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, […]
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 […]
Peer education is powerful. Sometimes you learn so much more from a colleague who’s been on the job longer than you, than from a designated trainer, a guru giving a TED Talk or that well-remunerated speaker who was brought in to rev up your business breakfast. Peer-based learning Decades ago the phrase “sitting by Nellie” […]
Teams don’t just magically feel inspired, or suddenly develop a poor culture where people are not motivated. I am always amazed at managers who blame their teams for their poor mood, poor output and lack of initiative. It starts at the top. Strategies to inspire your people 1. Do a big SWOT of new technology Make this an […]
When you listen well you build trust and respect. Most people think they are good listeners, yet most people say others are not good listeners. When managers get feedback on their communication skills it is often about needing to be better listeners. The problem is that good listening is not always a skill offered in […]
Corporate and government appetite for collaboration is definitely growing, albeit unevenly. How many times have you come up with an idea only for someone higher than you to either shoot it down or claim the credit? There’s an excellent New Yorker cartoon with an executive telling the employee, “I know it was your idea but it was my […]
We all appreciate a sense of completion with our work, and it’s preferable to drowning in a mess of your own making. Not ticking those ‘to do’ items usually leads to stress and anxiety that make you feel sick. But how are we creating that all-important list of to dos that we then get to […]
