There’s a follow-up and there’s being a pest. Nobody wants nagging reminders, especially when already given feedback. Persistent emails usually get trashed. However, NO follow-up is such a wasted lost opportunity. Following up is also the reaching out after a problem to make sure someone is okay, or when you have promised to do something […]
Ahh, the ideal co-worker – how many do you know? The good news is that we’re all likely to encounter one or two such paragons somewhere along the line. In reality, most people are nearing perfection when they make the effort to exercise several or more of the following traits. 1. Pride in workplace – […]
“Discovery” Albert Szent-Gyorgyi wrote, “is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought”. Very true, which is why all workplaces seeking to make their mark should provide the following necessary conditions for creativity and innovation. Space This means a certain amount of latitude to pursue a problem or consider alternatives. […]
We are all different, we are motivated by different things and we need to be handled and motivated accordingly. Managers need to recognise people’s individual potential. Many companies initiate rewards programs hoping that bonuses, commissions, an award plaque or the carrot of an overseas conference will do the trick. It’s really worth knowing what makes […]
We sit on a continuum between waste and productivity when it comes to time and personal effects-management. And some of us could definitely pull up our socks, particularly if it’s adversely impacting our health, finances and other people’s lives. Typical time-wasters do the following: They attempt too much at once; They can be unrealistic about […]
There’s always a premium paid to “honesty” in life and the workplace, but as we’ve all experienced, one person’s honesty is another person’s red flag. Truth is not necessarily absolute; part of the “conversation” we have in democracy is that invariably people are going to disagree somewhere along the line. Very often, clashes are triggered […]
Hurtful phrases may be worse than sticks and stones. Either way, those hurts jangle when someone either deliberately or in haste flings negative words your way: • “You made yet another mistake” • “You’re always saying sorry!” • “Whatever” • “No idea” • “Don’t be so stupid!” • “Well, good for you” Sarcasm is often a […]
Managers really need to manage themselves, I declared when interviewed recently about the fact that Apple founder Steve Jobs cried in front of staff. I admire the fact he did (though I suspect a lot of it had to do with his perfectionist streak) but believe there are times when people in charge must hold it […]
“Democracy is a conversation” – that’s one great line in the otherwise rather maligned film, Batman versus Superman. It’s also one of the world’s big conundrums, as Winston Churchill acknowledged and recent times have demonstrated. Just because we’re surrounded by “conversations” (online and elsewhere) doesn’t mean the majority of us are good at it. Rather the […]
