International Women’s Day and Celebrating Success

Scholars have argued that for women the pathway to leadership is akin to a ‘labyrinth’ wherein it’s not so much a ‘glass ceiling’ that prohibits women from getting to the top, but rather a sum of obstacles that present along the way.  The good news is, there unequivocally are ways to address gender diversity in the workplace (and they don’t involve annihilating men everywhere)! (Image source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news – A woman in Trafalgar Square during the Women’s March on London in central London, Britain January 21, 2017, Kevin Coombs/Reuters)

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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) 

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Learning: Why it’s easier said than done

How can you learn and grow, when you feel you need to know it all to begin with?  We are habituated to measure our success by external validation.  For children, this may take the form of stickers, praise or grades at school.  For us adults, it includes promotions, pay rises and positive feedback. Unfortunately, this external validation can undermine our capacity to learn and grow. (Image source: www.holidayssun.com; Puerto Banus at night)

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GRIT

An inspiring review of Angela Duckworth’s book Grit, by Miriam Yates, Consulting Psychologist at Within Consulting.  

Why do you need Grit? How do you get it? And why talent isn’t everything!

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New Year, New You? Embracing the Inner Gorilla

Argumentative? Time poor? Control freak? No willpower? Weakness for a good Shiraz? Coffee addiction? Bad hair?  No problem, leave them all behind in 2015 and welcome a NEW YOU in 2016!  As we welcome in another new year, we are overwhelmed with articles encouraging us to become a brand new turbo-improved version of our former selves. But the reality is – You can’t just skip over yourself.

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Positive Neuroplasticity: Hardwiring Behaviour Change and Building Inner Resources

What do you want to become ‘more’ of?  More patient, more confident, more assertive, more light-hearted? This article explores how we can identify the inner resources we need and want to develop, and the practical ways that we can ‘hardwire change’ in our minds. As I mentioned in my previous article, there is a growing body of research in the area of neuroplasticity that supports the idea that our talents, abilities and strengths are not fixed.  We are all very quick to put ourselves (and others) into boxes which limit us.  In fact, we all have the capacity to change, …

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