Now, I know this idea isn’t exactly hot off the press. You’re busy, living a full life, probably juggling a million things at once. Let’s be real, you’ve probably learned to kick perfectionism to the curb a while ago. This ain’t your first rodeo. But yesterday, I got a solid reminder that "done" is always better than "perfect" - because ... [Read On]
How those work challenges help you step up as a human
A number of years ago I wrote an article about how our work journey is part of our spiritual journey, and partly what I was saying is that the work challenges we face are often growing us not just professionally but personally too. These days, for me, separating out our personal and professional selves is virtually impossible. I believe the whole ... [Read On]
Are you heading down the stress highway at the mo …
I’m seeing a few scenarios playing out for people at the moment that are all variations on a theme – heading down the stress highway. As a reformed stress-junkie myself, I can tell you that this highway can be deceptive. It can look like a cool, happening, busy kinda place where you’re doing lots of good stuff, putting out fires and making things ... [Read On]
The Five Minute Brainstorm That Can Transform Your Life at Work
Let me start by saying that every article I write is in the hope that it will make a practical, poetic or profound difference to you in some way. That’s probably a lot of expectation to place on these words as they drop onto the page like stilettos down a staircase, but it is honestly what I intend each time I write. This post is no different, ... [Read On]
Work is work. Play is play. Or is it? (Hell, no!)
Alan Watts, revered philosopher, writer and speaker, had a very elegant way of describing many things – including our approach to work: “You are involved by and large in a very strange business system which divides your day into work and play. Work is something that everybody does and you get paid to do it because nobody could care less about doing ... [Read On]
Giving feedback and understanding performance
Giving feedback: the task of a manager that most managers most detest! Oh, how easy it is to put it off and never quite get around to it (even though we all know that one of the golden rules of giving feedback is to make it timely). It doesn’t have to be that way. The trick is to be clear about what you want the conversation to achieve and to know ... [Read On]
Do your people get out of bed to do a shitty job?
Do your people really get out of bed to do a shitty job at work? Employee performance is something that has interested me for over 20 years and this is a conversation I’ve had hundreds of times over the years with managers at all levels and across numerous industries. What is going on when someone isn’t performing? When they’re not stepping up, ... [Read On]
Want to be a brilliant leader? Build your EQ.
It’s not news that things are a-changing, the world of work included. Once upon a time, when someone was hired to management, the big focus was on their IQ and their qualifications. How prestigious is their degree? How intelligent are they? Historically, workplaces have focused on IQ as the main predictor of performance at work, trusting that this ... [Read On]
Passion can burn you out, so go easy ok?
If you love your job, if you feel as if it’s not even ‘real work’ and could do it all the live long day whether you were being paid or not, you are probably what they call ‘passionate’ about what you do. For me that expression is a very twee way of saying you LOVE what you do. It’s you living ‘on purpose’. You fired up. You with your heart ... [Read On]
More on how to beat overwhelm at work
What I notice for a lot of people wanting to beat overwhelm, lower their stress and feel more control in their day, is that they’re not taking that control. They’re bobbing on an ocean of busy-ness, demands and distractions and going where the merry water will take them. They may occasionally try grabbing an oar and shuffling some water, hoping to ... [Read On]