Articles & Papers

Being Assertive – Some Skills and Strategies for Empowering Ourselves.

Assertiveness is not a personality trait. It is a skill to be learnt and practised. There are many skills and strategies for becoming more assertive. This article comprises a small smorgasbord of ideas.

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Aggressiveness or Assertiveness – What’s the Difference?

How to be assertive without being aggressive is an issue with which many women struggle. Assertiveness in men is highly praised. Women who act assertively are often severely critiqued. Knowing the difference between assertive communicating and aggressive communicating can empower women, in particular, to trust themselves and their judgments of situations and to confidently say what they want and act to have their needs met.

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Becoming Assertive at Work.

How many times do we experience situations at work that frustrate, annoy, disturb or concern us but we do nothing about them? How often do we agree to do something we really don't want to do, and immediately afterwards feeled annoyed - with ourselves - because we didn't say "no"? How often do we start off being very clear and get talked into something we don't want to do? If only we knew how to be assertive!

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Become an Innovative and Empowered Individual.

While all innovation in organisations needs inspired and supportive leadership from the top if it is to produce results, it is important to remember that it is individuals, not organisations that innovate. When there are enough individuals who are given the space to be creative and imaginative, to see things differently, to think and plan outside the box, then what emerges is an innovative organisation.

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We Can Do It! Empowering Ourselves

Many people - if not most - have the capacity to empower themselves. What do we need to do? Read this article to find out.

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Engaging Employees and Empowering Your Workplace by Improving Your People Dynamics

What manager, team leader, co-ordinator or supervisor doesn't want enthusiastic, energised, loyal and committed people to work with? Who wouldn't want passionate people who make things happen every day in their workplace, who not only make the workplace a great place to be but who also co-operatively produce the results and outcomes that the company and organisation desires? When companies and organisations engage their employees in their workplaces, this is what they get.

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Achieving Success in 2006

A new year brings with it expectations, hopes and dreams. It also hopefully brings renewed commitment to keep in focus what is truly important to us. But we also need it to bring the energy, enthusiasm and passion to make those expectations, hopes and dreams reality.

So the beginning of a new year is a time when setting “goals” is often the topic of conversation. So here are a few tips.

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A Challenge for Leaders Connecting with Generation X and Y

Every journal and business magazine we read, every conference, workshop and seminar we go to and every manager we talk with raises concerns about “managing” Generation X and Y. As someone who had seven very exciting and innovative jobs in the first ten years after I left school, (the first being the only one I applied for) I have to wonder what’s new! Much of what generation X and Y are asking for are what organisations need to be providing for all their staff anyway - challenges, new experiences, the chance to develop professionally, to move within the organisation, to feel they are doing something that is making a difference. Generation X and Y are really challenging organisations to attend to the development of their people – as a high priority.

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Professional Development More Than Skills and Techniques

Whether we are the CEO of a big company, a supervisor on the floor of a manufacturing company, a doctor, teacher or lawyer, a human resource manager, a sales assistant or a receptionist, we all need to be able to effectively communicate with employees, customers and clients to produce positive and desired outcomes while maintaining engagement, in what are often challenging circumstances. We need highly developed people skills, those interpersonal or “soft” skills that enable us to inspire the best from our people.

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Professional Development It’s About Coaching Too

I was talking with a manager from one of the major hotel chains recently. Their organisation has a strong commitment to training and developing their staff and provide a wide range of options for their staff to choose from. He told me there is an increasing trend for managers to want to “skip” the workshop/seminar/conference approach and ask for instead the equivalent amount of money for coaching. That interest in coaching confirms the feed-back I receive from those I coach. What is it about coaching, however, that has seen it become so important in recent years?