During my management career, I went through many a time where I thought I couldn’t be a good manager, didn’t enjoy it, or felt that I had made too many mistakes. At one time, we had a new boss join our established team, who not only didn’t understand anyone who was different or managed differently […]
Following the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, researchers studied those who had won gold, silver and bronze medals. Those who won gold seemed the happiest, but surprisingly those who received bronze seemed happier than those who got silver. According to a recent Inc.com article, this is down to what psychologists call “counterfactual thinking” or “what if”, […]
Giving feedback is a very important communication skill needed to ensure that the team members understand their contribution to success and learn from any mistakes. But there’s one word that is very important to use well if you’re going to get the desired affect (and you’ll see what I did there in a second!) And […]
If you don’t give feedback, or only rarely (eg. only during Annual appraisals), then your employees get very little encouragement to provide exceptional performance, as the assumption could be that all is fine. No news is good news? Although not great for building confidence levels. Studies have shown that people who received regular praise and […]
Think of a leader in your organisation who you trust. What makes them trustworthy? Any of the following: because they kept their promises; they supported you when you needed it; they backed you up even when they were challenged (eg by their boss, customers etc); they showed up and helped when it wasn’t convenient for […]
As provided to Moorlands Human Capital as a guest blogger: Self confidence is important in all aspects of our lives, and especially in our leadership role. A confident leader will be motivated to achieve results and find it easier to inspire those around them. But have you considered the results that an entire team of […]
Having looked at what could happen if you don’t delegate, and the benefits to you as a manager if you do, I thought it might be worth identifying where you can have the greatest impact on the process. Firstly, it’s important to appreciate any concerns you have as a manager that may be stopping you […]
What if they do a better job than me? What if they’re after my job? What if the boss thinks they are more capable than I am, and they end up getting promoted before me? What role do I have left, if I delegate all these tasks? What if they do it all wrong and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]