By Gordon Laird, Associate Coach & Consultant I should get the self-confession out of the way first. Prior to starting my coaching training with Taylor Clarke 6 years ago I was a bit sceptical about the need to be qualified as an executive coach. I had coached teams and senior leaders throughout my 20+ year career in blue chip companies, and had experienced coaching training as part of leadership development programmes. I had also trained and registered as a counsellor and ps

By Trudy Arthurs, Senior Consultant, Taylor Clarke Why five reasons? Why not ten? Twenty? There are surely more than five reasons to...

“Something that doesn’t reflect is dull and opaque” By Clive Martlew, Senior Associate Consultant, Taylor Clarke Investing time to...

How do we learn? I’ve been reading the excellent Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Brown, Roediger and McDaniel

We hope you, like us in Taylor Clarke, are able to take a summer break and take some time out to rest, renew and re-energise.

The recent pandemic years have concertinaed changes that would normally have taken years into months. Projects that business leaders' thought were not possible were found to be possible after all due to the amount of collaboration that took place, a bit ironic given most team members were remotely located. Productivity increased as people had more time due to less travel and shorter meetings. Many companies were checking on their employees’ wellbeing for the first time, makin

This is part two of a three part blog series. This article is the second in a three-part series designed to stimulate some thinking and sharing around the subject – looking at the “what”, “why” and “how” around values. Last week we began with the “what”. We looked at some of the pitfalls associated with a lack of understanding around the role and purpose of values. We then started to look at what values actually are. This week we hope to build on that as we begin to explore w

This is part one of a three part blog series. Values today are a widely documented and often revered “must have” management tool and it’s rare to come across a transformational change agenda that doesn’t involve a significant role for meaningful, differentiating values. Alistair Brown worked with Johnson and Johnson in the late 70’s at the time of the famous Tylenol crisis and experienced at first-hand how J&J’s values ( Known then as the J&J Credo ) contributed to the key de

By William McKee, Principal Associate Consultant, Taylor Clarke Agile… It’s a great little piece of linguistics. Why? Because the antonyms are so unattractive. What’s the opposite of Agile? I have to pause and think about how to put a positive spin on it, steadfast maybe? The double-edged sword of great linguistics is that as everyone jumps aboard the hype train it can become all things to all people. Of course, leaders need to be agile, 2020 so far has been the ultimate adve

In this blog I want to think out loud a bit more about reflective practice for leaders, look at how we might overcome some of the things tha

Part 3 of a 4 part blog to help you shape the culture you need to accelerate your Post Covid recovery. By Alistair Brown, Principal Associate Consultant In my two previous “Culture Matters” Blogs from this ongoing collection I focused on Why now may be the perfect “Jumping off” point to really shape the culture you need to prosper post Covid Defining culture in a meaningful and practical way to enable honest and open leadership conversations Why aligning strategy and culture

So here we are in week 10 of “Lockdown” and we at Taylor Clarke have been reflecting on the journey, personally and organisationally, and ho

A 3- part blog to help you build the Post Covid culture you need By Alistair Brown, Principal Associate Consultant In times of crisis cultural alignment is key to a speedy reaction, renewal and recovery. The current pandemic driven, emergent and confusingly termed “New normal” is going to be very different and “far from normal! For leaders this is very personal in its impact, unique in its implications and uncertain in its outcomes. Fundamentally new thinking, solutions and

My Crossing the River of Rapid Transition model is a memorable ‘top-level’ visual image which is helping organisational leaders

We have been supporting clients to manage change for many years, but it certainly brings it home to you when you have to change yourselves. After 30 years in 4 Fitzroy Place in Glasgow, we have decided not to renew our lease and have moved round the corner to 20-23 Woodside Place, Glasgow G3 7QL. It will reduce our costs considerably and play to the strengths we have built in the virtual environment. It also contributes to our commitment to sustainability for us and our cli

By Anne Houston, Senior Associate Consultant Are we in a battle or a war? Who or what is the enemy and what will victory look like? How does the VUCA leadership model (developed originally by the US Army in response to the Gulf War) offer insights on what we need to draw on as people and as leaders in this current crisis? COVID-19 definitely meets the definition of a VUCA environment; V olatile, U ncertain, C omplex, A mbiguous. In responding to this external environment, Joh

By Alistair Brown, Principal Consultant If you’re feeling disorientated and unsure of how to lead right now, then you’re not alone. This is clearly a defining time for leaders and I would like to share some reflections on what you can do to stay grounded, adapt and ready yourself for some unique challenges and tough choices as you journey through huge overlapping transitions. Even before Covid, Brexit, climate change, growing nationalism and super power global trading tensio