How assertive are you?
November 5, 2011
Guest author: Melanie Greene What is assertiveness? I always find it interesting discussing the topic of assertiveness in organisations as people often mistakenly label people or behaviour as assertive, when what they are actually describing is aggressive behaviour. I usually describe assertive behaviour on my Managing Challenging Interactions workshops as including some or all of [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Who are you?
July 31, 2011
We live in a curious world where it appears that ‘things just happen’ and where control over events seems limited. Whether or not you believe you have responsibility for what’s happening, you always have choices about how to respond. If you perceive yourself as a victim of events outside your control, you instantly become helpless [...]
Read the rest of this entry »… felt compelled to stop
June 12, 2011
The location: Washington DC – a metro station The spot: The top of the escalator The time: 7:51 am, Friday morning rush hour The situation: A man puts down his cap for money, gets out his violin and starts to play. He performs classical pieces for the next 43 minutes. In that time, 1,097 people [...]
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May 22, 2011
Successful, happy people don’t always have easy, trouble free lives. In fact, they often have had to face failure, set backs, disappointments and losses. Many surprise and inspire us by transcending obstacles that would completely block other people. So, what is their secret? Luck? Destiny? Or could it be they’ve just learned how to be [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Communication – crossed wires?
March 2, 2011
Communication: Do you ever get your wires crossed? Why do communication breakdowns happen? Communication breakdowns and crossed wires can happen even in the simplest of conversations, let alone where you have to discuss something contentious or give some negative feedback to someone. There are many reasons why communication can break down in the workplace or [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Stupid stuck states
August 26, 2010
“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” Albert Einstein A stuck state means there are stupid thoughts at work. Even the most intelligent people can have blinkered areas where thinking becomes limited, where certainty rules, and where there’s a lack of open mindedness. Until these [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Tyranny of perfectionism
February 21, 2010
Do you suffer from the tyranny of perfectionism? What do we mean by perfectionism? – Perfectionism is more than just wanting to do well. The dictionary defines it as: A disposition to regard as unacceptable anything short of perfection, especially in one’s own work The doctrine that a state of perfection is attainable. Of course, [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Leading in difficult times
December 19, 2009
Well, another year is drawing to a close. And quite a roller coaster it has been. I attended an alumni event at Cranfield in October that helped me grasp the global economic issues and opened my eyes about the severity of the UK’s situation. I to share it at the time, but was concerned about [...]
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