Setbacks can make or break a small business or contractor. The key to survival is to move through the bad phase as effectively as possible and finding the right mantra so you don’t crack when facing a sudden hurdle. Here’s an example: Jules, a small Australian business owner, has been a contractor to a successful US […]
Diversity at work is really about learning to build, extend and recognise everyone as people rather than labels or stereotypes. Privileging diversity for its own sake? Sometimes we see an inevitable corrective reaction to years of systemically unfair, often unconscionable behaviours and practices, many of which continue to exist. Here we have one diversity surmounting […]
How often do we see a person on a mission trying to get their detailed points across and failing miserably? People tune out and may even get angry. A principal analyst, a diligent man in his 50s, was trying to convey a series of important points to a meeting of bored subordinates. Watching him struggle […]
What makes some men, and even some women, start to abuse others when in power? Not all powerful people turn nasty or look for sexual opportunities at work, but we are seeing a wave of “victims coming out” and the repercussions for senior executives and boards having to respond with actions not turning a blind […]
People at work often talk about others’ attention to detail. There are positive comments, which we love to hear and enjoy being commended for. “I trust her, she always checks her facts” “It is remarkable the way you care about detail” Then there are the negative comments. Sometimes these are told behind the backs of […]
It’s that time of the year (actually it can be any time of the year) when animated emails dance into your inbox, inviting you to Melbourne Cup lunches, staff barefoot bowls, charity fundraisers and so on. You’re tired from squinting at a never-ending database, or being pestered with complaints and inaction from colleagues. It’s only […]
Ideas are like chewable coffee beans; they stimulate, invigorate and pow! In a sterile or stony setting, however, they also wither for want of interest and understanding. How often does someone at a staff meeting put forward a badly-needed idea for improvement and then get met with blank silence? Often one objection about ‘a waste […]
“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” This wonderful quote is from entrepreneur and writer, the late William Clement Stone. Stone made numerous observations but I especially like this: “There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference! The little difference is attitude. The […]
When someone is not interested in what you have to say, cuts you off, or ignores the way you are feeling, it blocks a productive relationship from developing. For great internal and external business relationships, we need to build rapport when we meet face-to-face, on the phone and even in writing. If you’re shy or […]
