“We don’t want great oratory anymore, we want sound bites,” says sound consultant Julian Treasure his TED talk 5 Ways To Listen Better. “We’re so bombarded with information, we can’t cut through the clutter to hear what people say, let alone remember it and then act...
Earlier this week I took part in a speaking competition. I knew my lines. I knew where to stand and how to move. I was calm. The topic was original. Even funny. The audience laughed. I laughed. The timekeeper showed me the green card. I’d reached the minimum time...
Working with executives and other organisational leaders has brought me to a disquieting discovery. Having a solid personal brand isn’t enough. Take V. At 38, V ticks all the boxes of a successful career. Her recent appointment to the board of a multinational FMCG...
You never know what giving a gift can inspire you to do. You might want to choose the perfect wrapping, spend some money on yourself, or just tick the chore off your list. Or, like me, you might decide to buy a gift you’d like to have yourself. This is how I got to...
Ok, that last bit’s a stretch but the web is full of promises that push it. Earlier this week my husband was up the coast visiting his father. When he travels, our daily the routine gets a little loose. While I’m generally a big fan of routine (I’m the woman with the...
If the thought of composing an official year-end thank you email to your loyal clients makes you groan inwardly, I've got you covered. You’ve already spent your energy racing to the finish line with last minute projects and deadlines. Now you need to be creative and...
Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to be inspiring. Even just a little bit. Sometimes we’re fooled into thinking only ‘great’ people can inspire, whatever great means to you. I dug around and found out that inspiring someone, like having charisma, is totally...
I cycle. Or to be more accurate, I commute on a bicycle. I put on a helmet and get onto my 15-year-old Purple Panther (without shocks or clips or cages. Thank the pope for that last one. I couldn’t stand the shame) and head off to the shops, the gym and occasionally,...
Let’s face it, the first step in creating a relevant and authentic personal brand is to master your craft. Mastery doesn’t require you to be perfect, but it does require you to pursue excellence. The more you master your craft: The more you will learn what you are...
In my last blog post, What Your Boss Really Wants From You, I suggested ways you could impress your boss. I wrote the post as part preparation for an interview I was having with a Really Big Prospective Client. To give you an idea of just how big: he’s responsible for...
