When I was in elementary school, the best part of my day wasn't running around in the yard, or dreaming up impossible adventures with my friends. It was getting my homework back from Mr Noyce with a big red tick and "V.G." at the bottom, short for "Very Good." I'd done it! I'd been recognized! […]
Justin Rosenstein, the co-founder of collaboration software company Asana, wondered, "Why do some teams march in unison and achieve big dreams, while others waste time, get stressed and lose steam? I've found that the answer is clarity." His first requirement is clarity of purpose. Abundant literature and research confirms the immediate need for clarity of […]
I thought this "game" was going to be a waste of time. I already knew my colleagues well, and didn't see the point when we could be getting down to business! But I was wrong.
Each person has his or her own particular strengths and skills at work. In the Mind Tools office, for example, we've got expert project managers, inspiring leaders, creative geniuses, finance pros, technology whizzes, and top-notch sales people… to name but a few! Me? I love time management and productivity… and I'm not afraid to admit […]
How do you learn more quickly and thoroughly? Some say they learn best through hearing and speaking about new concepts. Others prefer visual presentations. Kinesthetic learning is a preferred style for some. That is, they like to touch and get their whole body involved. Is your best learning sequentially (step-by-step) or holistically (examining the big […]
They say you can’t choose your family – you just have to try to get along. And we all know the affronts, compromises and negotiations that are part and parcel of normal family life. The same could be said of office life. While some people do have a say in who becomes a colleague, most […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Communication, Expert Interview, Leadership, Stress, Team Management
What’s the difference between managers and leaders? It’s one of those questions you might expect to answer if you’re sitting an end-of-year business-studies exam in high school. I’m sure I had to do an assignment at college on this very subject. I probably wrote about how a manager is an organizer, who makes day-to-day decisions […]
I'd got no further than taking off my coat and turning on my laptop when my desk phone rang – it was my mom. "Charlie? I'm so sorry. Oh, Charlie. I don't know what to do." This was the woman who always knew what to do. The 70-something who thought nothing of digging the garden […]
A century ago, the military asked the American Psychological Association to develop a test capable of identifying soldiers susceptible to shell shock. Rorschach inkblots then came on the scene, followed by dozens of personality assessments. The best known of these tests was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which classifies personalities as Extrovert-Introvert, Intuitive-Sensing, Thinking-Feeling, and […]
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
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