"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." – Desmond Tutu (1931- ), South African cleric and human rights activist Two years ago, I was asked by an association for professional trainers and facilitators to speak about the challenges I had experienced as a female training professional. I […]
If you were offered a promotion, you'd take it, right? Most of us would. More money, more responsibility, more kudos, more influence… career success! Who wouldn't want that? But becoming a manager isn't always that easy. Yes, you've taken a step up the career ladder, but now it's not just you that you have to […]
The Impact of Dress A few years ago, I was helping one of our directors open a new business in Jeffreys Bay, a well-known surfing town in South Africa. One of my colleagues and I had to conduct interviews to appoint frontline staff, administration staff, and a manager for the establishment. Both of us like […]
Strange but true: I had both the best and the worst managers of my career – so far – at the same company. Not only that, but they managed me one after the other. It happened at a time of huge change, as the organization underwent a major restructure. None of this, of course, helped the […]
Career Skills, Change Management, Leadership, Stress, Team Management, Uncategorized
"A leader, first and foremost, is human. Only when we have the strength to show our vulnerability can we truly lead." – Simon Sinek Making a Connection As a lecturer and facilitator, I believe that it's important to make a connection with my students. And sometimes, daring to be vulnerable is the best way to make that […]
"Change is the heartbeat of growth." – Scottie Somers Company restructuring is one of those topics that's easy to theorize about. However, it's quite different if it's your organization that's restructuring. Part of my preparation for this week's Twitter chat was looking at the Mind Tools forums (where members share challenges, ask for input on […]
#MTtalk, Change Management, Learning Skills, Problem Solving, Uncategorized
It's not always easy to keep team morale high. Sometimes something as simple as working with a colleague who is in a bad mood or is having a bad day (go easy on them... it happens to the best of us!) can cause team spirit to nosedive. Luckily, these kinds of moods can be broken relatively […]
The prisoner who now stands before you Was caught red-handed showing feelings. Showing feelings of an almost human nature. This will not do! ∼ Pink Floyd, The Wall (1979) As a product of the English boarding school system, it was drilled into me throughout my formative years that expressing, or even acknowledging, any type of emotion was […]
"The future is uncertain... but this uncertainty is at the very heart of human creativity." – Ilya Prigogine, Nobel prize-winning chemist About This Week’s Chat When I was driving to the office one morning, I heard on the radio that the bank I worked for had merged with three others. My heart sank. But, my initial shock was soon […]
Many years ago, when computers still had monochrome screens and could only run one program at a time, I worked in the property section of a bank. In those days, banks weren't known as being at the forefront of change. They often lagged behind when it came to changing systems and technology. My (then) husband worked […]
#MTtalk, Career Skills, Change Management, Communication, Empowerment, Problem Solving
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