Blog
Being Braver
Being Braver is a weekly meander through what it is to be human leading other humans to serve yet more humans. We’re going to talk about healing, connection, and yes, feelings, all through the lens of braver leadership.
We are all leaders – sometimes because of our position in our workplace, social groups, families or communities, sometimes because of what we know, but mostly because of the influence we hold over those who choose to follow us. Please enjoy and interact if you feel inclined.
Tales of a Bottleneck Business Owner
At the risk of sounding too ‘woo woo’ have you ever had that sense that something massive is just around the corner, or that you are part of something bigger – you just don’t know what it is? I believe this is part of our collective consciousness, the energy we transfer between one another…
What’s So Special About You?
Some of us can wax lyrical about our successes, experience and accomplishments, some of us are much more circumspect. Bottom line is, people have to know enough about you to feel safe – to connect, to trust, to spend time with you, to buy from you and so on. If you have no difficultly talking about…
Why Are You Online?
It is very easy to get into the ‘transmit’ mindset – if you put enough stuff out there some of it will land, people will get to know about you, what you do and then buy your stuff, come to your event, download your freebie etc etc. One of the challenges with this approach is that everyone else is out there doing that too, that means there…
Creating Belonging in a Fragmented World
Belonging is a natural human need. Without it we do not thrive, and yet in a busy and sometimes overwhelming world, true belonging and the peace it brings, can be hard to find. For me, belonging is where you can show up as yourself and feel at home, you are accepted and loved for…
The Power of Story – Part 3 of 3
Humans love stories! We love stories so much that we unconsciously create story all the time to make sense of, or give context to what we are experiencing. Story enables our brain to store and sort memories, experiences and emotions. When we don’t have the whole picture, we simply fill in the gaps – fact or truth…
The Power of Story – Part 2 of 3
First up, your brain is a very clever piece of kit – until it’s not. It has a sophisticated neural network as we discussed in part one of this series, the trouble is it doesn’t differentiate between real and imagined. Which basically means whatever you are thinking about, focused on or actually doing has the same amount of power…
The Power of Story – Part 1 of 3
Storytelling seems to have been around for as long as we have. Our predecessors understood the power of story, even though they didn’t understand the neurological workings of the brain. Today there is an increasing awareness of neurobiology, here is a quick overview of why story is so important.
Strategic Blogging
Honestly, hot on the heels of an extremely busy client workload, a retreat in Marrakech and Brave CoWork’s first open day, strategic feels a bit of a stretch for me right now. I think flying by the seat of my pants probably has it covered. I...
When Will You Ever Know Enough?
As someone who values academia, who has had the privilege of being both student and staff in the university sector, and who loves learning for its own sake, I find myself somewhat conflicted writing this article. On the one hand learning is a...
There’s No Such Thing As A ‘One Man Band’
Well ok, technically there is, but not when it comes to running a business – you might be a sole trader, solopreneur, or freelancer – this doesn’t mean you work in isolation. Increasingly, business structures and roles are becoming more fluid,...
How Accountable Are You?
Accountability is huge for small business owners, entrepreneurs and freelancers that I speak to. It’s also a double edged sword. Many people muddle accountability with rules, loss of freedom, and obligation – for some the exact opposite of why they...
Vulnerability Is A Strength
Last week I talked about vulnerability in my online class. It struck me prior to this class that we are often taught to find the pain or vulnerability in our potential clients and market to that. We are taught to start by helping to associate...
Connect or Risk Extinction
I’m writing this following my recent business retreat in the Artic Circle – I’m warm, snug and hauled up in my office at home. For all business owners and leaders, space and time to just be is critically important. I believe much of our real growth...
Be Connected – to what you do, who you do it with and most of all, what you believe in
In the wake of the Business Show we are just digesting what we learned and what delegates believe is really troubling small business owners right now. This is as well as following up on conversations individually with people we met and talked to...
How Are You Using Social Media
This morning I opened my Linked In messages to find 14 new messages – 2 from people I know well, 5 from people who have been connections for a while and message me every couple of months to tell me about there products and 8 from new connections...
Own Your Presence
We all know people who can just walk into a room and own it. People pay attention to them, they might want to be noticed by them – or hidden from them depending on the circumstances. The mood, energy and attitude of these people impacts the room....
Manage your Mind – are you feeding the Squatter?
We all have the most amazing piece of kit at our disposal, it’s with us all the time, capable of running complex software, handling masses of information and operating 24/7 – it’s the ultimate super computer – I’m talking about your brain! I meet...
Do You Have A Minimum Viable Product?
You wouldn’t go out and buy a truck load of shoes without first testing out what sells, what’s in the other shops, what the profit margins are etc, etc. Yet when it comes to service business it seems we have gone ‘product’ mad. So much time and...
