Who do you think you are?
I'm not issuing that as a challenge, more an invitation for some gentle introspection. The way we think about our identity - the way we describe ourselves to ourselves and to others - has an impact on the way we operate in the world. This is particularly true in our working lives and sometimes that impact is not helpful. So this month I want to look at five situations where it might be useful to think about the way you think about yourself. 1. When you take a step up If you move into something bigger - promotion, higher profile ...
Seven psychological tips for making change that lasts
Last month, you may recall, I wrote about how to feel better about yourself if you hadn't achieved all you wanted to as we approached the end of the year. This month, as we contemplate a new decade and you might want to do things differently, I'm looking at what psychology tells us about making changes that stick. 1. Focus on actions not outcomes Many people set very high level resolutions for change - get fitter, be happier, have a better work/life balance - which fall by the wayside because they have no tangible actions attached to them. I ...
And so this is Christmas – and what have you done?
Another year over, a new one just begun. I've been living with this song for weeks as the choir I sing with rehearses for Christmas. I don't know about you but the line 'another year over' tends to leave me with a slight feeling of existential dread. It's worse this year, as another decade is over and what have I done? There are so many aspects of our lives to keep track of: Career/business - did you meet your targets? Are you doing interesting work? Did you get promoted? Are you fulfilling your potential? Does your work have purpose? Financial - ...
Back to work with a bang – Working out what you want to achieve
So here we are in the last days of summer before we revert to 'back to school' normality next week. I've written here before about the idea that for many of us September feels much more like New Year than January does. This is the time when we start afresh. You may come back to work with renewed determination to do things differently, better. Or you may have had a brainwave while your mind was idling on a Mediterranean beach/windswept Cornish clifftop (delete as appropriate). At the very least, you may come back feeling refreshed and ready to look at ...
Targets or deadlines – What’s your key driver?
Which motivates you more – targets or deadlines? That may sound like an odd question. They’re both about meeting some kind of goal in a certain time frame, after all. Well yes, but in my experience people tend to focus on one or the other and this has a profound impact on the way they work. People who focus on deadlines are generally interested in the task they need to complete by that deadline and the quality of their output. An example might be writing a report or compiling a set of accounts by a certain date. In a non-work ...
Happy New Year – Working towards the future you envision
I don’t know about you but I always associate autumn with new beginnings. All those years of back-to-school shoe shopping, shiny new pencil cases and adjusting to a new form teacher ingrained the idea that September is when the new year begins. Even as an adult, September is the time you’re most likely to start learning French, sign up for a yoga class or finally try to master the Argentine tango. All of which makes now (or, at least, next week) a much better time to review to your working life than the ‘proper’ new year. Whether you are considering your ...
How do you focus on the stuff that matters?
Think back a month. A new year was about to start, you’d probably had at least a week away from work and maybe that had given you a sense of perspective. Perhaps you didn’t think about work at all, as you spent time on other things that matter in your life. Or maybe you got a different angle on some difficult unresolved issue. Or perhaps your mind wandered to the bigger things you’d like to achieve this year, the ways you could be more effective, the initiatives that would really make a difference. So now it’s the end of January ...
Who do you think you are?
I'm not issuing that as a challenge, more an invitation for some gentle introspection. The way we think about our identity - the way we describe ourselves to ourselves and to others - has an impact on the way we operate in the world. This is particularly true in our working lives and sometimes that impact is not helpful. So this month I want to look at five situations where it might be useful to think about the way you think about yourself. 1. When you take a step up If you move into something bigger - promotion, higher profile ...
Seven psychological tips for making change that lasts
Last month, you may recall, I wrote about how to feel better about yourself if you hadn't achieved all you wanted to as we approached the end of the year. This month, as we contemplate a new decade and you might want to do things differently, I'm looking at what psychology tells us about making changes that stick. 1. Focus on actions not outcomes Many people set very high level resolutions for change - get fitter, be happier, have a better work/life balance - which fall by the wayside because they have no tangible actions attached to them. I ...
And so this is Christmas – and what have you done?
Another year over, a new one just begun. I've been living with this song for weeks as the choir I sing with rehearses for Christmas. I don't know about you but the line 'another year over' tends to leave me with a slight feeling of existential dread. It's worse this year, as another decade is over and what have I done? There are so many aspects of our lives to keep track of: Career/business - did you meet your targets? Are you doing interesting work? Did you get promoted? Are you fulfilling your potential? Does your work have purpose? Financial - ...
Back to work with a bang – Working out what you want to achieve
So here we are in the last days of summer before we revert to 'back to school' normality next week. I've written here before about the idea that for many of us September feels much more like New Year than January does. This is the time when we start afresh. You may come back to work with renewed determination to do things differently, better. Or you may have had a brainwave while your mind was idling on a Mediterranean beach/windswept Cornish clifftop (delete as appropriate). At the very least, you may come back feeling refreshed and ready to look at ...
Targets or deadlines – What’s your key driver?
Which motivates you more – targets or deadlines? That may sound like an odd question. They’re both about meeting some kind of goal in a certain time frame, after all. Well yes, but in my experience people tend to focus on one or the other and this has a profound impact on the way they work. People who focus on deadlines are generally interested in the task they need to complete by that deadline and the quality of their output. An example might be writing a report or compiling a set of accounts by a certain date. In a non-work ...
Happy New Year – Working towards the future you envision
I don’t know about you but I always associate autumn with new beginnings. All those years of back-to-school shoe shopping, shiny new pencil cases and adjusting to a new form teacher ingrained the idea that September is when the new year begins. Even as an adult, September is the time you’re most likely to start learning French, sign up for a yoga class or finally try to master the Argentine tango. All of which makes now (or, at least, next week) a much better time to review to your working life than the ‘proper’ new year. Whether you are considering your ...
How do you focus on the stuff that matters?
Think back a month. A new year was about to start, you’d probably had at least a week away from work and maybe that had given you a sense of perspective. Perhaps you didn’t think about work at all, as you spent time on other things that matter in your life. Or maybe you got a different angle on some difficult unresolved issue. Or perhaps your mind wandered to the bigger things you’d like to achieve this year, the ways you could be more effective, the initiatives that would really make a difference. So now it’s the end of January ...
