Work Smarter not harder

Recharging your work is about working smarter, not necessarily harder or for more hours. It is about controlling technology, controlling interruptions and questioning many of the outdated time-management techniques we were taught in the 80s and early 90s that are now redundant. Think of how much work practices and tools have changed over that time – remember the days before email, mobiles and being able to access your work files from your home computer? In fact, rethinking our work practices is long overdue. We’ll teach you how to boost your productivity and get more done in less time.

Why learning on the job is sometimes better

I have been reading a book by a Molecular Biologist; John Medina, called “Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School”. I have often talked to people about why corporate classroom learning fails to deliver and this book firms up some of my thinking on the subject. My biggest takeaway is why we think we can multitask when the brain is not hardwired to do this! (You will need to read the book!)

Learning is an individualised act but more importantly is an act that requires a disposition towards critically thinking about what we are engaging in. A lot of the time Classroom learning should be about taking time out to reflect and discuss and not about improving performance directly on the job. Improving performance is better achieved “on the job” as there is context.

Read more of Rob Wilkins article here

The Boss creating a winning a team

As an individual achiever, one who the boss turns to for results, why should I become part of a team? I am the best player on the team, so why reduce my impact on the game to satisfy this notion of team?

These are questions that Michael Jordan faced when Phil Jackson began coaching the Chicago bulls in the 90’s. Jackson wanted Jordan to include other players in his play making for the benefit of the bulls, and ultimately for Michael Jordan’s benefit.

Phil Jackson discusses this process of moving a high achiever like Jordan to, “we” over “I”, in his book, ‘sacred hoops – secrets of a hardwood warrior’.

Read more by John Buchanan here

How to avoid burnout - Robert Gerrish interviews Andrew May

BNET Australia blogger Robert Gerrish speaks to performance and productivity expert Andrew May about how to function at your peak in the workplace.

Watch the interview

Positive leadership

If you’re reading this blog then you’re a leader. You might not have “leader” or “manager” or “executive” in your title but I’m guessing that if you’re still with me then you are, in one way or other, the sort of person who has, or at least wants to have a significant influence within your team and/or organisation.

And that’s great, because I don’t think we can ever have enough leaders…assuming, that is, we have positive leaders.

Read the entire article by Dr. Tim Sharp

Learning Landscapes

I have spoken before about individuals needing to know what their learning landscape looks like.

Mine is a combination of a number of things. I know I learn best when I have access to, and conversations with, those I trust and learn from. However, the world wide web now gives people an opportunity to construct a landscape for themselves that brings all of their learning together in one place. I call this a personal learning environment.

This is something that I have meant to do for a little while. Give my perspective.

Read the entire article by Rob Wilkins

Know your pressure profile

Dealing with demanding clients, complaining customers or difficult colleagues is often distracting and can leave you feeling drained and irritated. In this frame of mind, you are less productive and have less patience for the clients and people you work with. The key to dealing with difficult people, without becoming drained, is about understanding everyone’s ‘Pressure Profiles’ and knowing how to make them work together.

There is a lot of good psychology written about personality types that explains how to work with different people, based on their patterns of behaviour.

Read the entire article by Michael Licenblat

The keys to resilience

Many people ask me about what to do when you feel you have just been beaten up – by clients, by the market, by the uncontrollables that seem to jump out from nowhere and give you such a terrible run of things that you think it is never going to end. Here are some brief pointers on staying motivated and in control and, from a leadership perspective, engendering some of those qualities in your team.

Read the entire article by Tony Wilson

Goal Setting - a useful tool or another to do list?

Goal-setting has been a buzz word in the corporate world for some years now. Like all popular ideas, it can be enormously helpful but when overdone, produce the opposite result. Some people now cringe when the word “goal” is mentioned. Goals have to be measurable (amongst other things), but in measuring we assume success or failure. When we fail to reach goals, the end result is disappointment and undermined confidence.

Read the entire article by Fiona Cosgrove

How is the season going so far?

In my recent book, “If Better is Possible”, I suggest that all of us play a coaching role in some form or other. Some have the formal title attached, that is, coach of a certain sporting team or one of the growth occupations of the 21st century, ‘life or personal coach’. Others have less visible acknowledgment of their coaching role, or at least part of their job function, such occupations as a teacher, a manager, a minister of the church, a parent, journalist. All of these people actively engage in the very special role of coaching.

Read the entire article by John Buchanan