by Ben Ross | 2 Feb 2018 | Uncategorized
When I was first being taught to coach, on the BBC’s highly respected Coach Foundation Course, there was a long running debate between the tutors as to what the most important part of coaching was: Questions or Goals. Other answers are, of course, available. I’ll...
by Ben Ross | 19 Jan 2018 | Uncategorized
In a world that holds up entrepreneurs and startups as role models for how companies can flourish, the role of the ‘team effort’ seems out of favour. Even in the rise of the mega-internet companies, we tend to act as if the Mark Zuckerbergs of this world create all...
by Ben Ross | 28 Dec 2017 | Uncategorized
Some people consider coaching as not really part of work. Like training, networking or filling in your expenses they avoid doing it when there’s ‘proper work’ to do. It’s such an ingrained feeling that this has often permeated the culture of large organisations. Even...
by Ben Ross | 13 Dec 2017 | Uncategorized
Tips for optimising your desk …or your working area wherever that is! For many of us, working with a laptop at whichever hot-desk we can snatch, or wherever we can put it down, even if that’s a coffee shop, the notion of having your own desk which you can lay out how...
by Ben Ross | 17 Nov 2017 | Uncategorized
Let me let you into a little secret. Coaching might seem like magic, but there are actually a set of tools and techniques that any good coach will have at his or her disposal to use during a session. One of these is great questions, and a good proportion of the...
by Ben Ross | 21 Sep 2017 | 100 Days Of Play
During my 100 Days of Play I realised fairly early on that a lifesaver was having a ‘backup’ play activity saved up for when I needed it. It was pretty easy for me to find myself fretting about how I might play on a given day – and getting stressed about the challenge...
by Ben Ross | 7 Sep 2017 | Play Philosophy
My friend got married recently, so the night before we drank lots, played some party games, listened to music and generally had an evening devoted to letting down our hair and to Play. It might seem a strange question to ask, but this got me thinking about what the...
by Ben Ross | 4 Sep 2017 | Play at Work
I heard from the brilliant Portia Tung over at The School of Play that those magical anonymous scientists are telling us we only need 10 to 15 minutes of play a day to make a real difference. I’m (obviously) a huge fan of play, so I’m not about to suggest that 10...
by Ben Ross | 17 Aug 2017 | Play Philosophy
I hear a lot that play is for other people. Of course, the most common refrain is that play is for children, not the adults who expound this maxim. But I also get it about lots of other groups. “It’s what parents do,” I hear from childless worker bees. “I imagine...
by Ben Ross | 15 Aug 2017 | Uncategorized
At the start of every coaching session I do, I offer my client a moment of mindfulness. We both sit, if they want to, concentrate on our breathing, and I lead them through a short exercise to get them ‘into the room’ and leaving aside, for the duration of the session,...