Creating equality in your hybrid meetings
We can all see how the way we work has changed in so many ways over the last year, and I believe we will never go back to the same way of working again. What the future of work looks like is still unclear, but one of the things I envisage being part of our […]
Read MoreBe explicit about deadlines when requesting work
Myself and my partner Vera went to the movies recently, and as always, had a little laugh at the start of the movie. In the local cinema we go to, a big sign comes up on screen just before the movie starts that says: Please bring your glasses back to the bar This always makes […]
Read MoreThe stories we tell ourselves
I reckon we all tell a few white lies from time to time. I personally hold honesty as a key value, but I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to the little lies that just make things easier. And sometimes we tell ourselves and our colleague’s stories that bend the truth […]
Read MoreA year that stretched me for the better
As we start to draw the curtains on what has been one of the most challenging years in memory, I would like to say a big thank you and share some learnings. I am a glass half-full type of guy, so I’ve been reflecting on what I have learned over the past eight months. COVID-19 […]
Read MoreIt is not all about you
I recently had a conversation with a senior client about her struggle to get her team to approach their weekly 1:1 meetings in a consistent way. She had started to use MS OneNote to share discussion lists with a couple of her team and was so pleased with the result she wanted to extend this […]
Read MoreWhen communicating urgency does not help
One of my colleagues in the training industry is Chris Meredith. Chris helps people to create, capture and communicate great ideas. When I was writing Urgent!, he shared a story with me about communicating urgency that I thought was worth sharing with you. I was once teaching a friend to skipper a yacht. We were […]
Read MoreMake your deadlines highly visible
One of the key strategies we teach in our Smart Work program is the idea of managing the Start Date of a task, not the Due Date. The premise here is that if your task list is sorted by Due Dates, there is a greater risk that you may fall into the trap of leaving things until […]
Read MoreWorking under pressure
I read a great blog (The lie of working better under pressure) recently that got me thinking about working under pressure, especially under the pressure of a deadline. The blog was aimed at students, but I think it holds a lesson for all of us, as many of our unproductive habits around deadlines come from […]
Read MoreThe missing link for mobile workflow management
I, like many people, rely heavily on my smart phone to manage my work when I am out and about. I personally use an iPhone and love the fact that I can see my calendar, deal with emails on the fly, and even schedule tasks into my task list seamlessly using my phone. I have […]
Read MoreHow to make team agreements stick
A member of my team was having a conversation with a client recently about our Smart Teams program. They were keen to look at ways to create a more productive email culture but were hesitant because they had tried to embed a set of email protocols in the past, but nothing had changed. Their concern was that […]
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