Category: Motivation

  • Could motivation be the missing ingredient?

    Could motivation be the missing ingredient?

    Sometimes it’s tough to motivate the people you manage, isn’t it? You know why it’s important that a project is completed in a timely way, but not everyone gets it. Others can be sluggish and unfocused. You sometimes feel it would be easier to just do it yourself. I know how difficult it is. This was the problem that a non-profit…

  • Should I stay or should I go? 11 ways to know

    Should I stay or should I go? 11 ways to know

    Happy in your job? Or starting to get itchy feet? Here are some questions to help you decide what to do… It’s tough to make such a major decision, I know. You’re doing OK at your job. You get on well with the people and you like your team (mostly!). You’re comfortable there. And hey,…

  • Five Big Questions. One Short Chat. CEO Caroline Davey

    Five Big Questions. One Short Chat. CEO Caroline Davey

    Today is World Prematurity Day, so today’s mini video blog is with the lovely Caroline Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss, supporting babies born premature or sick and their families. Bliss is very close to my heart – I have a dear friend whose daughter was born months too soon and is now a thriving teenager. Bliss was…

  • What I learned about resilience from five days on a bike

    What I learned about resilience from five days on a bike

      Setting off on my very first cycling holiday this summer I knew that I was going to have to dig deep into my resilience reserves. And I wasn’t at all sure I had any. But I was heading off for five days of physical activity (something I’d never done before) and if I was…

  • Five Big Questions. One Short Chat – CEO Athena Lamnisos

    Five Big Questions. One Short Chat – CEO Athena Lamnisos

    The second in my series of mini video blogs in which I put Five Big Questions to charity CEOs to find out what it’s really like to head up their organisations. It’s Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month so I spoke to the super dynamic Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal, the only UK national charity raising awareness and funding research…

  • Why you absolutely must trust your team

    Why you absolutely must trust your team

    It’s hard to put total trust in your people sometimes, isn’t it? A big project is about to go live and you find yourself awake at night, worrying. All those disastrous worst case scenarios go round and round.  You wonder whether the staff member in charge really is on top of everything. What if? What…

  • Micro-management? What a turn off

      I’m about to work with a fast expanding third sector organisation where one or two managers are a little too keen to micro-manage their reports. The Chief Exec has identified it’s going on and is keen to help his people find alternatives so that everyone can flourish and grow. I can absolutely see why.…

  • More great questions for managers

    Here’s Part Two of your ‘Listen more, talk less’ guide to third sector one-to-ones. Today, I’ve got five more super-powerful questions for line managers. These explore progress with a current project and will help you steer clear of doling out advice straightaway after “what have you done so far?” 1. What’s not happening for you?…

  • Five incisive questions for managers

    Got a one-to-one coming up with one of your team? Line managers don’t have to do all the talking. Here’s five super-powerful questions to help them set goals they’ll want to achieve: What will achieving this goal give you and the organisation? How will it get you closer to your bigger, overall goal? If you…

  • Get out of the house in 2013

      “To experience, to engage, to endeavour, rather than to watch and to wonder — that’s where the real meat of life is to be found.” As you know I’m a big fan of TED, the not-for-profit organisation devoted to spreading great ideas. My present to you this Christmas is an invitation to take ten…