Category: Office Work

I get copied in on many emails at work, and often they relate to tasks or queries that are still open, unresolved. Issues. It can be difficult to determine whether to intervene and seek to resolve it by speaking to those further up the hierarchy – or just letting it…

A team member gave me some feedback the other day, saying that he needed some support with a difficult conversation he was about to have – and I didn’t provide the support. How great it is that someone can give me the feedback I need. Then I started thinking about…

Catch-22 Joseph Heller’s masterpiece of anti-war satire is given a fittingly glorious home in this Folio edition introduced by celebrated writer and critic Malcolm Bradbury. Hand-bound by the Folio Society Date Stamp I love date stamps – so handy and so analogue. Turning over to the new date each morning formally…

Boy, we have a lot of weekly catch-ups, updates, huddles, check-ins, and stand-ups. It’s essential to set the mood and the right tone at the beginning of the meeting. So, I start each of the meetings that I organise with a personal story. In particular, I like each participant to…

Athletes train. Musicians train. Doctors train. But Knowledge Workers don’t. Not in the same way. If Knowledge Workers want to work at the highest level, they should train like elite athletes or highly skilled professionals. They should have strong “learning plans.” I know intellectual life is different. Success is harder…

Today a team member proudly told me that they are mentoring another team member. I suppose they are proud of the role because they feel it is a recognition of their worth. It validates them. When someone tells me they are a mentor, I’m keen to find out what it…

We interviewed a new team member the other day. My favourite interview question is: “Do you prefer to buy furniture from Ikea or Harvey Norman? If they prefer Ikea, then they are likely to get the job. Not because I don’t like Harvey Norman. It’s because people who shop at…

I received an email the other day from a team that had rolled out a new initiative for our customers. Unfortunately, the initiative had caused a bit of grief because some of the protocols had not been observed. No matter – that’s what happens with innovation. Something to do with…

What is the future of the Team Meeting? What will it look like?

I think it is universally agreed that meetings are considered the biggest productivity killer in any organisation. People attend meetings in case they feel they will miss out on something (FOMO). Leaders create meetings to seek commitment about something from those involved. People attend meetings and leaders create meetings to…

System thinking heightens productivity, including personal productivity. 🗺️ 🗺️ 🗺️ Productivity increases when a system view is applied. System thinking involves identifying all moving parts in any operation and mapping how they are linked. Determine how they integrate and interact. 💻 💻 💻 System thinking is the study of cause…