An age-old model of change suggests that in order to change, you first have to unfreeze the current state. The current state hasn't just been unfrozen, it has be nuked. Change is now happening, at pace, and under pressure. Thing is, soon it will start to cool down, and things will begin to freeze again. Such is the way of change. But, hold on... Read More

"It was the worst of times, it was the best of times, it was the age of foolishness, it was the age of wisdom, if was the epoch of incredulity, it was the epoch of belief, it was the season of Darkness, it was the season of Light, it was the winter of despair, it was the spring of hope." Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (forgive me, subtlety amended). This weekend has been amazing. Since writing and publishing Opportunity of a lifetime? on Friday I've been busy. Engaging with clients and subscribers. Learning how they are responding, and finding out what is happening beyond the news. It fuels my optimism that dark though these days undoubtable are, good things will come from this. Read More

If you're smart, right now, you'll...

• Keep calm while others lose their heads and hearts.
• Limit your exposure to the panic-stricken media, especially social media.
• Attend to the news you need to hear to keep you and yours safe and well.
• Do your best to reassure others less able to withstand this mayhem.
• Do what the experts advise you to do.
• Stay alert for the opportunities all crises contain.
• Remain productive, positive and focused.

If you’re smart and, you’d like Read More

Because of the disagreement, tension and emotional repercussions of dealing with a difficult person, most people lose sight of reality.

Quite naturally in these circumstances, most people take the problem personally. Rarely do people take it personally in the right way.

The wrong way to take it personally is to foster the emotional reaction that they are slighting you. They dislike you, disrespect you. Pushbacks and disagreements that are interpreted as a personal attack. Read More

“If you do what you’ve always done…”

“You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking.”

When immersed in a difficult situation with a difficult person, hard-coded behaviours and emotions reign supreme. So, how on earth can you think, feel or act differently to achieve a different outcome?

Try this unusual exercise, and make sure to invest energy and effort to make sure you answer these questions are fully and frankly as you can. Read More

When you are facing up to dealing with difficult people, many thoughts and emotions crowd in. These tend to be negative - about them and the situation.

“How could they behave in such a way? They are so blinkered! So frustrating - they just ignore me. They shouldn’t treat people like that. They’re rude.”

And so it goes on. Time passes. The problem persists and the emotions become entrenched - automatic reactions.

Totally understandable. After all, you’re there trying to do a good job, help them even. Yet this is the way they treat you.

Trouble is, they may well be thinking and feeling similarly towards you. Sorry, yes, they may think you are a difficult person. Warped though that idea may seem, it could well be their reality. Read More

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The Broken Promises political dilemma is commonplace. Due to the power balance, it could almost be inevitable, especially if the senior has this as part of their motivation Modus Operandi.

There are many variations on the theme, but a typical scenario plays out like this: Read More

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to mention to you that we’ve decided to reorganise a little. We’ve not really been getting consistent standards with local reporting, so would you be okay to take solid-line responsibility globally for your function? They’ll still report into the country heads, but you’ll be the one calling the shots. Don’t worry, everyone agreed. Keep me the loop.”

After the initially euphoria of being elevated to a global level of responsibility wears off, reality dawns. How on earth are you going to pull this off?

Situations vary widely, but some common challenges you will face include: Read More

Working with (or under) a boss who micro-manages is tough. The lack of trust they are displaying, or rather, you are feeling, can be completely demoralising - at best! And this is far more common than you may realise. Most people in these situations seem to think they are being picked on, singled out for this "special" treatment, but that is rarely the case. Indeed, for most micro-managers, it a personality trait, they cannot help themselves, they are working on auto-pilot. That doesn't excuse it, and it definitely doesn't mean you have to put up with it. In the video below (one of my most popular on YouTube), I will help you understand your boss a little better, begin to get to grips with the actual problem, and then start to point you in the direction of practical things you can to do alleviate the problem - so you can get on and do your job! Read More