Your boss has asked you to meet with them, and you don’t know what to expect. Maybe they asked something vague like “can I talk to you for a minute?”, or sent you a calendar invite with a subject like “quick chat” or “update”. Perhaps they’ve let you know that it’s about an assignment you’ve submitted, but it’s still vague and you’re worried. Or maybe you’ve called in sick one too many times or done something inappropriate and you’re sure you are in trouble. …

Personal effectiveness is often defined as one’s ability to set and achieve goals. This sounds simple, it’s only two things. However, the step that people struggle with is setting effective goals in the first place. This is often because they haven’t yet defined and fully understood their principles and core values. Trying to set goals that aren’t derived from your principles and core values is like building a house on sand — they’re doomed to come apart, because they have no foundation.

Too often, people set impersonal goals derived from social pressures, such as ‘lose weight’, ‘get a promotion’, or…

In an ideal working world, unions and management would exist together in a symbiotic relationship. The needs of employees would be brought forward by reasonable union representatives, and an understanding management team would respond by providing fair, reasonable compromises and solutions. All situations would be treated in a black-and-white manner, and everyone would leave happy.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. No workplace situation is without its gray areas, especially when discipline is involved. For an employee, disciplinary actions put them in a position where their job is in possible jeopardy. …

Successful people — by any measure — are proactive. They think about what they want their future to look like, and they take steps now to make that vision become reality. This is true, whether you aspire to become a successful business-person, the President, or a minimalist cottage-dweller.

Proactive behavior is what separates the person who gets promoted every year from the person who works harder than everyone else but never makes the cut. It’s what separates the person who retires comfortably at 50 from the person who can’t afford to retire at 65.

But how do you do prioritize…

When you’re promoted from the frontlines into your first manager role, you immediately become immersed in ‘management language’. These are words and expressions that come up in every meeting, one-on-one, and strategic planning session, and you’ll be expected to understand them.

And unfortunately for you (and indeed for all of us), you can’t depend on any formal training to get you caught up. Survey data shows that only 39% of new managers receive formal training, and the biggest training gap for managers is communication.

But how important is it to learn this ‘management language’? After all, isn’t it all a…

In any strategic planning meeting, coaching session or performance review, you’ll likely discuss KPIs. You might hear them referred to as ‘performance metrics’, ‘fundamentals’, or my favourite, ‘the numbers’. No matter what your team calls them, we’re all talking about the same thing: Key Performance Indicators.

The trouble is, if you ask 5 different people what the purpose of a KPI is, you’ll likely get 5 different answers. That’s because, while KPIs are ubiquitous in today’s competitive business environments, the term has become overused and misunderstood. …

The relationship between a manager and their employees is a cornerstone of an organization’s culture. 1-on-1 meetings are the means through which these relationships are built.

Research shows that employees who have regular meetings with their managers are three times more likely to feel engaged in their work. Despite this, most managers still don’t meet with individual employees regularly. As a result, good employees quit, customer experience declines, and the business suffers (source).

1-on-1 meetings solve these problems by offering a simple way to build trust, resolve issues, share feedback, and help the employee feel supported. …

Technological advancements, gig work, and our current global pandemic mean that a lot more people are working from home. Perhaps you’re thrilled about this, or perhaps you’re terrified. Either way is reasonable.

A central workplace gives you a regular schedule, coworkers to talk to, and a boss to hold you accountable. At home, you get none of those. Instead, you get self-accountability, social isolation, and unlimited distractions.

This shouldn’t sound scary, this should sound like an opportunity. If you do great work, communicate effectively, and hit all your deadlines, you’ll prove that you’re able to self-manage and self-motivate. …