Many years ago, I worked for a firm where the expectation was everyone would work huge hours. This was modelled by a guy who worked 5am-12am every day. When his wife had baby, rather than vary his schedule, he just hired a live-in nurse to take care of her. When I later worked with high-needs…
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I often encounter people who have had negative experiences with psychometrics – both as a candidate and as a hiring manager. But with my process, I’m continually told how valuable they are – by candidates and clients alike. So what makes the difference? Here’s my take on what to do, and what to avoid. I’d…
While I love working one-on-one to help chief executives perform at their peak, there is something very special about getting a group of leaders on the same page about how they’ll lead. And that’s exactly what I’m getting to do this week! The organisation was particularly insightful in their desire to combine two things: So…
If most of us agree that feedback is a gift, why isn’t everyone asking to do a 360? Well, because lots of people have had awful experiences with them. And it’s not so much about the feedback itself, but more about how the process was conducted and how the information was used. When used correctly,…
One of the things I’m often called in to do is “relationship optimisation”; in other words, helping two people who aren’t getting on get their relationship back on track and work together better. When I sit down with each person to understand the problem from their perspective, I invariably find one or more of the…
My younger self was pretty combative. Always standing up for what I believed in, arguing the point, and trying to make others see it my way. The problem was – they didn’t. These days, I’m no less principled and passionate; but my approach to influencing has changed dramatically. Some people think I do it this…
I’ve noticed this movement lately of people being closed to feedback. When asked: “Can I give you some feedback on that?”, they don’t brace for impact; they politely say “No”. If you’re taking this approach (or want to!), I can see your point. I don’t think it’s good to open ourselves up to feedback from…
Especially in the current climate, every organisation I talk to seems to want the same thing. They want their people to quickly embrace change and readily initiate it. In other words, they want to be change-resilient. And fast. If you’re light on budget and short on time, my favourite way to achieve this is to…
Last weekend, while I was out enjoying the sunshine, my 16-year-old was drumming up business for his new window-washing business. After spending weeks sourcing the right gear, honing his craft and researching sales techniques, he couldn’t wait to get stuck in. He door knocked for hours. 10 to be exact. And not a single bite.…
I am a tough nut to crack. The more someone tries to push me – into an idea, a product or a service – the more reluctant I become. It’s not that I’m purposefully obstinate. The daughter of an engineer, I’ve been encouraged to think critically from such a young age; it’s in my blood.…