SarahCourtneyCoaching

09/04/2018

Sometimes the solutions, or even just an improvement to the current situation, doesn't have to be expensive or overly complex. Some nice tips here on helping women succeed in the workplace. I liked the point about crying! It's quite the taboo and yet I know so many women, including myself who have cried at work and feel so embarrassed about it. But like the article says, it's not about upset feelings, it's an expression of anger and frustration. A manager who can go beyond their own discomfort of seeing a female colleague cry has a great opportunity to work out what's really wrong and then who knows what progress can be made.

"That’s What She Said" author Joanne Lipman shares what she has learned about discrimination and the failures of "diversity training," on Recode Decode.

27/09/2017

I am lucky to work with some progressive employers who also want to provide coaching opportunities to their employees who are new dads. While they are in the minority, I can see this changing as employers begin to recognise that parenting and it's impact in the workplace is both a male and female issue.

Shame to see paternity leave take up is still low, as discussed on Newstalk. Communicating policy and leading by example is key.

The report by Hayes Ireland also shows that 52% of Irish employees think new fathers aren't taking their paternity leave

26/09/2017

Really enjoyed delivering another workshop last Thursday at Paddy Power Betfair in London, as they establish a maternity buddy programme to connect their working mothers. Supports like this can make all the difference in managing the transition back to work 👌 Laptop wouldn't work and a few tricky travel moments so lucky my coaching skills are better than my technical & geography ones!

28/07/2017

So lucky to have this on my doorstep. Nice to stop and appreciate what we have 😊

22/07/2017

Need to catch up on some work this morning as I'm designing a workshop for a new client; thanks Tim for taking the girls to the playground so I can get some quiet time! Grateful to have a husband who supports my career and sets a lovely example for our two little ladies. Plus prosecco lunch with my sisters later. Work life balance 😊

10/07/2017

https://www.mummypages.ie/open-letter-to-a-manager

Dear Manager, Today, one of your team members confided that she is pregnant. She has been working with you for a while now, and you trust in her...

17/05/2017

Interesting viewpoint. Do you think becoming a mother makes you more effective at work?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-mothering-makes-us-better-work-amy-henderson?trk=v-feed&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BsLQdfLwr0s8r0%2Fu70603KQ%3D%3D

It’s time, once and for all, to debunk two related myths about motherhood: When a woman becomes a mother she will be less effective at work. When a

16/05/2017

Delighted to be featured on the eu mom 'Mompreneur' series:-) Thanks Lucy Earley for the opportunity!

https://www.eumom.ie/my-life/moms-doing-it-for-themselves-sarah-courtney

27/04/2017

My top three tips for planning your maternity leave

1. Plan it! It’s never too early in your pregnancy to think about what you want to deliver (excuse the pun) before you go on maternity leave, and to think about how your work will be handed over. Avoiding a rush at the end will allow you to feel more in control and will enable whoever is taking over your work to get up to speed. It also sets a precedent for how you expect things to be handled on your return. As part of that plan, even if it doesn’t coincide with formal performance reviews, make sure you have a final meeting with your manager to appraise your contribution while it’s still fresh in both of your minds.

2. Decide how much contact you want to have with work, if any, before you head off. Some women want to switch off completely from work while others want to maintain contact with managers, peers, mentors or direct reports. I hear a lot of anecdotal evidence of well-intentioned managers insisting that the woman shouldn’t think about work while she is on maternity leave but that can leave her feeling isolated and unheard. We expect managers to know how to handle everything but they are human too and may not have had to manage maternity leave before. Any level of contact is fine; just make your preferences clear and follow through.

3. Plan your return to work. I work with many women who have less than enjoyable experiences returning to work and this is often because it’s not planned from a work perspective. They focus on getting their heads around being back at work and finding the right childcare, but they don’t give enough attention to the work element itself. After a few months away from work, the chances are their teams, clients and/or roles could have changed quite significantly. Arranging two or three meetings while still on leave to discuss the content of your role, any significant changes while you have been absent and any changes to working pattern is very helpful. Managers sometimes don’t want to bother you while you are on maternity leave, so linking back to points 1 & 2, discussing even before you have your baby, that you would like these meetings to happen, makes everything clear.

07/04/2017

My clients bring many topics to our sessions to work on, but you can bring it all back to one thing. The desire to be happy. Happy at work, happy at home, happy within ourselves. I liked this article on "10 characteristics of a happy leader" but it's applicable to us all. In private, give yourself a rating out of 10 on how these headings apply in your own life. And if any are below where you would like them to be, what action could you take to improve that rating? What would be different in your life if those ratings were higher?

Happy Friday :-)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-characteristics-happy-leader-joy-humbarger

We talk about happiness as if it were a thing to be discovered and acquired. But, happiness can never be found externally. It is not a possession to

27/03/2017

Some of you know I set myself a goal of regularly exercising and so to have something to aim for my friend Helen and I signed up to a 5k park run. As luck would have it, my kids slept 12 hours the night before and it was a beautiful spring morning, perfect running weather. My very last excuses to drop out were gone. So off we went.

I had visions of this post being about setting goals, committing to my plan, putting the right structures around me and basking in the satisfaction of a job well done.

Um, that's not quite how it panned out but I have learned a lot from the last few weeks and on reflection it reminds me of parenting. It's never quite how it looks like on TV!

So what went right?

Well, we ran the 5k, non-stop. Our kids and husbands came out to support us. We had a great laugh. We agreed that it was time to buy a proper running top and quit with the Dunnes t-shirts. We reminisced over the fact that we have been friends for 36 years!!!

What went "wrong"

My training was sporadic to say the least. A million excuses stopped me from putting on my runners. My husband was away and I'd no one to mind the kids. The weather was awful. I got a cold and didn't feel my lungs would hold up.

But you know something? I still did it, even though it wasn't picture perfect. A bit like parenting. Some days we are great and everything goes to plan. Other days unexpected things come up and we feel like we are getting no where. So on the days where I despaired of ever 'clicking' with this elusive idea of exercising regularly (and I could easily replace that with "parenting") I realised that as long as bigger picture you're roughly getting it right, then go easy on the guilts. Try not to doubt yourself, try to give yourself a bit of credit for the things you get right, and try to enjoy it!

And just to sign off

Helen O'Leary aka

Super Friend
Super Mom
Now, Super Athlete!

Katharine Teeling of Coast Road Runners, aka running guru without making you feel like rubbish!

08/03/2017

Today is International Women's Day.

It's a day for women to reflect on where they are and perhaps think about where they want to be. Today many women will feel guilt, overwhelm and frustration. Others will feel empowered, content and connected. It doesn't matter what their choices are; whether to work outside the home, stay home with kids, or some middle ground in between. My hope for today is that we support each other. We give the judging a rest, even for one day. We don't comment on their appearance, parental choices or workplace behavior. We leave off scolding our little ladies for being bossy, or only ever telling them that they are pretty without acknowledging all the other things that make them who we are. Let's make an effort to be there for each other. And let's also celebrate the men in our lives who support us to be the best women that we can be.

Happy International Women's Day.