David Wilkinson Coach

Another great day working with the team Digital Edge this week.

We spent time talking about communication, pressure and self-awareness, particularly how differently pressure can show up for each person in a team.

Because high performance isn’t about everyone thinking, communicating, or responding in the same way, we aren’t all AI robots.

It’s about understanding ourselves better, understanding the people around us, and becoming more aware of what happens to us when the pressure increases.

These are the discussions and teachings I enjoy having with teams.

Creating the space to think, talk honestly and understand each other a little better, then taking that back into how we work together day-to-day.

A little bit of life these past couple of months

1 & 2. Few days in North Yorkshire with Leo ❤️
3. Team coaching and development with my client Digital Edge
4. A bit of hiking in the lakes with Kevin Edgar for my sins lol ⛰️
5&6 More coaching and leadership development at some cool views 📈
7. Make or Break 2 - A 3 day mindset and leadership retreat with which I have the fortune of being part of the instruction team delivering it 💪🏻
8. Of course lots of coffee ☕️ 😂
9. The odd pint of Guinness 😉
10. And I’ve kept up the running, once a…for now 😂

Great morning up Blencathra via sharp edge ⛰️ shame about the views. Next stop England match ⚽️

What are we undervaluing MOST in business or a high-performance environment…

Everyone will have an opinion on this, whether it’s culture, teamwork, resilience, confidence, or developing your people.

I’d say none of those are incorrect, but for me, nothing trumps creating the space for an honest, open, and safe conversation.

The types of interactions that happen between the busyness of business or the competition of sport.

Those critical moments when the action has stopped, for now at least, and the space is there for talking, discussion, reflection, and processing.

In the world of high performance, where we’re always looking for the marginal gain, the next big thing, or the latest productivity hack, it’s easy to forget that underneath it all are people.

People who have a deep need to feel seen and heard.

You can replace people with machines, but you can’t replace this need!

People often perform at their best when they feel valued, when they feel they belong, and when they feel secure.

Nothing creates that faster than an environment where people feel genuinely seen and heard. At the same time, nothing damages performance more than neglect, fear, feeling undervalued, or being treated as a number.

Talking, listening, and seeking to understand could be among the easiest things we do in business, yet we seem to keep moving further away from them, to our detriment.

3 day leadership and mindset course completed!

A group of 7 business leaders sign up to arguably the toughest mental, emotional and physical course, we call Make or Break 2.

But why…???

It’s not to see how tough they are, or how much they can suffer. It’s to the bridge the gap between where they are, and being who they want to be as a man and a leader.

Courses like this, create awareness, insight and personal breakthroughs like no other. You can’t hide, avoid and distract with you are thrown into a situation that forces you reveal your true character.

That inner critical voice we all have that tells us, we can’t do something…Well these guys had to bring that out and kick it in the face (so to speak 🤣)

I am immensely proud of every one of these men, not just because of what they did over 3 days, but how they opened up and spoke about the things that keep most of us awake at night. This is where growth comes from.

Also, amazing to be part of the team that created and delivered this. Genuinely, this is a world class event.

The answer lies in the work you are avoiding!

Yesterday I was at the Hallgarth Hotel working with the team.

Looking under the hood at all things leadership, culture, and team performance.

Culture can be a fluffy word people pay lip service to…

Or it can be the thing that brings people together, improves relationships, supports growth and wellbeing…

And yes, improves the bottom line too.

The environment you create for your people matters!

Tough hike yesterday with .edgar.9887 19km over Dollywagon Pike and Helvellyn 🥵

What an amazing 4 Days in Guernsey.

An opportunity came up after a year of discussions to do some work with Guernesy FC 1st team and their High Performance Football Acadamy.

Applying what I do as a mental performance coach to coaches and the players, was honestly, a dream come true for me.

This experience was one of the best I’ve ever had professionally, made all the more special by all the amazing staff, coaches and players I met who made me feel incredibly welcome. I cannot thank them enough.

The real gift was spending the time learning and listening to the players, getting familiar with the club and counties culture. It’s not about me telling or fixing, none of them need that. It’s through the power of trusted connections and conversations with each other, where insights, awareness and learning comes from and where appropriate, I added something in to that mix.