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Tell them to put their laptops away

We all know that group work starts with an ice breaker, expectations and ground rules. It is an important section to warm everyone up and get us all agreeing to how we will work together. On the ground rules someone will often mention putting phones and laptops away. For us this is common courtesy yet for some teams we work…
Sharpstone Skinner
March 19, 2018
Performance

How to argue constructively

Part of being a great team is the ability to have a good old argument. Except that arguing is not everyone’s cup of tea, even the word sends shivers down some people’s spines whilst others rub their hands together with glee. Yet teams that don’t have a constructive level of conflict are boring to be in, keep doing the same…
Sharpstone Skinner
January 8, 2018
Performance

Can you pivot?

Volatile times are creating an environment where organisations are constantly confronting new business challenges, undergoing profound change, and being asked to pivot to meet new and tougher expectations. Like many buzzwords before it, ‘pivot’, is gaining traction and likely to be the most overused word in the workplace for 2017.  When people use the word pivot what they really mean…
Sharpstone Skinner
October 16, 2017
Performance

IOF Blog – Developing Excellent Relationships

This month we spoke at a conference on one of our favourite subjects – getting relationships right. Better than right – getting them excellent. Whether you’re aware of it or not, when you show up in a communication, whether it is at a meeting, within a group, in a one to one conversation, even on an email – you bring…
Sharpstone Skinner
July 17, 2017
Performance

Feedback: doing it right

We should be so good at doing feedback nowadays.  Most companies hope to create an environment where two-way, constructive feedback can sit comfortably.  It doesn’t always happen.  We start with the best intentions – to give regular feedback and be open to receiving it too – yet when the pressure is on, we forget to make it a priority and…
Sharpstone Skinner
February 1, 2017
Performance

4 nasty habits that turn teams toxic

At Sharpstone Skinner we have spent years coaching teams to attain and maintain high performance. We have developed a process to take teams through so they give of their best and achieve great results. Some teams get there quickly, some get distracted. There are many reasons why this happens. One of them is a set of bad habits that can…
Sharpstone Skinner
January 18, 2017
Networking

Networking – how not to get your knickers in a twist

I’m going to a networking event – who’s coming with me?  Don’t all shout at once.  Mention networking and we all agree it’s a vital part of our role.  Suggest actually going to a networking event and you start to sniff the fear.  We’ve all got stories to tell of networking from Planet Nasty and may just find we have…
Sharpstone Skinner
September 7, 2015
Performance

View from the top – is your high performer the real deal?

As a leader you’re only too aware of the need to balance your time between ensuring organisational goals are achieved and developing the individuals who work for you.  Many of your team are good, solid, reliable workers but are they high performers? A high performer is not just someone who does their job well – they go beyond that.  High…
Sharpstone Skinner
May 26, 2015
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