There are a lot of hype articles in this topic, the latest that keeps coming up on my LinkedIn feed is how Barbara Corcoran "Swears by 1 Interview Question to Weed Out Complainers". According to Inc., in her search to find "happy people", she asks them this question: "tell me about your family". She says… Continue reading What’s acceptable in hiring?
Service announcement
Dear visitor, Thank you for stopping by. The blog is taking a pause in the A to Z challenge due to family emergency. Please check the previous posts, I will get back you as soon as the situation improves. Hug your pets and loved ones! Andrea
Teacher role
Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another. (John F. Kennedy) I wanted to be a teacher from the age of 6 all the way through primary and secondary school. My family, however, warned me that teachers are not paid well, their work is very stressful and "with my intelligence" I could be so much… Continue reading Teacher role
Stress relief has many forms
I have only recently discovered face sprays with essential oils. They are amazing when I need to manage stress. One pump of that good smell air is enough to make me stop, take a deep breath, and if I'm lucky, take another viewpoint as well. People deal with stress differently. Some complain out loud, and… Continue reading Stress relief has many forms
Recognise good work often
It's easy to fall into the trap of "no complaints mean things go well". There are industries where this is the norm (shared service centres, customer service) and it doesn't make us happy. That's where internal recognition comes in. We all need it There were plenty of studies over the years about engagement, productivity and… Continue reading Recognise good work often
Top 10 quotes about leadership that can always pick me up
We are always learning from each other: our experience and thoughts shape who we become, and the best quotes interpret this with power and positive energy. “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch “Leadership is about making… Continue reading Top 10 quotes about leadership that can always pick me up
Potential should be a swear word
"There is no such thing as potential; and it is both impractical and immoral to act as though there is." (Marcus Buckingham) https://youtu.be/NLdLSJvwKPw I've been "on the other side" of being measured and split into groups. I've been there, feeling the injustice of an untimely evaluation, or sometimes unlucky coincidence that put us into classes.… Continue reading Potential should be a swear word
Organising you is the first step to organise the team
I'm a bit of a list maniac. I've tried all sorts: paper, Evernotes, outlook, todoist, project management and lots more. My current favourite is trello. One of my colleagues showed me this combination of lists, cards and checklists, and it was love at first sight. It pleases my brain to create the framework and follow… Continue reading Organising you is the first step to organise the team
No to micromanagement
"It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people and they tell us what to do." (Steve Jobs) I touched this topic before in "Effectiveness through others is different from effectiveness on my own" but I want to make it really really clear: micromanagement is… Continue reading No to micromanagement
Being the mentor
"The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves." (Steven Spielberg) There are many famous mentor relationships that demonstrate the advantages of this special setup: from the real people like Haydn and Beethoven to the fictional of Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Sometimes… Continue reading Being the mentor
Leadership Manifesto 