The Quiet Skill That Shapes Everything If you operate in any sort of professional setting you'll have likely seen this type of emotional self-control breakdown. For example, imagine you’re in a high-stakes board meeting or a critical project briefing. A professional with decades of experience, impeccable credentials, and a track record of success receives a … Continue reading Emotional Self-Control is the Most Underrated Life Skill
Emotional Intelligence Under Pressure: Why Staying Calm Matters
Pressure Reveals Our Emotional Habits Emotional Intelligence under pressure can leave us wanting. This article looks at why and what you can do about it. You have probably seen this happen in a routine project meeting or mid-week team get together. A capable, experienced professional, perhaps someone known for their technical skill and reliability, receives … Continue reading Emotional Intelligence Under Pressure: Why Staying Calm Matters
The Reframe Game or How to Turn Your Thinking Inside Out
This article is all about the concept of the cognitive reframe and what it means to you and your emotional intelligence. Better yet it outlines practical ways to develop your skills and master the power of the reframe for yourself. The Power of Perspective You've probably heard the phrase "it's all about perspective" so many … Continue reading The Reframe Game or How to Turn Your Thinking Inside Out
SMARTER Goals Are Smarter Goals
Setting goals is something most of us do yet achieving them often proves elusive. Let's try and make our goals into SMARTER goals. Whether it's that New Year’s night fitness goal which faded away by February or the “I mean it this time” career aspiration that never quite materialised, the gap between setting goals and … Continue reading SMARTER Goals Are Smarter Goals
Personal Success Recipe
This is an article about achieving success with a simple yet highly effective and repeatable four-ingredient personal success recipe comprising goals, strategies, self-discipline, and motivation. Good recipes need good ingredients. Top-class chefs need practice to produce consistently good meals using those recipes. Invest the time and effort to become your own cordon bleu success chef … Continue reading Personal Success Recipe
Work Life Balance – Don’t Believe the Hype
Apparently work life balance is the thing that all modern workers should be striving for. We are led to believe that we should be constantly aiming to balance living as a healthily functioning, societally successful, well-adjusted, and self-actualised human on one end of the seesaw along with being an effective, efficient, and super-productive modern worker … Continue reading Work Life Balance – Don’t Believe the Hype
Personal Influence Defence System – PIDS
This well-known 17th century philosopher developed a Personal Influence Defence System. So should you. “De Omnibus Dubitandum” [Doubt everything] René Descartes My use of his quote may sound overly cynical to you but maintain full awareness that, on any given day, you will be subjected to myriad influencing attempts by others. Likewise, you will frequently … Continue reading Personal Influence Defence System – PIDS
Motivational Direction for More Effective Influencing
There are many elements in the influencing arena, but motivational direction is an important one to understand and apply early in the process. For a start, there’s your own motivational direction to consider. When you set goals and objectives for yourself, it makes sense to work with your inherent preferences rather than against them. Knowing your … Continue reading Motivational Direction for More Effective Influencing
Interpersonal Skills Are Your Edge
“Excellent interpersonal skills required.” That’s what the job description tells you. You just smile and think, “Yeah right. Just more word salad nonsense from the ‘Big Book of HR Buzzwords’ to pad out the advert.” You’ve got it covered. You didn’t get this far in the business without interpersonal skills – whatever they are. You’ll … Continue reading Interpersonal Skills Are Your Edge
Cognitive Filters
Cognitive filters (or mental filters) are a form of cognitive distortion. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines cognitive distortions as, “Faulty or inaccurate thinking, perception, or belief. Cognitive distortion is a normal psychological process that can occur in all people to a greater or lesser extent.” Cognitive filtering happens when we separate our positive thoughts, … Continue reading Cognitive Filters