"When people say to me, 'Would you rather be thought of as a funny man or a great boss?' my answer's always the same: to me, they're not mutually exclusive." – David Brent, philosopher, philanthropist and motivational speaker (BBC TV's "The Office") A horse walks into a bar… Anyone concerned that the punchline might […]
Career Skills, Communication, Leadership, Stress, Team Management, Uncategorized
"We are not born with abilities. This comes from practice, persistence and perseverance." – Debasish Mridha, American physician and author About This Week's Chat We moved into a new house recently, after having lived in an apartment for nine years. Long before the move took place, I told my husband that as soon as the […]
#MTtalk, Leadership, Problem Solving, Strategy, Stress, Uncategorized
If you hear that a new team member or manager is "emotionally intelligent," you’ll probably nod gratefully. You'll understand that he or she will likely listen to you, try to see things from your point of view, and resist jumping to conclusions. Before 1995, though, you may have wondered what on earth that phrase meant. […]
Creativity, Empowerment, Expert Interview, Stress, Uncategorized
A friend of mine recently told me that she was thinking of quitting her job. I was astounded; she's one of those people who actually does (or did) bound out of bed, and looks forward to her days at work. She's always loved her job, and she fought tooth and nail to get it. Yet […]
According to Christine Comaford, we all need to feel three things in order to thrive: that we're safe, we belong, and we matter. In her new book, "Power Your Tribe," she states that, "Without those three essentials, a person or team cannot perform, innovate, feel emotionally engaged, agree, or move forward." So it's a big […]
Career Skills, Communication, Expert Interview, Learning Skills, Stress, Team Management
Do you grab a snack at your desk, or are you a "foodie," savoring every bite? We each have our own unique relationship with food – but one thing we share is that, sometimes, we have to eat at work. And it can be awkward and uncomfortable to have your personal eating habits on public […]
I Am Not Myself Today We all have those days when we don't feel like ourselves. Days when you wake up and something just doesn't feel right. You can't pinpoint exactly what's wrong, and all you want to do is stay in bed, watch TV, and eat junk food. Not the most productive solution, perhaps, […]
Work is a huge part of our lives. Think about it: assuming that we work an average 39 hours a week, that's over 90,000 hours in a lifetime, or about a third of our lives! And, as the writer Annie Dillard once said, "How we spend our days is of course how we spend our […]
As some of you may know, we have discussion forums in the Mind Tools Club. A while ago, I started a conversation about mental health. One of our members, whom we'll call George, replied to say that he was recently diagnosed with a mental health concern. Since then, George has been very generous in sharing […]
Career Skills, Communication, Leadership, Stress, Team Management, Uncategorized
Annie McKee, Ph.D is an adviser on happiness to leaders of multinational companies and governments around the globe. So I was surprised to learn that, not so very long ago, she was cleaning houses and waiting tables. These are not jobs designed to make people happy. McKee mentions those early career experiences in her new […]
Career Skills, Communication, Problem Solving, Project Management, Stress, Uncategorized
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