Do you work with someone with an oversized ego? Chances are we have all come across at least one or two people with massive egos. It can be very difficult to work with someone like this. The question is, how do you know it’s an ego problem in the first place? The answer is that you can’t know for sure. The competitive nature of the work place can lead to people looking out for themselves. You could just...

Companies use several motivational techniques and tools to motivate their employees. These tend to be a combination of tangible and intangible benefits. Unfortunately, these attempts are not always successful and the workforce is not motivated. So what motivates employees? How do people differ in their motivational needs? Motivation is a core factor for a successful business and there have been many studies...

Our name is hard wired in our subconscious in such a way that it acts as an immediate trigger to get our attention. You will respond to the sound of your name more easily than you will say to the word “banana”. Despite this, according to Freud, “a person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten”. Remembering someone’s name is incredibly useful and important in both social...

Public speaking is becoming an increasing part of our day to day lives even outside of the work place. Inevitably, you must have attended presentations where the speaker mumbled, went over time, fidgeted or simply was not able to captivate the audience. Bad presentations are a waste of time, cost money and can damage reputations. So, if this is what you are aiming for here is the perfect guide for you. Follow...

Whatever the nature of your business, chances are you have to interact with clients at some stage. Whether you are selling a product or service you will need to establish trust with customers in order to do business. There are however, simple harmless words that can damage this trust. Minimal changes in your deliberate choice of words can have a huge impact on your results. If we use a backwards approach and...

This is the best blog you have ever read. Wow! What a statement. It will be quite difficult to live up to it. In addition to overstating my writing abilities, it assumes I know exactly what else you have read which is impossible. Essentially, I am destined to fail and disappoint you. So, why would I set your expectations so high right from the start? Surely I am setting myself up for failure. If you have read...

Does your boss motivate you? If you answered yes, then consider yourself to be one of the lucky few. Do you think your boss is arrogant, lazy, incompetent or plain useless? If this is your reality, you may find some consolation in knowing that unfortunately you are not alone. Having a bad boss is a major reason why many people leave their jobs. We are all different and respond to a variety of stimuli and management...

Difficult conversations are typically those that we know we should have yet keep putting off. They range from having to remind your best friend about the money they owe you, or telling your other half that you don’t want to have dinner with their family every weekend or trying to tell your colleague that they have bad breath. Why do we put these conversations off? We dread the reaction, we don’t...

If you manage a team you are probably faced with the issue of selecting team members and finding the best possible team. When we think about sports, there are specific numbers for different teams. A football team is always 11 people and basketball 5. However, when we consider the workplace there does not appear to be a set rule that determines the optimal number of team players. So how do you know if your team...

Throughout your career you have probably lost count of the number of meetings you have attended. Team meetings, department meetings, focus groups, workshops, you name it. Do you find yourself dreading your next meeting and see it as a waste of time? Well, you are not alone. It never seizes to amaze me how many meetings take place without any real purpose. Improving meetings is not about ordering bagels and coffee...