Yara Journeys

22/03/2024

Did I mention that I provide licensed content for your in-house learning and development platforms?

If you’re looking for high quality training content that your team can access on demand, exactly when they need it (or as part of a blended learning programme) my team and I can provide exactly what you need..

https://yara-journeys.com/contact/

18/03/2024

“Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I’ve no idea how I’m going to get through everything I need to do that day” Something that a senior leader I was working with told me once.

Here’s the thing.

It’s OK to be CEO and not have all the answers

It’s OK to be leader and feel overwhelmed sometimes

It’s OK to feel like you’ve run into a wall and you can’t see your way round

One of the key things that leaders in all organisations need to consider is this:

with everyone looking to you for guidance and direction… who’s supporting YOU?

https://yara-journeys.com/contact/

15/03/2024

10 years ago I didn’t even have a phone with a decent enough camera to snap the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur without cut and pasting 2 separate images.

I DID, though try durian ice cream (never again!)

I was there delivering my Women in Leadership programme for some terrific participants from a range of businesses, and I remember it as one of the most interesting cities that I’ve been privileged to work in.

Where have YOU been inspired, motivated and enthused on your travels?

13/03/2024

Last week I contributed to a Linked In AI article on Public Speaking.

There was a lot of focus (obviously enough) on using the voice to full effect, but far less on posture and body language.

Creating a strong impression, or confirming your authority as a leader stems as much from our physicality as it does from our voice, which is why I’ve been filming some short YouTube videos on body language.

They’re on YouTube and useful for beginners and the more experienced alike – check them out here…

https://youtu.be/VI9fFESHPzA?si=plj9in0gEZuYmnzG

11/03/2024

If you’re team isn’t confident or capable enough to take decisions, the whole machine is going to slow down.

A few years ago I was working with a large corporate (I won’t say who for obvious reasons) who had an issue: at lower levels of the business, people weren’t taking decisions that they should have been. They were passing them up the line.

Whether this was the result of a lack of confidence or capability or something else, the net result was the same: a culture of lack of decision making had started to set in, and leaders further up the organisation were getting bogged down in handling issues which should have been resolved long before they got that far up the ladder.

In some cases, minor factors which could have been sorted out if someone had made an early call and addressed it had become major, time pressured issues by the time they reached someone who was prepared to make a decision.

Part of my work with that organisation was to design and deliver training around decision making and accountability.

Personal leadership and accountability cannot be undervalued in any work environment.

If you’re not including them as part of your values set and performance management measures, you’re missing a trick..

08/03/2024

Not trained your team for a while? Left them to their own devices – it’s working OK but there’s nothing ‘stand out’ about their performance?

Sometimes, leaders become aware that they’ve not invested in training their team for a while and things are…. well…starting to slide.

No, there might not be a crisis that needs to be headed off at the pass.

There might not be a ground-breaking change that you need to prepare for.

There might not be a cliff edge to fall over.

You’re just aware that things are a little….stale. They’re starting to fray at the edges. They aren’t quite where you want them to be.

One of the first things we do with our clients is have a long conversation about what’s going on, how long it’s been going on and what you want to be going on instead.

Why? Because sometimes you’re not even sure yourself, until you talk it through and work it out.

This opening call is completely free of charge, so if you’ve left it a while and want to re-commit to investing in your team’s development, drop me a note.

https://yara-journeys.com/contact/

06/03/2024

Sometimes, it’s not a full blown leadership programme you’re after – it’s a quick injection of knowledge that will make an immediate difference.

If your current learning objectives are more short term practical than long term strategic, we have a range of half day virtual training sessions on a range of subjects, specifically designed to cut to the chase and upskill your team… fast.

If you’d like to know more, Contact us Today

https://yara-journeys.com/contact/

04/03/2024

This week is a LOT about programme design..

particularly as I’ll be off to Shetland soon (a first for me!) to deliver the face to face workshop element of a leadership programme for Shetland Arts, working with the team at Elevator, funded by HIE.

Whatever the content of a programme, a big part of the participant experience happens spontaneously in the room, as a result of insights, observations and shared experiences of those involved.

I’m thankful that I’ll be flying to the islands rather than risking the March North Sea in the ferry!

01/03/2024

Awards season is upon us!

If you're feeling anxious about delivering your acceptance speech, check out my latest YouTube mini-series for some valuable tips…

https://youtu.be/VI9fFESHPzA?si=nK10p-oEkvRDlU6J

Everyone

Annabelle Beckwith is a international bestselling Author, Business coach and Founder of Yara Journeys. Yara Journeys is about developing Your Future Leaders ...

28/02/2024

35 years ago, I was deeply immersed in drama classes, diligently preparing for LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) exams.

That foundational training has profoundly influenced my career path as a workshop leader, trainer, and speaker throughout the years.

Beyond personal growth, the tried and tested voice and public speaking techniques I acquired are invaluable tools that I now impart to clients during our sessions focused on enhancing their leadership presence and presentation skills at the highest level.

Excited to share that I've begun filming a series for YouTube, and the initial instalments covering voice techniques are now live.

Stay tuned for more valuable insights!

https://youtu.be/pZt-CyEzyrc?si=JvSQYbk3Naf4IHoE

Everyone

Annabelle Beckwith is a international bestselling Author, Business coach and Founder of Yara Journeys. Yara Journeys is about developing Your Future Leaders ...

26/02/2024

Usually when you see a post that starts with ‘people often ask me…’ it’s about something even their own mother couldn’t care less about, they just want to tell you.

However, often people DO ask me where my business name Yara Journeys comes from.

So… here’s why:

In 2010, a friend and I were throwing around ideas for an earlier iteration of what later because Yara J.

We wanted something that suggested metamorphosis and personal change, and my friend said one day that she’d come across an Arabic word for a butterfly.

Happy with this, we set up.

A little while later, I was delivering leadership programme in Saudi Arabia and one of the ladies on the course asked me about my company name.

I was struck by a moment of panic, and I worried fleetingly that Yara might not mean a butterfly at all, it might mean carpet, or grass.. or something awful.

Fortunately she went on to say that it was her daughter’s name, and that it was a small flower that blooms in the desert.



Others have said that it does indeed mean a butterfly – and either way, I’m happy with the metaphor: a process of personal change and growth, and / or the ability to survive and thrive in challenging surroundings.

And Journeys? Because we’re all on one. None of us had ‘arrived’ and we’re all work in progress.

So now you know!

Annabelle

https://yara-journeys.com/contact/

Everyone

23/02/2024

This feels like a bit of an ‘admission’ and I’m not sure whether it is or not..

I got to a point late last year where I just decided that there was nothing actually wrong with me

I’d done a few preliminary tests, and the indications were that I have ADHD.

Which did explain quite a lot, I have to say.

I stopped digging there.

Rightly or wrongly, I don’t want a label, I don’t want an excuse, and I certainly don’t want medication.

Sometimes the way in which I think is a bit of a nuisance, but over the last (cough cough) years, it’s been my best friend and my superpower.

All of us think a little differently to the next person. For me, recognising that rather than accepting a label is enough.

Annabelle

Everyone