An adult conversation is critical to performance

Most performance management is ‘broken’ – it is administratively burdensome and often gets in the way of having an enlightened and honest conversation between the organisation and the employee. In a recent edition of the RSA journal entitled 21st Century Enlightenment, Lynda Gratton gave her view on the important issues of work in the 21st … Continued

If work is not life, what the hell is it?

“Jobs that exist today were invented to fulfil particular industrial and commercial purposes. Employers want recruits who will fit into existing organisations and systems whereas the young are now being educated to develop and express their individual personalities and no longer just to obey and conform….   Work has not yet been reconceived as a … Continued

The Future of Work – is it Really Freelancing?

In a recent edition of the RSA journal entitled 21st Century Enlightenment, Lynda Gratton and a number of other industrial academics, gave their view on the important issues of work in the 21st Century. Gratton talked about the ‘hollowing out of work’ which is a reshaping of the labour markets so that middle skill jobs … Continued

Emotions are catchy – do we need to be innoculated?

Emotions are a crucial aspect of how we experience our day to day working lives. They are seen as useful markers of optimal well being and experiencing more positive than negative emotions contributes to our happiness. There are significant benefits to employing happy workers. Happy workers take less time off, are less stressed and demonstrate … Continued

Linda Gratton’s future of work and careers

In Linda Gratton’s new book, The Shift: the future of work is already here, she talks about the forces that will shape work and careers in the future and what we should do to build a career that will stand the test of time. Her ten top tips are here: 1. Don’t be fooled into walking … Continued

Goal setting for everyone

As some of you may know, I’ve started an MSC in Applied Positive Psychology. As part of my reading I came across a very interesting piece of empirical research about goal setting. Of course, being a naive student I forget to footnote it! What was interesting about it was that the research found that the … Continued

Money and the meaning of life….

Read this on HBR and couldn’t put it any better myself so…. Everywhere you look, there’s compelling evidence that the single-minded pursuit of wealth often leads smart people to do incredibly stupid things — things that destroy what money can’t buy. Last week, the big story was the conviction of Raj Rajaratnam on 14 counts … Continued

Performance Evaluation translations

A keen analyst: Thoroughly confused. Accepts new job assignments willingly: Never finishes a job. Active socially: Drinks heavily. Alert to company developments: An office gossip. Approaches difficult problems with logic: Finds someone else to do the job. Average: Not too bright. Bridge builder: Likes to compromise. Character above reproach: Still one step ahead of the … Continued