Simple tips for a stress free return to work after holiday

It’s a pain isn’t it?  You’ve just had a great holiday, managed to switch off pretty well and now you’ve just walked into hundreds if not thousands of emails.  There’s a todo list that’s overwhelming you and all those balls that you were juggling before your break are now rolling around on the floor waiting for you to pick them up.

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How intimate are you when managing your remote team? 

Why intimacy is a big deal when managing remote team workers and what to do about it.   Intimacy doesn’t seem like a very professional word does it?  It is, however, a crucial idea when we are managing remote team workers.   The Google dictionary suggests its definition is a ‘close familiarity or friendship’.

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Emotional intelligence: Lessons from the discomfort of a bad back

I’ve never been one to suffer badly with back pain.  The really painful stuff has only happened to me a few times over my near 55 years.  Memorably the first time I experienced debilitating back pain it was caused pulling my socks on, on my 30th birthday!  Prior to that experience I had carried around woeful, youthful disdain, belittling the grumblings of others over their sore backs.

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Ask vs tell – Your management style

We probably use ask-and-tell all the time in our management roles, but there’s something important about this that goes beyond just being polite or not.  There are times as a manager when I really need to tell, be directive and give individuals instruction.

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Three reasons positive feedback matters

What’s all the fuss around giving people praise, especially if they are only doing what’s expected of them?   Sometimes we managers can get ourselves into a really unhelpful way of thinking.  Perhaps it’s because we feel we mustn’t ‘over-do’ the praise of our staff.

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3 weeks to the Festival of Work 2019 at London Olympia

Three week to go before the festival of work kicks off.  We've a brand new stand to show off this year, although we did have a few problems trying it out in the office!  iManage 1, light fitting 0! We've just been granted a speakers slot too, so if you're there on the Thursday (13th June 2019) come to the Learning and Development stage for 1045hr to see Bob present on 'Designing learning solutions for remote/virtual team managers and workers.

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