Your Time With James Sweetman

This week, in Part 1 of my annual book review, I'm sharing some of the non-fiction books I've enjoyed reading this year. It's an eclectic mix, from personal development, spirituality and leadership books, to fascinating biographies, gripping true-life stories and laugh-out-loud humour. Featuring authors including Brené Brown, Stephen King, Bear Grylls, Patrick Radden Keefe and David Sedaris, there's hopefully something here to inspire your next read. 

We often associate personal growth with doing more, trying harder and becoming better versions of ourselves. But what if genuine growth eventually asks something different of us? This week, I explore the 4 stages  of self-leadership, from feeling powerless, to taking responsibility, to living with greater intention and ultimately becoming more comfortable with who we already are.

A chance encounter with a distressed stranger on a street in Dublin got me thinking about the nature of compassion. In this week’s episode, I share what happened and explore how we can remain compassionate without being naïve, balance kindness with healthy boundaries and care for others without carrying their struggles. As I learned, compassion isn't about seeing the best in everyone, but remembering that we never see the whole of anyone.

The key to performing well at a job interview is preparation, but is it possible to over-prepare? For almost 25 years I’ve helped experienced professionals prepare for important interviews. In this episode, I explore how to move from trying to perform at an interview to being present, and why an interview isn’t an exam with correct answers. I look at the subtle but powerful shift from trying to prove you’re good enough, to helping the interviewers understand what you would bring to the role. I also share what quality preparation looks like and how, when done well, it can enhance your confidence rather than erode it.

What happens when people find themselves in leadership roles, but the culture they’ve worked in has never allowed them to develop as leaders? This week I look at how command and control environments can unintentionally create a leadership skills gap and why asking people to take more ownership and be more proactive is rarely as simple as it sounds. I look at how organisations can begin to close that gap, why leadership development has to go beyond tools and frameworks, and share some insights and reflection questions for managers caught in that ‘messy middle’ between an old culture and a new way of working.