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Let’s get rid of COB deadlines
If you work in an office, it’s likely you’re familiar with the ‘COB’ deadline. ‘COB’ being the acronym for ‘Close Of Business’ or the old 5pm knock-off time. “…get that report to me by COB Tuesday” or “I need that submitted by COB Friday” you’ll hear people say. But here’s the thing. What is someone…
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Why you need to keep your work space clean and organised
People tend to focus too much on what app they can use to boost their productivity when often it’s their physical environment that’s holding them back. Studies have shown that the average worker loses about an hour a day to disorganization. Consider for a moment what that means in productivity terms. Let’s say for argument’s…
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It’s better to initiate
I recently listened to Seth Godin’s Tribes on audio book. It is… amazing! I’m going to listen again, and again, and probably again. I think that you should too. What sits with me after having listened this first time are his ideas about how we, as leaders, should take action. Most people, he says, react.…
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How to become the “go-to” person for important projects
We were once limited by our existing skill set. We were locked into our speciality. If you were trained in preparing budget reports, you prepared budget reports. If you were really good at writing copy, you wrote copy. If you were a project manager, you managed projects. There was very little room to move outside…
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Stop Being So Inclusive
Management has experienced a strong shift in recent decades toward empowering individuals and teams to lead and problem solve. Like any important change, there’s a danger of going too far. Don’t get me wrong. As a manager I do all I can to empower my people to lead and problem solve. But, there also comes…
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3 Epic Time Management Techniques for New Freelancers
Freelancing is a tough business. Don’t get me wrong, escaping restrictive office hours and horrible bosses and embracing the creative freedom that comes with doing what you love and are truly good at makes it all worthwhile. But, at the end of the day, it’s still work and tough work at that. As a freelancer…
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It’s OK to procrastinate
I’ve struggled with procrastination my whole life. When I was young, I wasn’t called a procrastinator, I was called lazy. I even referred to myself as lazy. I recently had a realisation that I think all so-called ‘procrastinators’ should have. One that’s changed the way I look at my work and the way I do…
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How to make a dent: on success in the new era of work
The days of ‘cog-in-the-machine’ employment is coming to an end. As the information economy grows and develops, people who can do more than shift a lever or press a button on a production line are more important than ever. But, what is it exactly that we need people, in this new era of work, to…
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Manage your energy, not your time
In the early pages of their book The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz share a turning point in the trajectory of their business working with world class athletes. After years of helping athletes perform consistently at a high level under competitive pressure, Jim and Tony were invited by a number of…
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What Michael Jordan can teach you about career success
In 2003, two of the greatest ever to play the game of basketball faced off in the NBA Allstar Game: Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The old school and the new school battled in what would, in hindsight, become a passing of the crown from one king to the next. At one point in the…