This is the third year I have been writing for my blog and reflecting on the past year (which is worth reflecting on in itself!).

In 2021, I joined Robert Walters when work was online, we wore masks and were waiting for a vaccine.

In 2022, we got that vaccine, wore masks less and  I reflected on returning to face-to-face delivery, as well as the extra pizzazz it added to my work.

This year I have often reflected on how distant that pandemic work/life experience now seems and how we have adjusted to it and then adjusted back to normality again. It has been a tough ride, but I also think it shows how flexible we can be when faced with challenges and how quickly we can move on and start afresh if needed.

Leaving the pandemic aside, what other key reflections do I have on 2023?

I got to work with clients in Taiwan, The Netherlands, Zambia, the Philippines, Japan, France, the USA, Singapore, China and the UK.

I also worked with clients from the private and charity sectors in fairly comparable numbers.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised by how these clients share very similar coaching objectives (for example: Being more strategic, Developing their leadership brand, Being a better listener and Managing key stakeholders).

Leadership is leadership, whether you are saving lives or finding people jobs.

A common challenge for many is the ask of our leaders to continuously evolve whilst trying to keep abreast of change; there is also greater visibility with regard to how our leaders show up than there has ever been. In addition, the need to keep a check on yourself as a leader, as well as to reflect and adjust, has never been greater.

In my supervision this year, one thing I reflected on was whether I challenge my clients enough as their coach, (my conclusion was that I do challenge regularly in my coaching, but should I be challenging even more?).

There is a risk of developing a "cosy club” client/coach relationship in coaching because it is more pleasant, but this can do the client (and sponsor) a disservice if it does occur and does not help the client reach their full potential.

My supervisor reminded me of the book Challenging Coaching by John Blakely and Ian Day, which encourages coaches to go to the “zone of uncomfortable debate” with their clients. I read it on the beach in Cadiz (which made it a more comfortable read for me!) and it was a timely reminder of my responsibility as a coach to challenge and support my clients to go the extra mile.

In my work throughout the year, I learnt all about Succession Planning, started to explore how to use AI in supporting the delivery of a coaching offer (early days) and delivered leadership development programmes with some great participants who made delivering these sessions so worthwhile.

In my work as a Trustee of Cranstoun, I continue to be very proud of how Cranstoun is developing as an organisation that empowers people and change in the areas of addiction, criminal justice, domestic abuse, harm reduction, housing and homelessness, children and young people.

Cranstoun is two and half years into an ambitious strategy to challenge the status quo regarding policy and service delivery in its areas of focus. I’m proud, as I see an organisation that has re-positioned itself to take on the challenge of improving systems and policies for people who are too often let down by society.

As such, Cranstoun has reinvented itself as an organisation, re-found its mojo and is doing lots of great work through shining a light on hot topics and in developing innovative services such as overdose prevention centres and working with perpetrators of domestic abuse to break the cycle of abuse.

You can find more information and support their work here.

This year I also went to one wedding and four funerals, all events you find yourself reflecting on. The key reflection for me during these events was that life is not a dress rehearsal, and that knowing what is important to you and giving that its fair share of your time is key to a happy and successful life.

I’m pleased that 2023 has been (on the whole) a great year, as I hope 2024 will also be. I would encourage you to also reflect on 2023, particularly on what went well, what you learned and what you would do differently next time.

As always, I hope you found something of interest in my blog and if it raised anything you would like to discuss, please get in touch.