Case Study: Four Tips on How to Complete Big Projects Currently Bogging You Down
24 January 2018Have you ever wanted to `embark on a big project, but felt stymied by the size of it? Everyone is busy. We all have our regular work, existing clients, prospects, staff or contractors, deadlines to meet – the game goes on. So, where do we find time to implement new projects? It’s so easy to […]
What To Do About The Non-Urgent But Useful Emails
2 October 2017My Melbourne friend Nigel sent me a great question about email. Because it’s an issue for many, I decided to share it in this week’s blog. Nigel: Here’s a dilemma that I face frequently with email and workflow. I stare at my email feed. It stares back at me, blankly. “So what are you going […]
Six Tips on How to Reduce Stress and Beat Burnout
6 June 2017I was having a conversation with a senior Army officer about stress and burnout the other day. At the extreme end is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). He, in company with a number of his colleagues, has experienced it and sometimes gets recurrences, especially when he’s under a lot of pressure. The initial onset is […]
The Downside Of Always Being Available For Questions
5 May 2017Do you ever feel that you either have to come in early or stay late to get the ‘real’ work done? Does it seem that every minute of the day is gobbled up by phone calls, meetings and people saying ‘Have you got a minute?’ In the 25 years since I began specialising in the […]
Top Project Manager’s Advice on Wasted Meeting Time
7 December 2016Dr James Brown is a world-class project manager who spent many years with NASA. Much of his time there involved working on the space shuttle programme. I had the good fortune to meet him some years ago at an American conference and was delighted to reconnect in Auckland a couple of months ago. He was […]
Work Anywhere with Agility to Achieve Faster Results with Greater Profit
27 October 2016At a business breakfast a earlier this year I had the good fortune to meet Peter Vile, the CEO of Augen, a bespoke custom software development house. I was fascinated to find that Peter’s firm is spread between New Zealand and Vietnam. There are many benefits of doing business in two countries, and it’s a […]
Are You Encouraging Laziness?
23 August 2016Laurie has mid-level responsibilities in an IT firm. It’s fast-paced, the firm is growing fast, new faces keep showing up every week, and an underlying sense of organised chaos permeates the whole firm of about 200 people. He’s one of the more experienced team members. So you won’t be surprised to hear that newer staff […]
Count Your ‘Hats’
11 August 2016We constantly hear the work/life balance drum being beaten these days. Do you sometimes wonder if you’ll ever stumble across that mystical Holy Grail of perfect life balance? Or does it seem like something that only happens for others? And if you’re a parent as well as a business person does it seem like a […]
Why Do We Work Such Long Hours?
31 May 2016As I work with clients in many countries, a recurring theme is how to work less hours. Some are doing it but most are still seeking that particular Holy Grail! Trouble is, many think they’re locked in, with no choice but to work crazy hours. Dave, an automotive care business owner, was a seminar participant. […]
How To Have More Time – Guard Your Energy
22 March 2016I had a great contribution to one of my recent blog articles “How to Simplify Your Busy Life” from Diane. “One year I removed 1 item per day from my house and wrote it on the calendar. It was really amazing to do the actual writing down as it made you think ‘why had I kept […]