Are you too busy for empathy?
When your working week is already full on, with pressure to deliver tasks, support services and hit targets, you may feel it doesn’t leave a lot of time for supporting people and considering [...]
Empathy and assertiveness in a project environment
This article explores the relationship between empathy and assertiveness, showing how they can combine effectively to offer a route to more consistent success in project and change management.
Using the Disney Creativity Strategy
Just think about building the Titanic… It was a huge undertaking, both in terms of sheer scale, and because of the complexity caused by integrating so many new technologies in a way that had [...]
Performing through the learning dip
When you’re faced with change and having to do things in a new way, have you noticed that it takes longer to get things done? When you change your mobile phone or your television, this can [...]
Change effectiveness: walking the talk!
There’s a lot of change going on at ChangeQuest at the moment – an irony that’s not lost on me! Our business has been growing and growing since I started in October 2014 and with it the size of [...]
Communicating on the phone – with invisible people
I buzzed the entry phone, introduced myself, and waited, feeling slightly uncomfortable gazing at the box on the wall. Then I heard a voice “Hello! Please come in!”. Instantly, I relaxed. He [...]
Modelling the way through change
The first lambs are appearing in the fields – bright and bouncy, and seemingly unfazed by the coldness of the wind. Whenever I’m admiring lambs, I find myself wondering why we are generally so [...]
Why we need Agile Projects and not just Agile Development
Most Agile methods focus at the product development level. There’s a revolution from below aspect to them which is seductive. It encourages teams to change the world by doing it. Who [...]
Fear vs Reward – How our Brain Drives Emotions
Our brains are constantly on the lookout for signs of threats or rewards – clearly the survival of early man depended on this. The decisions we make about what to pay attention to are based on [...]
Why body language matters
A recent article in New Scientist* offers some valuable insights — and they’re not necessarily the ones you may expect. Many management courses include some guidance on body language, the reading [...]
We Are Communicating But What Are We Achieving?
I had an interesting discussion with an old colleague and friend recently about some problems she is having managing a project to implement a new CRM system. Not untypically there is some [...]
Which Communication Style do you Prefer? – Have your Vote!
I hope by now many of you have managed to watch the wonderful spectacle that was the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and you’ll no doubt have your favourite bits – perhaps it was the [...]
What we can learn from the Titanic Centenary
Titanic Lessons in Project Leadership The story of the Titanic has captivated people for the past 100 years. It stirs our curiosity and emotions and it is still amazing to think that what was [...]