Michael Marshall

Clear Direction and a Common Goal are vital.

Whether on the sports field or in the office, it is the collective effort of a team dedicated to a result that transforms vision into reality.

At Candour Coaching, we believe that when individuals unite with purpose, they not only enhance their own performance, they elevate the entire team's success.

Surround yourself with those who inspire and challenge you.
Surround yourself with those who believe what you believe.
Surround yourself with those who see the same journey,
and watch as the path to your goals becomes clearer and more attainable

When we prioritise listening we foster a sense of belonging,
we unite under a shared identity,
we create an environment where it's safe to fail fast...
all of which lead to a team that doesn't just succeed:-
They Excel.

If you listen, your people listen, and your entire team feel heard.
When people feel truly heard they show up differently:-
They bring more ideas, more energy, and a tonne more resilience.
They are no longer simply showing up to work,
they’re showing up for a team,
because of the culture,
a culture that makes them feel part of something bigger than themselves.

At Candour Coaching, we help leaders build environments where listening isn’t passive, it’s active. It fuels growth, innovation, and resilience.

We've seen that when people trust that their voice matters,
they don’t just do their job,
they do their best.

Lead with listening. Create belonging.

Great Leaders Listen.

They listen to truly understand, to deeply connect, and to be better leaders. Least of all, they listen to reply.

When you listen to understand, you gain deeper insight into your team, their challenges, motivations, and ideas. You hear what being said beyond the words they use.

When you listen to connect, you build trust. Your people don’t follow titles - they follow people. They follow leaders who make them feel seen, valued, and heard. Deep listening fosters these relationships.

When you listen to lead, you make better decisions. Leadership isn’t about knowing the right answer - it’s about asking the right questions and guiding your team to find the answer together.

At Candour Coaching, we guide leaders to be better, and the best way to inspire action is to listen first. Because when people feel heard, they show up differently.

Pessimism is more contagious than optimism, unless the culture is optimistic.

You and your people set the emotional tone of your team.

If doubt, fear, or negativity appear at all - they can spread like wildfire. Unless! Optimism is the built-in belief of the culture. When possibility, resilience, and growth is the standard - it acts as immunity to the negative infection.

Don't get me wrong - in all cases - we must still stamp out negativity immediately.
(You'll just have more chance if the abundant mood is optimistic)

This kind of culture does not happen by accident. It is built through consistent leadership, clear standards of behaviour, and unwavering protection of those standards.

At Candour Coaching, we help leaders embed their desired beliefs into the DNA of their teams - not through empty acts, but through trust, vision, and conscious effort.

💬 Do you believe in a contagious culture of optimism for your team or org?
We should chat.

Being Driven takes more than hope, dreams or motivation... it takes commitment.

Those promises you make yourself - they are the worse ones to break.

Those battles you face in private - they shape the wins you have in public.

Don't say you'll train every day - do it.
Don't think about that morning cold plunge - do it.
Don't dream of that promotion - earn it.

I’ve coached countless leaders, founders and high-performers, and the ones who dominate are not the most talented or the most inspired. They are the ones who show up consistently.

They are the ones who refuse to break their own word.

Your dreams don’t just need passion; they need discipline.
Every time you follow through on what you said you’d do, you build trust in yourself.
And that self-trust? That is the key to unstoppable momentum.
That's the foundation of being driven.

Don’t wait to “feel ready.”
Take action.
Keep your word.
Show up for yourself.

Leaders do not force their team to agree, they inspire them to believe.

Team Buy-In happens when people feel heard, valued, and connected to a shared purpose. They don’t just execute tasks; they take ownership.

As a leader,

🔹cultivate common goals,
🔸invite input, and
🔹align individual's values with the team purpose.

A team that truly believes in the mission - not because they're ordered to but because they are intrinsically compelled to - will deliver with passion and energy.

People that buy in... they don’t just turn up, they completely show up - with their full ability, creativity, and commitment.

The art of Leadership is not to demand control - it is to cultivate belief.

Who are your most inspirational leaders?
Let us know in the comments.

? Lost in your busy life ? - Use these 5 Activities to find your compass - Your Values.

I've been coaching people to better understand themselves and their values for over a decade. The following are five of my favourite activities to Uncover Our Values.

1. Reflect on Life's Fulfilling Moments.

Reflect on the most fulfilling and authentic moments of your past.
Identify the words that come to mind when you ask -
what it was about you;
your character;
they way people saw you; and
the way you felt in those moments?

2. Admiration Hunt

Make a list of 6 or 7 people that you most admire.
Now, write down all of the character traits of those people that draws you to admire them.
Finally, highlight the traits you would most like to adopt.

3. Notice What You Notice

When you're doom scrolling - what are you drawn to?
Who catches your eye when you walk down the street?
In your office space, living area, any place you spend most of your time,
What is on the shelves? What is written on the walls? What do you notice?
What do you see in the people that you spend the most time with?
What traits? What do they do? How do they make you feel?
Make a note of the common answers from these questions.

4. Negatives & Opposites

Write down what you despise in the world, character traits you dislike and what you do not enjoy in your day.
Write down the exact opposite of those things.

5. Seek Feedback from the Opinions That Matter

Request feedback from friends, family, and colleagues whose opinion you care about. What do they see as your strengths and values?

[5 (+1) Get a Coach]

Fast-Track your values discovery journey by engaging the expertise of someone who has guided people through it before... they'll know the right questions, they'll know how to filter the fog.

Our team help you uncover who you truly are and what you truly want. We'll help you feel clearer with your life's direction, help you be happier & fulfilled, and help you be energised by your day-to-day.

DM to chat with me about better understanding your values.

You Are 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ... only YOU can do what you do.

I was always going to be a coach... eventually.

[*Introduce Self]

Hi there,
for anyone new here,
I'm Michael Marshall - some people call me coach.

[*State Succinctly What You Do]

I run a corporate coaching consultancy - Candour Coaching.
We specialise in Leadership and Culture.

[*insert elevator pitch below]

I help founders, leaders and emerging leaders create the culture that inspires themselves and their team to not only love the work they do,
but also drives them to do their best work.

My team help people uncover who they truly are and what the truly want.

[*Increase Vulnerability]

Most of my time is spent in 1:1 sessions with Executives and Business Owners, because that's what I love doing - I'm a problem solver at heart - and I love helping ambitious high-performers be better.

I'm most passionate when presenting/public speaking... so I have been known to host online and in-person programmes for corporate teams and events.

and,

My business brain is always looking for a way to leverage my skills in coaching... which means we have a whole range of videos and short courses that help 9-5 professionals looking for higher output and happier lives.

[*Closer]

I tried many careers before I arrived here, where I belong.
they always had similar themes though,
they've been about helping,
they've been about solving problems,
they've been about others' success.

The Japanese knew what they were talking about,
Find something that the world needs,
something that you can get paid for,
something that you are good at, AND
something that you love doing.

my "something" is Coaching.

It took me 25 years to understand my values.
It took an additional 5 to understand my purpose.

Our Values are the principles with which we live our life.
They are both the character traits we have and the lens with which we see the world, and they are a resource to help impact us in two ways:

1. Values guide our decisions.

2. Values allow us to live a fulfilled life.

Our Purpose is 'how we apply our values to impact the world'. It's what we give in service of something greater.

We can list our values in many ways, a list, a mission, an interpretation... realistically the reflection should be subjective and follow whatever works best for the individual.

I reflect on my values with a a few short statements.

I am a gentleman with integrity,
I put family and friends first,
I inspire with my ambition, and
am respected because I implement with action.
I have the utmost self-belief in my abilities, and
am uncompromisingly committed to my results.
I keep life simple.

Our Values have an organic and inexplicable way of showing us what we truly want to be doing with our lives.

- If I had let just ambition be my guide, I'd still be selling property in Dubai.
- If I had let just let commitment be my guide, I'd likely be a broke, full-time cross-fitter.
- If I had let just self-belief be my guide, I'd probably still be swapping time for money in a law-firm cubicle.

None of which were both fulfilling and in service of something greater.

Instead,

When I apply all of my values, (yes - some more than others),
I create a life that is wholly fulfilling,
I create a life where I am giving the best of myself to the world,
I create a life where I can:
be a business owner,
be a father, a husband,
a brother, a son,
a friend, and
I create a life where I am called to Coach others to uncover and fulfill their own Values & Purpose.

Your Values are Who You Are,
Your Purpose is What You Give,

I truly hope you too have clarity on both.

If you feel comfortable,
Share some of your values in the comments.