NonsenseAtWork

The more you try to explain using multiple motivations, the more you will sound as if you are defending your decision. Or worse, that you are still convincing... yourself .

Think of it as zero-based daily living. Question everything you do and every tool you use. Does it still make sense? Does it still add value? Why are you doing it? Why are you doing it this way?

Sometimes we are aware of people droning on. And sometimes we focus on what they say. But too often we treat hearing and listening as the same and discount the fact that there is a practical difference between the two.

Here are a few common phrases that will help you remember the times when over-confidence got the better of you or your team.

Do you have a pet optimist at work? Every organization needs at least one. Here's how to encourage your pet optimists.

Sometimes we benefit more from looking back, from reviewing what happened, than from anticipating what will happen next. And at other times, we learn more from imagining what lies ahead than we would do from judging the past.

Some of us use mindset and attitude as synonyms. But if we think about it, then maybe we shouldn't. Mindset is a way of thinking. Attitude is a way of being.

Pilots and other high-flyers, like Edison, know that if you don’t remember a failure, you are doomed to repeat it. If only once more.

There's a funny thing that happens when we become the boss. Overnight we go from asking to telling; from being unsure to having answers; from...

If getting older is about becoming better, what's there not to like about getting older? I'll tell you what.

The higher up the ladder you are, the less direct feedback you will get while your back gets more indirect gripes. So turn around, face them, and ask.

If you are a leader, a manager and/or a parent, then it matters that you are direct and directive. The catch is... Because there is always a catch.

When you use supposed morale boosting statements like "take one for the team", then ask yourself why you use them. Could it be that you don't really have the power you think you have? Or is it that you know what you are asking someone to do is out of the norm?

Did you know that people also take their cue from your mood? People will unwittingly adopt your mood, good, bad or indifferent. This means that, as a leader, you can never not mood... well, you should never ignore the power of your mood.

My warning to both boss and candidate is simple. Be clear on the roles you must play for the process to work well, then play them well.

Anything that breaks the link with your job and dunks you into a creative flow is a hobby worth inhabiting. It will refresh you and make you more resilient. The bonus? You will be more effective and productive at work.

Why is this saying so appropriate today? Because we are doing the exact opposite. We mistrust and we don't verify. We assume from the start that we cannot trust “them” and so we don’t verify why we cannot (or can) trust “them.”

We treat goals and objectives as synonyms when we talk and write casually. But we weaken focus and motivation if we treat them as synonyms when we plan and strategize. Weaken focus and motivation? Yes.

It is ridiculous for business teams to strive to be like sports teams. And it can be dangerous. Here’s why.

Why would we want to help ourselves fail? Because it gives us a ready excuse in case we fail. And so to soften the blow.

If you are human, then you, like the rest of us, have probably resolved to have a better year than last year. (I told you we are an optimistic bunch.) And so you plan for the best and pooh-pooh the worst. (Talk about optimism!)

You might think that the more resolute you are, the more your resolutions will stick. And they will, but not in the manner you hope.

Have you ever wondered why, once you have made a decision, you don't always feel excited by it or motivated to execute on it? Surely, you've noticed this at work as well, in how people react to decisions already made. Sometimes they are positive and enthusiastic. And sometimes not.

Tell me, what causes more harm to your IQ, smoking pot or being distracted? And the answer is...

Falling downwards on a staircase is easy because gravity makes it so. But falling upwards. Now there's a thing! You land on a higher level.