Sarah Bridge Coaching

28/02/2023

28/02/2023

Stunning day for a coaching walk 💚

11/02/2023

"Sarah has been the light at the end of some very dark weeks where I have been working 60+ hours; yet I would never say no to one of Sarah’s coaching sessions because they have been a breath of fresh air – ultimately they helped me gain time!" (client, secondary school leader)

Very often it is the people who feel they don't have time for coaching who benefit the most. Coaching with me is tailored to fit into your week and targeted to ensure your coaching outcomes help you find solutions, create balance and become more effective and fulfilled.

For more testimonials from clients I have worked with recently, please have a look at my website.

If you are interested in coaching, get in touch to arrange a free of charge initial coaching session to understand more about the coaching process and decide if it's for you.

11/02/2023

I am now offering coaching walks to clients in the south Devon area on Dartmoor, in the south hams and at the coast. These can be one-off coaching sessions or as part of programme of coaching.

Walking-coaching is the ultimate solution for physical and mental wellbeing, while benefitting from bespoke and solution-focussed coaching to move you forward in your work and life.

Have a look at my website and get in touch for more details!

11/02/2023

We are all leaders.

Great leadership starts with being able to lead yourself, by being fully conscious and self-aware, and by understanding that in this word of change and uncertainty, the only things we have certainty over and the only things we can control, are our own thoughts and behaviour.

Mastering how to lead ourselves is like having a superpower – from this starting point we can make choices and create the lives we want.

But so many of us are hindered by beliefs we formed decades ago, beliefs we have reinforced time and again through our behaviour, resulting in things ‘not working out’ how we would like. Often we blame external factors, and we move on, our barrier-beliefs strengthened, and the cycle repeats.

The only person who can break the cycle is ourselves. It’s a cliché – we hear it, but how many of us are actually doing anything about it? Since discovering how much my mindset was holding me back, my life has transformed. Coaching is a powerful way to learn how to lead your mind, change your negative beliefs and implement actions to fulfil your potential.

It is only when we learn how to master mind-leadership that we can go on to lead others effectively, and create the outcomes and the successes we know we have within us, but we haven’t unlocked. Yet.

05/02/2023

Are you making the most of feedback opportunities in your organisation, your role and your life?

I was recently discussing this with a friend who was saying how in her company when projects end, there is normally a positive moment of reflection because they have completed the work, but meaningful feedback is often missed, even avoided, because people don’t feel comfortable giving or receiving it.

People often prioritise their professional relationships and their own self esteem by skimming over anything that might be interpreted as critical or judgemental. I have talked in previous posts about the learning zone, about being open to feedback, but normally it is people’s previous experiences of receiving feedback that influence not only the mindset they are in when they receive it, but how they give feedback to others. The culture created by an organisation with regards to feedback can play an enormous part in developing skills for giving and receiving feedback.

I went for a walk to see the sunrise this morning, and as it was rising, the moon was setting (it's very hard to see in the photo I took, but the moon is there on the right!). I have often talked about feeding forward – the endpoint of something is simply the beginning of the next thing.

We can’t change the past, but we can change how we think and feel about it, so if we use what has happened as the neutral starting point, considering it objectively without judgement, we can reflect on what we can learn and what we can improve in the future.

Applying this to feedback conversations, any review of past events must be rooted in evidence, not opinion, and we must ensure this is the starting point to move forward.

24/11/2022

This image has done the rounds on social media for a while, but today it came in useful.

I got on a train this morning at 8.50am and on my way through the carriage I saw a girl I used to teach sitting in uniform on her own. She said saw me and said hi, and I stopped and asked her how she was doing. She told me she was on her way to a ‘school for naughty kids’, having changed secondary last year in year 9, she still kept getting into trouble and she was on a 6 week placement at this ‘naughty school’ as she called it to try and turn things around so she didn’t get excluded permanently.

We talked for a while about what was happening at school, and in particular she talked about other kids saying and doing things which ‘would make her flip’ and getting into fights. We talked about triggers, emotions, what we can and can’t control, and she said, “I know I just need to step back sometimes, but it's so hard”.

Before she got off the train, we talked about what she wants to do – she told me her dad’s a mechanic and she loves cars, so maybe that, or she could do nails and beauty… and then she said, “But what I really want to do is be a barrister”. Having taught this student, I know she has academic ability and if she did the work, got the grades and overcame the barriers that still stand in the way for her, she would stand a chance.

But right now what’s holding her back, and often holds so many people back, is the ability to step away and keep focussed on the long term goal, despite the distractions that are thrown at us along the way. So many of us are firefighting, reacting, acting on impulse in our roles without taking time to pause and reflect.

The power of being the one to step back not only saves us, but protects those who come after us too. I showed her this image as we were talking and as she left she said, “Well now I know that when someone’s annoying me, I’m just going to think of Miss Bridge and her matches”. I know it won’t be as simple as that, but maybe it will get her one step closer to fighting for people instead of with them.

22/11/2022

The Curiosity Paradox

“Curiosity” is a word we are hearing increasingly more frequently, correlating with creativity, intelligence, improved learning and memory, and problem solving according to research.

It’s well-known that children are born curious, asking hundreds of questions daily, but that this curiosity declines as they get older. Curiosity seldom survives childhood.

It’s no wonder. When I was a child, we were told “Curiosity killed the cat” and describing someone as “curious” often had the negative connotation of “a bit odd” rather than having a desire to know or learn something. I learned quickly that knowing the answers and getting things right seemed the best way to do well at school, please adults and get on in life. Knowledge is power. Conceal what you don’t know. Worst case, fake it to make it, and then make sure you learn it backwards, forwards and inside out before anyone finds you out.

Many of us in our roles as leaders, professionals and parents, lead from a place of “expertness”, believing we should have the answers, be all-knowing and always be right.

But the more we learn, the more we realise we still don’t know, we live in a world where knowledge is expanding exponentially. Not only is it impossible to be the expert all the time, it’s destructive and we are perpetuating the lie to our colleagues, students and children.

Curiosity is one of the 5 C's of Leadership, many successful business leaders are exemplified as highly curious, but for many people, it doesn't come naturally.

Imposter Syndrome is also being talked about more frequently. Because many of us have at some point experienced that dark feeling of inadequacy in our role, despite the external proof to the contrary.

Curiosity can be alien, even terrifying, for someone with Expert Imposter Syndrome, but it can also be an antidote. If we can lean into the fear, it’s about identifying and owning what we don’t know, asking questions, trusting others, and stepping into the learning zone with confidence.

If we do more to model and encourage curiosity, what could be the possibilities for our organisations, schools and work cultures? I’m curious to find out…

Although leaders might say they value inquisitive minds, in reality most stifle curiosity, fearing it will increase risk and inefficiency. Harvard Business School’s Francesca Gino elaborates on the benefits of and common barriers to curiosity in the workplace and offers five strategies for bolster...

22/11/2022

22/11/2022

Globally, socioeconomic factors continue to create gaps in education quality between rich and poor school districts.

Emphasizing student voices and inclusive learning models promise to enhance quality education despite economic inequities.

Read more in our Global Digital Library: http://ow.ly/LMaf50LxRIY

22/11/2022

As a leader in the field of education, you can become part of a great transformation beginning with three basic and powerful tools:

+ Conversation
+ Collaboration
+ Coaching

Learn more about the and insights from our Future of Education Manifesto by Wisdom Weavers Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Noah Sobe, and Jayne Fleener in our Global Digital Library: http://ow.ly/lJV150LtgSN

22/11/2022

For communities to increase teacher retention, reduce burnout, and recruit new educators, they will need to work alongside teachers to improve work conditions in the classroom.

Coaches can address teacher burnout by:

✅ Supporting administrators and teachers to implement open lines of communication
✅ Empowering teachers by providing diversified support in the classroom
✅ Guiding teachers to embrace self-care as an essential component of career success

Learn more about this and the from our Wisdom Weavers in the ICF Thought Leadership Institute's Global Digital Library: https://thoughtleadership.org/the-quest-for-meaning-at-work-begins-by-teaching-lifelong-learning-in-the-classroom/