Author Archives: Alex

Helping a Manager Understand His or Her Leadership Style Options

Manager Intervention: Helping managers understand their leadership style options How a manager behaves in any specific situation depends on many factors, including how much preparation time they have, but the two most significant factors are their general style preference and the range of options they have within their preference. The role of a coach or […]

Time to Man Up to Men Mentoring Women 

When will the tide turn on the impact of #MeToo?   We published our research “Cross-Gender Relations in a Post-#MeToo World” in 2018. It was our fervent hope that this would start a conversation about the unintended consequences of the #MeToo movement – namely that men were starting to avoid contact with women in the workplace, most notably, in […]

Mentoring People with Autism

Autism is a broadly misunderstood condition. While severe Autism may be disabling, it’s a mistake to think of all people on the Autism spectrum as disadvantaged. In reality, many autistic people have significant advantages over neurotypical people in general. They are better able to absorb and process large amounts of information, more focused and often […]

Mentoring and Menopause in the Workplace

Menopause in the Workplace: The Missing Life Stage in our Conversations. “I feel ripped off that no one talked to me about it.” [1]  “I’m 46 and I felt so unprepared and shocked when it happened.”  “The silence – it’s the worst thing, especially when you get to the top of organisations where the percentage […]

When a Mentee is Unhappy at Work

Unhappy at work? Everyone has times, when their job just doesn’t seem to give them the same satisfaction. These feelings of being unhappy at work don’t always last – simple shifts in role or responsibility can make a radical difference, for example – but when ennui sets in, the potential for disengagement and quitting rise. […]

Negotiating the Balance of Power Between the Team Leader and the Team

Power struggles in team performance One of the biggest impediments to team performance occurs when there is a mismatch between the leadership style and behaviours the team needs and those that the leader and the team default to. The word “default” is appropriate because there is usually an unconscious process of adaptation, which may be […]

Millennial Mentoring

Millennial Mentoring. Rewarding relationships = retention. Growing the next generation of talented workers and business leaders is always a challenge, now perhaps more so than ever. What has become clear over the past few years is that the millennial generation (those people born between 1984 and 2012) has a markedly different outlook on work than […]

Career Advice: What to do when the Mentee has No Clear Career Goals?

The “sweet spot” on career advice When it comes to career advice, it makes mentoring a lot easier, when the mentee knows exactly where they want to go in their career. The trouble is, many mentees – particularly those in the early stages of their careers – have only a general sense of direction (if […]

What Does Great Developmental Conversation Look Like?

What does a great developmental conversation look like between line manager and direct report?   The weight of evidence in recent years with regard to traditional performance appraisal and developmental conversation between line managers and direct reports presents a clear picture – not only do they not motivate higher performance, but they often reduce motivation […]