Category: Management

Don’t Take Lunch at Your Desk

Many office workers take lunch at their desks. They grab a sandwich and carry on working. The old habit of going out for a lunch break is in decline. But there are some compelling reasons to go out for lunch with someone instead of eating at your desk: Eat Out Sitting at your desk all day is linked to various health issues. Walking to a cafe or restaurant, even a short distance, gets... Read More--

Reasons why People Resist Fresh Ideas

The resistance to new ideas is one of humanity’s most fascinating paradoxes – we’re a species that thrives on innovation, yet we’re remarkably good at resisting change, This resistance isn’t just an interesting quirk; it has profound implications for our progress and well-being. Think about life-saving medical treatments that faced years of skepticism, or environmental... Read More--

Five Great Questions to Ask Your Team

Managers everywhere are under stress. They are asked to deliver more but with fewer resources. They need to meet targets, sort out problems and get the most out of their team (including the under-performers). How can you improve performance in your area? Try getting your team together and asking these questions. What is the most important thing we do? What really adds value for the customer... Read More--

Customer Complaint Videos can Trigger Ideas

BUPA is a leading international provider of private healthcare and insurance. It is headquartered in the UK and has 82000 staff serving some 38 million customers. After customer interactions such as enquiries, procedures or complaints the company asks for feedback and tracks NPS, Net Promoter Score. Customers who give a low NPS are contacted and asked to give further details by audio or video.... Read More--

20 Ways to Make Your Meetings More Effective and More Fun.

Let’s face it. Meetings are unpopular. A study by Steven Rogelberg, of the University of North Carolina surveyed 182 senior managers in a range of industries: 65% said meetings keep them from completing their own work; 71% said meetings are unproductive and 64% said meetings come at the expense of deep thinking. We all know these frustrations because we encounter them every day at work. What... Read More--

Five Key Considerations for Managing Lay-offs

Hard times can strike any business or any organisation, even ones which have been well managed and successful. Sometimes you have to reduce costs and headcount in order to survive. This gives leaders a big challenge. You have recruited and developed a successful team. Now you have to chop it back. What should you do? Here are some key considerations and tips. Plan carefully. It is much... Read More--

How to Give Bad News

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Every organisation faces crises.  Sometimes these can be existential and only drastic action can deliver survival. Sooner or later every senior manager has to give bad news to their team.  It could be the cancellation of a project, the closure of a plant or a round of redundancies.    You will have carefully considered all options, discussed them with the executive... Read More--

The Eight P Plan for Success

Let’s say that you are overloaded, overworked and under pressure.  You are struggling to cope.  This could be at a personal level with private projects or it could be at work where your team is having difficulties with business challenges.  Try this eight point plan which will help you. Pause.  Stop what you are doing. Take time to assess where you are and what you are trying to achieve. ... Read More--

How can we Combat the Peter Principle?

Laurence Peter (1919-1990) The Peter Principle was expounded in the 1969 book of this name by Canadian educator, Laurence J. Peter.  It states that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence.  They are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent.  They then stay there. Skills at one level do not necessarily... Read More--

Plan the Unplanned. Ways to be Spontaneous at Work.

We are told that we should plan our lives, make to-do lists, work diligently, organize our schedules and arrange things in sound and sensible ways.  But is it better to sometimes do the opposite and just be spontaneous? Researchers Tonietto and Malkoc at Ohio University in 2016 carried out 13 studies of leisure activities and found that scheduling an activity (vs. experiencing it impromptu) makes... Read More--