‘I’ll try’ There’s nothing wrong with trying to do something, of course there isn’t. It’s good to make an effort, to reach for what is out of our grasp, to experiment, to give something a whirl without certainty of success. That’s all part of the excitement and challenge of living. […] Read more »

Don’t suffer stress in silence We know that stress causes misery and destroys lives. We know that stress can kill, although we push that one away to the backs of our minds. A report just out from insurer Friends Life shows that stress costs UK companies an incredible £690 million […] Read more »

It’s a gender thing, and it’s a personality thing. At meetings, women speak 75% less of the time than men, and anyone who is shy, or introverted, or reserved, is likely to find it hard to make a contribution, so talented, able, valuable people are perceived to lack clout and […] Read more »

You may be one of the many people who just like to get on with things, and regard small talk as a waste of time. You put your head down and produce what’s required. That’s what you’re expected to do, right? Well, yes. But you might also find you don’t progress […] Read more »

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Many of us freeze at the idea of making small talk. The thought of having to converse with people we hardly know, having to find something to say or risk being seen as clumsy and unsociable – well, it’s enough to make you turn down that party invitation, or lurk […] Read more »

Scott and Bailey is a top-notch detective show in the UK on ITV, featuring three strong women characters with complicated personal and professional lives. Step forward, Detective Constable Janet Scott, Detective Constable Rachel Bailey and their boss, Detective Chief Inspector Gill Murray. In the first episode of the new series, […] Read more »

Some time in the late 1980s, we latched on to the phrase ‘women who juggle their lives’. How we loved the idea that were having it all, family, career, aspirational lifestyle, whatever we wanted, just by keeping all those balls in the air at once. There we were, striding through […] Read more »

Dividing people into camps is a seductive and entertaining activity. Few of us can resist doing the quiz or taking the test which will show us the group we belong to. Optimist or pessimist? Hawk or dove? Stressed Type A or laid-back Type B? And of course, we don’t cheat. […] Read more »

How do you know if you’re in a job rut? It’s when nothing about what you do interests or excites you. You can do what’s required to a more-or-less OK standard, and sometimes you feel you could do it with your eyes shut. Actually, sometimes your eyes really are shut. […] Read more »

Manners maketh man, said an esteemed philosopher, speaking at a time when everyone would have taken the word ‘man’ to encompass all human beings. No, it was not the 1950s, but the 14th Century when William of Wykeham made this statement. And he was not referring to the niceties of […] Read more »

Confidence is the key to success in so many areas of our lives. Being confident enables us to pursue our goals and ambitions and to communicate our thoughts and needs. The confident person copes with setbacks, learns from mistakes, seizes opportunities, handles difficult situations. That’s the kind of confidence which […] Read more »