Category Archives: Surviving and thriving at work

The Cult Of The Working Dead (And How To Escape It)

It’s easily done. Start out in life so energetic and full of great ideas. Then find yourself in a career, a job, a way of life to which you’ve given over your ability to think. Hard to say how or when it happened. And if you look back it was probably not just one event…

How To Swing An Internal Job Move When Your Boss Really Wants You To Stay Put

Hats off to you. You’ve managed to hold on to your job through countless rounds of redundancies and reorganisations. And what you’re doing has become so much more mission critical to your boss as a result. But you’ve got other ideas. As relieved and flattered as you are, you just don’t want to keep doing…

5 Warning Signs That You’re Accepting The Wrong Job (And How Not To)

It’s tempting. That call out of the blue seems to promise so much. Just the kind of thing you’ve been dreaming of. Prestigious company for someone in your profession. Signs that they’re going places and could take you with them. It’s like the unexpected date after months of romantic drought. And you’re feeling pretty proud…

Hero Or Failure: You Decide

Last Friday I was writing about working on purpose. And over the weekend, I was asking myself what makes the difference between times when I am really able to do that versus those when I’m not. I got to figuring that it all came down to what I was telling myself about the likely outcome…

How To Re-Engage With Your Job (Even When You’d Really Rather Not)

You didn’t imagine you’d be sat there much longer. But the uncertainties in the marketplace are making your job search or longed for promotion take more time than you’d hoped. One of the most soul-destroying things is turning up for a job every day when you outgrew it some time ago, but need to stick…

How I Recovered From The Evil Grip Of A Vampire Boss

Maybe it’s because it’s spring and they can smell the sap rising. But after a dormant winter, news of a plague of vampire boss attacks has reached my real and virtual office again this week. How can you tell if your boss is a vampire? Well, if you’re constantly feeling exhausted, that nothing you do…

5 Golden Career Rules Your Parents Taught You (And Why You Should Ditch Them)

Maybe you were one of those lucky kids whose parents were pretty sorted, and supported your self-actualization growing up? I wasn’t, and neither were most of the people I work with. It’s not that our folks were bad (okay, actually some were awful). Sometimes they just taught us too well how to fit into the…

How Not To Give Feedback At Work: Part Two

Have you ever wondered about the source of poor management behaviour? I’ve always believed it comes from the top. The board or its equivalent. Set a bad example and you give your more junior people leaders licence to copy you. On the weekend, I witnessed a sad but true endorsing example. You may recall that…

Are Your Colleagues Like The Paparazzi? 3 Ways to Escape

It’s 8pm on a Friday and your mobile rings. You look at the screen. It’s Sam from work. You sigh, but answer the phone with a cheery hello before moving into another room, leaving your significant other to continue watching the film alone. Admit it. This isn’t the first time that this has happened. Four…

How Being A Little Badass Will Help You Thrive In 2011

What mindset are you choosing to adopt as you come into this New Year? That’s the question I’m asking as we kick off the Recession Proof Your Career in 2011 series. With the squeeze on jobs and small businesses there are two places you might be. The first is siege mentality: head down, resigned to…

Category Archives: Surviving and thriving at work

The Cult Of The Working Dead (And How To Escape It)

It’s easily done. Start out in life so energetic and full of great ideas. Then find yourself in a career, a job, a way of life to which you’ve given over your ability to think. Hard to say how or when it happened. And if you look back it was probably not just one event…

How To Swing An Internal Job Move When Your Boss Really Wants You To Stay Put

Hats off to you. You’ve managed to hold on to your job through countless rounds of redundancies and reorganisations. And what you’re doing has become so much more mission critical to your boss as a result. But you’ve got other ideas. As relieved and flattered as you are, you just don’t want to keep doing…

5 Warning Signs That You’re Accepting The Wrong Job (And How Not To)

It’s tempting. That call out of the blue seems to promise so much. Just the kind of thing you’ve been dreaming of. Prestigious company for someone in your profession. Signs that they’re going places and could take you with them. It’s like the unexpected date after months of romantic drought. And you’re feeling pretty proud…

Hero Or Failure: You Decide

Last Friday I was writing about working on purpose. And over the weekend, I was asking myself what makes the difference between times when I am really able to do that versus those when I’m not. I got to figuring that it all came down to what I was telling myself about the likely outcome…

How To Re-Engage With Your Job (Even When You’d Really Rather Not)

You didn’t imagine you’d be sat there much longer. But the uncertainties in the marketplace are making your job search or longed for promotion take more time than you’d hoped. One of the most soul-destroying things is turning up for a job every day when you outgrew it some time ago, but need to stick…

How I Recovered From The Evil Grip Of A Vampire Boss

Maybe it’s because it’s spring and they can smell the sap rising. But after a dormant winter, news of a plague of vampire boss attacks has reached my real and virtual office again this week. How can you tell if your boss is a vampire? Well, if you’re constantly feeling exhausted, that nothing you do…

5 Golden Career Rules Your Parents Taught You (And Why You Should Ditch Them)

Maybe you were one of those lucky kids whose parents were pretty sorted, and supported your self-actualization growing up? I wasn’t, and neither were most of the people I work with. It’s not that our folks were bad (okay, actually some were awful). Sometimes they just taught us too well how to fit into the…

How Not To Give Feedback At Work: Part Two

Have you ever wondered about the source of poor management behaviour? I’ve always believed it comes from the top. The board or its equivalent. Set a bad example and you give your more junior people leaders licence to copy you. On the weekend, I witnessed a sad but true endorsing example. You may recall that…

Are Your Colleagues Like The Paparazzi? 3 Ways to Escape

It’s 8pm on a Friday and your mobile rings. You look at the screen. It’s Sam from work. You sigh, but answer the phone with a cheery hello before moving into another room, leaving your significant other to continue watching the film alone. Admit it. This isn’t the first time that this has happened. Four…

How Being A Little Badass Will Help You Thrive In 2011

What mindset are you choosing to adopt as you come into this New Year? That’s the question I’m asking as we kick off the Recession Proof Your Career in 2011 series. With the squeeze on jobs and small businesses there are two places you might be. The first is siege mentality: head down, resigned to…

Category Archives: Surviving and thriving at work

The Cult Of The Working Dead (And How To Escape It)

It’s easily done. Start out in life so energetic and full of great ideas. Then find yourself in a career, a job, a way of life to which you’ve given over your ability to think. Hard to say how or when it happened. And if you look back it was probably not just one event…

How To Swing An Internal Job Move When Your Boss Really Wants You To Stay Put

Hats off to you. You’ve managed to hold on to your job through countless rounds of redundancies and reorganisations. And what you’re doing has become so much more mission critical to your boss as a result. But you’ve got other ideas. As relieved and flattered as you are, you just don’t want to keep doing…

5 Warning Signs That You’re Accepting The Wrong Job (And How Not To)

It’s tempting. That call out of the blue seems to promise so much. Just the kind of thing you’ve been dreaming of. Prestigious company for someone in your profession. Signs that they’re going places and could take you with them. It’s like the unexpected date after months of romantic drought. And you’re feeling pretty proud…

Hero Or Failure: You Decide

Last Friday I was writing about working on purpose. And over the weekend, I was asking myself what makes the difference between times when I am really able to do that versus those when I’m not. I got to figuring that it all came down to what I was telling myself about the likely outcome…

How To Re-Engage With Your Job (Even When You’d Really Rather Not)

You didn’t imagine you’d be sat there much longer. But the uncertainties in the marketplace are making your job search or longed for promotion take more time than you’d hoped. One of the most soul-destroying things is turning up for a job every day when you outgrew it some time ago, but need to stick…

How I Recovered From The Evil Grip Of A Vampire Boss

Maybe it’s because it’s spring and they can smell the sap rising. But after a dormant winter, news of a plague of vampire boss attacks has reached my real and virtual office again this week. How can you tell if your boss is a vampire? Well, if you’re constantly feeling exhausted, that nothing you do…

5 Golden Career Rules Your Parents Taught You (And Why You Should Ditch Them)

Maybe you were one of those lucky kids whose parents were pretty sorted, and supported your self-actualization growing up? I wasn’t, and neither were most of the people I work with. It’s not that our folks were bad (okay, actually some were awful). Sometimes they just taught us too well how to fit into the…

How Not To Give Feedback At Work: Part Two

Have you ever wondered about the source of poor management behaviour? I’ve always believed it comes from the top. The board or its equivalent. Set a bad example and you give your more junior people leaders licence to copy you. On the weekend, I witnessed a sad but true endorsing example. You may recall that…

Are Your Colleagues Like The Paparazzi? 3 Ways to Escape

It’s 8pm on a Friday and your mobile rings. You look at the screen. It’s Sam from work. You sigh, but answer the phone with a cheery hello before moving into another room, leaving your significant other to continue watching the film alone. Admit it. This isn’t the first time that this has happened. Four…

How Being A Little Badass Will Help You Thrive In 2011

What mindset are you choosing to adopt as you come into this New Year? That’s the question I’m asking as we kick off the Recession Proof Your Career in 2011 series. With the squeeze on jobs and small businesses there are two places you might be. The first is siege mentality: head down, resigned to…