My (mostly) weekly thoughts on leadership, high performance, wellbeing and more.
Have a read through, or you can see a complete index here
Ever thrown every fact in the book at someone, but failed to budge them? Or conversely, how often have you sat firm in an opinion despite the best efforts of someone to convince you that you were wrong? It happens when people use facts to try and persuade – when emotions work much more convincingly.
To be more effective and confident in a big meeting or interview, ask yourself this one question.
Read MoreIf I offered to pay you $1,000,000 to sit in a meeting room for an hour each day for a week, could you find the time? I thought so. Time management isn’t only about time, it’s about purpose. Here’s 3 steps to help you clear some clutter from your schedule and make some space for what matters.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever turned down the music to concentrate on a tricky driving manouver, you know we’re not wired to do two things at once. Interruptions at work make deep focus impossible, yet multitasking is a myth and deep focus is essential to productivity. Here’s an easy tip to help you concentrate at work… and enjoy it.
Read MoreThere can be nuggets of gold in negative feedback but it can be hard to find them when we feel attacked. This week I’m sharing a handy “Is it this? Or this?” table to help you work through whether negative feedback is constructive or destructive.
Read MoreSo you’re outside your comfort zone – what now? Understanding the four stages of learning can help you cope with the challenge and maintain your momentum. Here’s how to use the four stages of learning to make that new habit stick.
Read MoreYou're human; running at 110% is not sustainable. Exhaustion and burnout are serious problems in law. Setting boundaries is essential for lawyers to maintain a healthy balance in their lives. Yet succeeding in law practice can make this very challenging. Here’s 5 tips to help lawyers (and other humans) set and maintain boundaries.
Read MoreQuick: you have three minutes to prepare a song to perform in front of the group! Your comfort zone is comfortable… and essential. So is challenging it. But don’t make the mistake of thinking the panic zone is where you need to be. You can be confident outside your comfort zone – it’s all about balance.
Read MoreGo hard or go home! We know it’s easier for humans to make big changes by starting small, but we keep forgetting. In organisations, the impact is magnified.
Read MoreIf play is so good for us, smart people would spend lots of time doing it… right? Recently I’ve been revisiting Life Lessons by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler. I was reminded how central playfulness is to our wellbeing, and how often and easily we seem to put it low down on our lists.
Read MoreHumans are wired, for survival, to avoid threats and pain. And we’re wired to prioritise immediate threats over distant ones. Which makes sense. If it’s a choice between fleeing a fast approaching tiger, thereby leaving some food behind and being hungry later, or avoiding later hunger by hanging around for a nice meal as the tiger runs towards you… clearly, it’s an easy choice.
Read MoreI’ve learned, now, that slowing down can sometimes actually get you further than going fast. And sometimes quick, profound change is what’s needed. The challenge is knowing when to use which approach.
Read MoreAs a leader approaching 2021, have you considered the biggest challenges you expect your people to face this year, and how you will operate and lead?
Read MoreHaving a framework can really help people make positive change in their lives and can be useful tools to have in the kit. I’m sharing with you a framework I’ve developed to guide me over the summer break.
Read MoreToday I’m sharing six practical tips that you can apply when you’re sinking at work. When it comes to escaping quicksand, slow and steady wins the race.
Read MoreThere are indeed moments of genuine connection and sparks of curiosity and insight on LinkedIn and other social media. Often, I am delighted to read about someone’s exciting news. I enjoy sharing things of value with people. But I rarely think to post pictures of me doing my job. Perhaps I should.
Read MoreWhen we are working hard without having the impact we want, we can respond by struggling harder. Don’t beat yourself up over responding in the “wrong” way - that will only make it worse. Stop, think clearly, and gently, slowly ease out of the mud.
Read MoreOver the years I’ve been coaching, many clients have been facing decisions around making a career change. Often, they are struggling with the unknown and finding it difficult to decide what kind of role they are looking for.
Read MoreLately I've been thinking about "being cruel to be kind". I'm against it. Why not just be kind? That might (will) mean making decisions other people don't like, but that's very different from treating people with contempt and indifference.
Read MoreWhen faced with significant change, do you continue operating as your authentic self, or flip completely to meet the new needs? Here are my tips for expanding what is authentic and sustainable for you.
Read MoreChange management has historically been about helping people, teams and organisations get through a change. The big assumption is that there’s an “other side”, when the job is done and the change is complete. I hear a lot of people talking about getting through 2020, on the assumption that somehow in 2021 things will get back to “normal”. Maybe they will. I’m not counting on it.
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