PurpleCat Coaching Ltd

14/11/2021

Excellent article that gives good advice on what to do and what to avoid

Here’s what to do instead.

01/08/2021

Here is the full podcast. Lots of ramblings and discussions about Emotional Intelligence Skills, Leadership, the pandemic etc

29/07/2021

A little snippet - how to disagree with someone..

28/07/2021

Lots of interesting information

This week on Veterinary Ramblings we learn all about emotional intelligence with Anne-Marie from PurpleCat Coaching Ltd!

Anne-Marie originally trained as a vet and ran her own practice for many years. A keen interest in people and leadership led to a complex journey through a wide variety of roles and an acquisition of a wide range of skills.

With a scientific background and a thirst for constant improvement and learning, Anne-Marie focuses on evidence-based and research driven training and coaching. From psychology, over neuroscience, behaviour modifications and through to Neuro Linguistic Programming, she has developed a unique toolkit to help organisations and people be the best they can be.

Anne-Marie is an accredited facilitator in both individual and team EBW Emotional Intelligence System as well as a Leadership coach and trainer.

To find out more, listen to the audio-only version of the podcast from tomorrow morning onwards or tune in to the video version which will be launched at 12 pm on Sunday (August 1st) on Facebook and YouTube.

21/07/2021

We had fun recording!

We've got a cracking season lined up with some fascinating guests - save the date, you're gonna love some of these interviews! 🐶🐦😲😁

10/12/2020

About a month ago I came across a page called sh*teventersunite. I was invited by a friend who found the posts hilarious and as a horse rider myself, I joined the group. For those of you that don't ride, it may come as a surprise that this page is all about what can go wrong. It features falls, disasters, mishaps - you name it. And the group size has exploded - going from around 30,000 to well over 130,000 in 4 weeks. While it was featured in Horse and Hound magazine, this does not explain the high number of non UK members.
So what it is about this page that sparks a post on a Leadership page? It is about understanding engagement, and highlighting what it is about the explosive success of this particular page that can teach us what to do and what not to do in our work environment. The principles of the page are clear: nobody is perfect. We all have mishaps. We all eff up. What is fascinating is the sheer number of people, having watched all the myriad ways that things can wrong (the pictures and videos are truly profound) who then turn around and state that they have had their passion for riding / jumping / eventing rekindled and suddenly feel they can relax and get on with it.
What are the key points we can learn and how does it translate into what we can do differently?
1) Perfection is the enemy. When we think we have to be perfect or when we look for perfection in those around us, we disengage ourselves and others. People stop trying, because the risk of failure is too high. When mistakes are not only acceptable but something to laugh about and take for granted, trying is suddenly far more appealing. And when we try is the only time we have the possibility of succeeding
2) When we portray ourselves as knowing a lot and having it all together, we disengage the people around us and may even build resentment and envy. By openly sharing when it goes wrong and what we have learned from it, we help people relate and we make ourselves human. If you are in doubt whether you do this enough - ask people. I do see a misperception between managers and their team - the manager thinks he is openminded and acknowledges his mistakes, the team thinks that he cannot ever own up to them - because the initial response is defensive one rather than a laugh. Which neatly brings us to number 3
3) Warmth and humour trumps knowledge and expertise. There is research out there that highlights that when teams evaluate their colleagues and managers, warmth is more important than skill. Expertise is great and ideally you should have both, but if there is no warmth, no amount of skill will see you through to engage your team.
4) And finally. When you focus on EFFORT, DISCIPLINE, LEARNING and changing your APPROACH - people engage and try harder. When you focus on RESULTS - people back off.

Note: In the spirit of sharing mistakes, this is a picture of me on my horse. He has just thrown a buck and tried to take off with me, I have lost my stirrups and am having to take quite a hard grip on his mouth to tell him this is not a good idea... There happened to be a professional photographer present and I was looking forward to a great photo of me riding my horse. Well. He had other plans...

14/09/2020

Sometimes we can learn a lot by looking at what successful businesses do and what they invest in. Here is an American fast food chain that has outstanding results and even more outstanding employee retention. Their secret: a company culture that is utterly committed to training and coaching everyone.
Psychometric testing for job interviews - based on the people they already have and that they want more of. 120 hours of training before a new employee starts work. Pop quizzes randomly to check knowledge and a requirement to recertify for that job if the employee doesn’t pass. A leader who trains one person every day and expects everyone else to do the same. So a focus on learning, constant improvement and setting the example

Hire for attitude, and train (a lot) for skill.

12/07/2020

In every life, every relationship and every organisation, there are challenges to be overcome. Challenges that are comfortable and interesting when we have no fear of them. Challenges that are almost impossible, when we fear what they will tell us about ourselves. This clip makes many very valuable points. It is a longish video - I recommend you watch all of it. One of the key things to notice is that ignorance leads to fear. Not just ignorance about things or people, but ignorance about yourself. Fear combined with further ignorance can lead to strong bias and hatred. And hatred can lead to racism and crime. This goes beyond racism, though (and trust me, that is big enough in itself). It highlights the fact that only when we understand what it is we and others do not know and are not familiar with, can we address it and help alleviate the fear. Whether it is fear of the unknown culture, unknown future or unknown consequences - the effect is the same. If we are not aware of our fear and do something to address it, we will actively avoid and dislike what we fear. The key is conversation. Conversation with ourselves, with other people, with other cultures and beliefs. Daryl Davis says about the conversations he had with Roger Kelly: 'I liked him. I did not respect what he had to say.' What made the biggest difference in the interviews and the conversations that Daryl Davis conducted with K*K members? He listened. And listened. And listened. And only when they were ready to listen to him, did he speak...

30/03/2020

Very interesting article that highlights why people may choose certain behaviours and what might drive thinking patterns. This article certainly applies to everyday team interactions as well as to COVID 19

2. Wishful thinking.

15/03/2020

There is a basic assumption and expectation in the business world that people can leave their personal lives behind when they come to work and focus on being professional. The challenge is, as anyone who works with people will likely be aware of, that we are only one person and that everything exists in that one package. A key aspect to focus on in order to function well in any area of our lives, is emotional intelligence skills. These skills are based on understanding who we are, what is important to us, what drives our emotions, how we can manage those emotions (not suppress, think influence and express appropriately) and how that translates into healthy and supportive interactions with others. Most people have grown up in families where even with the best intentions, those skills were not present and so the parents could not teach what they themselves did not have. This has consequences, as this article highlights. In the business world, high levels of emotional intelligence skills are linked to success and to empowering and profound leaders. Emotional intelligence skills are just that. They aware skills that can be thought and that can profoundly help individuals build their resilience, their happiness and their leadership potential

1. You’re afraid of relying on others, and reject offers of help or support.

13/03/2020

When we recognise that everyone can learn, that people usually (yes, there are exceptions ) have good intentions and want to work hard and succeed, then we set up the work environment to be psychologically safe. That is when it becomes ok to be vulnerable, to be honest and to have open discussions. And that is when people get set up to succeed - because that is when we can support each other to grow and improve