Monthly articles on career success, leadership and productivity
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Imposter syndrome can be useful to you
Imposter syndrome, as if you didn’t know, is when you doubt your abilities and feel like you are going to be rumbled as a fraud. For most of us, it’s a short-lived experience when we feel out of our depth in new situations or roles.It...
Can you spot a Rescuer?
Rescuers are bad managers with kind intentions. The stereotypical bad boss is an insensitive bully. Word soon gets round about them. Harder to spot is another bad boss, the Rescuer. These are compassionate people with a burning desire to help...
Let’s talk about Love
'Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life'. Is this true for you?In previous generations most people just did their jobs. It was a lucky bonus if they enjoyed their work, probably reflecting their social...
Are you soaring with eagles or scratching with turkeys?
Do the people around you raise you up or bring you down? Nurture an inspiring group of people around you, their influence is monumental Relationships have a big impact on the goals we set and whether we achieve them. Reflect on the people you spend the most...
A Christmas Tale about Boundaries
Everyone loved Noel, the Operations Manager. Every customer knew him, every colleague relied on him. His team stayed friends long after they’d left the business. He was always there for everyone, picking up the slack. And he was...
How to ask for a payrise (clue: it’s not about you)
Politicians are warning us of tough times ahead. Here's some red flags if you feel tempted to go cap in hand to your employer. You'll need a better strategy than pointing out that things have got expensive, so you’d like more money please. Your request...
More meaningful team work, less daft team games
Some people still don't show up in the office, even though it's a volatile job market. I canvassed some reluctant returners to find out what they wanted: structured flexibility, clarity and buzz. 1. Security and clarity...
“I’m not doing as well as I should be”
Most of us bump along steadily at work. We hang in there, no great cockups, but rarely awakening our ‘giant within’ either. We move forwards, getting the home, holidays, and lifestyle we think we deserve. We talk about our work with a reasonable level of passion. But...
Surviving emotional labour: being nicer or nastier than natural
Is smiling in your job description? When we smile our mood improves (try it). But some of us are required to fake smiles all day. Psychologists call this ‘emotional labour’ - manipulating our feelings...
Help! My new boss has launched too many projects and I’m drowning in work
New managers, desperate to prove themselves, can feel under pressure to land quick wins. They launch multiple shiny new projects, without taking time to drill down into the real opportunities, not the on-the-surface ones. These projects may...
The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why ignorant people think they know best
In 1995 a bank robber in Pittsburgh called McArthur Wheeler attempted to rob two banks. His only disguise was to smear lemon juice on his face, convinced that it would make him invisible to security cameras. His speedy arrest intrigued social psychologists...
A crushing culture of overwork
Teachers are popping pills to keep up with their excessive workload, a recent UK teachers’ conference was told. The 24/7 culture is driving teachers out of education. School leaders were called out as the biggest culprit, messaging teachers...