We all know that teams don’t just perform at their optimum level from day 1; it takes time and energy from everyone involved, from the team members to the managers. The stages of development that teams pass through to achieve high performance, as defined by Bruce...
How often do you attend presentations and find that the slides pretty much contain the presenter’s script? And you think to yourself “You may just as well have emailed it to me and I wouldn’t need to be here”. What about presentations where the content seems...
You’ve done everything within your control to prepare for that presentation. You’ve: considered the audience – who they are, what they know and what they want ‘begun with the end in mind’ and know what you want the audience to do as a result of attending your...
Are you a TEAM or a WORKING GROUP and why does it matter? In this blog I’ll explore the difference between teams and working groups and explain why it’s important to differentiate between the two so that you don’t fall into the trap of trying to...
We all know it’s a good thing to have a development plan but, when it comes to executing it, are you taking the steps to ensure that the learning takes place and actually sticks? Maybe you’re a manager who goes through the process of development planning...
It can be exciting when you have an opportunity to work in partnership with another person, department or organisation and you’ll be keen to move forward. But, how do you make sure this partnership works ….and lasts? A Partnership is defined as “an ongoing relationship where...
It’s great when you realise that you have talented people in your organisation who show potential to do even more amazing things in future. But do you know how to harness that potential? Maybe you already have some concerns about how you can keep them...
How many presentations have you watched that were so dull the presenter might as well have given you a blanket and a cup of cocoa to finish off the process of putting you to sleep? Do you ever worry that your presentations are sending people into...
Organisations will often have values about always treating customers and colleagues with respect but sometimes, in the cut and thrust of the real world of work, this can seem like a big ask…When the going gets tough, what helps us develop this attitude without being...
Do you ever sit in meetings and wonder why the meeting is ...
Dealing with ‘difficult people’ is an energy sapper for everyone. Trouble is… we can sometimes walk into an invitation to a dead end interaction without realising it. How do we get sucked in to these human black holes? Transactional Analysis Game Theory can offer some...
Wouldn’t life as a manager be so much easier if everyone in your team was the same, so you could treat them all the same way? Unfortunately, managing people doesn’t work like that. Participants often tell us that one of the hardest things about being a...
Say you have an issue that requires a change in behaviour from an employee – how do you know when they’ve really ‘got it?’ How many times have you discussed a necessary change with a team member, where they have looked you in the eye and...
Like many, my first performance management experience was not a good one! It was an excellent lesson in how NOT to manage a performance conversation…I worked in the head office of a well-known jewellery retailer and my mid-year review was managed by Emilia* the HR...