Imagine losing your sight at the age of 14. That happened to Patricia Walsh and, understandably, it threw her into a pit of despair. "I had always been ambitious when I was very young," she recounts in our Expert Interview podcast. "All the stories anyone tells of me as a child were [of me] never […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Problem Solving, Time Management, Uncategorized
I recently completed a self-assessment questionnaire, to discover what kind of learning best suited me. The assessment was based on a model created by Alan Mumford and Peter Honey, and it divides learners into one of four categories: activists, reflectors, theorists, and pragmatists. A good many of my Mind Tools colleagues took the same test, and the […]
All Posts, Creativity, Decision Making, Learning Skills, Problem Solving
Do you have to love what you do for a living to be happy at work? As an editor, I play with words all day and, right now, I can't think of anything else I'd rather do. I may not wake up and dread my working day now but, during my past roles, I […]
Communication, Leadership, Problem Solving, Stress, Team Management
I hate negotiating. The problem is, I love a bargain! One of my favorite pastimes is pottering around antiques fairs, car boot sales and junk stores, trying to find things to restore or upcycle. But I’m hopeless when it comes to haggling and, more often than not, I’ll pay the full price without even bothering […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Communication, Problem Solving, Strategy
Some people are remarkably practical and "hands on." They see a problem and, after a little bit of thought, ably set about solving it. Probably with a hammer, a spirit level and a justified sense of confidence in their manual prowess. Other people are more creative or unconventional in their thinking. They don't focus on […]
What has Leonardo da Vinci got to do with creating an engaging marketing campaign or reducing your company's carbon footprint? Quite a lot, if you ask Rowan Gibson, author of a new book called "The 4 Lenses of Innovation: A Power Tool for Creative Thinking." Leonardo da Vinci epitomizes the idea of the Renaissance man. […]
All Posts, Creativity, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Team Management
Stop and think about some of the incredible innovations we rely on today. Most of these products were invented decades ago and are now such a part of our society that we don't even think about the innovation behind them. But we'd find it hard to function without them. For instance, consider electronic communication. Before […]
I often challenge myself to go without something I enjoy for a period of time. At the moment, I’ve given up chocolate, and my goal is to go six weeks without eating any. In my opinion, six weeks is long enough to test my will power, but not too long for it to feel insurmountable! […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Learning Skills, Problem Solving, Time Management
I can honestly say that writing this blog is the best part of my job. As an editor, I spend much of my time tinkering about with other people’s words to make sure that they’re true to the Mind Tools style. But the blog is my time to write, and a chance to bring a […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Creativity, Decision Making, Learning Skills, Problem Solving
Warning: You won't want to hear what I'm about to tell you. But hang with me, please. I'll make you feel much better about it and you'll be far more successful in your work. Ready? After publishing his book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us," Daniel Pink was curious and asked 7,000 workers […]
All Posts, Communication, Leadership, Problem Solving, Team Management
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