Manipulators in everyday life are not necessarily bad people. You might admire or even love a manipulator (they are frequently found in family contexts), but feel tormented by their constant conniving. I’ve dealt with a variety of difficult people over recent weeks, like the needy, controlling and aggressive, or the disrespectful, moody and procrastination-prone, but for many of […]
If you have a good friend for a colleague you are more likely to be engaged and satisfied at work. Part of being happy at work is having at least a few colleagues with whom you get along well with. For some, these constitute true friendships that transcend location, circumstance and peer level. But for many […]
The old saying “never complain, never explain” could be changed to “never blame, never complain”, but would people ever do this? Of course not. Blaming and complaining causes stress We all do our best, but standards and expectations vary. It often boils down to the fact that while people might share a common language, there are codes, […]
There’s a word for collaborating with people less skilled than you: it’s called “mentoring”. While it’s true that you up your own game by practising with those who are more skilled and experienced, working and sharing ideas with people who have less “skin” in the game is valuable for a host of reasons. In an […]
With so many women now in the workplace and feminism’s early victories (it’s been over a century since women were first given the vote, more than half a century since the advent of the Pill, and there’s at least 50% female graduation in today’s university courses), you’d think that old glass ceiling would be badly […]
You can walk into any workplace and know pretty quickly how good its team morale is — especially after a few days off for some public holidays. How often does a charismatic leader stride into a room, spray sparkly ideals and directions and have everyone dazed in some kind of afterglow? Rarely! Often those in […]
Can I be of assistance? You hear that a lot, often when you haven’t asked for it. Very often it’s part of a call centre script; the consultant’s bot-like responses are the giveaway. Or you’re shopping, and there’s a retail assistant helicoptering when you want to be left alone. These aren’t exercises in being helpful, […]
Workplaces are like families – there’ll always be those whose communication style you love and others who rub you up the wrong way. How do you feel coming in to work? Happy to see your colleagues, looking forward to communicating with everyone? Or do some people at work feel tedious and an effort? Open plan […]
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 […]
