147 - How do leaders help their teams embrace new ways of working?
The question is
Sometimes, it feels like the workplace has become a place of constant change, with technology, economics and societal changes driving the need for teams to adapt how they work to meet changing needs constantly. Leaders who can help their teams embrace new ideas and working practices can drive the performance of their teams while at the same time protecting those they work with from the stress we feel when change is imposed on us. In this episode of The Question Is, Ricky and Graham explore the leader's role in preparing their team in advance, creating a culture where change is embraced,...
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146 - What are the practical steps to build a culture?
The question is
In this podcast, Richard and Ricky explore some practical things you can do to build the culture in your organisation. Org Culture is a big topic, and often you can get lost in the plethora of models and ideas. Culture feels big and something the most senior people have to take action on. Yet there are some simple, practical steps that any of us can take to improve the culture, even if it is just for our team. From establishing the group's purpose, discovering the values, and aligning the business practices around measurement, reward and processes, manager have much more control...
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145 - What Can I Do To Build Rapport Quickly?
The question is
What can I do to build rapport quickly? Rapport is a key skill when building relationships, when influencing others, and when collaborating, in fact, any time you want or need to engage with someone. Ricky asks our resident psychologist, Paul, about practical ways to instantly build rapport. Together, they explore crucial elements to make rapport-building easy and impactful and get your connection off on the right foot. If you want to avoid friction and get stuff done more easily, you almost always need to form a connection with your team, coworkers, suppliers and customers....
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144 - How can I create trust between teams that don't get on?
The question is
We like to think that all the teams in our organisation are aligned, collaborating effectively, and working in harmony. In an ideal world, all of our teams' passion and energy would be combined against the external world, beating competitors and solving problems that get in the way. In reality, under pressure, we often turn on the groups closest to us. Not because they are the problem but because they are visible and identifiable. It is hard to blame people we can't identify, so we find an 'enemy' we can name, which can be as simple as the team down the corridor. Sales get...
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143 - How can we make decisions when we disagree?
The question is
When different opinions appear in the decision, the easy answer is to push the decision up. Let the boss decide. There are two issues with this strategy. Firstly, while the boss will probably engage with the process, they will also hate it. They have enough to do without having to make decisions for warring teams. Plus, it never reflects well on those asking. The bigger issue is when the team is in a matrix, and there is no obvious boss to pass the buck to. Then, the team has to find a way or risk the consequences of no (or late) decision! In this episode of the...
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142 - How can I ensure my managers have the 'big' conversations with their team members.
The question is
Here is another podcast that examines the questions that regularly arise in our work. This time, Richard and Ricky consider why managers might avoid some of the more big (difficult) conversations that are needed between manager and team members. Often, senior managers assume that these conversations are happening, only to find out as issues escalate that a culture of over-politeness or hoping things will sort themselves out if we ignore them for long enough has sowed ambiguity and misunderstanding. Why do these conversations feel so difficult for managers, and what can we do to ensure that...
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141 - How can we build trust with remote and hybrid teams?
The question is
In this podcast, Paul and Richard tackle one of the questions we have been asked a lot since the pandemic ended - How do you build trust between team members and teams that don’t spend that much time in the office. Building trust between individuals and groups is far more complex than many of us realise because we do it so easily when we are together. We build trusting relationships through the micro-moments we spend together: before meetings, over lunch, getting coffee and in quick informal interactions. We also build trust through working together. It is the combination...
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140 - How can I do this all over again?
The question is
The coaching question in this podcast might not be as common as others we have covered, but it is one we can personally relate to. Regardless of your role or expertise, there are times when we give it our all, putting everything we have to get something over the line, then we reset to the start and have to go again. Sales targets reset each year, project manager complete their delivery only to get a new project, software engineers get the release out the door, and then start working on a new feature. Paul promised you a quote: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”...
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139 - How can I be less of a people pleaser?
The question is
This episode continues our series of common topics from coaching conversations. In this episode, Paul and Graham consider the idea of 'people pleasing' - being helpful to the point of thier own detriment. From understanding the difference between helpfulness and people pleasing, through to how to say no to the boss, Graham and Paul talk about what might be driving some of these behaviours and shat are the simple strategies that you can adopt to ensure you find the balance between helping and supporting the people around you, and ensuring that you protect your own time and...
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138 - How do I stop feeling so tired?
The question is
As we continue our mini-series of common topics from coaching conversations, in this podcast, Ricky and Paul explore why sometimes people feel drained at work, leaving them with an overall feeling of being tired. Clearly, at times, we can all burn the candle at both ends, but in coaching situations, this is often a sign of something deeper going on. From doing work that is draining to the unintended consequences of the habits we adopt when our workload goes up, Ricky and Paul explore some potential causes and strategies to help maintain us through these peak times.
info_outlineThere are moments, often, when we hit milestones that symbolise the end of something (like the end of a year), that we stop and take a moment to look back. These moments are opportunities to reflect, to learn and to prepare to start again.
Yet, in work, these moments are missed as we jump from project to project, urgent task to urgent task. Urgency getting in the way of growth, learning and, most importantly, using this wisdom to focus on the things that will have the biggest impact on our goals.
In this podcast, Ricky talks with Paul about the power of these moments, asking why these are so important, yet often undervalued in the workplace. Of course, they also get into some simple ways that you can make your reflection time more effective and why this does not need to take very much time at all if you do it right.