Deeper understanding

The most difficult thing I have ever done was to believe that I could do it. When you don’t know what’s impacting you as when something is holding you down without your awareness it’s hard to break free. Living in a dominant culture designed to destroy your sense of self and your belief in yourself means you have had to learn how to connect with the power within you to handle where you are. The key is to be in a perpetual process of discovering the truth of who you are, while constantly fighting to escape the inner conversation that keeps you small.

““Always do what you are afraid to do.””
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Change your perspective

Have you ever felt stuck in a rut, unable to reach your goals despite your best intentions?
It happens to the best of us. The good news is that change is always within reach, but it rarely comes from one big breakthrough moment. Instead, it’s built day by day, through the small, consistent actions that shape who we become.

Your habits are the secret ingredient, they are the bridge between your intentions and your results. When your daily routines align with your vision, progress becomes inevitable. And when they don’t, even the most inspiring goals can feel out of reach.

I think the shift starts with awareness, seeing which habits serve you and which hold you back, and then committing to steady, intentional change. Over time, those changes compound, creating momentum that makes achieving your goals not only possible, but sustainable.

““Success is a product of daily habits, not once in a lifetime transformations.””
— James Clear
,

Change is always within reach

,

Katleen Vanacker ©

If your team observed you for a week, would they believe you are serious about your goals and theirs? Would they see discipline, focus, and consistency? Or would they see distraction, delay, and lost momentum?

As a leader, you don’t have to tell people what matters to you. Your daily actions already set the tone for the culture, pace, and performance of the team. Lead in a way that makes commitment visible and watch it inspire the same in others.

Coaching works differently

In traditional problem-solving, especially among engineers and managers the process often looks like this: you identify the problem, determine the solution, and then tell people what needs to be done. Coaching works differently. We don’t start by diagnosing the problem for you and prescribing a solution. Instead, we help you clarify what the real challenge is, explore your own options, and identify the solution that fits your context and strengths. Then, we support you as you put that solution into action. This approach ensures that the solution is not only effective but also owned and driven by you, thus making it far more likely to succeed.

The referral business

Why would a colleague recommend your coaching business to an HR leader?
I think they will only do so if it enhances their own credibility and expands their influence in shaping people and culture outcomes. HR professionals are often seen as trusted advisors within an organisation. When they introduce a coach to a leader or team, it’s not just a referral, it’s a reflection of their ability to identify meaningful, high-impact development solutions.

To earn that level of trust, you need to build a coaching practice that delivers real transformation. One that helps leaders grow, creates space for honest reflection, and aligns with business outcomes. HR leaders are far more likely to recommend a coach who addresses the challenges they care about most: inclusive leadership, resilience, emotional intelligence, and sustainable performance. When your coaching creates value at this level, HR leaders won’t just refer you, they will advocate for you because your success reinforces theirs.

““The more you practice your work, the better it will be. Practice opens channels of possibility in the brain.””
— Rick Rubin
,

It's complicated

,

Transforming entrenched cultural systems takes time and sustained commitment as they do not shift easily or quickly. True value often arises from scarcity; when something becomes widespread, its strategic significance tends to diminish. Leaders must ask: where are the real constraints, and how can we create value within them?

I think one should strive to be the kind of leader whose presence elevates the work, someone whose absence would be deeply felt. Bring emotional intelligence, critical insight, and seasoned judgment to every interaction. This is not about shortcuts; it’s about pursuing meaningful, lasting impact. If you are seeking an accountability or progression partner for your leadership journey, feel free to reach out via email.

,

More speed less haste

,

Most of what people are rushing to do isn’t actually urgent. And in today’s fast-moving environment, urgency can feel like the default setting. As a leader, your power lies not in keeping up with everything, but in your ability to slow down and think clearly when everything around you is speeding up. This is where emotional intelligence (EQ) becomes critical.

““You should meditate every day and if you don’t have time, you should meditate more.” ”
— Seth Godin

The tyranny of urgency

I think the difference between reacting and responding isn’t just about self-control, it’s about self-awareness. The first step is noticing what’s really going on, internally and externally. The second step is pausing long enough to process, and the third is choosing to move forward with intention. Unlike IQ, which is about logic and information processing, EQ is about navigating uncertainty, tension, and human complexity. And while artificial intelligence (AI) is getting faster, cheaper, and smarter, what makes you effective as a leader isn’t how much data you can consume—but how well you connect, adapt, and lead with emotional maturity. That’s the human edge, and it’s more important now than ever.

The power of the pause

I think if you want to grow your potential, you must know yourself: your strengths and weaknesses, your interests and opportunities. You must be able to gauge not only where you have been, but also where you are now. You can’t lead others well if you’re constantly reacting. You can’t create anything meaningful from a place of mental exhaustion. So maybe today, the most radical thing you can do is pause… and ask yourself: What do I actually need right now? Not to please others, not to perform but to feel human again.

Stop living in reactive mode

You were not built to constantly respond to other people’s priorities, notifications, or demands. You were not meant to go through your day passively reacting to what happens to you, instead of actively choosing how you want to show up. When you live like that for too long, you lose touch with what actually matters to you.

Your brain doesn’t need more cheap dopamine, it doesn’t need another scroll, another hit of urgency, or another crisis to solve. I think it needs presence, connection, sunshine, nature, rest, exercise and some good music.

What do you think?

Intellectual curiosity is the foundation of wise and adaptive leadership. It's about learning to search for grounded truth, not just what's comfortable or familiar. The best leaders remain open to changing their minds when facts or evidence challenge their prior beliefs. They understand that growth comes not from being right, but from being willing to learn. I think the strongest leaders are lifelong students as well as being lifelong teachers.

““Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” - ”
— Stephen Covey

Time is the great equaliser

AI generated image

I have always been fascinated by how people use their time, especially those who claim they don't have enough of it, because, after all, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. In the West, there's a deep obsession with productivity; we often judge ourselves and others by how much we get done. While I appreciate productivity and enjoy the art of intentional strategy and optimisation, I also value the ability to switch off and rest. For me, taking a break is an act of self-kindness. On the other hand, I recognise that when your sense of self-worth is tied to how productive you are, it can be incredibly difficult to embrace rest without guilt. Contact me via email for a “free” 30 minute discovery call.

Impress me

The only way to impress me, is by being a good person. I don’t care what you have, what you wear, where you live, or what you drive. I just have deep respect for people with pure hearts and good intentions.

““It doesn’t matter how good you are, people will judge you according to their own insecurities.””
— Unknown

The blueprint is believing in yourself.
The cheat code is discipline and consistency.
The truth is nobody is coming to save you.

The art of persuasion

What does it take to persuade people to act?

I think it comes down to three elements: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.



1. Logos – Reason

People need to understand why they should act, the logic behind it, the benefits. Here’s the key: those benefits must be communicated from their point of view, not yours. This means the speaker must understand the audience’s assumptions, beliefs, and priorities and speak from there, not from their own agenda.


2. Ethos – Credibility

Who are you, and why should they listen to you?
 Credibility comes from two sources:

a) Who you are? Your background, authority, or shared values.

b) How you deliver? The tone, presence, and consistency of your message.

Even if your reasoning is strong, if you lack credibility, your message won’t land.


3. Pathos – Emotion

You can have logic and credibility, but without emotion, people don’t move. Your audience needs to feel something, for example, anger, pride, empathy, hope, even urgency. Emotion creates connection, and connection creates action.

When logos, ethos, and pathos are all present, your message doesn’t just inform it will inspires action.

Constant distractions

Why do we need constant distractions?
I’m not immune to the endless scrolling, the need to check something, watch something, fill the silence but I have started to notice it more. I remember being a child, sitting at the breakfast table reading the back of the cereal box just because it was there. I wasn’t in a hurry to escape my own thoughts and nowadays that kind of presence feels rare.

I’m not trying to eliminate distraction completely as that’s neither realistic nor necessary, but I do want balance. I want to trust my gut, make better decisions, and avoid being seduced by the wrong things for superficial reasons. And I’m aware that kind of clarity doesn’t come from wishing, it comes from practice.

You have to learn how to use your space.
You have to build the habits.
You have to create a sense of discipline.

Not because you can control everything, but because freedom often begins with structure. What’s your relationship with distraction?

Sitting with your thoughts

Why do we struggle to sit with our own thoughts?
We are constantly exposed to visual stimulation, from social media, advertising, curated images of success and beauty. This has made us hyper-focused on how we appear to others. Instead of living from the inside out, many of us live from the outside in. We measure our worth by how others perceive us. We seek validation and overvalue other people’s opinions, while our inner voice gets quieter. I think as a result, we don’t really know what we think or feel, apart from how we assume others see us. And this makes it so hard to be alone with our thoughts, because we are disconnected from them.

Service to others

Alina Grubnyak ©

I think leadership is not a spotlight, it’s a platform. Once you have done the work to manage your internal landscape, the next step is using your skills in service of others: your team, your community, and the mission you have committed to.

The best leaders I have seen are those who balance self-mastery with selflessness. They bring their whole selves to the table, not for personal validation, they show up to elevate others. In a world that often rewards noise, grounded leadership remains quiet, consistent, and powerful. What do you think would change if we led from that place more often?

,

Mastering the mind

,

Zyanya Citlalli ©

In a world of constant change, uncertainty, and pressure to perform, grounded leadership requires more than just technical skill or vision. It requires deep inner work and a commitment to something bigger than yourself.

I often encourage the leaders I coach to focus on two things:
1. Mastering the mind
2. Serving others

Mastering the mind isn’t just about mental sharpness, it’s about emotional discipline. Leadership will inevitably trigger moments of envy, ego, impatience, or self-doubt. The real challenge is learning to observe those emotions without letting them drive your decisions. I think mastery means developing the inner resilience to choose clarity over chaos, humility over pride, and purpose over impulse. It’s not about perfection, it’s about awareness, regulation, and growth. What do you think?