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

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…

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

Are you being delegated to or simply dumped on? If your manager gives you work to do and you’re not sure why it’s needed, where it fits in and just how on earth you should do it, chances are that you’re being dumped on. Or, dare I suggest, not listening all that actively to said… Read more

A question I sometimes hear from participants in Zoomly’s workshops is ‘How can I convince someone to step up?’ When we explore this it’s often the case that the person in question seems to lack confidence – even though their manager sees them as very capable. For example, they: Seek approval for every step of… Read more

    After Action Reviews (sometimes referred to as AARs) have their origins in the United States military. Tools and techniques that improve team performance often have a military provenance. An advantage of techniques with military origins is that they’ve been tried and tested when the stakes were very high. The idea is that after… Read more

I need to manage your expectations on this one: if you’re a PRINCE2 PM guru you’ll be familiar with what follows. If you work on projects but your specific skills aren’t in that area, this post is for you. One of Zoomly’s many bite-sized workshops is ‘How to manage projects’ and it’s about the essentials… Read more

  Whether you’re back at the office, still WFH, or combining both, work will always need to be done. We can have our own default ways of working, because ‘that’s how I’ve always done it’ or ‘how we do it round here’. That’s fine if everything is getting done right and on time…but if we… Read more

We can all fall prey to ‘the thief of time’: putting things off, finding ways to dodge the work we should be doing (or should have finished). Get clear on what you’ll gain by completing the task, or even part of it. Visualise this in as much detail as you possibly can: how will you… Read more

Productivity has been a hot topic in recent virtual workshops and coaching: everyone seems to be working on multiple tasks, juggling competing commitments and getting things done in wafer-thin slices of time. So it seems like a good time to revisit and reshare tips and resources to help. 1. Decide on priorities Some tasks are… Read more

If you’re going to progress, you need to delegate. It just doesn’t make sense – professional, financial and for your wellbeing – to be doing the stuff that goes with your old pay grade.