What do you do when a team member does something ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’? Instinctively, we want to write them off and judge their character (this is called fundamental attribution bias). Sometimes our instincts are right. The misdeed was a wilful attempt to cause harm. But…
Maybe you can relate? Perhaps you’ve set a goal, worked hard to achieve it and felt that brief sugar hit of accomplishment. But then you have fallen into a motivation slump immediately after. Or maybe you set a goal that was a bit too lofty,…
Let’s dive into the world of objectives and key results (OKRs). Some say it’s just another goal-setting approach, but for me? OKRs have become one of the most valuable tools that I’ve adopted in both my personal and professional life. I’ve been using OKRs for…
In my career I’ve had periods where I earnt good money, but the work didn’t engage me. I got bored, stopped giving it my best, and felt guilty about it. I’ve also worked on things I was really passionate about, but the pay was non-existent,…
I used to really struggle with decision making. I was scared of making the wrong choice. Of things going wildly wrong and looking like an idiot. This often led to analysis paralysis. Which, at best, slowed progress and annoyed team members. At worst, it led…
There are few things more certain than things going wrong. As a leader as it is in life. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. And I’ve regularly been confronted by my own limitations. And – no matter how much I meditate, reflect, talk it out (i.e.…
Here’s a controversial test of our leadership ability: we’re only as good as our worst performing team member. It feels horribly uncomfortable to consider. I hate the idea. But… I think it might be true. Here’s why… Because, if we have a chronically underperforming team…
We all want to be leaders who deliver strong results while creating an engaging work environment for our team. But often we just don’t know where to start. Reading can help. Because – as author Ryan Holiday says – “Reading is the only way [we]…
When I learn about better ways of managing, I often feel silly for not knowing earlier. And, instead of implementing immediately, I sometimes get shy and procrastinate on it. This makes no sense. If it’s a better way of doing things, I should just start…
What are the most important problems in your field? Why aren’t you working on them? If you don’t have any great answers to that second question, perhaps consider: maybe I should be?
As modern leaders, we can – and should – see the employer and employee relationship as a positive-sum game.
Update: Our Strategic Planning Toolkit has launched! Our first Impact Society product will be a Strategic Planning Toolkit. It’ll give a step by step, four week approach – with templates and resources – to develop a straightforward strategic plan for any organisation or team. Whatever…
I used to feel intimidated by the many capable people I worked with. Especially older and more senior ones. I assumed they all had their sh!t together in a way that I didn’t. Until one day I realised there’s no secret guidebook or certificate that…
A daily review is an integral part of my overall ‘impact system’. It sits alongside other key parts of my system, including a weekly review, which I’ll cover in a separate post. My daily review has two primary objectives: My version of a daily review…
The engagement of your team is one of the most important things you must focus on as a leader. But paying attention to your own level of engagement is not only important, but crucial. How you’re feeling about work has a huge impact on your…
Many managers think employee engagement just is a touchy-feely, nice-to-have. That it’s not something to be confused with the real work of management. But they’re wrong. Here’s why…
It’s hard to imagine firing someone as an act of kindness. But, it can be the kindest option.
As managers, we need to stop withholding improvement feedback from our team members. It’s a selfish thing to do. Read on to find out why.
There is one unconventional recruitment technique more effective than everything else. Even interviews. What is it? Well, if you hired a chef, you wouldn’t just interview them, would you? You’d also want to taste their cooking, right? So why then do so many recruitment processes…
Most managers feel relentless time pressure. We think, if I can just get over this hump, then I’ll get on top of things…. but the hump never passes. Fortunately, there’s a solution that doesn’t require killing yourself with more work. Here’s how. The answer is…