Why do people get worked up about end-of-year reviews? No one really enjoys performance reviews. We all go into them with a sense of trepidation, maybe because evolution has given us a bias towards negativity and defensiveness. Millions of years ago, it paid to be wary, what with predators and competing tribes. It’s why research shows that we remember negative experiences...
Can you remember the stock answer a few years ago when you asked someone how they were? The vast majority would say, ‘Fine.’ One or two would put their hand to their back, feign hobbling along a bit and croak, ‘Surviving.’ Unless you get in a black cab in London (where ‘surviving’ is still in vogue), those days are pretty much...
Do you blur your background? An idyllic ocean? A sleek, modern (personality-less) office? Do you even have your camera on? Or maybe you’re brave enough to have no filter, with pets, children and partners all joining in! Does it even matter? Well, yes, depending on the call you’re having, it can have a significant impact. Team values and culture Imagine this:...
Famously, Brits will dance around a sensitive subject to the point of absurdity rather than have a direct conversation about it. It’s one of the national traits that define us, like a stiff upper lip and Wetherspoons. I’ve noticed it’s also a habit that becomes more pronounced the further south you go. In the north, where I’m from, people will generally tell...
Boots weather is on the horizon, and with it comes the perfect time to take a fresh look at how you can rev up your team's performance during this natural peak of refocus. Perhaps we should consider less 'back to the grindstone' and more 'recharged and raring to go' for workplace innovation…. The secret to unleashing your team's creativity and collaboration...
It couldn’t have been any clearer. "I’m out of the office until August 13th and will not be replying to emails." I even left specific instructions: if it’s urgent, please contact one of the two team members whose email addresses were linked in the message. Simple, right? So why did some people think it was appropriate to ignore my OoO and...
Who cares about poop in The Seine, naked Smurfs at the Last Supper or whether break dancing is an Olympic sport or not? The 2024 Paris Games were a joyous spectacle of international sport, providing us with arguably the coolest contestant in Olympic history, South Korean sharpshooter Kim Yeji and her ice-cold, bad-ass energy. There were many highlights, but one Olympian,...
Are there particular games you remember playing in your childhood? Perhaps you raided the bank in a good game of Monopoly or searched for the culprit in a round of Cluedo. When I reminisce about my childhood, I remember our family Scrabble games. At the slightest hint of defeat, my younger brother would launch the board into the air, ensuring a...
Unless you’re an avid follower of European Union politics, you’ve probably never heard of Bernd Posselt. The German politician served as a Member of the European Parliament between 1994 and 2014, representing the Christian Social Union party in Bavaria. Why am I mentioning an obscure German MEP, you are probably thinking? Well, apart from his fetching bierkeller moustache and physique, there...
