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

Got a mentor? Lucky you! You are in a very fortunate position if you have someone to turn to, as well as your line manager, who knows the ropes. Typically, a mentor has experience that the mentee can learn from and importantly, they’re not directly responsible for the work you do. What that means is… Read more

  Why self-awareness? When it comes to being Emotionally Intelligent, self-awareness is often described as the ‘cornerstone’ of our EQ. Here’s a few reasons why it’s worth taking time to build our self-awareness: We can identify what we’re good at (and not so good at) We can better manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviours We… Read more

I’ve written a lot about giving feedback, particularly in The Feedback Book. It’s an essential skill for anyone who works in a team and/or manages people in the workplace. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that that feedback isn’t just given – it’s also received. How do you feel when a colleague says, “I’d like… Read more

Being a bit of a fan of learning, a new year always ushers in some new plan to learn…something. It seems I’m not alone. Why do we get the learning bug? We might want to: Boost career prospects with some Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Develop a skill Rekindle a childhood passion Deal with ‘unfinished business’… Read more

  You may well be thinking, “Really? Why should I bother!?” – and you may have a point. After all, things change: unpredictable events, unforeseen outcomes and unintended consequences. Life happens. On some level, we know that looking back is an essential step to moving forward. Yet we can give ourselves too many excuses to… Read more

  When it comes to books that cover business, the field grows ever wider: management, economics, start-up stories, tech breakthroughs and, increasingly, scandals. There are heaps of different ‘best of’ lists, each with heaps of different choices (there’s a selection at the end of this post). As 2019 comes to an end it seems I’m… Read more

The words ‘Work Christmas Party’ can strike terror into the strongest souls. According to the Institute of Leadership and Management, even senior managers feel anything but relaxed at these events. If you’re not scared, I can only surmise that this is your first year in full-time employment. Here’s hoping you still have your job the… Read more

Yes, you may be smarting a little and yet no, it’s not the end of the world – or even your career. There’s probably more to it than you think – and there’s probably a silver lining. So please don’t do anything rash. Bear in mind this might not be all about you. There could… Read more

As the end of the year gets ever nearer, many a Learning & Development professional finds themselves trying to establish the value of their efforts. Yes, they got feedback at the time (before anyone left the room if they were smart) but they know that was just the initial reaction. How to find the value… Read more

You’re stepping up to mentor someone – well done. Having worked with employers and professional groups over several years to support their schemes, I’ve learned that the likelihood of a successful mentoring relationship is set at the start. If it gets off on the wrong foot, it can be hard to sustain. But if the… Read more