Maggie Roderick Coaching

Just about to leave our hotel, White Olive Premium, in Zakynthos for the airport. It has been a lovely holiday with a great hotel and fantastic staff who could not do enough for us.

I feel grateful and blessed, knowing I can travel safely and freely, have more than enough lovely food and plenty of water. I know so many in our world do not have these.

For what are you grateful today?

Photo. The beach in Laganas

Friday Focus

I'm on holiday in Zakynthos. Our hotel is lovely. The food is great. I can reach 2 pools with my mobility scooter. Ok, I can't reach the others.

So I have a choice -
I can moan about what I can't do ......or
I can be truly grateful for this chance to relax under a cloudless blue sky.

I'm choosing gratitude. I realise how privileged I am to be able to travel, without risking my life, to be able to afford a holiday, to have the option of more food than many can imagine.

The small things have made me smile, like the lovely plants dotted around the grounds. They contribute to the overall beauty of the place.

In life and at work, we can complain about things we can't control ( and when injustice rears its head, we should do so) .....or
we can remember our privilege, appreciate the good things and support those who need support.

It would be great if all bosses really appreciated how seemingly small employee contributions should be recognised as they will undoubtedly contribute to the good of any business.

Photo- a random plant at my hotel 😀

It's amazing how small things can become useful in our lives.

I have been drawing for many years with fine liner pens. I have loads of drawings. Over the 13th and 14th September, at St Matthew's Church Art Exhibition and Doors Open days, I exhibited some of those drawings as well as some of my daughter's artwork. I had cards, magnetic bookmarks, mounted prints and framed prints. They were well received.

Previously, and even when I completed the drawings, I never envisaged having them printed and exhibiting them. After all, I'm a minister and a Coach. 'Artist' didn't figure - but it seems that it may do so now.

We never know when if can do something until we try.

Photo: My artwork exhibited as part of an exhibition at St Matthew's Church in Perth

Friday Focus: Life’s Orchestra 🎶

I went to see the Philharmonia Orchestra yesterday with Conductor Rory Macdonald.

It was brilliant - and it got me thinking of how life and work can be compared to the workings of an orchestra.

As a result, over the next 7 Fridays, I’ll be sharing a mini-series exploring how that comparison works, taking account of the people, the music and the organisation required.

Every musician, every note, every pause has its place and this is just like the people, roles, and moments that shape our own journeys through life and work. Everything we do, or do not do, shapes our lives.

From leadership to teamwork, balance to rest, this mini-series is designed to help us reflect, whatever our role, and to spark conversations.

It would be great if you joined me each week and if you share your own insights and thoughts on each of the topics.

So, let's start off with this week's thoughts.

The Conductor

The conductor is the person all the musicians follow.

The conductor sets the timing and the tone.

Without the orchestra though, the conductor has no-one to lead. So they need each other.

Leadership is about direction, not domination.

A good conductor ensures that the music is played as it should be, leading and directing from the front, knowing the music well and being accomplished.

The orchestra can excel when that leadership is directed to enable them to play as well as they can.

👉 What’s your leadership style?

Is it dominating or directional?

Do you command or collaborate?

Let's get the conversation going.

I’ve been watching F1 for years and I’m still a Lewis Hamilton Fan.
In his championship years, he would often say ‘still we rise’.
I haven’t heard much of that from him lately.

When we are hit with adversity, whether in our work lives or personal lives, we have a choice.

We can put on a brave face and pretend all is well
We can acknowledge things are not good and carry on
We can give up.

Loss is real, whether it’s loss of status, loss of a job or the loss of a person through death.

Grief is an emotion that can wash over us like waves crashing into a shore.

When we try to put on a brave face and pretend all is well, we can still be caught by those waves when we least expect it.

Having experienced grief many times throughout my life, I know I will come through it.

Right now, I’ve decided to stop pretending that all is well.
It’s not, but it will be again.

For me to pretend everything is fine would be to live a lie.

My brother’s death a month ago marked the end of the family with whom I grew up in Troon. On Friday, we will say a final goodbye. It has been a long month.

So, I’m acknowledging that I am human. I have feelings, just like everyone else.

And that’s one of the things that makes me good at what I do, whether it’s in ministry or in coaching.

Acknowledging that I’m human, that I’m not always at the top of my game, that I’m not perfect allows me the space to listen to others. And it allows others to know that I get it when they are not at the top of their game either.

I cannot imagine the grief of those around the world caught up in war. It puts my own loss into perspective. But for all those experiencing loss, wherever you are, know that the loss is real to you.

So please, whoever you are, take time to grieve when you need it, be human and acknowledge that whilst grief may never fully leave you, gentle waves simply lap around the shore. You will come through it, but it’s unlikely you will be the same.

It’s worth remembering that when we are grieving, it usually means we also loved.

If anyone feels the need to talk about the impact of grief, please reach out to me.

Photo: My mum, dad and brother - together again.

Celebrating life can be a happy time, or it can be sorrowful.

This weekend, I've celebrated life with my family as it was my husband's birthday.

At the same time, I'm only too aware that in 2 week's time we'll be celebrating life again - this time at my brother's funeral. One definitely impacts the other.

No matter who we are, we are all human, and life is there to be celebrated.

So, whoever and wherever you are,
no matter what life brings,
please try to find one small daily thing for which you are grateful.

If that is impossible for you, please seek and accept help.

I have found the daily 3 x 3 gratitude practice is empowering and affirming. Thank you Kasia Rutkowiak for your wisdom on this.

The practice is :
three things for which you are grateful in the past,
three in the present and
three in the future, in the present tense, as if it was now.

Even if you start with one of these each day, it can be really helpful.





Photo is of Dave Roderick with lovely birthday cakes

One of my new ventures to add to my existing ones 😀

Thursday Thoughts

Three easy ways to get your dream job application noticed!

How often have you heard the saying ‘do as I say, not as I do’?
As a coach, mentor, trainer – I admit to sometimes being guilty as charged! 😪

I’ve looked at possible dream jobs and thought,
‘I can do that, and that, and that, and that and … oh, I haven’t got that’,
so I haven’t applied.

Not only have I missed out, but the organisation has missed out on having me as part of the team. 😪

In the moment, we may see words and don’t stop to think that we do have those skills or experiences.

We may have simply experienced them outside of formal work.

We may have skills or experiences from home or from voluntary work.

It’s so easy to miss the fact that we do meet the criteria.

It may depend on the wording and how we respond to that.

💡 With increasing AI screening, it is important to use the exact words from the advertisement.

If an advert says

➡️ Applicants must ‘work well in a team’, your application should contain
✅ ‘I work well in a team….’.

➡️ Applicants must be ‘an active team player’, your application should contain
✅ ‘I am an active team player….’.

✅ Give examples of how you meet the criteria

✅ Do not be afraid to use examples from different sources, such as work, voluntary work, hobbies or home. For example, being a competitive swimmer would demonstrate commitment.

💡I cover this and more in my ‘Abilities, Beliefs and Confidence’ course.

This course is designed for women who want their dream job, but somewhere along the line, they have felt they won’t meet the criteria.

You will know your abilities, believe in yourself, be confident and then will discover how to make the most of your career to suit you, whether it’s by expanding laterally or by promotion.

❌ Stop scrolling by on the ads

✔️ Step into your potential. For more information, see

https://maggieroderickcoaching.systeme.io/abc

Want to find out more about the programme before signing up? Feel free to drop me a DM for an informal chat.

%BLOG_POST_TITLE% This course is designed to break through barriers, let you recognise your abilities, embrace self-belief and progress with confidence.

Friday Focus
When I was young, with some exceptions, the working week was generally 9-5, Monday - Friday, unless people worked in shops, when they worked on Saturday too.
Monday - Friday work is still the norm for many today. For mothers who have paid employment, however, weekend and evening work is the only way they can have a paid job and also look after their children. Yes, this applies to some fathers, too, but not too many.
So that often means that mothers are doing two fulltime jobs, one paid and the other unpaid and the risk of burnout is high.
What support can we offer?
✅ If you're fit, offer to take the kids out for a while, so mum can have a rest
✅If you batch cook, take a meal in for the family every now and again
✅invite mum in for a cuppa
There are many other practical things that can be done.
For mums in this situation, do please try and make some time each day simply to stop
✅ maybe look out of the window
✅go for a walk and hear birds singing
✅ look at trees or flowers or even just the buildings around you.
I recommend mindfulness meditation every morning. It takes around 5 or 6 minutes and can really set you up for the day.
Let's all help each other wherever and whenever we can.
Friday isn't the end of the working week for many - it's the beginning.
What other ideas do you have to give mothers the help they may need, without them having to ask for it?
Comments below are welcome ⬇️

After a fantastic day yesterday, with lovely people at our nephew's wedding, we're off on our travels again.

Have you ever found that being surrounded by positivity helps you along your journey?

Are work, that positivity can come from being visible in a good way. That includes networking.

Now I know that many women would rather have their teeth pulled out than engage in networking.

It doesn't have to be that way.

My short, 4 lesson, online course, 'The Visibility Accelerator' is there for aspiring and ambitious new managers. It will help you see exactly how to be visible at work so that you can go on to be the best you can be.

It's only £59.99 and is fantastic value.

Interested? Send me a message. I'd love to hear from you.

I'm at our nephew's wedding with Dave Roderick - on our own wedding anniversary ❤️
What a lovely day.

It has been fantastic to see family.

So I'm grateful for:
Family
Love
Walking aids to get around.

No matter how we're feeling, gratitude can help us feel better. Thank you to Kasia Rutkowiak for introducing me to daily gratitude.

For what are you grateful today?