Leadership Training

  Can I share with you what I wish all leaders understood? You have to invest time in developing your communication skills if you want to become better at having ‘difficult’ conversations. Hands down, this is the biggest struggle leaders tell me they face… “I don’t like conflict and I’d like to avoid it at all costs. Difficult conversations feel impossible even though I know I have to have them” At the same time, leaders new to The Training Rock wonder how they’re ever going to find 4 hours a week to attend the training. They question whether it’ll be worth it. I understand that. (If you haven’t experienced it for yourself, how would you know?) If time feels like your greatest … Read more

  Have you heard the story of the glass jar guy? (I call him ‘glass jar guy’ because I have no idea what his actual name is). Glass jar guy was a Professor of Philosophy. One day he was giving a lecture to his students and in front of him he placed a big glass jar (yup, that’s where his nickname came from… so creative), a pile of 2-inch rocks, a bag of small pebbles, a tub of sand, and a bottle of beer. He begins to fill the jar with the 2-inch rocks. When they reach the rim of the jar, he asks his students, “Is it full?” *students nod* He asks, “Hmm… but is it really full?” Then … Read more

There’s something pretty important I’d like to share with you, I’ve been through my fair share of leadership training. Everything from online quizzes, hour-long workshops, half-day workshops, and week-long training. Yep, you don’t work in this business for over 20 years without poking your fingers in all of the pies. I’ve been on the receiving end and delivery side of things. And there’s something that doesn’t sit quite right with this training veteran… …the ‘love ya and leave ya’ disappearing act. No matter how in-depth your training might be, there will inevitably be a moment in those initial few weeks that follow when you’re finding your feet and need some support and reassurance. So it’s not helpful to have three … Read more

  All of our behaviours are based in fear. How do you feel when I tell you that? (Doesn’t sound very fun, does it?) But it is the fear of each of our animal influencers that drives our behaviour. For me, my strongest fear is the fear of the Cheetah, which is a fear of underperforming. When you look back on my career and experiences that becomes pretty apparent… Ex-international gymnast and 4x World Record Holder in Indoor Rowing, over here. #ProofOfThePud I’m a performer, and I overdeliver in everything I do because I fear underachievement. But one thing I have heard before is this, “I don’t buy it. I don’t have any fears” A gentleman once said this to me after … Read more

Did I mention? I’ve been to *cough* MIAMI! That’s right, I was flown to The Magic City to bring leadership training to a fully remote team. Their team members aren’t just scattered across America, they have people in Australia, Delhi – in every corner of the globe. Now, the remoteness is amazing for them because it means they have the best possible people working in those roles. Location? Not an issue. In the same breath, they have the challenge of working in different timezones and it became clear that they were unintentionally working in silos. #TeamBuildingIsDifficult Yet last week, this company flew every single team member to Miami to meet in-person for the VERY FIRST TIME! (Did I mention that … Read more