» Hints, Tips & Techniques

The other day I was reminded of a technique I learned at the very beginning of my facilitation journey.  I suspect I mastered it in my childhood.  I was always the little boy that wanted to know Why?  My partner still (occasionally) gets annoyed when I revert to type.  I still like to know why.  […][...] read more » Why 5 Y’s can be wise

The Entrepreneur had an article about Influencers.  If you want to become more influential, then here are a few things that you might want to do more of:- Think for yourself.  Don’t just follow the herd, think it through, do some research, listen to your own instincts, intuition & experience.  Don’t just accept the Status […][...] read more » How to be more influential…

I recently encountered a business that is  to be about to make an easy, even classic mistake.  They need to change their structure and get clarity on the the key roles & responsibilities and rather than starting with “What are we as a business trying to achieve?”  and then asking “What is the best best […][...] read more » How NOT to decide…

We are all great lovers, drivers and listeners aren’t we… or rather we like to think we are!  In case you have room to improve here are a few tips to help:- Ask good questions:   Questions show you are interested, which encourages them to open up, it helps them focus and perhaps helps expose things […][...] read more » Listening–some trade secrets

A company I know has a leader who has a vision of where they need to go to survive the threats that the economy and competition pose.  I am quite prepared to accept his analysis;  I believe most of his team are too.  So what could possibly go wrong and why is he facing difficulties […][...] read more » The danger of knowing what is best…

Another item from the program I listened to yesterday that really resonated was a conversation about geo-engineering & global warming.  Author Oliver Morton, who wrote “The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World” , was asked whether it was a good idea to bet the future of mankind on this kind of technology.  [For […][...] read more » Solving knotty problems

I listened to a fascinating program today which talked about making and learning from mistakes.  Regular readers will be familiar with my thoughts on the importance of learning from mistakes and avoiding a blame culture.  It is said that the secret to being a successful entrepreneur is to fail often and learn every time you […][...] read more » Black box thinking

This the third in the series exploring our bad habits in communication.  Nagging is when you keep on and on at someone to do something.  By definition, if you have asked the same person for the same thing  multiple times they either aren’t getting the message or aren’t receptive to it.  You have to try […][...] read more » 7 deadly sins of communication–part 3

When we blame someone (or something) we are seeking to explain or excuse a failure.  Now there is a time and place for analysing what went wrong and who was responsible but usually we do this we are seeking to distance ourselves from what has gone wrong.  Again, it is all about the intention.  It […][...] read more » 7 deadly sins of communication–part 2

A psychiatrist named William Glasser identified seven habits that damage and undermine effective communication.  They each have a positive counterpart, the things we can do to promote good, healthy communication and relationships.  They are:- Negative Habits Positive Behaviours Criticising Supporting Blaming Encouraging Complaining Listening Nagging Accepting Threatening Trusting Punishing Respecting Bribing (or rewarding to control) […][...] read more » 7 deadly sins of communication–part 1