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We are well aware of the dissatisfaction with performance management in many organisations. In fact as many as 86% of organisations have either recently changed or are about to change their performance management processes – some quite radically (Deloitte, 2014). One of the major criticisms is a manager’s ability to handle critical or negative feedback … Continued

During hardened economic times, such as these we have been experiencing since 2008, material success is much more difficult to come by.  As a result, individuals come to rethink what constitutes success. Success during times of economic hardship becomes less about material prosperity and more about something else. Millennials are looking for something else.. It … Continued

Being an authentic leader is what we all crave. But in our day to day interactions we are often required to undertake activities which pull us away from being authentic. This can makes us feel fake or uncomfortable and these feelings are  transparent to those around us. Karissa Thacker is a workplace psychologist, executive coach, … Continued

What are strengths? Academics and consultants differ in their definitions. Some see it as the application of innate talent – naturally recurring patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Others see it as values (what we hold dear) playing out through our actions. Gallup Strengthsfinder is one of the longest established strengths based assessments around. As … Continued

Why is it that we overestimate risk and underestimate our own ability to deal with that risk? All organisations need employees who are prepared to push themselves and take responsibility for developing themselves. But many of us are playing to not lose, rather than playing to win. Why is this? Neurologically we are hardwired to … Continued

Winning the hearts of minds of employees adds real value to an organisations’s share value. In Firms of Endearment, organisations such as Wholefoods or Zappos, typically outperformed the S&P 500 by a magnitude of 10:1 over a 15 year period. They even outperformed those companies identified by Jim Collins as being ‘Good to Great’ by … Continued

I am reading Margaret Heffernan’s book, A Bigger Prize Why Competition Isn’t Everything, and the potential for organisations to build performance through social cohesion is huge. Margaret Heffernan is a former CEO of five businesses, an author and entrepreneur and this particular book highlights the opportunities missed by organisations who create and enable competition amongst … Continued

Much has been researched and published about the positive impact of mindfulness (or mental focusing). Better decision making, lower levels of stress and greater well being are just three benefits purportedly delivered by practising mindfulness on a regular basis. However, is it always beneficial to introduce mindfulness in to the workplace and what if mindfulness … Continued

What do we mean by being an ethical leader and does it deliver any value to the organisation and employees within it? We could define an ethical leader as someone whose behaviour is consistent with broader societal values and beliefs (Mayer, 2014). Consistency and ‘walking the talk’ is a critical component to coming across as … Continued