“Up to what point could you follow me?”
Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of what drains my energy and what fuels it. More importantly, I have learned to see and acknowledge that this often comes down to the smallest things. [...]
The biggest stressor in an open-plan office isn’t the noise
The biggest stressor in an open-plan office isn't the noise. "Excuse me, but could you please take that conversation somewhere else?" Anyone who has ever worked in an open-plan office has thought it, said it, [...]
Is workplace loyalty a thing of the past?
Employee engagement is dropping. But that is not the whole story. Globally, only 20 percent of employees feel truly engaged at work, according to the latest report by Gallup. Our first reflex is to ask: [...]
“Oh right, we already have three in-house coaches.”
“Oh right, we already have three in-house coaches.” No… that’s not what I do. In fact, that’s exactly the difference. I hear this surprisingly often when I explain that I work as an embedded coach. [...]
Congratulations!
Got promoted? Congratulations – your learning curve starts all over again It’s one of the biggest pitfalls within organisations: we promote talented people based on their success in their current role. Until they end up [...]
Mid-Year Review
It’s performance review season again...And sometimes you hear the exact same feedback as last year. Just before summer break, many organizations are in the midst of these rounds of discussions, the mid-year reviews. Of course, [...]
He’s really got a problem
It was said during a meeting in which someone had stormed out of the room in anger just moments earlier. The familiar pattern of interpretation immediately took hold in the room: unprofessional, completely unacceptable, he [...]
Sorry, it took longer than expected…
‘Sorry, it took longer than expected’... and just like that, your half-hour becomes a quarter of an hour. Someone has carefully prepared for an important meeting with their manager. After some back-and-forth scheduling, they manage [...]
Constantly on the defensive
Some working relationships constantly put you on the defensive. And that’s no coincidence. I once worked with a manager who made me feel constantly on the defensive. It was as if I was already 1-0 [...]
Why negativity sets the tone so quickly in teams
You know how it is: that one negative team member who affects the whole atmosphere? The one who sighs deeply and loudly at everything, or responds to most things with a critical remark or look? [...]