KC Learning & Development Limited

12/11/2024

Hi everyone :-)

After much deliberation, I've decided to stop posting on my business page.

KC Learning & Development continues to thrive, and I'm blessed to work with a wide array of wonderful & loyal clients, large & small.
95% of my client work is repeat business, or referrals.

My personal drive in developing & strengthening others remains strong!

My client base and network have evolved so much in the past 13 years, and sadly many of the posts I share on my business FB page do not reach many followers.

I'll continue to post on a variety of topics on LinkedIn, and if you are not already connected with me there, please do come and find me ☺️ www.linkedin.com/in/karenachamberlain

Or, you can reach me on email, with your enquiries, to: [email protected]

Thank you for your support ❤️

Karen x

Leadership & Personal Development Coaching
Team Development Facilitation
Leadership Development Programmes

07/11/2024

Feeling overwhelmed? Pause. Step off the hamster wheel. Breathe. Choose 3 strategies to help you manage your overwhelm. These 3 from Hannah look spot on.

It is easy to feel like the world is hanging by a thread at the moment. Everywhere you look there are problems. War. Crime. Violence. Politics. With the rolling news cycles and the noise on social media, it seems like we are in dark times and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting further and further away. It’s easy for this to start to take its toll on you and leave you feeling overwhelmed. Even if you had great mental health to start with, the last few years have been challenging and hard for everyone.

We can all feel like we have too many things to do and too many things to worry about and as a result there can be too many things to get our heads around. No wonder we feel so overwhelmed! Stress doesn’t discriminate. Everyone can be impacted whether it is on a personal or professional level.

Here are three ways to help you when you feel overwhelmed:

1. Manage your inputs
Each day can feel like information overload. In 1986, if you added up all the information a human receives each day (TV, reading, radio) it amounted to forty newspapers worth a day. Fast forward to 2011, that figured had risen to 174 newspapers a day. I think it is safe to assume that in 2024, that number will have increased again. We need to manage our inputs. Reduce some of the noise that is coming in each day. Turn off notifications. Unsubscribe from email newsletters. Use the ‘Do not disturb’ feature. Limit your social media use to a certain time each day. If we aren’t careful the trivial will get in the way of the meaningful.

2. Control the controllables
Most people feel overwhelmed about things they have no control over – the news, politics, the weather, the in-laws ;) - remember we all have a finite amount of energy each day and if we use it getting worked up about things we have no control over, it leaves us drained and depleted to handle the things that we do have some say in. Save your energy for the things you can control. Focus on how you respond to situations, it will be a far better use of your time.

3. One thing at a time
Living in this hyperconnected world with devices and distraction all around, it is easy to feel that everything needs a response straight away but not everything is equally important. Remember you can only do one thing at a time, so quit trying to do otherwise. Better results come from focusing on one task before looking ahead at the next one. You will not save time by doing two things at once, you will lose time because you will probably need to redo a task. Doing too many things at the same time usually translates to being average. Say it with me, One thing at a time…

Here’s a bonus one – be kind to yourself. Always.

Hannah x

06/11/2024

I do love a podcast, and today's run after work was boosted by one of the Career & Leadership Real Talk episodes (a favourite listen of mine) with special guest Katy Walton.

I'd recommended this to leaders with a passion, curiosity and intent to develop their team, as well as those supporting the development of leaders for their clients (like me).

A worth-while 40 minutes spent listening, and the duration perfectly matched todays run length too!

Full of practical, simple & relatable tools, demonstrating beautifully how we can learn and gain great nuggets from resources such as podcasts, blogs, etc.

I loved the reference to JODO - the Joy Of Developing Others - it's certainly a joy and a privilege to do just that.

Enjoy!

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/d2ed1167-1c75-41a5-9fb4-51c5e7e72358

Quickly and easily listen to Career & Leadership Real Talk for free!

04/11/2024

My 3 words for 2024 are Acceptance, Kindness and Intentional.

I bring them to life with weekly intention setting, daily gratitude, and weekly & monthly review, reflection & planning.

It's an investment, it takes effort, and it makes a difference.

Loving this quote for the week ahead. Start positive & intentional.

Happy week ahead everyone :-)



Thank you Art of Brilliance 🌞

Our 3 wishes for you…

31/10/2024

Self-awareness is a key ingredient for `Bringing Out the Best in You'

One tool I use often in my leadership development work aiding self-awareness, is the Clarity4D personality profile.

Sharing your profile with others, allows you to gain insights of their perceptions of you, which can be very insightful!

This typically is shared with people who you know well or have had some interactions with. However, it can also work well in sharing with others who know you very slightly!!!

During a recent Clarity4D practitioners development day, I was paired up with someone who I had met that morning, and up to that point had only had a brief conversation. We were asked to:
- Read the 2 pages of detail in each others report, of how we see ourselves.
- Note down 2 positive elements we have noticed in the other person.
- Note down 2 sentences we were curious about the other person.
- Have a conversation; share & discuss. Listen and be curious.
This was such a rich & insightful conversation, which enabled an even greater level of self-awareness, as well as an OTTTA. One Thing To Take Away 💡

28/10/2024

**🎁 Make Time for You and Gift Yourself a Coaching Session**

Did you know it's 58 sleeps till Christmas Day??!! As a rule I like to enjoy my birthday first (that will be 9 sleeps!) before mentioning Christmas, however....

😋 I've already enjoyed a mince pie or 2

🎄 Lights are going up in some of our local independent shops

⏳ It's the right time to book your coaching call....

Over the next 6 weeks, I have scheduled in a number of one-off 90 minute coaching video call slots.

The purpose of the coaching call is absolutely your call ('scuse the pun!), however - as a suggestion - this is a brilliant opportunity to pause & reflect on your 2024 achievements, growth & challenges, and to explore your hopes for 2025.

Drop me an e-mail on [email protected] for more details,

Karen

"I love your style, empathetic but still challenging - you are happy to question and pull me up on things which helps me see a different perspective."

25/10/2024

There are lots of gems in this brilliant blog, with ideas to implement a regular reflection practice, and clarity on the W.I.I.F.M. factor (What's In It for Me).

Invest in you (and others) in taking time to read this today.

Asking self 3 questions is simple, effective and manageable.

Extract:
"What are 3 things going well?
What are 3 things to improve?
What behaviors will you practice next week?
You might find a variation that works better for you, but it’s a simple set of questions to start with.
Be sure to really appreciate what things are going well."

https://gettingresults.com/friday-reflection-habit/

The Friday Reflection Habit is the most profound habit to improve your mindfulness, your productivity, and your personal growth.

22/10/2024

I'm feeling blessed with the top & tail parts of my day 😊

It's a new term and a new study place for my teens as they recently started their A levels. Lots to adjust including for me, more frequent taxi-ing!
A favourite new way, has been every few weeks I drop 1 daughter off, and the other joins me for a few hours in a local independent cafe (Marston Beans Ltd, which serves amazing flavoured cinnamon buns with their coffee!). Such a treat to spend time together, in a lovely space, and we were super focused with our work, after we nattered over our naughty breakfasts 😋

Another new routine is taxi-ing both girls to a weekly session of badminton they've arranged with their friends, mixing fitness & social. Tonight, while they played, me and my boy 🐾 walked 3 miles around our local lakes and watched the sun go down. Bliss. A chance for movement, fresh air, and my busy brain to process & settle.

Ready for dinner now, and a not so new routine, settling down to watch Bake Off 😃

10/10/2024

Self-care, and `running on empty' continues to be a theme across many conversations with clients, colleagues & friends this year.

I often share the analogy of keeping your own tank fuelled, like you would your car; when we get into our car (or a friends), there is an expectation and focus on making sure it's safe, the tank is fuelled, the MOT is in date, and the service maintenance receives ongoing investment. We make this a priority, and invest time, money & focus on keeping the tank fuelled.

So, where is your fuel gauge right now? When you pause, slow down, what do you notice?

If you notice your own personal tank is depleted, or is beginning to be, what 1 small step can you take, for important you, today?

09/10/2024

Buzzing & reflecting on the 2 days I spent this week investing in me, my business, and my clients, at the Clarity4d conference and development days.

These opportunities provide Clarity4D practitioners with the opportunity to learn, share, network, connect and grow.

It's also a chance to immerse ourselves in the colour energies of Clarity4D, to appreciate the qualities of each colour energy, as we see them come to life throughout our interactions over the 2 days. To gain ideas to strengthen our own approach, business, relationships.

Other highlights, of which there were many!...
- Hearing the case studies and examples of successful leadership development programmes being embedded within the fire service, hospitality, charities, schools and retail, to name but a few!
(including hearing how the colour energies have been so well received in schools with both staff and students, in a fun & engaging way).
- Speaking to clients who advocate for the Clarity4D tool, and hearing their perspective of the value and accessibility for all roles across their organisations, creating a common language.
- Being reminded of the learning curve, and how learners will lose the capacity to retain a significant percentage of their learning, if there is no follow up or ways to practice, embed & review the learning.
- Keeping it Simple and not overcomplicating the process, for ourselves and our client.
- Hearing the 'Most In Demand Skills' shared recently on Linked In, were adaptability, communication, customer service, leadership - all of which can be developed & embedded with the Clarity4D tools, at an individual, team & organisational level, through coaching and bespoke development programmes, with facilitation by an accredited practitioner :-)
- The generous sharing, collaboration & support throughout the rooms, too many people to thank!
- Being reminded of the wide range of benefits of the Clarity4D profile tool; enabling self-awareness, clarity of strength, improved relationships, more confidence, enhanced skills to listen, ask the right questions and understand each other better, succession planning, improved results.

Exciting times!

07/10/2024

Ready for a day of connecting and growth with fellow practitioners at the annual Clarity4D refresher day at Wyboston Lakes 😁

Appreciating the sun 🌞 shining and much kinder traffic 🙏

Have a great day 😊