Is your workplace humble or arrogant?

Do you work with someone with an inflated ego? A friend told me recently how her barrister friend was preening over a recent victory. She told told him that he is conceited. He replied: “Really? People have told me I’m arrogant, not conceited.” She went straight back to the dictionary; her hairsplitting friend was correct. “Conceit” is […]

Don’t be so biased!

Bias is usually a generalisation based on limited experiences or examples, and at work it can close us down to new experiences with people. We don’t always perceive bias. Sometimes it’s in ourselves or it may be lurking in the person right near you. It may be: an assumption voiced as fact an irrational or […]

Which animal are you at work?

Some British scientists recently released a study showing how sheepdogs successfully herd sheep.  It’s simple: apparently sheepdogs dart around from behind, notice if there’s any strays from the clump, chase them into a cohesive whole and then drive the flock towards the preferred destination. The study actually forms the basis for an algorithm to be designed […]

Think before you rant

Corporate psychopaths are always in the news, and with the advent of social media and online forums, some employees have been getting their revenge.  A bad boss can be named and shamed in seconds, and while our defamation and libel laws are catching up with the new terrain, lots of people are getting away with […]