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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Within the Economist Intelligence Unit report sponsored by the Hay Group, it was found that 87% of business leaders identify that employee engagement is one of the top 3 most significant threats facing their business but, even though most think it is their responsibility to improve levels, currently very few actually discuss it in their […]
In the UK, organisations have recorded that only 3-25% of their staff are highly engaged, offering a huge improvement potential for those leaders who can demonstrate the link to profitability, productivity and staff tenure. The government commissioned paper written by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke, entitled Engaging For Success, provides a number of statistics […]
Whose name is the most important and thought about name that you know? It’s yours! The average person is much more interested in their name than any others in the world. By remembering someone’s name, you are paying a very subtle, but very effective compliment. Your name sets us apart as a unique individual. Forgetting […]
A new survey has revealed that a quarter of British employees do not respect their managers, and nearly half are not motivated by them. The main findings show that: 36% say their supervisor fails to provide clear instructions 23% dislike their managers Nearly half don’t think their manager helps them develop their career 30% […]