As the plethora of perfectly carved pumpkins start to appear on social media, I find myself saying ‘I’m happy for these people, they have creativity, patience and time to spare’..,

But I also find my inner voice saying... ' I bet what they didn't have was a bouncy overexcited 7-year-old wielding a Sharpie and dinner knife in front of them, declaring that the pumpkin only needs half its head, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see the brains falling out!

So we set everything up, get ready to carve, the excitement at fever-pitch and then… he’s loses interest and we end up with slightly quirky, rather than a scary looking pumpkin!   

​I had several options:

1. TRY and coerce my Son into creating a more elegant pumpkin masterpiece
2. LIE and create my own ‘slightly better’ pumpkin and take a photo of him next to it
3. BUY a ready-made carved pumpkin and be vague about its creation

Or…

4. Let him loose (safely!) with his creativity and equipment and see what we end up with!   

Being a manager sometimes means we look at others and judge ourselves against their; results, team, awards etc. But when you’re too busy looking at what others are doing you can miss out on the talents of your own team. 

​So, whether your switching off the lights and pretending you're not at home, or out and about with the Zombies, Witches and Batman, (there's always one dressed as Batman!) have a ‘perfectly’ personal Halloween.

Last week I opened a communications workshop for managers by talking about Honeybees!  Yes, you did read that right… Honeybees!

Honeybee’s have communication nailed.  They locate flowers for nectar and let everyone in the hive know exactly where to find them.  How?  They do a waggle dance!

“If you’re telling me I’ve done something wrong, then at least give me enough information to do it right next time!”

Many Managers struggle with giving real-time feedback.  The concept of praising and correcting a team member in the moment can feel uncomfortable.  More so for ‘Accidental Managers.’  Those who have been promoted to manage a team because they were good at their previous role… which probably involved very little people management at all!

In this article we’ll look at what feedback is and is not, and we’ll also introduce a simple four-part model that you can use for positive and constructive feedback.  Let’s dive in…

“Just because YOU think you’re right, doesn’t actually make you right!”  This was a conversation I heard between two learners during a Management Development workshop I was hosting. 
 
It opened a really interesting discussion about how much some people hold on to their views in order to prove themselves correct.  Even when they start to believe there may be merit in other people’s views.
 
Some of the best Managers I’ve worked with have a talent for being able to step back and take on other people’s opinions.  These Managers also happen to be excellent at conversation and communication.  Coincidence?  I think not!