Has your resolve been dented over the recent festive season?

Mine was……momentarily!

This is a shout out to the awesome #RealApprentices (875 of you) and Growing Talent Associates (202 of you so far!) who I coached into employment over the last 20 years.

I’ve seen many of you progress into management roles, including Head of FM for a Borough Council, Sales Director for a tourism company in Spain, Business Owner of two recruitment companies turning over £1m and many more amazing achievements.

Thank you for crediting me for being part of your journey. It was an honour.  You’ve shown how with the right coaching, encouragement and skills knowledge you can achieve anything.

But let’s get back to ‘resolve’. We are all human first. Things will happen in life which dent our resolve and resilience.  We all need to be continually vigilant – me included!

Two things happened this holiday season which dented my resolve. 

The first thing was a menacing email I received on Christmas Eve.

The second was seeing a post on LinkedIn about the importance of #ICF (International Coaching Federation) – largely saying Coaches without this or similar qualifications are not as effective. 

Mmmm. Really? I don’t have these qualifications but have coached over thousand people into employment empowering them to change their lives! 

A comment to this post stood out for me.  Referring to the importance of medically trained people in the area of mental health for two reasons: 

1. A coach is not a therapist nor a counsellor. They should know their boundaries.  These are three very specialist, separate areas. 

2. Even a well-qualified therapist can misdiagnose people due to cross over of symptoms which can cause that person immense harm.  Check out Caragh McMurty, founder of @neurodiversesport.

However, utilising the tools I taught all of you over the years got me back to where I need to be:

• Challenge thoughts – critical thinking
• Recognise the cavalry ain’t coming! The responsibility is on you to take action.
• Ask for appropriate help

So, be constantly vigilant. When something happens which spikes your emotions, dents your resolve – remember the power of critical thinking and use the tools you were taught!

You’ve got 2025! 

May it be an awesome one for you all.