Address emotionally-charged issues face to face
My car had been having starting problems, so I took it into the local dealership to be repaired. As there was nothing wrong with the battery, the workshop manager outlined the diagnostic procedure for...
View ArticleNo-one is you and that is your power!
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” (Oscar Wilde) Being “yourself” is not as easy as it sounds – the pressure, constantly, is on all of us to look better, be better, achieve more, succeed...
View ArticleAchieving your own impossible
“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance” (Bruce Barton) Lewis Pugh has pioneered more swims around famous...
View ArticleLiving your life as a contributor
“Left to ourselves, we can no more find out the purpose of life than a man can pull himself up by his own shoe laces. What we need is for the meaning to be revealed to us from the outside” (Melvin...
View ArticleMake a difference with what you have – when that is not possible, do it with...
Former colleague and close friend, Gerrit Cloete (owner of Productivity Pitstop), shared a true story with me last week, the same of which I, too, can’t resist telling you, especially as we bid...
View ArticleEmbracing the light at the end of the tunnel
“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion – the tunnel is” (Unknown) As a year, 2017 had its fair share of challenges – yes, global challenges of a serious nature, but somewhat equally...
View ArticleMaking difficult decisions with wisdom
“Good decisions come from experience and experience comes from bad decisions” (Mark Twain) One of the restaurants that I typically frequent usually serves great food. On a particular evening, my wife...
View ArticleGet up and get on with it!
“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way” (Dr Seuss) Dreaming about a thing in order to do it properly constitutes wisdom; dreaming about a thing when you should be doing it is...
View ArticlePractice doesn’t make perfect
I was lied to as a kid – my parents, teachers, sports coaches, etc. – not intentionally, of course, as I guess they were only trying to encourage my development, but they lied. They told me, even...
View Article“Wheel-spinning” in your career?
“Wheel-spinning” literally refers to a situation where a vehicle has lost traction, e.g. on ice, in snow or mud. Here the wheels may spin without the vehicle going anywhere – continued pressure on the...
View ArticlePopping your ‘learn’ bubbles for impact
“In vain you have acquired knowledge if you have not imparted to others” (Deuteronomy Rabbah) My friend and former colleague, Gerrit Cloete (owner of Productivity Pitstop), spent a week at the family’s...
View ArticleDo what is not your duty
“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men” (Proverbs 18:16) On a number of occasions, I have heard the following words from employees as they explain the ‘pain’ of their...
View ArticleI understand, do you?
“And the soul is like the eye: when resting upon that which is truth and being shine, the soul perceives and understands and is radiant with intelligence; but when turned towards the twilight of...
View ArticleStructured conversations for relational success
So much has been written for leaders and managers, team leaders and organisational heads – and rightly so, as there is a huge leadership skills gap in the world. Very little, however, has been written...
View ArticleHow to ask for a salary increase
For most of us, asking a boss for more money is an awkward, if not stressful, undertaking. You may feel deserving of a better salary, but you realise that your approach to your boss is all important....
View ArticleFeeling overlooked at work?
All human beings have a need to feel part of something bigger than them – a sense that they are valued and that they can make a contribution that will be recognised. Employees want to be part of a...
View ArticleResolving issues with your boss without being a nag
You’ve asked your boss to assist you in resolving an issue – he said that he would, but it remains unresolved. You’ve asked him again – he mentioned that he has been too busy, but that he would do it....
View ArticleWhen I disagree with my boss, how do I communicate that to him without coming...
We are all different and thus have different opinions and ideas about issues, processes and systems. At times, we disagree significantly with a decision made by the boss, particularly if we perceive...
View ArticleTake heed of feelings
Human energy, a property tied closely to one’s motivation, is a resource that we all have. The human being is designed this way – little boys and girls are able to act out a story, run a race, build a...
View ArticleQuit limiting yourself
Many people don’t ever reach their personal or professional dreams because they limit themselves – e.g. a limiting thought like “it’s not what you know, but who you know” possibly holds you back from...
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