We all have periods in our lives when things feel bad and we slide downhill and can’t seem to get back up. There’s lots of bad news, frequently random incidents everywhere, and things have been tough for many people this year. You can make a difference right away to your immediate circumstances, your mood, and […]
Are you one of the lucky people that have gone through work life working with wonderful people and managers who mentor you and whom you fondly remember as those who encouraged you to be your best? Sadly many managers are more like tormentors, largely as a result of their upbringing or role models from their […]
Recent Gallup research shows that a scarily large portion of employees are not motivated or engaged in their jobs. Many nevertheless perform tasks adequately, while a subset barely drag themselves to work every day. The reasons for this range from insufficient appreciation, to seeking enhanced promotion prospects elsewhere, to requiring greater flexibility – and those […]
Hating the boss is as old as capitalism. Toxic pharaohs and dastardly generals have been around for centuries, and historically, people had novel if morally dubious ways of dealing with the problem. Bad bosses fail to recognise there are limits to their authority, and they don’t grasp the notion of responsibly exercising that authority. Despite the […]
Lack of appreciation can cause damage, but how much thank you-ing is enough? 1. See the positive, don’t search for negative motives Giving isn’t always generous, there may be a motive. Some people give out of guilt, others may be trying to buy a person’s favour. Often it’s genuine; borne of concern for others, or […]
Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg has recently been in the news as a consequence of the sudden tragic loss of her much-loved husband, SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg. She wrote openly and movingly about her grief and shock, and numerous publications and social media have posted (and retweeted) her thoughts. Sheryl’s willingness to admit her vulnerability has […]
A software engineer and new mother took on IBM, complaining of having to work extra hours. She lost and was ordered to pay costs. Read this story twice: First time, put on an employer hat and feel confident you have done everything by a strong code of conduct and rules. You will be pleased with the outcome. […]
We all pay lip service to honesty as a virtue, but because of conflicting or unclear objectives and agendas, some people hit the truthfulness mute button and instead mouth insincerities or even lies. How honest should we be at work with our colleagues, senior management and clients? Even though there are many times when bluntness […]
We spend our working hours narrowly observing our managers, no wonder their very positive and especially negative points stand out so vividly! Who liked the movie Horrible Bosses? Who fantasises about the things you could do with a trussed-up superior at your mercy? Particularly if you are enduring miseries at their hands? I get told about the […]
