“Emotional agility” was named by Harvard Business Review as the “Idea of the year” for 2016. The book by psychologist Susan David PhD, “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life” provides tips on how to best interact with our thoughts and feelings in a way that helps us to reach our personal and professional goals.
Tag: Team Development
Productivity… by doing MORE of LESS
I genuinely love my job. But my lists comprise multiple yet discrete areas of interest and my week days are long. It dawned on me that perhaps I have too many interests... Image source: https://shop.hollycasto.com
Abundance in the Workplace: What Managers Need to Know?
Very early in my career I participated in a two day retreat with my work unit. Our manager had organised the retreat with the intention of increasing our team connection and our performance. We came back even more disillusioned, disengaged and dysfunctional after one very telling team activity. (Image Source: www.olympic.org/photos)
Resilience: Its not what you think
I don’t often tell people about the kind of psychology I do. It’s not that I’m not proud of it, but because it is generally misunderstood. When I tell people my work involves applying positive psychology and building resilience in the workplace, they usually look at me like I’m a flake. It seems they picture me facilitating group hugs and Kumbaya sing alongs. (Image source: reachout.com)
What happens when you put two control freaks together on a tandem bike?
What do you get when put two control freaks on a tandem bike together? The same thing you get when you put two high achievers on a project together! Here are some tips for managers of control freaks, co-workers of control freaks, and the control freaks themselves (from a fellow control freak). Image source: www.tandembicycletours.com
Working with Teams in Conflict
If you have ever worked within a team that was in conflict, then you know how bad it can get. Many teams go through periods of conflict, and some teams go through periods where the whole working environment can feel absolutely toxic. A team in this situation needs assistance to work effectively together. The worst thing a manager can do is ‘let them be’ and hope they will work it out themselves. However, even the best managers find these situations very difficult to navigate.
How do you inspire confidence and competence in others?
One of our greatest challenges is standing back and allowing others to learn from their own actions, triumphs and mistakes. It can be too easy to step in and ‘save the day’ at the first ‘wobble of the wheels’. However, when you give others the space to apply new learnings, you provide invaluable opportunities to develop confidence and competence.
Ready for a Change?
To Do or Not To Do…..
Implementing changes in our personal and professional lives can be extremely challenging. We are wired for safety and nothing quite flicks our safety switch like the prospect of change. In fact, one of our key survival strategies is to stabilise what keeps changing in order to maintain equilibrium, so our brains are very good at sending us warning signals whenever change is in the air.
Strengths at Work
Do you know what your greatest strengths are? Are you using your strengths at work?
If you answer yes to both of these questions, chances are you are likely to be more engaged in your work (Lewis, 2011). In fact, research suggests that knowing your strengths and being able to apply them is the path to a happier and more fulfilling life in general (Seligman, 2006).