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 of the most common places to meet a new partner or start a love relationship is at work. It’s hard enough finding a special someone, is it really that unreasonable to find that person at your place of work? How many organisations have partners comfortably working under the same roof, and may have even […]
“Men are from Mars, Women from Venus” was all the rage during the 1990s. Whether there’s actual proof that we are emotionally wired differently is yet to be conclusively proved (especially with gender fluidity much more highlighted these days). Controversially, according to psychologists Bobbi Carothers and Harry Reis, men and women are from Earth! Are women […]
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 […]
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 […]
