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

when we’re new in a role, we can default to doing what we’re good at – but that may not be what’s really needed. First, find out what needs fixing – watch out, it may not be what you think…

Participants in Zoomly’s workshops often hang back to ask me questions at the end, and I feel privileged to be asked.  The ‘How to manage upwards’ session is typical. I’ll always do what I can to help. Yet I’m acutely aware that I don’t work there and I’m not their manager. But I try to… Read more

Ghosting. There’s a lot of it about. Having started on dating websites when an apparently keen potential date turns unresponsive for no apparent reason, the term is now widely applied in the workplace. Job applicants talk about the potential employee – and/or the agency they applied through – ghosting them. At the same time, recruiters… 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

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 got a huge long list of items on your ‘To Do’ list. You’ve been trying to figure out where to start. You’re thinking it might be good to check with your manager(s) to get their input – but then you realise they’re bound to say ‘it’s all top priority’. You conclude it looks as… Read more

A question that often comes up when I facilitate Zoomly’s ‘How to give effective feedback’ workshop is who to ask for it. After all, feedback isn’t just about commenting on others’ performance; we need feedback on ours too. Some people seem to think there’s no-one to ask or feel a bit awkward about asking. I’m… Read more

Speaking as a Brit, I’m acutely aware that the very word ‘feedback’ can make the toes curl. Those from other countries and cultures may indeed smile. Here we can talk a good game but, when it comes to the crunch, I suspect many people would rather do public speaking than give or get feedback on… Read more

Professor Robert I. Sutton is now known to many as ‘the Asshole Guy’, having given us ‘The No Asshole Rule’, followed by ‘The Asshole Survival Guide’. So if the A-word is too strong for you, look away – and miss out. I like a book that doesn’t mince its words. It’s also good if there’s… Read more