The prisoner who now stands before you Was caught red-handed showing feelings. Showing feelings of an almost human nature. This will not do! ∼ Pink Floyd, The Wall (1979) As a product of the English boarding school system, it was drilled into me throughout my formative years that expressing, or even acknowledging, any type of emotion was […]
My early memories are dominated by being both in awe of – and intimidated by – my older brother Mike. He knew exactly how to appear smart, useful, funny, and cool. He was usually a good brother but, when the mood struck him, he was quick to remind me just how far I fell short […]
I hold my hands up. I'm terrible at decision making. From the most basic to the biggest of decisions, it can take me ages to make my mind up. The Perils of Too Much Choice Yes, it's great to have choice, and we've never had more choice than we do now. But sometimes it can […]
First impressions can mean a lot. In fact, in business, your "approachability" can mean everything. But being able to make that all-important first impression can be more difficult than we think. We might like to believe that we are approachable, open, friendly. But, in reality, how we want to be perceived by others may not always come […]
Imagine this scenario: You're watching a medal ceremony during the Olympic Games. The gold medalist won with a clear margin, but the silver medalist kicks up a fuss because he thinks he's entitled to the gold. He insists on getting the gold medal, even though the competition was fair and the winner deserved his place. […]
#MTtalk, All Posts, Career Skills, Communication, Empowerment, Leadership, Learning Skills, Strategy, Team Management
There's a well-known quote by E.M. Kelly that says, "Remember the difference between a boss and a leader. A boss says 'Go!' A leader says 'Let's go!'" In reality, this is a differentiation between two distinct leadership styles. The first is a commanding leader; the second is probably a servant leader or a transformational leader. […]
Creativity, Decision Making, Leadership, Learning Skills, Stress, Team Management, Uncategorized
Don't! I've been fixated on this word for a couple months now. It started when I wrote a blog about the self-promotion that is so necessary in this age when so many of us are small-time entrepreneurs and contract workers. Typical of what I read was, "Don't brag! You'll look like a jerk!" and, "Don't […]
If you want to explore different ways to develop your people's skills and improve their performance at work, you may consider coaching them. Whereas coaching is seen by some as a corrective tool for when things are "going wrong," with careful planning, it can be a positive technique that will help your coachees to focus […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Communication, Learning Skills, Team Management
I've mentioned in a previous blog about an inspirational poster that I have in my bedroom. It's called the Seven Steps to Happiness, and one of the steps is "Talk Less, Listen More." I'd like to think of myself as a good listener and, in many situations, I prefer to listen rather than talk. But […]
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where someone in your team is frequently less proactive or busy than you? Every time you look over at their computer screens, they’re surfing the web, catching up on the sports results, or sharing photos on social media. All the while, you’re frantically working on your own […]
All Posts, Communication, Problem Solving, Stress, Team Management
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