We all have good days and bad days. At the moment, living with Covid-related lockdowns, many of us are struggling with “meh” or “groundhog days”. The lack of novelty and stimulation seems to make days run together, and we can feel anxious, down or even depressed as a result. When we are responsible for managing people, however, whether in teams or larger groups, how we process these feelings can be highly impactful.
Continue reading “Why your mood matters when you’re a manager”Category: Culture
The importance of psychological safety
From a team perspective, psychological safety is the bedrock that team success is built on. Successful interpersonal relationships depend on it. In highly functioning teams it often doesn’t get a mention. Safety is one of those things not always noticed when present but is conspicuous by its absence. What follows are some suggestions on how to make your team feel safe enough to tell you things you don’t want to hear.
Continue reading “The importance of psychological safety”Beds in Mind
The duvet cover on my bed has poppers that hold it closed. There are about ten of them. If one opens, they will eventually all open. Last night, as I got out of bed to close four of those fasteners, it occurred to me that they are a bit of a metaphor for life. If you ignore the small things you know you should take care of they can expand to become more problematic. In this case, ignoring one open popper will result in feet being tangled and general discomfort. From a “duvet cover of life” perspective, it can result in more than a potential trip hazard getting out of bed. Ignoring small, but necessary things can result in less desirable outcomes.
Continue reading “Beds in Mind”Building culture
Organisational culture can be tough to define, but it can be even more challenging to create a sustainable, high-performance culture. Ben Horowitz describes culture as “What you do is who you are” – the title of his new book. Having worked in several large organisations over the past 25 years, I agree entirely. It’s not what we say that builds culture, and it’s definitely not what we think. It’s what we do.
Continue reading “Building culture”