Remember MBWA? It stood for; Managing By Walking Around – the essence of which was getting closer to your people, to the operation and to the client or customer. This is the direct opposite of the old style; distant, autocratic and non-communicative management approach.  The term ‘mushroom treatment’ was often

Listening Self Test: Do you check your smart phone for texts/emails/face book updates during a conversation? Do you interrupt? Do you formulate a reply while the person is still speaking? Do you finish the person’s sentence for her? Are you busy doing something else while someone is speaking? Are you

I’ve just spent two weeks interviewing candidates for a senior management position. Saw some really great people. And some others.  Here are a few simple suggestions for all would be interviewees:   Smile – be friendly, be likeable, be positive. Remember it is much easier think positively of someone who

I need help from a colleague. In the past we have been in competing units but due to a recent reorganisation we now have to cooperate. I have tried everything; bargaining, pleading, complimenting, cajoling, even threatening (to a degree) but nothing seems effective. Should I just give up?   No

Question: I have just recently been successful in achieving promotion to my first ever supervisory post. I will have a group of 5 staff. I will be joining from another unit so I am not a total stranger to them. I have a number of thoughts as to how best

One myth is; ‘I could get my job done if there were just no politics in my workplace’. Dream on.   Question: I work in a large public sector organisation. I have been with them for three years now. While I enjoy many aspects of the job and have good

The above statement is quite common, ubiquitous, even. But I’m afraid these words are not always supported by actions. And some organisations seem to go out of their way to contradict this ‘value’. Here’s a case I came across recently.   Background: A multi national organisation. With over 80,000 staff.