I think you would agree that there is more to life than work. A lot more. Then why can so many of us be found… …sending emails at 10pm …checking our inbox on a Sunday afternoon …opening our laptops at 7am and closing them late into the night? That doesn’t seem very sustainable. Nor very
I was listening to an interview with Kate Jenkins when she was talking about the independent review into parliamentary workplaces. Of course, the findings of the review, which she chaired, are shocking and illuminating. But one thing she said during the interview stuck with me. Jenkins explained that often parliamentarians get elected and are suddenly
I was talking to a leader recently, and she stopped me with an epiphany: I’m just basically doing their job for them. I keep asking them how they are doing, but the reality is I need to ask them to bring things back to me when they are done. You see, she was doing all
How often do you tell them.. • That you don’t have the answer to a question or problem • That you need help with something • That you’re not sure what the next best step is and you’ll need their input figuring it out. I’m going to guess it’s not all that often. And there’s
I think it’s fair to say that the last year or so has turned our idea of how we work on its head. Things many of us thought were impossible are now the norm. But structured and flexible work approaches will continue to exist because they’re both necessary; what we know is that each type suits
Stay connectedIt may seem like overkill to say that to manage performance well you need to stay well connected, accessible and check in with your staff often about how they’re tracking. But it’s quite the opposite. It’s essential to supporting an engaged team that feels valued and performs well. Schedule regular check-insAs well as being
Be honest, are you a tiny bit uncomfortable with your staff working from home, out of sight, where you can’t see them? You wouldn’t be the only one. Let’s face it, many of us come from an environment where our time behind the desk equals our value as an employee, how productive we are, etc.
Welcome to the club. To be clear, feeling like an impostor doesn’t mean you are one. On the contrary. Some of the most successful, accomplished people suffer from it. Think Michelle Obama, Sheryl Sandberg or Tina Fey. So you’re in great company. In all seriousness though, impostor syndrome is not a helpful feeling. Described by
Working from home, connecting with your team, with your colleagues and stakeholders, all of it mostly via your computer screen…it gets a bit lonely and demotivating, doesn’t it? There’s no easy replacement for those accidental encounters we have while we’re making a cup of tea in the kitchen, or grabbing a coffee or lunch together.
There’s been a lot of talk lately (and rightly so) about virtual and hybrid teams. What do you think? Are they just a temporary workaround? Or are they here for the long haul? I think they’re probably here to stay for a while. But the real question is…what happens to the way we work, AKA