Magic spot for relaxing

One of the my favourite methods to de-stress and relax is to get out into the open and convene with nature.I discovered a wonderful spot for reading and day dreaming , under this tree, at the retreat and spent many moments here.Bliss?Where and how do you de-stress?

Blogging

There are millions of business coaching blogs out there in cyber space- some good and not so good- I lose confidence when I see a blog with irregular and not so recent entries and with no comments or feedback.
My favourite is Flying Solo-regular entries, interesting and relevant topics and lots of comments back from followers.
Do any readers have a favourite business coach blog?Please share.

More notes from the retreat

In between yoga sessions, massages, facials, lying by the pool and eating yummy organic food, I had plenty of time to chat with the other guests.When I mentioned that I am a leadership coach ( Redgate Consulting) the topic of toxic bosses came up.This lead to sharing our experiences of poor or dysfunctional bosses.All of us had at least one story!Typical behaviours displayed by these toxic bosses included:-

• Poor communication skills
  
• Arrogant, cold
  
• Aggressive, bossy
  

The impact of these behaviours also had common impacts on us as employees:-

• Reduced productivity
• Lowered morale
• No or little enjoyment of work

Most recounted that they had actually left jobs due to toxic leadership.Loss of valuable people due to this is extremely bad business.We agreed the costs of poor leadership are huge and it is time all leaders took responsibility to know the impact of their behaviour on employees and take measures to improve or change.
What is your experience with poor leadership at work?

Notes from my retreat

I met some interesting people at the health retreat-all looking to have a nourishing few days to themselves-away from their "all consuming" work-paid or otherwise-one had just finished exams, another a full time carer to a disabled partner-all lamented their daily work grind- battling "car park" traffic conditions when commuting, long hours at the office and little or no time to themselves. We all spoke of the importance of planning ahead to have some time to ourselves , as a means of refueling energy and motivation-so that we can return renewed and refocused.How are you making time for yourself ?

The importance of recharging

I have just returned from a heavenly three day mini break at a wonderful health retreat. I feel refreshed, energised and relaxed-ready to face the busy world of work again.It has reinforced to me, the essential art of taking time to switch off , in order to be in peak work performance.Planning regular down time is one key to thriving at work, not merely surviving.