Practical tips. Prompts to get you thinking. The odd rant.

Your relationship with your boss (or bosses) will most likely be one of the biggest influences on your career. I’m very grateful to the different bosses I’ve worked for over the years, having learned valuable lessons from them all. OK, some of those lessons may be of the ‘what NOT to do’ kind, but good… Read more

    Q:What is resilience? A: it’s a term for how well we can respond and adapt to adversity, whether that’s a major event or a tough day at work. This isn’t about putting our fingers in our ears, loudly repeating “La la la” and hoping the nasty thing will just magically disappear. On the contrary,… Read more

    Q: ‘Why strengths?’ A: Because when we identify and apply our strengths, we’re much more likely to be energised, engaged, more effective and more likely to do better work. When all team members are aware of their own and their team-mates strengths, they are more likely to apply these assets to the team’s… Read more

A question I sometimes hear from participants in Zoomly’s workshops is ‘How can I convince someone to step up?’ When we explore this it’s often the case that the person in question seems to lack confidence – even though their manager sees them as very capable. For example, they: Seek approval for every step of… Read more

I’ve been having some interesting discussions about mentoring recently, advising companies, mentors and mentees on the why and how of the process. If you’re thinking about becoming a mentor, check out my post ‘So you want to be a mentor?’ What if you’re about to become the ‘mentee’ (clunky word, but at least it’s clear… Read more

  This question frequently comes up in workshops about influencing, persuading and negotiating: “Surely a compromise IS a win:win – right?” Erm, not really – although at first glance, it may appear to be. However, the difference is important, whether you’re negotiating B2B with multiple stakeholders, agreeing terms on your new job contract or deciding… Read more

If you’re going to progress, you need to delegate. It just doesn’t make sense – professional, financial and for your wellbeing – to be doing the stuff that goes with your old pay grade.

  “What’s an ‘amygdala hijack’ – and how would I know if I’ve had one?” Let’s take the terminology first: the term emerged in Daniel Goleman’s best-selling book, ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ’. Goleman offered an accessible term for the neurological stimulus-response that occurs when the amygdala perceives a threat and… Read more

  People often ask me questions after training workshops (whether F2F or virtual). They didn’t feel comfortable voicing them in front of the group for a whole host of reasons (their boss was there, they didn’t want to show themselves up, they wanted to get some specific advice from someone outside their organisation, to name… Read more

Ever been on a training course of some kind, loved it, learned lots – yet can’t remember it later? You’re not alone. If the emphasis is mostly on the event itself, along with a focus on your immediate reaction to it, identifying the impact afterwards will be a challenge. Ideally, the difference that your sponsors… Read more