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 […]
What a hot topic. Everyone seems to be handling a difficult person — whether it is a staff member, team colleague, customer or their manager. Or they have a difficult person in their personal lives. Certain types of difficult people affect us more than others. For example: Angry, aggressive, abusive, bullying; Moody, tired, depressed, teary; Uncommitted, unmotivated, […]
“One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch, girl” is a puzzling aphorism, but perhaps the Osmonds were just being hopeful. Eighteenth-century inventor Benjamin Franklin saw it the other way — “the rotten apple spoils his companion”. Apples give off ethylene, so as one rots, the others begin to as well, and before you know it, […]
Emotional intelligence or ‘EI’ (colloquially described as EQ) is essential for human development. EQ — skills we can develop The historic privileging of technical problem-solvers is gradually making way (thanks to the work by pioneer Daniel Goleman and many others) for equally valid social and emotional skills. Progress on the work front is piecemeal. I have been […]
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, […]
Too many managers forget the importance of encouraging their teams, and motivating them to higher performance. With this year’s Commonwealth Games now concluded, it’s interesting to reflect on how much the cheering of crowds spurs athletes to greater heights of achievement. Lots of them talk about it, and you don’t have to be a champ to imagine […]
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 […]
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 […]
There are always times we feel energized and motivated. But what are your triggers? Is the glow from your summer break fading? Are you on your morning commute, in traffic or on transport, smartphone and cooling coffee in hand, pressed up against your fellow travelers? A new day in a new year and it is […]
