April 13, 2009 – 11:03 am
Have you ever had someone burst into your office and vent or have an emotional outbreak in a meeting?
The person is clearly upset, often angry and really needs to be heard. Although the timing may not be the best, one of the most useful things to do is just……listen. There is only so long that […]
February 5, 2009 – 11:41 am
This week I came across a one liner in a book I am reading - “Remember, to know and not to do is really not to know” (Stephen Covey). This really stayed with me and struck me that we are living in a society where there are many training workshops we attend, books we read, […]
January 21, 2009 – 12:52 pm
Welcome to 2009!
A question I have asked many people in the last few weeks is “so what are your new years resolutions?” I am sure you can guess the most popular answers:
To lose weight and go to the gym
To make more money
What was interesting is that when I asked how they were going to achieve […]
November 19, 2008 – 12:44 pm
If you work in an organistaion, you’ve heard this complaint repeatedly. Leaders and managers say they want change and continuous improvements but their actions do not match their words. Leaders and managers have the power to create an organisation’s values, environment, culture and actions. It is critical to start taking the power away from the […]
November 3, 2008 – 2:11 pm
I’ve been reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and he refers to The Psychology of Rumor by Gordon Allport. Three elements are mentioned which I thought are useful in appreciating what rumours are:
Levelling - All kinds of detail essential to understanding the true meaning of an issue or incident are left out
Sharpening - […]
October 30, 2008 – 1:43 pm
It’s been well documented that humour and laughter can reduce stress and provide many other benefits. And few areas of life are more stressful than the workplace. So, not surprisingly, it’s been found that office humour can be a stress-reliever, boosting morale, bringing people closer, and perhaps even warding off burnout. Unfortunately it can also […]
October 22, 2008 – 1:06 pm
Some people exude negativity!! They don’t like their jobs or they don’t like their company. Their bosses are always jerks and they are always treated unfairly. Every company has moaning minnies, you can best address their impact by avoiding negativity.
Tips for dealing with occasional negativity:
Listen to the employee or colleague’s complaints until you are certain […]
October 10, 2008 – 7:12 pm
Most of the credit for this post must go to Freddie Mercury & Queen…in paraphrasing I need to ask:
As the outside temperature rises
And one thousand and one yellow daffodils
Begin to dance in front of you
Are you one card short of a full deck?
One wave short of a shipwreck?
Is your kettle boiling over?
Think you’re a banana […]
October 1, 2008 – 8:13 am
When we get a call “please assist in the following discussion as I think it is going to get heated” it just reminds us that people typically avoid and dislike confrontation. Do you become silent, violent or fly away when you know that you should confront an issue? The more difficult issues that clients struggle […]
September 25, 2008 – 9:15 am
We often get approached by clients that they feel a particular employee has a bad attitude, isn’t meeting deadlines and/or isn’t completing projects accurately. When questioned on why this is taking place, the employee gives no plausible reason. On investigating further we often come across the following:
The deadlines had not been properly communicated and understood
The […]
