We all come across someone who is angry from time to time, especially at work.  However, you can help to calm an angry colleague.  It helps you for them to be calmer, but importantly, it helps them to cope better with not only the current situation, but also future situations too…

Do you know what reframing is and how to use it?  Reframing is often used by psychologists as a powerful tool to help people see a different perspective to an obstruction allowing them to take a different route to get around a cognitive roadblock.  However, it has utility outside the therapeutic office, you can, and should think about using reframing too…

Most people are able to tolerate a certain about of stress.  This is normal and desirable.  However, if, as often happens, you don’t acknowledge the stress you are experiencing, a threshold can be crossed with only a minor incident and create what seems like an over reaction to a trivial event.  This explains why…

Sometimes, it can be so frustrating working with and dealing with people who just don’t seem to get it.  In these situations it is common for people to complain that the people are ‘idiots’.  This is not the correct term – it is very derogatory – but there is often something going on, and it helps to understand what it is… 

Have you ever noticed that when you deal with people they get angry over trivial issues?  It is actually common, and you have probably seen it in your professional and your personal life.  It might have even been you who got angry.  But why does it happen and what can you do about it?  Let’s find out…

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is sometimes compared to IQ, although they are quite different,  EQ is a relatively new concept and seeks to describe how someone’s inherent emotional skills can adapt to new situations and ‘read’ the needs of others.

Emotional intelligence is a concept that is normally applied to individuals and it implies that individuals have a more sophisticated emotional approach to life and the problems that come with it.  However, emotional intelligence has a role in organisations.  Quite simply, organisations that focus on EI perform better and bring greater rewards for all involved.

Everyone knows what conflict is, at least they know when they are in the middle of an obvious conflict.  But, what is conflit really, and what causes it?  Let’s explore these questions in a little more detail, it is more than you think…

Executive search is a type of headhunting that focuses on filling very senior positions within a business. Typical roles appointed by executive search are Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or Human Resources Director (HRD). So what are the key approaches to executive search, and how can you be successful when using this tool? In this article, we offer valuable advice to help you make the most of the process.   Detail All Aspects of a Role Before You Begin You will not be able to successfully appoint a new

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious effect on most businesses, particularly those engaged in the retail, travel and hospitality industries. Many of them have had to furlough a significant number of employees — putting them on unpaid leave, often with government financial support. As the situation starts to ease and the economy is coming out of lockdown, companies are now beginning to re-hire staff who have been laid off. However, this is not a simple process of just telling them to turn up for work as normal and continue as before. Many things have altered and businesses need to

The COVID-19 outbreak has focused many owners’ and managers’ minds on the way they run their businesses. The threat has been emphasised by the increase in globalisation that has helped the spread of the pandemic. Although the threat is diminishing in some places, the danger of coronavirus still evident and as we have seen in Victoria, it can re-emerge quickly and with some ferocity.  Consequently, companies may need to change their operations, probably permanently, to guard against future COVID outbreaks.  Let’s take a look at some of the things that we can do to help.   1. Prepare a Plan

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.0.11″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.0.11″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.11″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″] The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s lives, whether or not they have fallen victim to the virus. A serious recession is now virtually inevitable and this is likely to have a significant effect on the jobs market. Many employees have been temporarily laid off with government financial support but that lay-off may become permanent when the support is removed. Particularly severely affected are young and old workers, those with few skills and people employed in sectors such as travel, leisure and retail.   Job Market Changes The pandemic has led to a major

One of the biggest mistakes employers make when trying to assess someone for a particular role is the tendency to comparing candidates without a system for assessing and comparing people.  This leads to each candidate being assessed on different grounds and they find themselves comparing apples and oranges. A systematic, repeatable methodology is essential for assessing multiple candidates for a particular role.  This usually involves moving through several stages where each ‘stage’ has a particular purpose with different criteria for assessing each candidate.  However, the criteria you use at each stage should be essentially the same. The following paragraphs provide

Why Ask the Interviewer Questions? Job interviews cause anxiety.  Usually, the focus is on answering questions and when the candidate is asked if they have any questions, many candidates often answer a simple ‘no’.  However, asking questions of the interviewer is an important part of the process for two reasons: Questions Impress the Interviewer. Candidates who ask relevant questions impress interviewers more.  Asking questions of the interviewer forces the interviewer to be engaged with you.  By being more engaged, the interviewer knows you are prepared for the interview and thoughtful about the process.  When the interviewer is comparing candidates, you

Job interviews serve a very important function – to ensure that the candidate is the best suited for the role on offer – but there are questions considered illegal and should not be asked of a candidate.   How Can Questions Be Illegal? Your questions of candidates should be used to identify the best person for the job and you can ask any question that directly relates to this.  However, questions directed to areas of life that might not be related and could form the basis of discrimination.  If they are discriminatory then they will be considered illegal[1] and administered

EQ or ‘emotional quotient’, is a term coined to describe emotional capabilities.  The term compares to the better-known IQ or intelligence quotient’ which attempts to measure and create a score of an individual’s intellectual capability and then compare it to the broader population. The term was made popular in the 1990’s after the publication of a book, ‘Emotional Intelligence’[1] although, despite its seemingly obvious usefulness as a concept, it has been criticised because of its lack of specificity and predictability. Emotional intelligence is difficult to concisely define and Colman described it as:  the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions

When it comes to maintaining good medical practice, the first and foremost priority of a practitioner will always be to deliver the utmost standard of patient care, regardless of the setting.  However, as with any working environment, medical practice offers routes to be your own boss and work on your own as well as to work as part of a wider team in a medical practice. Each of these routes can offer their own sets of benefits, and I have previously discussed the differences between salary and profit share arrangements, each with pros and cons.  When considering which is the

General health practitioners breathed a sigh of relief when Dr. Tony Bartone was elected President of the Australian Medical Association in May 2018. He is the first GP in four years to take the position and many GPs see it as a positive step towards correcting the issues that general practices are facing right now in Australia. There would be few arguments across the healthcare industry when the dire state of general practice in Australia is currently discussed. Dr. Bartome himself also agreed that there is lots of urgent, important work to be done and attention given to this specialty

According to the Oxford dictionary, headhunting is a noun meaning: the practice among some peoples of collecting the heads of dead enemies as trophies. the activity of identifying and approaching suitable people employed elsewhere to fill business positions. In our case, we will avoid becoming involved with collecting heads as trophies.  Instead we will focus on the key issues in using a headhunter or the art of filling positions through directly approaching people who are already employed. How is Headhunting Different from Recruiting? There are similarities between the two roles: Both seek to fill a vacancy for a business role,

Practice or clinic nurses are an integral part of ensuring that everything goes smoothly in GP clinics and surgeries. They have a broad role in that they deliver care to patients throughout a general practice. Practice nurses are likely to work alongside a variety of different healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, nutritionists, doctors and other visiting health professionals. In larger clinics or GP surgeries, it’s likely that a whole team of practice nurses will be employed, but typically there will only be one in the smaller establishments. In the smaller practices, nurses will have a broader range of responsibilities and

As a qualified GP, your career options typically involve one of two routes – join a practice  as a salaried staff member or take a role that involves share of the billings instead of a salary. What are the pros and cons? Why would a GP choose one route over the other? That comes down to your individual wants, needs and desires as well as your current financial state and means. Let’s explore the key considerations factors for both routes:   Salaried GP role Practitioners in the early stages of their career tend to particularly favour this route as they