Have you been in a situation where a major success has been achieved, but when asked what was the driving force, every person, leader and/or department involved has taken some kind of credit? It was the customer research, the new processes, the systems enhancements, the marketing, the leadership skills. Although we learn a lot from […]
I love to dance! That’s my passion and it would take a lot to stop me from getting to my lesson. Not only do I enjoy the process of learning, but it’s also a good way of reducing stress and having fun. But there are also benefits that can be transferred into your leadership role, […]
Self confidence is important in all aspects of our lives, and especially in our leadership role. But it’s something that many people struggle to obtain, and without it being successful is a lot more difficult. For instance, someone who stands with their head held high, speaks clearly, answers questions with conviction and who can admit […]
Confidence doesn’t seem to be something that gets discussed a lot when it comes to leadership. But you may have noticed certain behaviours in a leader and not realised that that behaviour is actually down to a severe lack of confidence. One such leader joined an established team and rather than taking time to notice […]
OK, I’m going to apologise before I start, as this subject is a bit of a bug bear of mine!! And this comes after a recently discovery that a UK company has informed their staff that there are no salary increases this year, but are willing to pay $4m a year on recruitment agencies. Good […]
Being a leader can be a very fulfilling role. Seeing employees achieve great successes, learn new skills, develop new behaviours and take on leadership roles of their own provides a very satisfying feeling to those who have been part of that development. However, at times, it can seem very overwhelming. Do you feel you have […]
During one of my Financial Services Senior Exec interviews on Leadership (see video), a great observation about inappropriate leadership was raised. And that was about amplifying the stresses and pressure from above down to your team, and the consequences of doing that to those who receive it. One of my personal experiences was during the crucial […]
Do you sometimes reflect back and wonder why your career isn’t progressing in the way you had hoped or planned, and you’re not sure how to change things? Or you may feel that you’re drowning in expectation (from your boss, team, peers, family, friends, or even yourself) – trying to do all that is required […]
Nobody likes making mistakes (I know, obvious Karen!), but there’s a big difference to your approach when you’re scared of making them. There’s the personal fear, but it could also be that your organisation has a “blame culture” where mistakes are frowned upon and people are always on the lookout for a scapegoat. This would […]
As far as I’m concerned, self-awareness is one of the keys to great leadership. If you know what motivates you, stresses you, triggers certain behaviours in you, you can then start to truly appreciate the differences in others and find it much easier to adapt your style to your team’s needs. As a leader, would […]
You’re working on a project that has very tight deadlines. You like to organise your time, with a step by step approach, complete the tasks early so that you have time to deal with any unforeseen circumstances and still hit the deadline. However, your colleague seems to be working on their tasks sporadically, a flexible […]
Although research has shown that 18-26% of managers’ time is spent on dealing with conflict, there is more than just time that can be gained from effective handling and conflict management. Whenever there are disagreements between colleagues (be that regarding tasks, projects, handling specific situations) where different perspectives, information and expertise are brought to the […]
During a conversation I was having with a group of managers recently, an interesting discussion stood out to me as an easy win to improve relationships with teams. The managers were saying that their Senior Executive walked into their small department every day and sat down at their desk having only said hello to fellow […]
Rarely do people enjoy arguing with others, and I’ve found that most leaders find that dealing with conflict can be an uncomfortable necessity. Research has also shown that 18-26% of a manager’s time can be spent dealing with conflict resolution – that’s a lot of hours on an aspect that most don’t find enjoyable! Unfortunately, […]
I was writing a blog about the successful ways of destroying morale, and it crossed my mind that many of the attributes I included I had experienced first-hand from managers. But then it got me thinking about the kind of manager I had become directly because of those experiences. You may have heard people say […]
The impact on the company when morale is low can be obvious in terms of productivity, client service and top employee retention, but often managers are at a loss as to how to improve it, and some can be unaware of the impact they themselves are having in its decline. Without respect, trust, consideration and […]
Are employees more frustrated with people calling in sick too often, or when they come in to the office when they should have stayed at home? Employees taking days off sick can cause a delay in work or projects being completed, reduced productivity and increased workloads (and possibly overtime costs) for those taking up the […]
During a recent chat with some friends, one of the biggest management headaches they’ve been dealing with is the rise in absence levels. Senior management, who have been reviewing the statistics, have asked them to incorporate new procedures to interview every person who’d had more than 3 days off in a row. I know this […]
Although there are many individual requirements to take into consideration when motivating our employees, we can also find some general expectations on motivating each of the “Generations” in our teams. Having diverse teams covering different generations, in my book, is ideal as it provides a breadth of experience, an increased ability to learn from each […]
There have been many studies showing that money is not a good motivator, even though it is usually at the top of the performance-related schemes in organisations. So, if money doesn’t work, what does? From the research, praise and recommendation from their immediate manager, recognition, personal satisfaction, career growth and a challenging role seem to […]
Strictly Come Dancing is one of my favourite shows on TV – not least because I love to dance myself and am lucky enough to have regularly danced with two of the professionals of the show – but that’s another story!! What is also fascinating about the show for me is the change in confidence […]
I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day and he was discussing his current relationship, and during the conversation those familiar words “I don’t understand why …” came up. Immediately it reminded me of a few years back, when my girlfriends and I decided we needed to write a book called […]
Whether you have taken over from your previous boss, moved to manage a new team in your organisation, or have been brought in externally, you want to be taken seriously from the outset. This requires you to know your job description, but also the culture within the team and the organisation. The first 3 months […]
When leaders are developing their communication skills, it’s worth understanding how events around us can trigger a reward or threat scenario in our minds, and what this can do to our ability to think clearly. Let’s take fairness as an example. If we feel that we’ve been unfairly treated or taken advantage of, this can […]
One of the key drivers for successful leadership skills, in my opinion, is the ability to understand yourself (i.e. self-awareness). Without knowing how you are going to react to situations, what your biases may be, or challenges you may enjoy or try to avoid, it’s difficult to then understand those in your team and inspire […]
A friend and I decided that we would be spontaneous the other weekend and go to Gatwick airport and get a flight to somewhere, with no pre-determined ideas as to where. For those naturally spontaneous people, that won’t sound particularly strange, but for us very organised types, it was an interesting challenge! The additional goal for […]
Science has proved that monetary rewards to top performers actually leads them to worse performance! And bonuses certainly don’t work if you want to encourage creativity and innovation. What works best is recognition and allowing people to learn, have individual goals and work on projects that they really care about and can focus on. Obviously […]
In management, it is important to identify and value the differences individuals bring to the success of the team and the organisation; building on this where it works well. Each manager’s style can contribute to a positive and progressive team or (as you may have encountered from some of your bosses), if unaware of their […]
It is usually understood that “fear” is rational but is called a “phobia” when the fear becomes irrational. These irrational fears are driven by emotions; meaning willpower, facts and reassurance have little impact. Phobias can make the sufferer’s life miserable, cause embarrassment and undermine self-esteem. Phobias can easily develop in childhood or in adulthood, and […]
Departments, by nature, have specific role expectations and specific characteristics in order for them to function effectively. However, that very difference can also cause miscommunication when interacting with one another. By way of example, for this blog, I’m going to look at the roles of Sales, Marketing and Operations, but the same principle applies to […]