effectiveness

June 12, 2024

What is situational leadership and how best to use it?

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to leadership. It requires adaptability and a keen understanding of the individuals being led. One approach to this complexity is situational leadership, a model designed by Blanchard and Hersey to help leaders tailor their approach based on the developmental level of their team members. And this approach really does work. A study examined the impact of situational leadership on job satisfaction and employee performance within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The findings revealed that this leadership style has a significant positive effect, […]

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 […]

March 2, 2023

Prioritising your workload for personal effectiveness

With our fast-paced lives, prioritising your workload can help you be more efficient and achieve your goals faster. We often find ourselves juggling multiple tasks and wasting precious time on meetings that could have been an email. So how do you make more time for creativity and ultimately become more productive? Understanding the urgency and importance of tasks coming your way is the first step. Stephen Covey’s ‘Four Quadrants’ is a useful time management tool to help prioritise work tasks and identify those pesky timewasters. A matrix to prioritise tasks […]

July 4, 2022

Presentation Structure – what to consider for maximum impact

In the last blog, (click link – Preparing Perfect Presentations) we discussed presentations: the importance of preparation and how understanding your audience’s needs positively supports their engagement. The next step to delivering a great presentation is to consider how to structure it to achieve maximum impact. Telling the story Think about the structure of a simple story – one you might have been read at primary school. All the best presentations, like the best stories, should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Considering and constructing each of […]

April 18, 2022

Conflict is Good

Conflict: how can it be a good thing? In May 2021, workplace expert Acas published a report which showed nearly half a million employees resign every year as a result of workplace conflict. It also revealed the potential for increased conflict as organisations try to adapt to changes after COVID-19. There’s a clear benefit to handling conflict early. Not least avoiding stress and impact on team morale. But unpick the problem, and you might find it’s productive and leads to positive change. Here’s why. How can conflict be a positive thing? Many […]

March 18, 2022

Difficult Conversations

How to handle difficult conversations Throughout our careers, we all experience those moments when we’re not happy with someone’s behaviour or performance. It’s easy to put off a difficult conversation. You could be worried about the other person’s reaction and how you might handle it. Or worse, you might convince yourself that ignoring it will mean the matter goes away. But if they aren’t nipped in the bud, issues can escalate, impacting others in the team or customers. How you have a difficult conversation can affect the outcome. So how […]

April 11, 2021

Productivity and effectiveness: technology and techniques

In our March blog we reflected on the reality of working from home and the impact this has on our ability to be as effective as possible. In the 24/7 switched on world we live in, it can quickly become overwhelming to start each day without a clear idea of what you need to be on top of. And it’s equally as deflating to end it feeling like you haven’t achieved what you needed to. Once you’ve mastered how to look more critically at what’s important to deliver each day, […]

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