In this Q&A episode, we dive into an important topic: How to Keep Supervisors Motivated in Leadership Roles. Supervisors are the middle layer between senior management and the front line. In many ways, they set the scene and role model the behaviours that you want the front line employees to be following. So what happens when your supervisors aren’…

Micromanagement is not a good thing, but I think it’s natural to feel like doing it sometimes. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to reduce the habit! In this episode I take a look at the problems with micromanagement, and how you can reduce the feeling that you need to do it with your team. Interested in working with me? Book your free 30-minu…

If you have a favourite employee at work, you aren’t the only one! Good employees are like gold – they help you out, make your job less stressful and lighten the load. But… there’s always a but… what is happening in the team when you have a favourite employee? Let’s find out in this episode. Interested in working with me? Book your free 30-minute c…

Blaming others is a common past time in many workplaces. And it’s so easy to slip into the habit of blaming, because we want to protect ourselves and let everyone know it wasn’t our fault! In this episode I look at some of the reasons why we blame, and what to try doing instead. After all, it’s not helping you or your team! Interested in working wi…

The phrase “feedback is a gift” is pretty common in many workplaces. While feedback can be a great way to know how you’re doing and to improve, it can also be a bad thing. Many people are terrible at giving feedback, so accepting it all would be a mistake. In this episode I take a look at how to decide whether to accept or reject feedback, and how …

Everyone wants to feel more confident, because we worry less and feel as if we’ve got everything under control. The problem is, we all have those self-doubting thoughts from time to time. And the more you push yourself and improve, you’ll be putting yourself in new situations which will stretch you even more, and potentially make you feel even less…

Our beliefs shape the actions we take, which makes a big difference in how we lead. In this episode, I’m going to look at some key beliefs which can make a positive difference on your team. But what if you don’t have these beliefs? Well, I’ll discuss that too. >>> Stop overthinking, make sense of your emotions and start taking action: The Useful Th…

Leaders have a huge impact on the people they lead in terms of job satisfaction, morale and performance. So do we want leaders who are running around busy, with no time to think? No, you need time and space to think, so you can be more intentional about what you’re doing. You’ll make better decisions, and that will benefit your teams and your organ…

Self-motivation is an important ingredient in the leadership puzzle. After all, we generally know how we should be leading. We’ve read the leadership books and listened to all the leadership podcasts. But it’s hard to show up every day with a great attitude and feeling motivated. That’s why in this episode, I take a look at some self-motivation ide…

The 4-day work week is becoming more popular these days, following several trials in various countries. There are a few characteristics of the 4-day work week which I find contribute to its success. In this episode, I look at these characteristics and how we can apply them to any workplace, even if you aren’t lucky enough to have a 4-day work week!…

Regular reflection is generally regarded as a great thing to be doing, but I’ve found that the majority of leaders (that I speak to anyway) don’t do it! That’s why I created The Useful Thinking Journal, which is a journal aiming to help you reflect in a structured way, and turn those reflections into real action so you can improve, or keep achievin…

Many thoughtful leaders find themselves feeling guilty at work. Not because they’ve necessarily done anything wrong – more that they are heaping pressure on themselves and suffering under the weight of expectation. In this episode, I look at the common sources of guilt and introduce a simple process you can follow to unravel these feelings and feel…

You might think of unproductive workplaces as ones where people aren’t doing much. I’ve found it’s quite the opposite – often people are running around madly… being busy. In this episode, I take a look at the cost of an unproductive workplace (other than just the money) and some of the common signs that we might hear that make it a bad place to be!…

Bashing the boss is a favourite pastime for many employees. We don’t want to be a boss that’s worthy of this sort of treatment, so in this episode I take a look at some of the common reasons why people generally complain about their boss. Then we can do things differently and give them fewer things to complain about! Like the Show? Please Leave a R…

Talk to many employees, and they’ll tell you that their boss is one of their biggest time management challenges. So is this the case when it comes to your leadership? In this episode, I take a look at whether you might be time management problem for your team, and what to do about it. Interested in working with me? If you're interested in potential…

Reflection has significant benefits for leaders, but I find that many leaders don’t engage in reflection very often. In this episode, I’ll take a look at the benefits of reflection and some of the issues that people encounter with it. Then, I’ll outline some practical steps to implement a reflective practice for yourself (and keep it up!) Like the …

Having a sense of purpose is critical according to several motivation theories and models. So how do we help our people find it? In this episode, I take a look at some practical ways that you can assist your team to find their sense of purpose. It’s not our responsibility to find it for our team, but we can help to create the right environment. Lik…

Getting out of your comfort zone is a worthwhile thing to do. But being out of your comfort zone all the time is stressful and draining. So when it comes to leadership, when should we make the effort to get out of our comfort zone? I take a look at this topic in this episode. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the s…

“Quiet quitting” is a relatively recent term that describes people doing the bare minimum at work. They aren’t exactly quitting, but they’re no longer going “over and above” for their organisation. In this episode, I take a look at whether this is a real problem at all… and whether simply leading better could be the solution. Like the Show? Please …

Thoughtful leaders have the positive quality of being… well… thoughtful. This can be a great thing, but it can also come with challenges of overthinking and rumination which aren’t at all helpful. In this episode, I take a look at some research-based ideas that might help when you are struggling to get out of an unhelpful thinking rut. Like the Sho…

Having career conversations with your team members can make a huge difference in leadership. However, many leaders don’t make the time for them and I think they’re missing an opportunity. In this episode, we’ll take a look at the benefits of career conversations, how to have them effectively and some of the reasons why many leaders don’t have them……

Displaying vulnerability takes courage, especially when you’re in a leadership role. Many leaders feel an expectation to know all the answers or give the perfect directions, or to display the “stiff upper lip” mentality and show resilience in the face of any challenge. In this episode, we’re going to look at the potential benefits of showing vulner…

It’s easy to fall prey to some common leadership excuses that stop us from taking action. But… doing nothing is a choice like any other! In this episode I discuss some common excuses I hear for putting up with bad behaviour or poor performance. Do any of them sound familiar? Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the sh…

Dealing with people problems in a team can be stressful and frustrating. But to manage them effectively, you need to demonstrate persistence! So in this episode, I take a look at some point to keep in mind that may help you feel a little more positive about your situation. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show…

Most of us don’t feel like we’re very inspiring. We tend to leave that to the “celebrity” leaders out there. But wait a minute – being an inspiring leader might be easier than you think! In this episode I take a look at why being inspiring is important, and some simple ways you might go about it. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like …