only come from taking the time to understand what makes the client tick. While coaching is clearly not in the same life-saving category as neurosurgery, it can and should be a life changing experience. So, I always find that first session with a new client – the couple of hours where they are able to relate their life-story to someone who is truly listening – to be a prerequisite to achieving the best possible coaching outcome. 

So here’s the conundrum – by definition, the millennials have more unrealised potential than those who have already “made it”. If a key aspect of coaching is to help people realise their true potential, surely it is as important for organisations to invest in their younger stars?

Multi-generational teams - often spanning three or sometimes even four generations - are increasingly common in the workplace. In this article, Peoplemax Executive Coach Peter Cheel looks at what this means and provides a few practical suggestions for how such teams can best reach their objectives. 

The investment in securing the “right” person for a senior role is significant and in everyone’s interests to ensure that person is set up to succeed. While it may be counter-intuitive for an employer to fund a coaching programme 2-3 months prior to the executive’s start date, the benefit from a properly planned transition will far outweigh any cost. To paraphrase Watkins, the object for new leaders is to arrive at a “break-even point” as soon as possible – typically within 6 months, where the value consumed by those individuals in the first 3 months is equalled by the value they create in the second 3 months. Richard Spilg shares his view on how to maximise a leader impact during the first 3 month’s of a new role.