I’ve come across many HR folk and trainers that are understandably a bit nervous about giving 360 feedback. It can be a sensitive situation, and needs to be handled with care. It’s also important to make sure that there are positive outcomes, or it as all been a waste of [...]
On 7 July 2015 I ran a webinar on Group work Skills for Unimenta. You can watch it here. […]
I’ve been exploring views on using webinars as training tools. Below are the headlines from the survey plus the beginning of the report, which explains why the research was done. Click the link of you would like to see the full report. […]
First published in the journal of Oxford Business College Pros and Cons: Psychopaths in the business environment This feature investigates what psychopaths in the workplace are like, how to spot them, and how psychopaths can be bad or good for a business organisation. It also raises questions about a possible contagious effect of the psychopathic mind set. [...]
Here’s our Special Spring Offer: We will deliver a complimentary two hour Interpersonal Skills workshop when you buy 20 copies of the highly acclaimed Face to Face in the Workplace for your staff. What’s in it for you? Face to Face in the Workplace is designed to make training budgets go further, by helping staff to help [...]
I was speaking with a client recently about what managers want, and the old chestnut of ‘not being able to please all the people all of the time’ came up. This is never truer than in the training room. I’ll spare you from a description of all the ever moving [...]
I had a phone call from a journalist at the Evening Standard recently – she had seen the article on delegation I wrote a while back for Guardian Careers (you can see that here). She wanted to know if I thought that executives felt stress because they were unable to delegate. Of course, there is an [...]
It’s been a long while since I read ‘Eat that Frog’, Brian Tracy’s famous book on time management. It advises us to do the one thing we’ve been dreading or putting off, reckoning that things can only get easier once we’ve done that. It is a policy I often use, [...]
Why do I do what I do? What was my lightbulb moment? How do I maintain balance? What is the scariest thing I've done? What is my vision? What advice would I give other business owners? What obstacles have I had? So many questions! These and many more were aimed at me [...]
Many employers use personality questionnaires when recruiting, especially when they are looking to fill senior positions or they are looking for very specific personality traits. It can feel like a dark art is being used, but really it isn’t! Here are a few tips to help you prepare. […]
Research tells us that 80% of our discretionary effort is down to the relationship with our line manager, yet somehow they don’t always get the best from us. Why is that? We could just blame them – or we can take some responsibility and actively work towards a better understanding. Is managing your boss even [...]
I recently had the honour of speaking at the graduation ceremony for Oxford Business College. I talked about DNA – no, not that DNA, this one… Decision making It occurred to me that for many of us, choosing a college is the last big decision we make that is heavily influenced by adults – parents [...]
“Should you write that book?” was the topic at Trainers Network Northamptonshire recently. Publishing has changed beyond recognition in the last decade and is now accessible to all. Apparently 25% of us made a New Year’s resolution to write a book! […]
So you don’t do small talk? You have no need for inconsequential trivia? I’m sure you’d rather deal in the important stuff of life. I hear this quite often. I’m sure the perpetrators don’t intend to take the moral high ground, yet it feels like that sometimes. Let me tell [...]
Widely praised in the UK, Face to Face in the Workplace is now available in the USA through Amazon.com. We’re delighted to be able to give Face to Face in the Workplace a wider audience and look forward to some feedback from colleagues in America. […]
People coming to us for advice is a normal part of life. They might be asking questions, wanting solutions or guidance on how to sort something out. Have you ever thought about the ways you can respond? One thing is for sure – there is not a ‘one size fits [...]
Decisions, teamies and inspiration were the themes from this episode of the Knowing Your business Show. Three seemingly diverse businesses turned out to have much in common. I really enjoyed co-hosting, giving me the opportunity to quiz business owners. […]
I had no idea what to expect on an improv course , but as a trainer I am always open to learning new ideas, especially those that might translate into useful activities in the training room. I was delighted to be invited by Paul Z Jackson, a colleague from [...]
I was asked recently to run a couple of sessions for HR students on success in organisations. I asked them to identify ‘What good looks like’ in their own companies – always a useful exercise, as we are usually much better at pointing out the short comings than recognising the [...]
The ‘Love Your Job’ Awards ceremony was a lovely event, filled with positivity and news of great achievements. I was honoured to be asked to give the National Careers Service Award for Innovation and Improvement […]
A collection of articles written by a wide variety of HR professionals on topics they feel passionately about, has been released on Kindle today, bringing a real insight into today's business issues. "This Time its Personnel" is a follow up to the hugely popular "Humane, Resourced", has been published on Kindle and gone to the top of [...]
I married a creative genius, who constantly comes up with all kinds of ideas, sometimes practical, sometimes not. He just doesn’t see the boundaries that most of us are hidebound by, so his imagination roams unfettered. At times, I really appreciate his ability to see things in a different light, [...]
Podcasts from the Knowing Your Business Show are now available here. I had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Matt Bird, the one and only Relationologist, who was filled with wisdom about how we can improve our people skills – and why it is important. Matt’s site is http://www.relationology.co.uk/ […]
Brad Burton, MD of 4Networking, visited Banbury recently to deliver a powerful talk which inspired everyone in the room. Brad pulls no punches and spoke passionately about work/life balance. […]
We all have to give feedback from time to time – or do we? In my experience, it’s common to feel that you ‘have’ to tell someone something that has come to your attention. What is a lot less common, is taking the time to think what will be gained [...]
I was pleased to have the opportunity to take a stand at Banbury in Business, which is an annual event featuring a wide range of exhibitors, as well as a full programme of speakers. Its aim is to support an increase in local trade, and make advice available from a range of experts. […]
To celebrate the first anniversary of the publication of Face to Face in the Workplace, we gave away the Kindle edition for five days. Over 400 people took the opportunity to download it for free. […]
Emma Sue Prince, Director of Unimenta spoke at a CIMA event about the themes in her book,The Advantage:The 7 soft skills you need to stay one step ahead (which I reviewed a while back, here). Emma Sue is passionate about the need for a new skill set in today’s world, and [...]
I was asked these questions about meeting and greeting by a journalist recently, so I thought I’d share my responses here. Why do people often mis-judge a greeting (going for a handshake when the other person goes in to kiss)? There are so many variations on greetings these days that [...]
Reaping what you sow September is a lovely month. Somehow it combines new beginnings (we never forget the new school year!) with abundance and fruitfulness – the harvest that feeds us for the rest of the year. We may be a long way past school age, but you don’t need me to tell you that [...]
