We can self-sabotage in various areas of life. For example continuing to eat junk food rather than healthy food, being constantly late for meetings, even job interviews. In relationships, self-sabotaging is undermining the relationship, consciously or unconsciously. This can happen with friendships, family or romantic relationships. Watching yourself or someone else in self-sabotage mode is painful. It […]
Micro-scheduling: How to break down your time into small pieces of efficiency
Do you plan your day down to tiny chunks? There’s planning, and then there’s micro-scheduling. Some say micro-scheduling will help you to avoid getting overloaded by your mountain of tasks to do in a specific period of time. Knowing exactly what you’ve got to do every few minutes, you can tick and flick as you go, […]
Stop ‘telling it like it is’: Five ways to establish real trust in business
A lot of people confuse trustworthy with authentic. They appear to be the same qualities, in the sense that a trustworthy person tends not to put up a facade – what you see is definitely what you get. Unfortunately, there’s any number of prominent public and company figures purporting to be the real deal – inflated […]
She’ll be right, mate: Leadership in the ‘Aussie’ workplace
Terms such as ‘mate’ and ‘she’ll be right’ remain in use, indelibly associated with our national character. Once upon a time, ‘mate’ was code for a person you could rely on, who didn’t ‘dob’ others in, a benchmark for worthy behaviour. ‘Mate’ has egalitarian origins (click here for a detailed discussion on its etymology). The term acquired more unsavoury […]
Forget diets and fads, here’s how to set professional development goals this new year
Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** was a big seller in 2018. Lots of people behave that way, often causing others some misery. They’re easily spotted, and it’s not what the author intended — he is all about refusing to worry about what others think and providing an antidote to the sometimes mindless […]
10 tips for nailing email etiquette
Lean communication is appreciated more and more, because we are all under pressure and there isn’t time to beat around the bush. We need to get to the point and be able to deliver our messages concisely. Take a look at this email charter. Have you seen it before? Perhaps you’ve seen variants on this theme. […]
Fill a need and you shall earn a living: How to secure a job of the future
There are a few retrenchments happening around us, in the lead up to Christmas. That’s very tough, but a reality for many businesses trying to stay afloat and remain effective, profitable and stable for the majority of employees. Small business owners and even larger organisations’ leaders are questioning everyone’s roles. Which two jobs can become […]
The bold and the brave: How to speak up against bad culture
It seems speaking up is (finally) getting the traction it deserves. Whether it’s calling out sexist behaviour or airing a systemic wrong that has flourished unchecked for years, plain speaking is definitely having a moment. Julia Banks’ high-profile defection to the federal parliament crossbench a few days ago, and her eloquent speech about bullying in the Liberal ranks in […]
5 strategies for dealing with a manipulative co-worker
Manipulators in everyday life are not necessarily bad people. You might admire or even love a manipulator (they are frequently found in family contexts), but feel tormented by their constant conniving. I’ve dealt with a variety of difficult people over recent weeks, like the needy, controlling and aggressive, or the disrespectful, moody and procrastination-prone, but for many of […]