A workplace where everyone, no matter what their status, is treated with dignity and respect is a workplace where good stuff happens According to a 2004 Gallup study of 50,000 workers across 27 countries, respect is the number one driver for workplace engagement. It is perhaps the most fundamental ingredient for positive workplace performance, because it […]

Written by Paul Berry, Performance Psychologist Consultant A thriving field of academic research is concerned with understanding the factors that explain and underpin outstanding performance. Across a wide variety of performance domains, including elite sport, space exploration, the military and the performing arts, the ability to sustain high levels of motivation has consistently been found […]

Written by Dan Collinson, Learning & Development Consultant We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘play to our strengths’, but in practice we tend to spend more time focusing on weaknesses and trying to fix them. By doing so, we are setting up teams for competency rather than enabling them to thrive. In an era of […]

There is plentiful evidence for the value and impact of goal-setting in the workplace. According to a CIPD report: “It is now generally accepted that goal-setting is effective and valuable for steering and improving performance.” The basic concept at the heart of goal-setting is that having a specific and appropriately challenging goal will lead to […]

How are you? A question I’ve always found difficult to answer, especially at a start of a business call. Do people truly want to know how I am? Or, is it just a formality? But now, more than ever, we should ask questions that truly allow us to connect – especially at the beginning of […]

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” That quote, attributed to automotive business magnate Henry Ford, perfectly sums up why taking risks, trying new things and stretching ourselves is so important for a high-performing workplace. After all, without people feeling comfortable to think differently, how can organisations achieve innovation? It’s also […]

Meaningful Human Connection is about tapping into what’s most authentic and real about us humans, what connects us and what makes us different. The first few works and sentences of each new interaction matter the most to set the foundation for that connection and in so many situations this always starts with ‘how are you?’ […]

We live in a fast-paced and ever evolving world. With advancements in technology and globalisation it is critical, now more than ever, to be agile and change rapidly and effectively. When we think about the world of work 10 years ago, there has been unprecedented levels of change. Organisations which haven’t kept up with these […]

A blog from Anna Maasland, Bailey & French Consultant In the past few days (and weeks) I have seen many working from home articles discussing how to make it meaningful and keep human connections. We are all going through unprecedented times and having to be innovative and work in ways that are alien to us. […]

We work in teams because we are striving to reach a common goal, a goal that is too complex, challenging or large to be achieved alone. To achieve that goal, we need to know where we are going and what is expected of us in getting there. This is why clarity is so critical: we […]

The prevalence of bullying in the workplace is rising, and there are likely a number of reasons that this is the case. One reason could be due to people feeling more able and empowered to report bullying and harassment. Another is that some managers are struggling with higher levels of diversity in the workplace (be […]

Let’s assume you know what strengths are: the unique, enduring, authentic traits which we find enjoyable and energising to use. You can find out more about strengths here. So, how can strengths be applied to cases of underperformance? Will strengths coaching remove the issue of underperformance altogether and eliminate the need for performance conversations? No […]