Your Time With James Sweetman

Managers today feel pressure from below, from staff with big expectations, and from above, from senior managers who want them to be leaders. Whilst expertise and execution remain key management competencies, today, empathy is equally vital.

In this week’s episode, I explore the 7 skills and attributes that a modern manager needs to succeed in their role. If you are a team leader or manager, this is an episode not to be missed.

This week I’m joined by a very special guest, Bibi Baskin (www.bibibaskin.ie) 

As a broadcaster, Bibi has presented more than 1000 TV shows and was the first woman in Ireland to have her own chat show. Long before The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opened its doors, she converted a landmark building in Kerala, Southern India, transforming it into a renowned hotel.

Harnessing all her knowledge and experience she delivers talks and seminars on the many aspects of wellness. In an uplifting and wide-ranging conversation, Bibi shares what she considers to be at the heart of wellness and well-being. We also chat about change, coping with it and instigating it. Bibi’s new book ‘The Happy Book Vol 2’ is out this week.

As degrees of lockdown appears to be the norm for the foreseeable future, it’s more important than ever that we invest in our well-being. I’m calling this Self-Care 2.0, the 2020 upgrade!

This week I share a menu of options to help nourish the mind, body and spirit. I also speak about my challenges in putting my own health and wellbeing higher on my agenda. If you feel that you could give your own self-care a reboot this winter, then be sure to tune in.

In recent month’s we’ve all had to become experts with Zoom and other online platforms, not just for meetings, but also for presentations. As someone who has specialised in delivering presentations from the top of the room, and who teaches presentation skills, I’ve had to adapt my own approach too.

The fundamentals of effective presentations remain the same, but there are new best practices to ensure you are ready for your close up. So this week I’m sharing 10 tips for delivering effective online presentations.

This week’s episode has been inspired by my Dad, who passed away at the end of September. Witnessing his brave battle with pancreatic cancer was challenging as I grappled with my own feelings of powerlessness.

Being present with him when he passed was profound. It’s said that all fear is ultimately a fear of death. Having witnessed it up close, I’ve been reminded of how precious life is and what’s truly important.

This week I’m going back to basics and sharing some of the principles I’m using to pivot my business in these challenging and unprecedented times. It’s marketing 101 which for me is all about connecting what you do with your ideal audience in a meaningful way.

Who are your ideal customers? How can you link what you do with your audience? How can you harness your uniqueness? These are just some of the questions I’ll be exploring.

 

Whilst we might crave to get back to normal, back to life pre-Covid, we have the opportunity to reach for something better and that starts by getting curious as to how we can be a ‘better’ version of ourselves.

I know one of my pulls for getting back to life as normal is the familiarity of old habits and routines that gave me certainty and made me feel safe. But I also know that many of my old habits were beyond their sell by date.

How can I live a more enriched life? Do I really need to do that or have that anymore? These are just some of the questions I share this week as we contemplate living more consciously.

Join me this week for an uplifting conversation with South African based Coach, Trainer and Facilitator Mandy Antzoylatos (www.freedom44.co.za)

We chat about what to do if you find yourself at a career crossroads and Mandy generously shares tips and insights from her popular workshop where the focus is on liberating your full awesomeness.

We also discuss how Covid 19 is making us reassess what’s important to us and how we can use this to instigate meaningful change. It was a fun and empowering conversation, an episode not to be missed.

If you want to run a successful business, are seeking to pivot your business, or simply want to climb the career ladder, it all comes down to Adding Value.

In this weeks episode, I play with the ‘V’ in Value and explore 8 concepts to help you add more value. I explore the dance between Visibility & Vulnerability and look at a shift in mindset to help you raise profile.

I also explore the importance of Vision, finding your Voice, knowing your Values, and the Victories you help your stakeholders achieve. Continuing with the theme, I even look at Visualisation and the role of Vibration in harnessing the law of attraction.

Usually, at the beginning of September, there is that sense of getting back to normal after the summer holidays. But 2020 has been anything but a normal year!

When I find I’m lacking in motivation or feel weighed down by feelings of worry and frustration, I rely on that mantra – ‘Keep Calm and Carry on’ and that’s the theme for this week’s episode.

So tune in and let me take you through, 7 tips, 7 handrails that I use to help me navigate these challenging times.