I love coffee – Arabica coffee beans, which comprise about 75% of the total world production, are the most famous, sometimes called “super-coffee” and grown in Central and South America. The coffee is grown at high altitudes in volcanic soil – the same giving the beans their brightness and sweetness. The taste of the coffee…
Having consulted with a number of firms, I have noticed, almost without exception, the frantic activity of senior and middle management as they scurry from meeting to meeting, prepare presentations, work on budgets, hoping to get the best deal for their respective departments, write reports, attend or participate in road shows and generally answer questions…
Sir William Edward Parry (1790 – 1855) was an English naval officer and record-setting explorer of the Arctic. He made one of the initial attempts to conquer the perilous trip to the North Pole and, in so doing, travelled further north than any other previous explorer – a record that stood for almost fifty years….
In life and particularly in a work context, we are often faced with situations that are “uncomfortable”, situations that may show up a weakness in us, situations that call us to “give an account” of ourselves. In these moments, the human’s default programming is one of defensiveness, attempting to protect one’s value and trying to…
So, you have worked hard at developing your career – all your needed studies are complete, you have gained experience in your field and your expertise has set you up as a trusted practitioner. You are respected and your job is stable. You produce quality work and you are appreciated. Your colleagues rely on your…
I am surprised how few people understand the impact of their words, presence and emotional disposition on the lives of others. There seems to be a lack of awareness, particularly amongst managers, of how words, tone and body language can potentially negatively impact how another feels about his or her sense of worth and the…
A supervisor who attended a workshop that I was facilitating for a plastics company, in an exercise which examined personal vision and passion, admitted that he had always wanted to become a fireman – to be in a position, if possible, to prevent fires from starting or, if not possible, to be able to save…
I so enjoyed the “Connecting the Dots” or “Dot to Dot” game when I was a child. Seeing an image appear before me, as if by magic, when I connected the dots in the correct sequence gave me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. It was fascinating to attempt to work out the shapes and…
What would you do if your 10 year old daughter or son came home from school one day and announced: “I’m not going to school anymore!”? You would be dumbfounded, of course, but then you may do what countless parents do worldwide – try to convince the child to think differently and perhaps decide that…
I have visited many people in hospital before – to encourage friends and family, pray for their speedy recovery and wish them well. I have also had my own personal moments of being a “guest” at a number of such institutions – being pampered, eating special meals and having a plethora of tests with sophisticated…
I am surprised at how many people hate feedback, whether it centres on performance, personality, character or behaviour issues. There seems to be a fear that the one giving the feedback does not have your best interests at heart and that the feedback will be detrimental, rather than uplifting, in terms of your growth and…
Life is full of “curved balls” – some of them surprising and pleasantly beneficial, but others testing and even painful, to say the least. Just when we think all is turning in our favour (“things are getting better now”), some or other hardship comes along to seemingly confound our good attempts at making real progress….
