The eight factors organisations need to coordinate to promote wellbeing
I’ve been writing a lot about why we need to pay better attention to perfectionism, workload, stress and burnout and it’s not just to be good leaders and corporate citizens (although that would be enough!), it’s also to get better outcomes. Too much drive, too much...
Three ways your Perfectionism may be working against not for you
Perfectionism takes striving to a new level. It increases the chances of setting unattainable goals, never feeling good enough and not being able to switch off. It is much more strongly associated with chronic stress, burnout, and with a range of mental health...
Why not all striving is good and why that matters for performance
It’s important to distinguish between striving for excellence, and striving for perfection. As Patrick Gaudreau and his colleagues show in their research, we tend to confound the two, as if striving of any kind is what it takes. It is not. Pursuing excellence means...
Why burnout remains so high and one really simple solution for it
While the pandemic is officially over, the ‘burnout epidemic’ shows no sign of slowing; reports of worker stress and burnout in 2023 continue to indicate high levels. While healthcare workers and teachers tend to have higher rates of burnout, and were even more...
Five tactics to address systemic patterns of confidence that actually work
Quite a few of my recent blogs have focused on the issue of confidence and how problematic certain ways of framing confidence are when it comes to leadership. In particular, how it skews the leadership pool and then backfires on us. For those of you asking yourself...
How to create a better confidence climate for your team
Confidence is not one of the key personality characteristics required for leadership. And it is worse than irrelevant, too much confidence can end up in choices and actions that are dangerous to others. Confidence does affect who is chosen for a leadership role, but...
Three big reasons why ‘your lack of confidence is holding you back’ should be banned
While well-meaning, the idea that it is someone’s lack of confidence that is the reason they are not being promoted should be treated with incredulity. There are at least three reasons why the idea ought to be banned: Telling someone to increase their confidence...
Two important considerations to make sure you use your leadership power well
In my previous blog I wrote about the ways in which we underestimate the power we have, and therefore miss opportunities to both be more influential and be more satisfied with how we go about influencing others. In her book ‘You have more influence than you think’...
How you can be much more influential than you think you are
Without getting caught up in the politics, there are a couple of huge issues in the public domain right now and observing how leaders use their power to influence others is fascinating viewing from the sidelines. Who has power, what kind, and how they use it, always...
Why high quality work performance needs more than a beautiful office
In their recent discussion of the moveable feast that is working from home Jared Lynch and Bridget Carter glaringly spotlight the divergent ways that leaders choose to exercise their leadership and how they seek to shape organisational culture in these post-COVID...
How to do one meaningful conversation per week with each employee, remotely
In the discussion about whether or not to get everyone back to the office, the key focal point ought to be people’s engagement. Having meaningful conversations is more important to people’s sense of engagement than whether they are virtual or face-to-face. Obviously...
The imposterism paradox – if you feel like one, you’re less likely to be one
Our preoccupation with impostor syndrome is giving rise to a strange paradox. As Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Emma Vehviläinen eloquently point out in their recent Fast Company article, highly competent people who experience imposter feelings may underperform when...
Three reframes to cancel imposterism and help women feel authentic fit
In an earlier blog I extolled the virtues of helping women to fit and feel valued, identifying eight ways that organisations could stop the prevalent under-estimating of women’s talent and capability for leadership and non-traditional roles. The question of fit and...
Nine tips that help you to break up nicely with your boss
One of the most important aspects of leaving is doing it with dignity, whether it’s voluntary or involuntary. In his recent article Professor John A. Quelch provided a terrific set of tips for resigning and leaving your organisation. As he cautions, no matter how...
Eight ways organisations can stop underestimating women, and help them to fit and feel valued
If women are more likely to be under-estimated why would they think they are frauds? This question continues to puzzle me. Imposter syndrome continues despite the reality that in many organisations women’s talents and skills are more likely to be under, rather than...
Six ways to help people feel appreciated and recognised for their work
Recognition is one of a quartet of ways in which leaders can show their teams that they care. Purpose, inspiration and hope are the other three. Appreciation is an important part of showing you care because it lets people know they are valued. As Lisa Lahey and Robert...
Six questions to help you discover what others find most inspiring in their work
Just by showing up in your work relationships with a caring and compassionate mindset, and devoting time to building relationships with your team, you’ll make a big difference to them. Just doing that will inspire them. I’m in strong agreement with – and...
Why promoting belonging must remain a key requirement for good leadership
In Groysberg’s and Abrahams’ model of motivation, belonging is met by: Making employees feel part of the team Being people-oriented Caring about people on a personal level There’s still a debate going on about whether hybrid work supports or interferes with...
Four levers to increase your motivation and your teams
Keeping people motivated, and keeping your motivated people on your team, can be helped along with a good understanding of just what motivation is, and how you affect it. Keeping yourself motivated and understanding what can help you to manage/increase your motivation...
Welcome
The global pandemic has increased the burdens on high achieving leaders, and my focus is on helping you to reset the way you work. I help leaders to challenge overwork, rediscover their purpose, and rebalance their life to beat chronic stress and burnout.
