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Cube Learning & Development
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Blog

Blog

We share our latest insights and advice on learning and development.

Personal development

August 3, 2023

The power of assertiveness: learning to say no to your boss

The fear of saying no to our managers at work often weighs heavily on our minds. As employees, we strive to be liked, and seen as productive and valued team members, which can lead to a habit of saying ‘yes’ to every request that comes our way. However, constantly taking on more than we can handle leads to overwhelming workloads, increased stress, and less ability to prioritise effectively.   In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of assertiveness and discuss strategies for learning to say no to your boss in a […]
July 6, 2023

Boosting team productivity: strategies for effective collaboration in the workplace

In the modern workplace, team productivity plays a crucial role in achieving organisational success. According to a survey conducted by McKinsey, highly collaborative teams are 20-25% more productive than their less collaborative counterparts. Effective collaboration and streamlined teamwork are vital components that contribute to a team’s overall productivity.   In this blog, we’ll explore key strategies to enhance your team’s productivity both on and offline.  Cascading team objectives  Clear and well-defined team objectives serve as a compass for focused and aligned effort. Ensure that team objectives are communicated and cascaded effectively, […]
June 1, 2023

The power of marginal gains: small changes for long-term success

In today’s competitive professional landscape, achieving consistent and significant improvements in workplace performance can be challenging. However, by embracing the concept of marginal gains, you can unlock your full potential and achieve long-term success.  In this blog, we’ll explore the profound impact of marginal gains, using real-life examples from renowned figures such as David Brailsford, Peter Bregman, and Hal Elrod. We’ll also share top tips for putting small changes into practice to enhance your performance.   What are marginal gains?  Marginal gains involve making small, incremental changes in various aspects of […]
May 3, 2023

How to stop procrastinating at work and get more done

We’re all guilty of putting things off or overthinking situations, but how do you stop procrastinating and get more done at work? First, we need to understand what procrastination is and why we do it.  What is procrastination?  Procrastination is a common problem, causing stress, anxiety, and often a sense of guilt. Dr Piers Steel, one of the world’s pre-eminent researchers on procrastination, defines it as ‘the voluntary postponement of an unpleasant task, often against one’s better judgement.’  If you spend your time dragging your feet and delaying the inevitable, […]
April 4, 2023

Four ways to enter a flow state of mind

If you’ve ever been completely immersed in a task or felt ‘in the zone’, its likely you’ve experienced a flow state of mind. You might have found this happens when you’re learning something new, being creative such as writing of painting, or taking part in a sport.   Being able to harness a flow state of mind is an important productivity hack. Here’s what you need to know about it, so you can use it to your advantage.   What is flow state of mind?  Flow is a feeling of effortless focus […]
February 9, 2023

The difference between pressure and stress for peak performance

We’ve all experienced pressure and stress within our lives, but what’s the difference, and how does this impact performance at work?  It’s reported that one in 40 workers were affected by work-related stress, anxiety or depression in 2020 to 2021. That’s around 18 million working days thought to be lost each year because of these problems.   A little bit of stress is good for people to perform and protect themselves, say the World Health Organisation (WHO), but too much stress can overwhelm them leading to a fight, flight or freeze […]
January 5, 2023

Managing people through change

How to support your team through organisational change  No matter how well you’ve planned organisational change, the tricky bit is engaging your teams to contribute and embrace new ways of working.   New technologies. Changing customer preferences. Competitors eating up market share. The spiralling cost of doing business. Standing still isn’t an option for any of us.   In a recent interview with the CBI, dealing with change is cited as the number one priority for leaders right now.  So, how can you support and coach people through organisational change to influence […]
December 8, 2022

Understanding change

Understanding how we react to change   Cutting costs. Efficiency gains. New technologies. Restructuring. New leadership. Whatever form it might take, change is a given in most organisations as we navigate challenges and grasp opportunities in front of us.  But no matter how well we’ve planned organisational change, understanding and effectively dealing with how people respond is key to effective implementation.  In fact, research from McKinsey & Company found 70% of change programmes fail, pointing out common pitfalls are largely due to “employee resistance and lack of management support”.  Here, we […]
October 13, 2022

Building rapport through questioning and active listening

So, you’ve made a great first impression and now you need to build a lasting connection by establishing good rapport. Using questions and active listening are techniques you can use to help with this.   Useful questions to build rapport  You might think all kinds of questions are useful when building rapport, but that’s not the case. Here are the ones you need to focus on.  Open questions. These are questions you can’t answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to and help initiate conversations. Try asking how, why, what, where, what, when, who, […]
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