- Stefan’s Weeknote’s 07/09/2024 (Copy)
Inspired by the weeknotes of friends and coachees including John Fitzgerald, Steve Messer and Nour Sidawi - I thought I'd give it a go.
Here's a dive in to the success of this past week.
I start with what I've been up to to set context for the successes; it's easy to look into the dark rather than the light. Isn't it?
Hope you enjoy it; comments, observations and thoughts welcome.
What have I been up to?
(Question inspired by @James_ Arthur_Cattell week notes)
It's been a busy week.
Final day with the kids of the Summer Holidays and a visit to Osborne House with Dominique and all the kids - made it into the sea for a swim - yay!
Island ride and coffee with my mate Anthony Donohue - top bloke, rugby coach and avid Zwifter - great to get him out on the road again; talking gravel riding 🤣
Training rides; 1 hour blast, 3 hour solo endurance ride and a 3 hour endurance social ride with the crew from Adrian's Bike Shop. I've also done some yoga, a 1 hour heat acclimation ride indoors and a strength session. Still aching. All in aid of the solstice next june.
Cancelled Brew up - Pouring Rain.
Coaching including a 'Head of' recovering from a previous role with the aim of exercising ghosts and smashing it out the park in the new one AND an education leader who wants to do even greater good and create a platform to start a family.
More coaching with a GB level Triathlete; looking forward to sharing the testimonial (see a little below).
Slide from one of my Digital Marketing Sessions for my friend Angela Mcllelland
Writing course notes for the additional day of delivery I will do for my friend Angela Mcllelland on our Digital Marketing Programme upon which I mentor and deliver online workshops. It's part of the Liverpool Central Region Digital Bootcamp Scheme - and we get to work with some aesome folk.
Lot's of back office work and a VAT return.
And I opened my The Little Boat art gallery this am; as I type this infact.
What's been good about this week?
The beautiful Osborne House; Isle of Wight
I loved the time down at the beach at osborne house; two families coming together in one of my favourite places. investing time in Family is key; it's a foundation stone of what I call 'Play' within my 'life wheel' of work, rest, play and sustinance. Setting time aside for this to continue after the summer holidays will be key.
Conceptualising the new sessions for the digital marketing workshops I'll be facilitating has been a lot of fun too; how to bring 20 years of sales, business development and psychology into multiple interwoven and standalone sessions to help entrepreneurs, business owners, marketing managers and job seekers find clients - is a creative and problem solving challenge I love.
Feedback from the Triathlete I have coached has filled me with lots of joy; here's a snippet: "Working with Stefan has been so refreshing and has brought a level of clarity that I hadn’t expected... I had a vague destination that I wanted to go to but Stefan helped me narrow this down and define the direction I needed to go in". The potential to take my performance coaching from the corporate world into the sports world; particularly cycling related sport is very exciting and shows the benefit of a coaching approach to performance generally.
Hearing that one of my coachees has made it through to the final round of interviews for a board role with an international charity. Very excited for them.
What am I grateful for?
I am grateful for the space to pause and reflect upon my own priorities this week and the 'mirror' that working on the marketing programme sessions has brought to my own offering. I have a services, coaching, facilitation and group coaching and i have multiple products I can create going forward, including downloadable 'workbooks' and sessions on 'making tough decisions', 'leaning into your limiting beliefs' etc.
I am grateful to the Triathlete and my own cycling coach @Joe_Staunton whom have both been open to my coaching. Testimonials on their way and I feel energised by the opportunity of the new aveniue it's creating. If you are or now an athlete who is loking for somewone to help them with the psychological aspect of their performance or how to juggle everthing and get the most from themselves - send them in my direction. Very reasonable rates as a I 'sharpen' my axe.
I am grateful to those who drop by and read this; why? because it's nice to be liked - isn't it? a little external validation never hirt anyone did it and i'm human too.
Great to tio be mentioned by one of my coachees and coach himself; Ben Whitaker in his brilliant FRIDEAS newsletter. "
...Next week, I am pleased to be back in the coaching chair with my own coach, Stefan". If you haven't signed up yet; do. What could have gone better?
What could have gone better?
This week; I've found readjusting to not having a work break 'enforced' by having the kids has meant I have had spells of over working. hyper focused on 'cracking' pieces of work has tired me out. And meant i've had to call upon motvational reserves to keep going; this has negatively impacted my smile muscles.
What will I do about it? What I know to do for myself - set an hour timer and when it goes off; take a pre-prepared flask and go for a walk (it's beautiful here) and take a coffee/tea break.
Leadership is not a superpower; you remain human
What am I reading?
This week I have started reading this book "mind is the ride" by Jet McDonald in which Jet "...takes the reader on a physical and intellectual adventure from West to East using the components of the bike as a metaphor for philosophy, which is woven into the cyclist's experience".
I love this quote from chapter 2 -
"modern bottom brackets cannot be serviced, what mysteries they contain require a heavy shoulder and a chisel. To understand how a bottom bracket works you have to take apart on old one, the relic of a prevous generation".
It made me think about the questions "what should you go after next?" and the answer "what you are most afraid of". Thats where the magic you rides.
In the work space I am afraid of writing down what I know of leadership in book form; i've had a block around it for a while but I'm getting closer.
This quote reminds me that I'm finding that so many leaders today havent been 'schooled' in how to lead, like I was. By great bosses who knew to start by teaching you the 'brilliant basics' and whilst I know that the context has changed within which we work, the reality is that what I was taught is still applicable - humans are humans and performamce is performance - right? especially when you operate in a collaborative coaching style.
In fact, I'd argue that people are more open to the style I was taught.
So the lines "...to understand how a bottom bracket works you have to take apart on old one, the relic of a prevous generation" inspire me to bring to life the old stuff I know, that helps inform all of my work with my leadership clients, and write that boom next year if not before. This will help people deal with the new and the now.
Who will hold me to account to finally write it down; blogs maybe?
What am I wishing for?
I am wishing for 'the penny to drop" in relation to the sacrifice we all need to make if we are to save this planet of ours - in anything near it's current beauty.
Good leaders who want to lead great things need to be BOLD; which means:
Having BELIEF in the change they which to see.
Ready to LISTEN to the views and ideas of others; ready to collaborate
Standing resolute and DETERMINED that we find a way to make the changes needed
Being BOLD also means being brave to face into the change because the implications of not outweigh everthing else.
Determination is a defining characteristic of many of my coachees
7. A Last Word
This weeks last word is "liminal'
"Liminal space is the uncertain transition between where you've been and where you're going physically, emotionally, or metaphorically. To be in a liminal space means to be on the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. The word "liminal" comes from the Latin word “limen,” which means threshold.
You can read a fab article about liminal spaces here:
The Liminal Space - In the Mind
I help so many of my clients realise where they are and from where they were and in turn, where they want to move to - with so many roads to choose.
I'm becoming aware that it's becoming my turn, again, now.
I'm excited for it. So many roads, which will I take?
My question for you?
Where do you want to go?
Love to you all Stefan
Stefan; In My Handwriting...
I am an executive coach who specialises in helping good people lead great things.
Good people care about others, our planet and beauty. Great things are changes for the betterment of society and all that lives within an around it.
It sounds big and fun - it is.
I'm also an endurance racing cyclist and a go. getter.
You can read more about me and what I do; how I work here