Are you sitting comfortably? Welcome to the second in my series of podcasts that will help you to navigate those inevitable difficult events at work that are part of being a small business owner. Today I want to talk about how to deal with failure as a small business owner. Failure is a fact of … Read more
If you’re wondering how to stop micromanaging your team, the fact that you’re asking the question is already a good sign. Most micromanagers don’t realise they are one. They think they’re being thorough, or maintaining standards, or keeping the business on track. They’re creating a team that can’t move without permission and a business that … Read more
I want to tell you about a manager I worked with. She had a team member who was brilliant at spotting patterns in data that nobody else could. He delivered work with a level of accuracy that frankly put everyone else to shame. But in team meetings, he rarely made eye contact. He answered questions … Read more
“Nicola, I need your help. We’ve just replaced our operations manager for the second time in eighteen months, and the team is still a nightmare. The new manager seemed perfect on paper, but three months in and we’re right back where we started. What are we doing wrong?” I could hear the exhaustion in her … Read more
Early in my management career, I had a brilliant team member. She noticed things nobody else did: a client’s change in tone during a meeting, a subtle shift in team dynamics, a risk buried in a project plan that everyone else had walked straight past. But when we moved to an open-plan office, something changed. … Read more