You know I read the Harvard Business Review so that you don’t have to. I came across a great article the other day by James Waldroop and Timothy Butler. They identified six bad behaviours in the workplace that, left unaddressed, will severely limit the potential of anyone exhibiting them. The Hero First up we [...]
Things Just Aren’t That Hard
This is how the books tell you to make mayonnaise: You separate an egg and you put the yolk in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, sugar, Dijon mustard and a splash of acid in the form of white wine vinegar or lemon juice and whisk it all together. Then, add a drop of oil… …just [...]
Get Out of Your Way
I was reading something the other day and it hit me between the eyes. I felt immediate guilt and some shame. I was aware of my face going slightly red despite being in a room by myself. I felt defensive. (I hate that feeling. Hate it.) The thing I was reading was about Sal Khan [...]
Why No News is Very Good News Indeed
Radio Four have just informed me that an “elderly couple have died in a house fire”. I don’t want to know about this. It is sad. A tragedy to those involved. But there is nothing I can do about it. The news is usually sensationalist, people-obsessed, black-and-white, tragedy-obsessed, irrelevant to my life, trite, cynical and [...]
Why Time Management is Not the Answer
Time management isn’t the answer if the question is “Mark, how can I be brilliant?” Or brillianter if you are already brilliant yet still full of beans. Or “I know I am better than this, but things just aren’t bloody happening for me.” Or some variant thereof. I read a blog post the other day… [...]
How To Change Bad Behaviour
Uh it’s been three weeks and a day since I last posted. And that’s about as long as it’s been since I last phoned my Mother. I am bad, bad, bad. I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff (all good) and a minor case of writer’s block. Not sure why I haven’t phoned my [...]
You Can’t Always Get What You Want…
I’ve just finished reading a good book. It tells the tale of Mike’s life. Things get going in the 1950s when Mike is at secondary school in Dartford, near London. Mike, like the rest of the country, could not help but notice the arrival of rock ‘n’ roll from America. Bill Haley was rocking around [...]
The Most Important Thing to Say to Yourself Right Now is…
The Most Important Thing to Say to Yourself Right Now is… “I am responsible.” And act accordingly. Why is this simple statement so powerful? Because it’s a nuclear bomb dropped on everything that will hold you back. Everything. No barrier you will ever face can survive the deployment of these three words: “I am responsible.” [...]
Goal Setting for Pros
Goals – the bane of my life as a coach. Critically important. Usually shunned. I sat in a room with someone last year for 16 hours over two days and the only goal I could get her to commit to (to achieve what she wanted) was something she could do herself, in an empty room, [...]
Are You True to Your Talent?
I just walked past Darren Fletcher in Altrincham at lunchtime. He’s a Manchester United player and, in his spare time, captain of Scotland. You will know by now that I find there’s a lot to learn from sportspeople, especially when it comes to high performance. They are way way ahead of us when it comes [...]
