There is no magic solution!
Balancing work and life is an ongoing challenge. It’s not something that is miraculously achieved and permanently stays that way. It is about balance; it’s about finding what’s right for YOU. The technology we use needs to be partnered with human interaction. In many instances, we don’t take into account human involvement required to determine how to leverage technology to improve our efficiency. We tend to rely on the technology to do the job for us and then feel frustrated when we struggle to cope, but reality is we just aren’t geared to cope with the volume of data we …
The importance of collaboration
Amazing insights and creativity can come from the most unusual places. During the Second World War a temporary structure was built to house a radiation laboratory at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Its purpose was to provide a space for engineers to refine a radar developed to help win the war. The intention was for this temporary structure, known as Building 20, to be taken down post war. Instead of demolition after the war Building 20 became known as a “Magical Incubator” where all sorts of ground breaking developments were made until it’s eventual demolition in 1998. During the time …
Workplace Health & Wellness
Organisations now recognise offering additional paid leave, external activities, flexible working hours or locations as resources to keep staff engaged and productive in the workplace. A few years ago, I went on a tour of Zappos (www.zappos.com) offices in Las Vegas, Nevada. Amongst the many benefits an employee at Zappos has access to a full-time goals coach who works with staff to achieve their goals, health and fitness, preparing for promotion and the like. In the desire to establish and grow a mentally healthy workplace, UK Insurance provider Allianz Partners UK has launched 29 mental health champions (to join an …
The Power of No!
It’s said if you want something done, ask the busiest person! However, if you are someone who loves to help colleagues or serve clients, sometimes you need to say NO. Saying no can release you from the burden of doing something that would increase your stress levels when you may already feel overloaded. Sometimes people ask for your help, but don’t realise that what you are asking isn’t in your area of expertise, they just recognise you as a problem solver. I love to solve people’s problems and make life easier, but sometimes I just have to say no. The …
Productivity Transformation
Whilst recently tidying up some paperwork, I came across a 1990 to current day timeline I’d put together of world events and technology changes. A range of incidents and activities have changed how we see the world and how we do business. We’ve seen transformation in energy as we look to sustainable alternatives such as wind and solar, as well as significant transformation in technology. From mobile (cell) phones, to smartphones, apps and cloud computing, how we use, access and leverage technology has transformed, but personal productivity hasn’t necessarily increased. Which raises the question…Why do we seem to be doing …
Circle of Trust
When I ask audiences what they do when they don’t know how to do something in Excel, Word or PowerPoint, the answer I hear 99.99999% of the time is “I just Google it!” Whilst one of the benefits of technology is the volume of information available to us to answer our questions with a few keystrokes, it’s also one of its downfalls. Amongst all the data, finding the answer you need in a context that is relevant to you, can produce slim pickings. An alternative I ask my audiences to consider is the Circle of Trust concept. The Circle of …
Constructive Communication
I was interviewed on breakfast television about managing email when I was asked an interesting question. It wasn’t scripted or planned and, in fact, I’d never been asked that question before. “How do you know if the tone of your email is correct?” the interviewer asked. I paused for a moment before answering “if you are asking yourself that question, it’s probably a sign that you should be having a conversation instead.” After the interview, I reflected on the question. In business today we have become so email focussed. Whether it is to “cover” us from being told off or …
Choice – The Lens of Decision Making
We often find we are in a situation where we simply don’t know what to do. We may ask colleagues for input and ideas which we may take on board or disregard. In his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, former administrative assistant and renowned Leadership Development Expert Stephen Covey suggests start with the end in mind. Considering decision making as a choice made through the lens of “the end we have in mind” can help create clarity in the process. Questioning does the decision to do, or not do, move you towards or away from the end …
It’s not a miracle, it’s doing the work!
When I speak with prospective clients about programs they want to conduct, many think it is a matter of simply coming in, delivering some skills and walking out the door. That somehow the result will be a miraculously regenerated team who are excited and engaged and will never require training again! Unfortunately, I don’t perform miracles. Rather when I present, I educate, motivate and inspire participants and their teams to look at what and how they can work differently to reduce stress and risk and make life easier. It’s easy to be engaged in the moment, but the real work …
The Freddie Mercury Legacy
Returning from lunch at a conference recently, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody played. It snapped the participants from their ‘food coma’ into a state of readiness for learning. It got me thinking about the legacy Queen’ lead singer Freddie Mercury left behind when he passed away in 1991. The music of Queen has been revived through the blockbuster movie We Will Rock You and the global tour of Queen with US American Idol runner up Adam Lambert as front man. It lives on despite it being twenty years since Freddie’s passing purely because Brian May and Rodger Taylor saw an opportunity to …
