Ideara Resources

Ever feel busy but unclear why? In my Vision to Action series I explore how applying product thinking to your own life helps you find alignment so you live with more intentionality.

What happens when a powerful belief turns out not to be true? This is a story of leading through uncertainty, holding space for disagreement, and using product discovery as both a strategic discipline and a leadership skill, especially when the stakes are high and the answers aren’t obvious.

One woman’s journey from self-doubt to promotion shows how coaching helps women in tech in London gain clarity, confidence, and career momentum.

London Coaching Insights: Discover the Power of the Wheel of Life. Looking for a powerful tool to reflect, reset, and realign your life? This blog shares lessons from a sold-out London coaching session using the Wheel of Life. Learn how a simple circle can reveal hidden truths, help you balance career and wellbeing, and spark real behavioural change. Includes a step-by-step guide to try the exercise yourself — plus details of the next live session in London.

Before I coached others with it, I used the Wheel of Life myself. A few years ago, I used to be so busy "doing things”, but I could tell there was something missing; an itch I couldn't scratch. At the time I wasn’t sleeping well, something was definitely off and when I look back now, I didn’t even know I was finding it hard to relax and properly connect with people.  So, at the time, I drew a simple circle, split it into 8 sections. Labelled each section with the most importa

In the fast-paced world of tech startups, product decisions can make or break a company. Whether you're pre-seed or post-MVP, the pressure to grow, deliver, and impress investors can drive founders to hire a product manager earlier than they should. But hiring too soon can do more harm than good. Instead of rushing to fill the gap, more founders recognise a smarter alternative: product coaching, a go-to resource to enhance decision-making, resilience, and leadership during pe

Why executive facilitation is more than just moderating Vicky Pike - Executive Coach Last month, after moderating a CEO dinner, one of the attendees leaned over and said, "This felt more like therapy than a round table." We laughed, but the comment stuck with me. It’s when I knew: I wasn’t just facilitating. I was coaching the group. The most powerful leadership conversations happen when people feel safe enough to be real. And creating that kind of space, whether at an execut

On the outside, your career may look successful: steady role, strong performance, respected by others. But inside, something feels off. If you're feeling stuck, demotivated, or quietly questioning your path, you're not alone. This post explores why that happens, what it means, and how coaching can help you reconnect with your energy, purpose, and sense of direction.

Senior tech and product leaders: CTOs, Directors, Heads of Product, and VPs often face decision fatigue, emotional overload, and strategic isolation. This blog explores why executive coaching is essential for preventing burnout and enabling high-level leaders to move from firefighting to focused, intentional leadership.

Buying a SaaS platform is the easy part, but delivering business value from it? That’s the real challenge. In the world of SaaS product management in retail , success hinges not on the number of features you deploy, but how well your teams adopt, integrate, and evolve the system. In this article, I’ll share real-world lessons on how to turn a SaaS implementation into a strategic advantage, from continuous discovery to smart rollout strategies and post-launch optimisation. If

This executive-level guide explores why many Product Information Management (PIM) implementations underperform or collapse entirely. From misaligned data strategy and weak governance to unrealistic expectations, it offers practical insight and a recovery framework for digital leaders. Drawing on industry best practices and principles like federated data models, AI-driven data reconciliation, and system-specific accountability, this white paper reframes PIM not as a silver bul

Unconscious bias training is intended to boost diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), except the leadership gap persists, and workplace cultures remain unchanged. Why are the training sessions designed to empower and create inclusive environments often failing to make a lasting impact? The truth is most unconscious bias training programmes focus solely on raising awareness without equipping and supporting participants to translate that awareness into sustained, tangible act

Offsite Sessions for Aligning Vi sion and Goals for Success It's true that so many of us find ourselves battling against the relentless demands of meetings, emails, and urgent tasks. Indeed, it’s estimated over 80% of our time is spent doing this! Of course, this pace keeps our organisations functioning, but it infringes on strategic thinking, alignment, and relationship-building, which are also crucial for success. Why Take Teams Offsite? An offsite session is not just about

Women face a tricky balancing act every single day: expected to lead but penalised for how they do it. A Textio analysis of 23,000 performance reviews (Oct 2024) found: 📌 76% of high-performing women received negative feedback vs. 2% of high-performing men. 📌 88% of top-performing women were critiqued on their personality—called "abrasive, bossy, emotional." Just 12% of men received the same. 📌 Men were more like to receive feedback focused on skills, achievements, and con

Are you feeling trapped in your senior retail tech role?  It seems success hasn’t eased the relentless pressure.  You're lying awake at night, replaying stress points, and building mental to-do lists, you wonder—what happened to your spark? You’re not alone. Many leaders feel stuck, struggling to balance demands and rediscover meaning in their careers. Sometimes, the simplest questions can spark the biggest changes. 💡Here’s a quick exercise to get you started:  1️⃣ What are

Success of a team through failure and what it takes to be a high performing team

I was thrilled to be invited to submit a feature for the superb Startups Magazine entitled "Beyond Mentorship: the critical benefits of coaching for startup success". You can subscribe to the magazine here , or read my feature below. The critical benefits of coaching for startup success With over 25 years in tech and product management, I have learned a thing or two about seizing opportunities and breaking down challenges. Becoming a Senior Accredited Coach also demonstrated

Sheryl Sandberg's LeanIn.org organisation found that women are significantly more likely to suffer from microaggressions than men, with interruptions featuring high up on the list. The trouble with microaggressions is in the moment; they are easy to miss; it's only over time they have a significant impact. You may liken it to coastal erosion or the drip, drip, drip of a tap.  To be an ally is to wake up to these subtle behaviours and use privilege to dismantle them. What wil

Approach to upskilling your workforce with DE&I

ABSTRACT High-performing teams thrive on synergy, collaboration, and collective excellence, but what if your team isn't performing at its best? Poor communication, disengaged members, and missed deadlines are signals of deeper issues. As a leader, your role is crucial in shaping the team's internal dialogue. Focus on fostering integration  and addressing disruptions  to create an inclusive, high-performing team. Recognise diversity and offer additional support like one-on-one