Monthly articles on career success, leadership and productivity
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How to blow the doors off 2025
What will you do differently next year? I was taught that it is trite to start an article with ‘in these volatile, unpredictable and challenging times,’ but in this case, I’ll make an exception. All we can control is where we focus our time and energy, and our...
The thirty stage interview process and other mind-numbing bureaucracy
Senior candidates at one global tech company have to undergo a thirty stage process before a hiring decision is made. This is a classic example of productivity drag: the sludge in the system that gets in the way of getting things done. It's what I...
Tech firms are cancelling meetings and you should too
Last year Shopify cancelled all meetings with more than two people. Their workforce of over 11,600 employees was fully remote. 12,000 calendar events were deleted at one stroke. Wednesdays became totally meeting-free. In research shared...
How to spot a hopeless manager
These characteristics were identified at a highly entertaining brainstorm. It’s not so entertaining if you are working for one of these people and relying on them for your career development. They see 'people stuff' as an annoying distraction. Enlighten them. Tell...
Are you burnt out and in need of a holiday?
Burnout is defined as a ‘state of vital exhaustion’. You feel like you have run a marathon in a wet fur coat. The demands of work, which sometimes seem unreasonable, are compounded by long sedentary days spent in front of screens. Here’s some...
Management 101: everything you need to know about being a manager
It's not easy to juggle your own priorities with managing other people. Are you an accidental manager: someone who has been given a team to manage without being shown how to do it? Are you squandering precious time checking that your team's work meets...
Have mental health days gone too far?
I’ve been running two leadership programmes recently and the topic of mental health days has come up in both. Participants said that people in their teams routinely take days off when they felt stressed or overwhelmed. The pandemic normalised...
DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender)
DARVO (Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender) is a form of manipulation used by bullies to deflect responsibility onto the person they have abused. Deny – The person accused of the abusive behaviour denies it, throwing doubt on the other person’s account of the...
Why is your colleague so lazy?
Help! I’ve got a lazy colleague who doesn’t pull his weight. The only deadline he’s interested in is 5.30, when he’s out the door, leaving the rest of us to finish the work. He looks busy and is on Teams all day, but he doesn’t do much. This was...
Are you a Conflict Avoider?
Help! I’ve got a lazy colleague who doesn’t pull his weight. The only deadline he’s interested in is 5.30, when he’s out the door, leaving the rest of us to finish his work. He seems busy and is on Teams all day, but he doesn’t do much - except maybe...
Where is Wayne Rooney going wrong?
The ‘golden generation’ of English football players has failed to make it as managers. What can we learn from them?Wayne Rooney was sacked by Birmingham City football club after 83 days in charge. His team had won just two games in 15 matches. He joins...
My Type A behaviour is upsetting the snowflakes
The shadow side of high achievers and the risky business of accidental managers. Deadline-driven, confident and highly competitive, people with Type A personality traits are real go-getters. But as with all strengths, you can have too much of a good thing. The cracks...