As we become better at managing people, and especially when managing change, a question arises: Are we manipulating people? A simple, honest and immediate answer is “Yes! Management is about manipulating people to get the results we want.” If that answer raises hairs on the back of your neck, it’s because ‘being manipulated’ carries with […]
I’ve Got A Sneaking Suspicion That Something’s Wrong
I’ve got that feeling again. You know the one. The anxious, niggling, persistent twinge that something’s not quite right. I’ve been thinking about how our unconscious self often tries to communicate with us. It’s often subtle. Easy to ignore, downplay or dismiss. And yet that little voice inside often has something important to say, if we’re just prepared to listen.
Planning For 2019
And so another year begins. And with it, we turn our attention to hopes, ambitions and intentions for the future. And how we think about planning and managing the resulting commitments and goals. For some of us, that means a trip to buy office supplies is in order. But sometimes the best planning tools are the ones that we already have.
My Writing Year – 2018
2018 has been a mad and crazy year. Throughout, I’ve been able to get some writing done. Not as much as I intended or hoped for, but a surprising amount nonetheless. As the year comes to an end, I take the time to explore the writing that you most enjoyed, and offer some insights into where the articles came from and what they meant to me.
A Year Gone Quite Mad
What a long, strange year it’s been. It is more than a little astonishing that—as I write this—it’s the winter solstice. It feels like the year started last week. And it feels like an eternity. My reflections on 2018, my plans for the coming year: what you can expect of me, and what I hope for you.
Keep Going
We (and I) write and think a lot about work. We embrace dedication and commitment and “giving 110%” like that’s something easy to do. In reality, it’s not easy, and sometimes it’s downright unpleasant. And the risk is that—faced with a mountain of work—we run screaming in the direction of our Netflix queue and oblivion. Some thoughts on how to persevere instead.