Coaching for Change

DOES YOUR CHILD PROCRASTINATE? The school my girls went to for primary did not have much workload in terms of homework. Whatever they had was easily manageable with all the other activities they were involved in. The only time management they needed was to learn to be on time at various places. Things changed dramatically when they entered secondary school. The demand was high not only in terms of the workload but also, they were expected to be able to plan for: -homework due by next class -projects due in a few weeks -assessment in a few days’ time. -extracurricular activities. According to them, they had:  -too much work -too many activities -too busy -not enough hours in the day -not enough holidays And this problem I have found with quite a few teen clients of mine. They are always busy, but work doesn’t seem to get done. At the end of the day, they are spending late hours studying and sometimes even finishing tasks at school. Most parents tend t...

What are Soft Skills? Consider this scenario: You are new to a place and you fall sick. Since you do not know of any doctors, you decide to go to the nearest Clinic. After waiting patiently for your turn for about 30 minutes, you are called in. The middle aged doctor scans you through his thick glasses and asks “What are you here for?” It takes you a couple of seconds to realize you are being asked for your symptoms. You inform him of all your aches and pains. When you pause, he simply looks down at his notepad…scribbles a few notes and says “ok. Wait for the medicine outside.” The serious look on his face too intimidating for you to ask “But can you at least tell me what’s wrong with me?” You collect the medicine but not satisfied, you seek another doctor hoping this doctor would divulge more than just dispensing medicine. As you enter the doctor’s chamber, you are greeted with a warm smile. The symptoms are asked. While the doctor is scribbling on his note pad, he tells you...

"I have had 2 career breaks. Both for personal reasons and both in the last 5 years. Before this, my career was quite stable. The irony is that even though last 5 years gave me 2 career breaks, it also got me the 2 best jobs of my life. Now I am losing the job I really love. Why would anyone ever give me a job with this kind of track record? “ said a mother of 2 toddlers who was undergoing massive changes in her personal life and it was impacting her professional life. She continued, "My worst fear is explaining my career breaks”. "Whose voice is telling you this story?" I asked She continued, "My inner voice and my experience from my last interview with the elderly Head of a family run organisation. More than my work experience, he was more interested in my breaks. He kept looking at what I lacked and not at the massive changes I had brought about in my past roles.” As she went on to reflect and narrate. As a working Mom with career breaks of my o...