Feedback isn’t a threat – it’s an opportunity for personal improvement and increased organisational trust. We recently concluded our 360 degree feedback process, which was, like most years, met with mixed reactions. Not surprising though; because receiving feedback is always tricky. As leaders, we often think that we are required to have all the answers. […]
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Unlock new perspectives with a ‘learning holiday’. This is the time of the year when many of us take some time off for vacations, to unplug and rejuvenate. Some of us head to the beach to frolic in the sun or the mountains to escape the heat. Some just unwind and chill out. Others visit family members […]
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How can we build a familial sense of caring and loyalty at the workplace? In business, we have colleagues and co-workers. In the military, they call each other brothers and sisters. This observation, pointed out by noted author, Simon Sinek, really resonated with me. One of the things that struck me over the last few […]
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My coaching clients have hard jobs with big responsibilities that generate lots of stress, and many of their spouses and partners have similarly demanding careers. And yet one of the most challenging experiences in their day doesn’t occur at work, but in the first 15 minutes after they arrive home and greet each other. When that initial personal encounter […]
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Fundamental Attribution Error causes you to make snap judgments and assume the worst about people. Think back to the last time a colleague failed to meet a deadline or showed up late for a meeting. In all probability, you immediately judged them: “He is such a slacker. Terrible work ethic!” Now, remember a time you failed to meet […]
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Office friendships aren’t a distraction – they increase trust, productivity, and happiness. The average Facebook user in America spends about 40 minutes a day on it. Estimates suggest that the global average is over 20 minutes or so. That’s a lot of time spent scrolling through updates on people, many of whom you probably haven’t […]
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Just like sales or RoI, it’s essential to measure and track your people skills. We are generally quite good at measuring sales, profits, return on investment, and other such metrics. But what about interpersonal skills like empathy, teamwork, and relationship-building? All too often, we overlook the crucial “soft” side of leadership in the numbers game. […]
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Hold an annual “board meeting” to agree on key objectives as a family. All of us have learnt at work about goals and planning. Long range plans, annual plans, business goals, individual goals, joint goals and review sessions are part and parcel of corporate life. Yet, while we are the same person at work and […]
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Despite advances in gender equity, many professionally ambitious women still struggle to find balance between their career and that of their partner. I was at a dinner with eight highly successful professional women recently, ranging in age from 35 to 74. Their stories were typical of research I have been conducting on dual-career couples. One had […]
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Review your Frequent Five: Do they uplift and support you? Or do they judge you and sap your energy? As children, we are told by our parents to be careful about the friends we make. And when we become parents, we offer the same advice to our kids, explaining how the people they surround themselves […]
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