Having a team that works well together is something that leaders obviously strive for. We want respect, encouragement, engagement and team creativity. Many leaders will try to avoid any form of conflict from happening, worrying that this can only cause them issues. However, what we need to be aware of is when there’s a pressure […]
All industries look to innovate in order to ensure they can respond quickly enough to customer demands. Problems often arise if there’s a lack of speed in innovation. And some leaders are concerned that few individuals within the organisation will take the initiative or are incapable of looking for creative solutions. So, how can we […]
As busy leaders in today’s environments, how should time by divided most appropriately to provide the support that will make a real difference to the team? Usually, when asked whether you should spend more time on your top performers (10%), middle performers (80%) or poor performers (10%), managers will often opt for those in the […]
Wouldn’t Christmas be so much nicer if we weren’t so worried about everything? You’ve got people (possibly who you don’t see very often) staying at your house, you’ve got a huge dinner to cook, the shops are jammed packed with irate people elbowing you out the way, the weather is threatening snow, the children are […]
There’s not much we like about being wrong. And unfortunately, it’s human nature that once we’ve taken a position, we would rather stick to our guns than admit we could be wrong (even to ourselves). Think about a heated meeting you’ve been in recently. Did you try to defend your point of view, but […]
Beliefs are those things that you’ve decide are true for you, whether positive or negative. Confidence in our abilities often comes down to what we believe about ourselves, even though we’re often not consciously aware of what these are. Normally, when we believe we can do something (let’s take as an easy example, “I’m very […]
“It’s OK, I Can Hire People Who Are Easier to Manage!” When taking on an existing team as a leader, there are all sorts of complications: learning about the characteristics of the team members; understanding the role and future requirements; making an impact for senior executives. Leadership can seem like a daunting task sometimes. And […]
I’ve lost count of the number of people who have told me that they’re not creative. Unfortunately, until a few years ago, that included me! My belief was set in stone for me when I joined a management consultancy (as one of my first full time jobs, many years ago). The directors wanted me to […]
Have you wondered whether executive coaching is for you? Unsure what the procedure would be, and therefore feel uncertain about getting involved? Well, hopefully the below will help. Coaching from Assiem Ltd is tailormade, uses your real-life situations to implement what you learn and provides a supportive and confidential environment in which to discuss your […]
When you’re asked to brainstorm some new ideas, who do you invite to the meeting? Are you inviting like-minded individuals, those you may have worked with before or you seem to get along with? This may seem like a good idea, but you could be missing out on some vital thought processes and opinions. For […]
The phrase “can I give you some feedback?” can instil dread in many a heart! The next thought can often be “oh no, they’re going to make me look bad here”. A report for DDI by Harris Interactive found that employees would rather suffer a bad hangover, do housework or see their credit card bill […]
Have you been in meetings where half the attendees are on their mobiles/laptops answering queries, where managers impatiently talk over others or can’t wait for someone to finish so that they can put their point across? Most managers know they need to listen and could probably accept that they don’t listen enough. And we can […]
I was in my dance lesson the other day and we were going over the tiniest aspects of a particular step. We analysed all aspects of this one move, in the greatest of detail – for 50 minutes! I realised that for years I’ve been doing the same move in the same way, despite a […]
As a manager, I would often take on new teams and one of the first things I would discuss with them is the need for them to talk to me. Of course I needed to know what was being achieved, expectations against targets, when mistakes have happened etc. But importantly, I also needed them to […]
Whenever someone came up to my desk to ask me something, I automatically put a smile on my face to greet them. I had learnt over the years that apparently I look miserable if I’m not smiling! And it came as a shock to people when I wasn’t smiling! More recently I’ve learnt there is […]
Most people have heard of 360 feedback: getting feedback from your manager, peers and direct reports in order to get a good overview of your strengths and development areas. However, have you thought of how your leadership should be skilled outwardly in all directions, communicating effectively with all those around you? In order to lead […]
Over the years, Leadership Development programmes have cost organisations dearly. Companies can be providing their leaders with the tools, but more often than not, nothing much changes in the day-to-day results. As with the old proverb “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”, you can provide great leadership development […]
Whenever I’m discussing communication skills with managers, I often find myself challenging them on their assumptions about what other people (peers, manager, team members) might be thinking in specific situations. “How do you know?” How do you know what they are thinking, if you haven’t asked them? If you’ve not asked them, then you can […]
Think about when you’ve had a very busy day at work, you’ve made lots of decisions on strategy, resources, management issues, budgets etc. When you get home you are faced with even more decisions to make regarding the family, what to eat, where you might go on holiday, activities with the children. Sound familiar? At some […]
Do you know when you are stressed, or could you be anxious instead? In the workplace, saying you are stressed is more “acceptable” than saying you’re anxious. But there are vital differences which leaders need to be aware of for themselves and their colleagues. Both are caused by our own thinking and “perceptions”, as in […]
Do you think of leadership as a goal that you may achieve and be good at one day? Ticking off a set of criteria (possibly by attending specific training courses) that get you to the end goal of “Being a Good Leader”? Are you putting additional pressure on yourself to be the best leader, as […]
Have you been told that you don’t take enough risks when coming up with new ideas? Or you need to look beyond the day to day and find new and innovative ways to take the team/business forward? Or you need to do more on building and leading new strategies? Additionally, as a leader, have you […]
The biggest challenge for leaders of today is the shift in power away from a command and control, carrot and stick management, to an understanding that their focus needs to be on others. As organisations grow and develop over the next few years, leaders will benefit from concentrating on empowering, team building and coaching their […]
In a previous article I talked about Motivational Needs and how leaders can motivate or de-motivate their colleagues and teams using psychological rewards or threats against fundamental values such as fairness, significance, variation, certainty, autonomy and connection. Now I wanted to move away from the leadership skills and review what you can do as an […]
A major conflict between departments can cause considerable delay to organisational success and stress for those involved. A recent discussion I had was regarding a stand-off between a client’s Sales and Operations departments. Sales were concerned that the Operations department were hampering their ability to win new clients with strict processing rules, and Operations believed the Sales department […]
When it comes to the important things in your life, you don’t want to have to learn how to do them alone. For instance, how would you feel if you were handed a manual and told that you were going to be driving in a city for the first time in an hour, by yourself? […]
It’s often reported that employees leave their managers, not the organisation. The manager is the person, more than anyone else, who help others thrive, increase employee engagement and determine the success for individuals and the business. Or they can demotivate and drive employees away, even to the competitor. High turnover statistics, especially when there are […]
As a leader, can you spot those around you who are just telling you want you want to hear? Those who may be “spinning” you one line, but causing havoc and conflict with other team members or departments around you? Many of us will have experienced seeing someone manage up very well to their boss, […]
Want to get the best out of your team, but feel that you haven’t got the time to do it? Your workload may well already be stressful enough, with targets and demands from senior executives. I can certainly relate to that sentiment, as I often found myself “managing” during the day and “working” either side […]
How often have you tried to talk to someone, doing your best to explain to them as clearly as possible your ideas or thoughts, only to find that at the end their understanding of what you said was very different from yours? Or, in other words, they just didn’t get it. Words are used to […]