Personal management – Page 2

Care enough to be constant

Life is a peculiar mix of the constant and inconstant. Our days are filled with variability, and yet, some things seem to remain the same. Our life span is such that the pace of change of certain things seems almost immeasurable. Despite this, as constant as certain things seem, deep down, we know nothing lasts forever.

Setting expectations

Life is full of interactions with others. We meet new colleagues at work, we build new relationships in our neighbourhoods, and we might be in a personal relationship that results in opportunities to set and meet expectations on a regular basis every day. Each of those interactions is an opportunity to strengthen or weaken the relationship with the other person. In many of the coaching and mentoring conversations that I have, it is clear that the ability to set and manage expectations successfully is a skill that many of us need to work on.

On Listening to Experts

I recently did something I’ve never done before. I moved a thermostat from one point on my hot water tank to another. I did this based on the advice of a plumber, an “expert” in these matters. Five minutes after I had done the work, my brain started to function, and I wondered why I had done it in the first place.

Advocating for yourself

I am working with several coachees at the moment, and one area that is a common focus, particularly for women, is self-advocacy. This topic can be problematic for people, especially those of us who prefer our work to speak for itself. When is it appropriate to make our needs, wants and accomplishments known, and what is the best way to do it?

Habitual badness

Many of my posts concern themselves with people management and leadership, topics I think about a lot. This one is a bit more personal, and I’m not quite sure where it will end up. It has to do with the nature of habit, the difficulty of maintaining good habits, and how easily we slip into negative patterns.

Find and fix problems, not symptoms

I’ve had my share of medical interventions over the last ten years – sometimes, I feel like I’ve had more than my share. My experience with the medical practitioners I’ve interacted with is that they tend to focus on the symptom the patient presents with. That is what they treat, particularly as that is often their specialisation. A knee surgeon will look at the problematic joint because that is where the patient reports the symptom. That makes sense, right? Doesn’t it? What does this have to do with the broader work and life sphere? What if this is the wrong approach?

New Year, Same You?

When is a door not a door? When it is a cross-dimensional portal to a realm populated by hideous creatures (tip of the hat to Marvel and Lovecraft fans). Or when it is ajar – I never quite remember. When is a New Year not a new year? When it is part of a continuum of blah and meh, such as many people have experienced during the pandemic. Many of us try to pin so much on the start of a New Year, but the reality is we can choose change and growth at any time.