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 […]

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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 […]

Needy, controlling and aggressive: How to handle three types of difficult people

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, […]

questioning-techniques

The art of questioning for good

Questioning is about curiosity and taking an interest in people and the world in order to unlock the unknown mysteries that surround you. Children are naturally curious, but their avidity for information wears off once they encounter rules, blocks and disinterest. We all need to develop constructive questioning techniques which help us to gradually understand […]

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How to spot givers, takers, and matchers

Adam Grant has a terrific TED Talk about “givers”, “takers” and “matchers” in the workplace. The descriptions are self-evident to some degree: we all know those who really do go out of their way to help others versus those who are much more interested in what others can do for them. The matcher The “matcher”, according to […]