Prejudice, from the Latin praejudicium or ‘pre-judgment’ (generally in a negative sense) is surely one of humankind’s greatest flaws. I cannot count the number of times I have negatively pre-judged a person or group – only to be proven wrong…
Category: Articles
Navigating the Gloom and Doom
Yes indeed, managing the gloom and doom requires navigating. And as every good navigator knows, the first task is to look at where you want to go and then determine the best route to take. A good life-navigator also knows…
Criticize or Critique
Although the words criticize and critique are often used interchangeably, there is a huge difference between the two. Criticism perceives fault… says there is something wrong with an action, a behaviour, a performance. End of story. Full stop. A critique…
Taming the Inner Critic
We all have one… the inside voice that tells us we won't meet the challenge; that we don't fit in; that we won't – or aren't – doing well; that others are passing judgment on us. The Inner Critic is…
Negotiation and Authenticity
Although Magnus Carlsen was friendless and bullied at school, he had a very happy home life. His parents were devoted, and he had three loving sisters. The children invented creative games and made up songs, and it wasn't unusual for…
The Upside of Being Trapped
That initial sense of being trapped carries quite the SNAP! of realization, doesn’t it? Once that realization hits, the idea that we’re caught in something is almost debilitating, because it can permeate our being, and slowly spread into other areas…
How to Talk Yourself Down in One Second
The Sure-Fire One-Second Technique for Self-regulation and Self-management in Any Situation When something good happens to us – or when we do something well – we feel great. “I did a great job”, we say to ourselves. We feel confident…
Get Your Way by Giving Way
A quick recap: John is an ethical man who, in part, took a job as business development manager because he thought the director, his prospective boss, shared his values. In particular, he and the director were against using sales incentive…
Sacrifice your Values?
‘Compromising’ has a bad reputation. Although we recognize it is fundamental in making almost every situation we’re in workable and even satisfying, our general reaction upon hearing the word is negative. We imagine someone who’s betrayed themselves by going against…
A CEO, a Compromise, and a Lemon-Meringue Pie
Through our lives, many of us have encountered people who are ego-driven. It can be a hard road to travel if that person is your co-worker or boss, because most egotists don’t understand or excel at the art of compromise.…