Think Twice about Working from Home

unless you have a strong relationship. When I wrote about working from home last December we were in the grip of snow and bad weather and it seemed a good idea to stay at home, off the roads, warm and safe. This year there may be more people who have no choice after losing their … Continue reading »

Rudeness and the Bottom Line

We seem to becoming less polite to each other at work. Over 10 years ago 1 in 4 employees said they were treated rudely at least once a week. Five years ago that number had doubled. Last year 1 in 4 employees reported seeing workplace rudeness on a daily basis. And it isn’t just rudeness … Continue reading »

Quietly does it, sometimes

Extraverts may have a natural advantage in leadership roles because they are dominant and outgoing. They tend to be the centre of attention and take over discussions and are perceived as more effective by both supervisors and subordinates.
New research shows however that in some situations an introvert may be a better leader than an extravert Continue reading »

Rude, Arrogant, and Powerful?

Being conscientious is a good predictor of performance in a job. It doesn’t mean however that you will be seen as powerful.
The evidence suggests that it is the rude and arrogant person who is perceived as being a powerful decision-maker. People rate rule-breakers as being more in control and leaderlike than conscientious types.
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Narcissistic Leaders – it’s all about them

You have all met them and probably worked for one at some time, perhaps without realising.
Initially they appear charming, seem competent, exude warmth, and often have a sense of humour. They are easily confused with extraverts and may even be considered charismatic.

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The Language of Leaders

A great summary of Kevin Murray’s book headed “Say what you mean and mean what you say”. The review describes how Murray, Chairman of a PR company, questioned 60 top business leaders about what they looked for when hiring leaders. Continue reading »

13th National Stress Awareness Day – 2 November 2011

Today is NSAD and this year’s theme is “Well-being and Resilience at Work” You can still download information and free resources from ISMA And you can still read my posts on stress, well-being and resilience

Employee Engagement – the dark side

Surely having employees highly engaged is a good thing isn’t it? Recent research suggests that whilst high levels of work engagement ie high levels of energy and involvement in work, are good for the organisation – this might be at the expense of other areas of an employee’s life. Engaged employees create their own resources, … Continue reading »

Women & Teams

not always words you find together given that many women in business have reputations as either “Queen Bees”, people who make the most of their “erotic capital”, or simply aggressive.
We’ve had the research that said that to make a team more intelligent – simply add more women – but the question is whether or not women like working in teams? Continue reading »

Do Executive Assistants add value?

Do executive assistants improve productivity? Some executives argue that having to complete their own travel and hotel bookings, complete expense reports, and schedule their own meetings, gives them less time to do “real” work…. Continue reading »