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

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

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

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

Oh dear. Sorry to hear that. It’s going to be OK; you’re not the first, nor will you be the last person to fail the g-test. And like all of us who preceded you, right now you’re probably wondering what gravitas is – let alone how to get it. So first, a definition from vocabulary.com:… Read more

Poor you, that’s not a great position to find yourself in. First of all though, how on earth did you get here? Did your boss just wave, say ‘see ya later’ and disappear off to some beach? Or did you have an actual handover discussion before their holiday, where things were explained and you were… Read more

  Your relationship with your immediate boss is one of the most important professional relationships you’ll have. Over the course of your career you’ll pick up loads of lessons from the different people you’ll report to – yes, even when you make CEO. Your manager has a huge impact on how you feel – about… Read more

Micro-managers are a fact of working life. We can encounter them at any point in our careers, and at all levels of experience and seniority. Being micro-managed can affect our feelings about how competent we are in our jobs, and dent our confidence – if we let it. On the other hand, there’s a lot… Read more

This is one of those questions that I sometimes get asked after a training workshop, when someone hangs back because they’ve got a burning question that they didn’t want their colleagues to hear. On one hand I can help, as I can offer suggestions that enable the individual to clarify what they may need to… Read more

1. Find out what they value Multiple bosses are a fact of contemporary corporate life for many. This hydra doesn’t respond well to a one-size-fits-all approach. Notice what they value, and if you’re not sure, just ask. Then deliver what they value. See this challenge positively: rather than having to ‘pander’ to different preferences, you… Read more