Leadership Development Blog — Cathy Presland

A Tribute to My Dad, and to All Our Dads

The capacity for the human spirit to feel love is boundless. Even in the darkest of times. Even in war. Even amongst death…

Cathy PreslandOctober 25, 2017contribution, fatherhood, fathers, generosity, heart, love, making a difference, masculinity, spirit, tribute

Making Business Easy (and is that even the right question?)

Making business easy looks like it should be about applying systems and structures. That’s not what my interviewee said ‘we’re the least structured we’ve ever been’. And making the most money!

When Things Don't Go the Way We Want and Why (Sometimes) It Feels like a Big Deal

Sometimes things don’t go the way we want, and it doesn’t bother us. And sometimes it does. A lot! Here’s why that happens and what we can do about it…

Cathy PreslandOctober 18, 2017arguing with what is, consciousness, decision-making, feeling stuck, getting what we want, leadership, mind management, mindset, not getting our way, not getting what we want, problem-solving, solutions, when things go wrong

Where Are You Comparing Yourself to Others? (How to eliminate that gut-wrenching 'comparisonitis')

Ah, it’s hurts when I see someone comparing themselves to others. And, often, it’s so insidious we don’t realise we’re doing it—those little subtleties of language and habit. There really is another way and here’s how to…

Cathy PreslandOctober 16, 2017comparing yourself to others, comparison, confidence, conviction, courage, leadership, peace of mind, perfectionism, personal leadership, self-esteem, self-worth, stress

Androids, Electric Sheep and Perpetual Motion: Life Lessons from Philip K Dick

This quote from Philip K Dick struck me as we prepared to see the movie Bladerunner… A quote about the nature of chaos and the human spirit of resilience and creativity that flows with it and makes something new from it.

Cathy PreslandOctober 11, 2017adaptive leadership, clarity, confidence, consciousness, control, control freak, human potential, illusion of control, intuition, leadership, life lessons, self-coaching, self-leadership

How to Become a 'Visionary Leader' (and why it's easier than you might think)

What is a visionary leader and how can you become one? How much is about the vision you’re sharing and how much is it about stepping into a leadership role and creating a shared vision—something any of us can do. This article is a resource for those who want to do better.

Cathy PreslandOctober 4, 2017change the world, global leadership, leadership, leadership skills, making a difference, vision, visionary leader

Confidence, Courage and Conviction: a Conversation on How to Be Brave in Any Situation

“I used to be super-reflective on all the reasons I couldn’t do something…” Sound familiar? Talking ourselves out of something? Listen in to hear a brilliant interview about confidence, courage and conviction…

Cathy PreslandOctober 2, 2017achievement, adaptive leadership, change the world, clarity, confidence, conviction, courage, human potential, inner confidence, leadership, leadership skills, self-assurance, self-leadership, self-worth

"I Hope it Doesn't Hurt Too Much" (the inevitability of pain and the optional nature of suffering)

“I hope it doesn’t hurt too much” said my husband on the way to the doctor. A simple line, which prompted a fascinating discussion about the nature of pain and how we often fear what we imagine more than the reality of the experience…

Cathy PreslandSeptember 27, 2017anxiety, consciousness, fear, getting in our own way, living in the moment, over-thinking, pain and suffering, personal leadership, resilience, self-efficacy, self-leadership, stress, thought

Asking for Advice and Why We Look in the Wrong Place

It’s so common for clients and friends to come to us with questions that look like they have a real answer, and it’s easy for us to give it. But what if we’re doing more of a disservice than we know? What else can we do when someone is asking for advice (works for us too!)

Cathy PreslandSeptember 20, 2017adaptive leadership, advice, conscious leadership, feedback, feeling stuck, get unstuck, getting unstuck, giving advice, insight, leadership, leadership skills, personal leadership, self-efficacy, taking action

Stress Management Advice from Buddha (And Why It Works)

Amongst the overwhelm and busy-ness of our minds on over-drive, there’s a simple solution that will fill you with calm and get you back into focus.

Cathy PreslandSeptember 13, 2017being present, buddhist values, burnout, busyness, consciousness, leadership, living in the moment, mind management, over-thinking, overwhelm, power of thought, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-leadership, stress, thought

The Domino Effect: Change Your Life in the Time it Takes to Read this Post

How a simple insight can change your life forever… It’s like magic.

Cathy PreslandSeptember 6, 2017change, change the world, change your life, clarity, confidence, global impact, leadership, leadership coaching, self-assurance, self-awareness, self-efficacy, self-leadership, uncertainty, values, vision

What Does 'Dignity' Mean to You?

Dignity. The dictionary definition is a state of honour that is bestowed. Here’s what that means in practice… …a person who has agency, not dependency, who is able to express their essential humanness, who…

Cathy PreslandAugust 30, 2017dignity, leadership, living in the moment, personal leadership, perspective, respect, self-assurance, self-worth, thinking strategically, values

Do You Ever Feel 'Overwhelmed'? (And What to Do About It)

‘OMG I feel overwhelmed!’ seems like such a common refrain. We all know what it means and some of us experience it more than others. But how to escape, and what does it have to do with the Spanish weather??

Cathy PreslandAugust 23, 2017burnout, decision-making, executive coaching, getting things done, goal-setting, leadership, overwhelm, pressure, resilience, self-coaching, stress, too much to do

Worst Advice Ever? Scenario Planning, Game of Thrones Style

Should you live life hedging your bets, acting as if everyone is your enemy, or free-flowing, like the swallows in flight outside my window? Let’s have a look what advice Game of Thrones has to offer…

Cathy PreslandAugust 16, 2017adaptive leadership, decision-making, goal-setting, leadership, leadership coaching, leadership skills, over-thinking, risk, scenario planning, success strategies, thinking ahead, thinking strategically

You're in the Trust Business; Not the Box-Ticking Business

Performance appraisals—what’s working, what are they for, and how can you do them better…

Cathy PreslandAugust 9, 2017communication, contribution, honesty, leadership, leadership skills, performance, self-assurance, self-awareness, self-worth, trust, worth

What if You Were Already Performing at Your Best?

No matter how much it feels like you can ‘get it wrong’, dropping (a real!) or metaphorical baby, there’s a question I put to a client to day that will take you out of this and help you find your feet in any situation…

Cathy PreslandJuly 28, 2017achievement, doing our best work, feedback, global impact, high-performance, impact, leadership, leadership coaching, performance, personal development, social entrepreneur

What Do You Think About 'Money'?

Money, and what we think about money—our money stories—can drain a lot of mental energy. Energy we could be using doing less thinking and more doing. In this article we dive into what meaning you’re making and how to see beyond your stories…

Cathy PreslandJuly 24, 2017happiness, leadership, money, money consciousness, money mindset, money stories, over-thinking, peace of mind, self-awareness

'Keeping Your Eye on the Ball' Turns Out to Be Terrible Advice

I was reading an article this week that ‘keeping your eye on the ball’ is terrible advice in tennis and, I postulate, in life. Here’s how it works and what to do instead…

Cathy PreslandJuly 19, 2017achievement, being present, executive coaching, focus, getting things done, goal-setting, high-performance, impact, leadership, personal impact, setting goals, winning at business, winning at work

What's Beyond Identity (Shattering the 'Millennials' Myth)

I saw Simon Sinek speak about the millenials’ question—those lazy good-for-nothing young people. His argument was compelling. Until it wasn’t…

Cathy PreslandJuly 12, 2017communication, conscious leadership, consciousness, future leaders, global leadership, human potential, identity, leadership, millenials

Dementia: Talking About Our Experience

In this interview, my colleague and friend Tony Arribas and I discuss one of the last remaining taboos in society today—and something that looks like a looming problem for the health care system. The ‘problem’ of dementia…

Cathy PreslandJuly 3, 2017consciousness, living in our experience, living in the moment, peace of mind, personal leadership

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