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

Shameless plug alert: ‘How to plan and prioritise’ is one of Zoomly’s top-selling workshops. Hmmmm… I wonder why? I think getting on top of what we have to get done is an issue for most of us. We all need to be mindful of where our time’s going – let’s face it, when it’s gone,… Read more

To clarify, this post isn’t about how to manipulate people and somehow put one over on them. That’s neither respectful nor likely to build trust in the long-term. In Zoomly’s ‘How to influence and persuade’ workshop the point is made from the start. There are multiple everyday situations when we simply want to be heard,… Read more

If you’re in need of some inspiration, try these words of wisdom from leaders who’ve been there and done that. “You manage things; you lead people.” – Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own… Read more

Good for you – and here’s hoping it’s good for your mentee too. Here are some reasons why people step up to the role of mentor in their organisation, professional body or community. Good mentors want to: Help and support others’ development Develop their soft skills Share their experience Broaden their perspective Be a better… Read more

The questions I get asked when almost everyone has left the training room are priceless. They tend to be something that really matters to someone, yet they’re reluctant to let others know. So if you’ve ever pondered this question but not asked it, here it is (and to the people who ask questions at the… Read more

“What, presentation tips from my Gran?!” No. Not quite. Presentation tips from the ancient Greeks: specifically for this post, from Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.). The philosopher has some handy presentation tips for us that have survived remarkably well down the years. To influence and persuade an audience, he said, we need to achieve the… Read more

Something that’s been coming up in Zoomly’s workshops recently is goals. Not in a good way; we’re talking about goals that are unclear, too vague and utterly unhelpful. Whether the topic is appraisal discussions, coaching skills for 1:1 conversations or simply giving feedback (yes, you can have a Zoomly workshop on each of those topics),… Read more

Wimbledon. Festivals. Downpours. Must be summer. Note: Summer’s also a good time to update this post 🙂 so I’ve added some new and updated links. When the days are long and it’s still light when we leave work, we can view life a little differently. There may be just as much work to do, depending… Read more

You’re working hard, getting stuff done, getting good feedback from your manager and colleagues – so promotion will surely be headed your way, right? Wrong. OK, you might be lucky: the right opportunity appears at the right time. For most people who get promoted, there’s more judgement than luck involved in getting that promotion. ‘I… Read more

You’ve completed a training course of some kind – what action do you take to ensure that new learning sticks? It’s great when people tell me how they’re using what they learned from some Zoomly training and how it’s benefitting them – and that’s because they’ve made it stick. When I ask people in organisations… Read more