All Personal

06/02/2026

'Trust-building is good for business' is a quote that stuck with me from the book 'Teams Unleashed', by Phillip Sandahl and Alexis Phillips.

I absolutely recommend the read, by the way, especially if you're leading (or working towards leading) a team right now.

But that's not my share for today's Leadership Learning Bite.

Today's share is an article I wrote for Brainz Magazine, on how we can master team dynamics through trust-building.

Think of it as your quick guide to building trust.
Oh, and I also added a bonus on building trust in remote teams at the end.

Title: 'How To Master Team Dynamics – A Trust Building Quick Guide'
Publication: Brainz Magazine
Author: yours truly

If you're leading a team and struggle with low levels of motivation, engagement or contributions from your team, or if you're working towards a people manager promotion, you might also find the other articles I shared there useful.

They cover topics like emotional intelligence, giving and receiving feedback, effective listening, influencing, coaching & mentoring.

You can find all these on my website media & resources / articles page here: https://personalskillscoach.com/media-resources/articles/

Lead different. Make trust-building a priority!

What's a Learning Bite you'd like to share with us? Feel free to comment & share.

05/29/2026

Game On: coaching questions Friday raffle, episode #59 and Coaching Forests Monthly Awards! 🤩

As usual at the end of each month, we're celebrating by giving out our special awards for those of you who keep leading coaching conversations by:
• sharing your reflections
• getting us inspired
• helping shift perspectives

This is where we build coaching cultures way beyond our immediate environments!
And this matters, because it changes minds & hearts!
And... it helps build Coaching Forests!🌳

All winners receive Tree Planting Certificates supporting global reforestation through my partnership with the super team at Evertreen!

So, drum roll for this month's Coaching Forests Award Winners:

Lisa Fenton
- special mention that she planted 3 trees by sharing her reflections on 3 coaching questions and inspiring us🌳🌳🌳

Sorina Balan
- who keeps growing her coaching forest by sharing her insights with us🌳

Nahid Hasan
- who shares his first reflection and planted his first Coaching Tree in his Coaching Forest🌳

Let's keep building strong (self) reflection muscles, and growing Coaching Forests together! 💚

Reiterating the rules of the game (feel free to jump in and change/create the rules with me)!
1. every Friday, I pick a coaching question with the help of my super high-tech raffle :)
2. this is all done in one go, so that the question surprises me as much as it surprises you
3. I leave you (and me) reflecting on that question
4. if you need clarity on the question - ask in comments
5. share your reflections and insights with us in comments

Lead Different.

Game On: step into YOUR new possibilities with weekly coaching questions!

PS: leaving the link to the All Personal Podcast Brief here:
https://personalskillscoach.com/podcast/

All episodes are short, punchy and leadership-resource packed.
All in under 5 minutes!

05/28/2026

🎙️ The All Personal Podcast just got a makeover.
It's back as an AI Audio Brief — a short, punchy episode tied to my monthly leadership newsletter.

So if you'd like more leadership free and practical resources, subscribe to the All Personal Leadership News and every last Friday of the month you get the newsletter

PLUS a podcast brief on that month's topic and resources.
All under 5 minutes!

As a sensory learner, I know I sometimes need to move to think.
If you're an auditory learner, you are why I did this :).
If you're visual, my guess is you'll enjoy a good read and the brief :)

Read it. Listen to it. Or both.
Your call. Game On!

👉 Subscribe + listen: personalskillscoach.com/podcast

05/26/2026

'There's a Reason for the Season!'
I made this one up especially for you!

In one group coaching session a while back, we were discussing 'Building Resilience in Uncertain Times'.

16+ years of working with lawyers back in my corporate days taught me we need to define things before we start talking about them.

So let's start here:
What is Resilience to you?

Here is a definition of it:
Resilience = 'the ability to succeed, live, and develop in a positive way despite stress or adversity'
(Boris Cyrulnik)

What do you agree with? What do you disagree with?
(I love debating definitions, who else is with me?:))

Now, here's a question I asked the room:
How do you charge your phone?
(if you're thinking 'what does this have to do with it', stay with me for a bit longer)

As it turns out, most of us (at least those in that room) don't wait until our battery hits 0%.
We 'plug in' at around 20%, 30%, sometimes even 50%, to make sure we don't get caught 'powerless'.

So why do we treat our personal energy differently?

By the end of the session, participants came up with this formula:

Resilience = Endurance + Recharge

They agreed that resilience isn't just about the 'powering through' bit.
It's about the strategic (and intentional) part of recharging BEFORE you hit empty!

Some strategies we discussed:
1. Challenge negative thoughts mid-spiral (put on the 'Judge' hat and ask for proof that the negative thought is true!)
2. Pay attention to what your body is trying to communicate to you, and recharge
3. Be a good self-observer, so you can be disciplined, keep what works and change what doesn't

Don't wait until you're running on 1% to plug in.
Recharge at midpoint.

Just like Tree the Tree (my favourite tree, the maple tree, pictured here last week).
You can't be in bloom ALL year round.
'There's a Reason for the Season!'

Lead Different.

05/22/2026

Game On: coaching questions Friday raffle, episode #58! 🤩

This week, a reflection from previous coaching sessions and a question associated with it.
As usual, I invite you to share your insights in the comments below.

Game On: let's see what we share that brings inspiration and clarity here - and keep planting trees and grow Coaching Forests! 💚

You can check all previous coaching questions we reflected on in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvLKiUK0FiqXMv8py2678RZTt83A6ogY2

Reiterating the rules of the game (feel free to jump in and change/create the rules with me)!
1. every Friday, I pick a coaching question with the help of my super high-tech raffle :)
2. this is all done in one go, so that the question surprises me as much as it surprises you
3. I leave you (and me) reflecting on that question
4. if you need clarity on the question - ask in comments
5. share your reflections and insights with us in comments

Saved the BEST for last: 🌳 🤩
You receive your own Tree Planting Certificate for your comments and contributions - and that's how YOU build your Coaching Forests, by helping reforestation projects worldwide!

PS: get more FREE leadership development resources here:
https://personalskillscoach.com/media-resources/

05/20/2026

The leaders I coach in the middle of organizations are often the most capable people in the room.
And, they're also the ones who feel most frozen!
Pulled in every direction.
Accountable for results they don't fully control.
Translating strategy downward while managing expectations upward.
And doing all of it while quietly wondering: 'am I actually cut out for this?'

That's the self-critic, inner-judge, the 'voice' - it has all kinds of names.
And in the frozen middle, it gets loud, annoying and, hm, quite permanent.

What I've seen again and again: the ones who break through aren't the ones who stop doubting, but the ones who stop letting that kind of energy make decisions for them.

That's the Change-Maker shift, and I believe it's learnable.

I unpacked this in a live conversation on Episode 7 of Turnaround Tuesdays with Alexandra Capelos Peters from Cansulta.

We talked about what it really takes for leaders to build confidence from the inside out, especially when roles are evolving and stakes are rising, in what feels like a forever uncertain ground.

1. Reframing imposter moments as growth signals
2. Building real confidence through action
3. What separates a healthy stretch from a real blocker
4. How leader confidence shapes team trust and culture

Hint: it truly is All Personal.
If you work with mid-level leaders, or you are one, this one's for you!

🎥 Full episode on Cansulta's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lAKybr2aPc
📌 More resources on: https://personalskillscoach.com/media-resources/

Media & Insights: Let’s Keep the Conversation Going Explore the latest from Roxana Radulescu. From co-authored books to global podcast stages and industry-leading articles, discover expert perspectives on leadership, team performance, and the skills that truly matter in business and life.

05/15/2026

Game On: coaching questions Friday raffle, episode #57! 🤩

This week, a question that I believe invites us to get deeper, not just surface level. How deep? Your choice.
As usual, I invite you to share your insights in the comments below.

Game On: let's see what we share that brings inspiration and clarity here - and keep planting trees and grow Coaching Forests! 💚

You can check all previous coaching questions we reflected on in this All Personal YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvLKiUK0FiqXMv8py2678RZTt83A6ogY2

Reiterating the rules of the game (feel free to jump in and change/create the rules with me)!
1. every Friday, I pick a coaching question with the help of my super high-tech raffle :)
2. this is all done in one go, so that the question surprises me as much as it surprises you
3. I leave you (and me) reflecting on that question
4. if you need clarity on the question - ask in comments
5. share your reflections and insights with us in comments

Saved the BEST for last: 🌳 🤩
You receive your own Tree Planting Certificate for your contributions - and that's how YOU build your Coaching Forests, by helping reforestation projects worldwide!

PS: get more FREE leadership development resources here:
https://personalskillscoach.com/media-resources/

05/12/2026

In coaching sessions with team managers, we often work on how they can grow and use their coaching skills more, so that they can be better leaders for their team (and get better results).
I find that sometimes managers think they're coaching, while they're still managing.
Which means they're 'telling,' not 'exploring.'
They want to ‘fix’ low levels of motivation in some of their team members, and so they provide solutions.

And when that doesn’t work, they feel frustrated, disappointed, discouraged:
'Nothing seems to work!’
‘I don’t understand why someone wouldn’t care about their career and just be happy with doing their job and nothing more?’
‘I keep trying to motivate them in our 1-1s and they nod in agreement, but then nothing changes.’

There's a time for managing, and a time for coaching teams and team members.

In this article I wrote for Brainz Magazine, I shared some dimensions we approach in our coaching sessions that might be helpful to you as a team leader or team manager struggling to motivate and engage your team now.
https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/when-to-manage-and-when-to-coach-your-team

For more free leadership development articles, videos and podcasts check out my website under the Media & Resources page:
https://personalskillscoach.com/media-resources/

PS: I'd love to hear from you - what resonated, what's missing, what are other challenges you'd like us to explore here?

05/08/2026

Game On: coaching questions Friday raffle, episode #56! 🤩

This week, a question to get us in self-reflection mode and help us sort out our priorities.
As usual, I invite you to share your insights in the comments below.

Game On: let's see what we share that brings inspiration and clarity here - and keep planting trees and grow Coaching Forests! 💚

You can check all previous coaching questions we reflected on in this All Personal YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvLKiUK0FiqXMv8py2678RZTt83A6ogY2

Reiterating the rules of the game (feel free to jump in and change/create the rules with me)!
1. every Friday, I pick a coaching question with the help of my super high-tech raffle :)
2. this is all done in one go, so that the question surprises me as much as it surprises you
3. I leave you (and me) reflecting on that question
4. if you need clarity on the question - ask in comments
5. share your reflections and insights with us in comments
6. you receive your own Tree Planting Certificate for your contributions - and that's how YOU build your Coaching Forests, by helping reforestation projects worldwide!

PS: get more FREE leadership development resources here: https://personalskillscoach.com/about/media-resources/

05/01/2026

Game On: coaching questions Friday raffle, episode #55! 🤩

This week, a short and insightful question, to which I invite you to share your insights in the comments below.

Game On: let's see what we share that brings inspiration and clarity here - and keep planting trees and grow Coaching Forests! 💚

You can check all previous coaching questions we reflected on in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvLKiUK0FiqXMv8py2678RZTt83A6ogY2

Reiterating the rules of the game (feel free to jump in and change/create the rules with me)!
1. every Friday, I pick a coaching question with the help of my super high-tech raffle :)
2. this is all done in one go, so that the question surprises me as much as it surprises you
3. I leave you (and me) reflecting on that question
4. if you need clarity on the question - ask in comments
5. share your reflections and insights with us in comments
6. you receive your own Tree Planting Certificate for your contributions - and that's how YOU build your Coaching Forests, by helping reforestation projects worldwide!

PS: get more FREE leadership development resources here:
https://personalskillscoach.com/about/media-resources/