Here’s a little puzzle for you before you embark on appraisal season… What’s the difference between these two scenarios? First, let’s imagine you’re reviewing your own performance over the past few weeks, months or even year (they still do annual appraisals where you work? Don’t worry; they’ll catch up eventually). Yes, there’s that deadline that… Read more
Mental health has been a big topic recently, thanks to World Mental Health Day and the accompanying column inches. It’s prompted a few people to ask me about managing someone who seems to be suffering stress at work, and a few brave souls have asked me about their own situations (brave not because they asked… Read more
When managers are overwhelmed, one of the first things they lose their grip on is delegation – yet that’s precisely why they need to keep delegating, and doing more of it. Whether you’ve been delegating for ages and think you’ve mastered it but would like a refresher, or you’re new to managing others and want… Read more
Ask any professional person, “What are the biggest drags on your time?”, and the chances are that meetings will be high on the list. Meetings can be a productivity – and profit – drain, to say nothing of being energy-sappers. Too often, meetings are ineffective because they: Lack focus and a clear objective(s) Don’t have… Read more
Conflict isn’t something we can avoid at work: from a difference of opinion to an all-out showdown, it’s a fact of organisational life. Sometimes conflict is a healthy debate, leading to an agreement; other times it’s toxic and people get hurt. Typically, our hardwired response is to fight or flight – or simply freeze. But… Read more
Values Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Do a quick search for ‘organisation values’ and you’ll strike a rich seam of carefully crafted words. No doubt much time and resource was devoted to their development, and much debate… Read more
1.“Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives”. Viktor Frankl 2. “Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind”. Seneca 3. “Don’t bunt. Aim out of… Read more
Self-awareness has been a bit of a topic for me lately. I recently gave a talk about raising our Emotional Intelligence that – naturally – included self-awareness and saw people were taking notes. Most of us aren’t as self-aware as we could be – we may believe we know ourselves, but often don’t pause… Read more
What is conflict? Definitions vary wildly – from a difference of opinion to an all-out confrontation. Wherever you find yourself on that broad spectrum, it’s well worth stopping to think about how you handle conflict. Why? Because we tend to default in tricky situations – and often in ways that aren’t helpful. And as differences… Read more
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