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

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

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

  According to Marc Lockley, the author of ‘How to pay less for more’ – and co-creator of Zoomly’s ‘How to negotiate’ workshop – 70% of a negotiation is preparation. When I first heard this figure, to say it came as a surprise is an understatement; you could’ve heard my jaw drop. There was a… Read more

Your team has a new member: a brand-new employee in their very first job. They may be a new graduate recruit, or an apprentice straight out of college or even school. You have been assigned as their manager. If you’re new to managing people, before you go power mad, bear in mind that it’s not… Read more

So you’ve got your very first full-time job – well done. I hope you’ve got aims and ideas about where you would like this job to take you in your career. We all need something bigger than ourselves / this week / now to aim at. At the same time, you will need to demonstrate… Read more

To clarify, this post isn’t about how to manipulate people and somehow put one over on them. That’s neither respectful nor likely to build trust in the long-term. In Zoomly’s ‘How to influence and persuade’ workshop the point is made from the start. There are multiple everyday situations when we simply want to be heard,… Read more

Good for you – and here’s hoping it’s good for your mentee too. Here are some reasons why people step up to the role of mentor in their organisation, professional body or community. Good mentors want to: Help and support others’ development Develop their soft skills Share their experience Broaden their perspective Be a better… 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

‘How to handle difficult situations’ is one of the most popular topics on Zoomly’s menu of workshops. Based on the insights gained on both developing / delivering it and the contributions of hundreds of participants, here are some DOs and DON’Ts to help you when a situation gets difficult. DON’Ts Go for a ‘win’ at… Read more