Having a clear vision and strategy in place is essential for any business owner or senior leader in business. It’s not something to be debated, it’s a given that you create this clarity and direction and that it guides your daily, weekly and monthly activity.

But how many of us take the time to have a clear strategy and vision for our wider life, our relationships, our health and career? If it’s a tool that works well in helping you to be successful and achieve relevant progress – why not apply it across other areas of your life that matter?

As leaders acquire more responsibilities and become more in demand, this often goes hand in hand with more plate spinning, juggling of priorities and busywork. Taking the time to get off the hamster wheel, invest in yourself and your vision for your future seems too indulgent, or something you think about doing but never get round to prioritising.

My coaching clients often say that taking the time to step back and think creatively about wh...

“When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be.” ~Lau Tzu

Two years ago, I was trekking in the Himalayas challenging myself to achieve something I had never done before. It was a planned part of my transition from being a senior leader employed in Financial Services to an unemployed woman unclear of who she was or what she was here to do. I had taken a career break to take some time out from the life I had worked so hard to build over the last 16 years. Some people thought I was ‘lucky’. Some people thought I was ‘brave’. Some probably thought I was crazy or unappreciative to give up what I’d achieved. Only those who knew me best and intimately knew that I was broken and really what I needed was time to heal.

It’s a funny old thing the ego. Several years before, I had the wonderful opportunity to study at Ashridge Business School. I was studying a subject that was incredibly close to my heart and my head - ‘Consulting and Change in Organisations’. The quality of the tutors, ...