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 […]
What a hot topic. Everyone seems to be handling a difficult person — whether it is a staff member, team colleague, customer or their manager. Or they have a difficult person in their personal lives. Certain types of difficult people affect us more than others. For example: Angry, aggressive, abusive, bullying; Moody, tired, depressed, teary; Uncommitted, unmotivated, […]
If you have a good friend for a colleague you are more likely to be engaged and satisfied at work. Part of being happy at work is having at least a few colleagues with whom you get along well with. For some, these constitute true friendships that transcend location, circumstance and peer level. But for many […]
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. As a manager and customer service officer, it is an essential skill. But empathy may actually hold some people back from making business decisions. Rapport might actually be more appropriate for many work interactions — understanding others’ ideas and communicating well, thereby forging a […]
The notion of a customer dates back centuries. The origin of the expression is ‘habitual practice’, and in The Middle Ages it meant a person or business with whom one has regular dealings. By 1830, it signified ‘made to order’ (hence the notion of ‘customise’). Tailoring a customer’s experience both during and after a transaction is […]
Even if you’re not especially ambitious, many of us want to get ahead at work. It’s not really possible to remain hidden in a corner and hit the repeat button, although some jobs seem to require this. Whether you’re stagnating or gunning the motor, particular skills are called for if career progression is in order. Try these […]
“Men are from Mars, Women from Venus” was all the rage during the 1990s. Whether there’s actual proof that we are emotionally wired differently is yet to be conclusively proved (especially with gender fluidity much more highlighted these days). Controversially, according to psychologists Bobbi Carothers and Harry Reis, men and women are from Earth! Are women […]
Introducing new ideas into a workplace can be a delicate task, and one that is often carried out ineffectually. When you come up with ideas, don’t expect people to rush to adopt them; but don’t feel like it’s not worth trying just because you get little or no reaction. Instead, sharpen your strategy to be […]
The old saying “never complain, never explain” could be changed to “never blame, never complain”, but would people ever do this? Of course not. Blaming and complaining causes stress We all do our best, but standards and expectations vary. It often boils down to the fact that while people might share a common language, there are codes, […]
