Many people are put off giving any feedback at all. They underestimate how much others desire constructive feedback, and worry they could anger or upset the person they’re giving it to. We’ve all been on the receiving end of someone saying “can I give you some feedback” and immediately thinking that it’s going to be […]
There seems to be a lot of struggle in the workplace to get and keep ourselves motivated and proactive – let alone helping others. But it’s no wonder many of us are feeling a bit demotivated at the moment. Over and above the obvious issues and anxieties that we’re facing at this strange time, there […]
“Zoom fatigue” – yet another phrase we would never have said or heard of this time last year! And it would be fair to say that many people are in the “I’m bored of it all now” stage. 2020 has certainly been a masterclass in seeing how mental anxiety and stress increases when we are […]
Nobody likes to feel left out of a conversation, or that their contribution isn’t valued. Well, I’ve not met someone yet! The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” could become increasingly concerning during this current crisis. Effective leadership and communication will help keep the whole team engaged, motivated and productive, with well-being at the […]
Can human nature be causing issues in today’s organisations by instinctively being anti leadership? 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 […]
Do you know your strengths, struggles and stressors, and how these are affecting those around you? Much of our behaviour is unconscious and only becomes apparent as the “reputation” we have in the office. And our reputation can be very different to our internal dialogue or intention. But reputation is what we will be hired […]
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, even though there will be advances in robotics and AI, it’s the leadership skills around human behaviour that will be even more important to succeed in 2020. Chief Human Resources officers from global companies were asked what they thought the top 10 skills required […]
Negatives can affect us at any time, and it’s not just about being in a positive or negative mindset. As per my previous article, getting the right balance of emotions at any given time is key, especially for self-regulating our emotions as leaders and for when we’re working with others. For instance, when we’re angry, […]
We’ve all walked into a room at some stage and thought, “wow, you can cut this atmosphere with a knife”. The energy in the room is electric with negativity, conflict and possibly even anger. And most us would prefer to turn around and walk straight back out again. A negative atmosphere can spiral out of […]
I vividly remember the first time that I delegated a piece of work to someone else. It was to a lovely lady who was assisting me as I’d moved on to a new consulting role. The first piece of work was for her to put together a presentation for me. You might think that a […]
How can you keep calm when all around you seem to be getting angry and frustrated? There are some people who manage to do it easily, and keep control during difficult conversations. They come across as quietly assertive, and are highly respected for their communication skills. But unfortunately, most of us don’t, and we find […]
Procrastination: on goals, actions, to-do lists, ideas. The report that needs to be done, presentation to prepare, even fitness targets we want to achieve. They can start piling up and lead us to feel overwhelmed, which may make us procrastinate even more. Have you been known to decide to start a task, only to immediately […]
As we breathe approximately 20,000 times a day, inhaling and exhaling about 15 to 20 times a minute, you’d think we’d have it all under control. But no!! Think about the last time you were in a stressful situation, made a big mistake, or were asked a question in a presentation you couldn’t answer. What […]
Have you ever considered who’s paying the price for your emotional state? If you’re in a bad mood in one meeting, do you find that you’ve taken that mood into the next meeting? And then, those people in the second meeting are paying the price for what’s happened previously, and often have absolutely no idea […]
When trying to achieve success for goals and targets, changing a couple of tiny words can help you move your focus from negative to positive. Not only is this very useful for your personal goals, but it’s will make a difference when communicating and motivating others. For more information on how Executive Coaching can make […]
What is it that you want to change for yourself this year? What are your targets and goals for your development that you want to put in place? Change isn’t easy, and it’s rarely fast. The initial decision to change can be fast – can be overnight. Something happens, someone says something – and we […]
Are you ever worried that your communication isn’t perfect? Before your conversation (i.e. in your head), you know what you want to say and how you want to say it. You may have also considered what the other person’s thoughts or objections may be. You may even have learnt some new techniques (be it in […]
How often do you think you should be “seen” by your team? When should you be available to your team if they want to talk to you? Those keeping to the confines of their office may appear unapproachable or intimidating. And although sometimes that can feel like the better option, so work can be done […]
Not a sentence I would expect to say very often: my coat went to the theatre without me. But that’s exactly what happened the other day Having had a very nice meal at a lovely restaurant, my friend and I went with our hanger tickets to collect our coats from the receptionist, who had put […]
If you get to the end of the day and realise that you’ve helped your team do their roles, but not had a chance to do yours, it may be that you need to develop a team that takes more responsibility. It’s important for leaders to be there to help and assist their team, but […]
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 […]
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 […]
