Using Ikigai in coaching and mentoring
In Japan, Ikigai is a popular concept that makes millions of people want to get out of bed in the morning. It is translates simply as the ‘reason for being’. The term ikigai is composed of two Japanese words: ‘iki’ referring to life, and ‘kai’, which roughly means “the realisation of what one expects and hopes for”.
To me Ikigai is a great tool for a coach or mentor to use with both their coachees and mentees and themselves as they develop their own self-awareness. Continue reading
With summer just around the corner, it is a good time to health check your mentoring programme to ensure it’s in tip-top condition to keep it going over the holiday months and into the autumn. Effective formal mentoring needs nurturing and energising to deliver the best outcomes. So, whether you are an external consultant or an internal co-ordinator, freshen up your mentoring programme before people drift off on their holiday.
The more self-aware a mentor can be about their behaviour and the degree to which they listen to their mentees around what the mentee is looking for from them, the better the relationship can be.
This year the term ‘Mindful March’ is everywhere, with encouragement to be more mindful in your approach to life for the 31 days, trying out a new idea or action to help you live more in the present moment. Lovely ideas and sentiments and I hope ones that will support people to live more connected lives and cope better with day to day stress, anxiety and depression. It is delightful to see and feel the energy on social media as people respond to these ideas. 
Organisations may face a higher risk of losing female employees who experience female instigated rudeness as they report less satisfaction at work and increased intentions to quit their current jobs in response to these unpleasant experiences. This is according to a new study to be published shortly in the Journal of Applied Psychology by a team led by Allison Gabriel of the University of Arizona.
A collaboration with 
The Mentoring Expert Webinars with 
We are delighted to invite you to join Lis Merrick for three free webinars on some state of the art mentoring topics this winter. Whether you are interested in introducing a quick, effective mentoring intervention, like Flash Mentoring or supporting your mentors in their CPD or stop them making mistakes, these webinars will be useful for you to join.