ken warren – Happy Schools

Top 5 Reasons Why Some People I Work With Are So Difficult

September 12, 2024

Whenever I speak in workplaces about difficult managers and co-workers, there is always one question that always comes up… ‘How do we get rid of difficult people?‘ But I think a more important question to ask is, ‘Why are they so difficult?’ If you believe that the answer to that question is that they are … “100% pure evil!”, “They cannot help it” or “They are beyond help”, it will certainly affect the way you interact with that person and possibly make a bad situation much, much worse. Here are my top five, less-sinister explanations for difficult people at work. Although these explanations do not excuse their behaviour, they certainly can help you see their behaviour in a kinder light…

What Are You Grateful For?

November 30, 2023

Stevef

Resilience

I recently asked my doctor how I was going after he had run a series of blood tests on me. He said, “Ken, if I was you, I would be grateful for every day I am alive.” There’s an endorsement if ever there was one. He was joking, of course. But, surely that is good advice for all of us. I think that too many of us spend too much of our time focusing on what is wrong in our lives and what could go wrong in the future. Though let me be quick to say that if you are presently dealing with very tough life circumstances, it can often be very hard to find anything to be grateful for.…

Celebrate the Wins at Work

October 5, 2023

Stevef

Activities

I don’t think we focus on the positives nearly enough. This is true in our personal lives, but also in workplaces, where around two-thirds of people say they do not feel their efforts and achievements are acknowledged or valued. To put it another way, there is not enough celebration of the wins. Celebrating the wins at work has several benefits: It makes you and others feel good: When we focus on making other people feel good by celebrating their wins, everyone wins. We get the feel-goods as well. It is also important to remember, we can celebrate people’s wins in their personal lives as well. It shows progress towards important goals: Yes, the big wins can be celebrated but even…

Are you Unhappy at Work?

August 10, 2023

Stevef

Engagement

Are you one of those people who jump out of bed each day and who enjoy their work so much they can’t wait to get there? According to recent research, about 25% of us really love what we do for a living. Then there are the majority of people, about 56%, who describe themselves as somewhat happy with their work but see room for improvement. Sadly, about 19% feel deeply unhappy with the work they do. Interestingly, the number one thing that makes us unhappy at work is also the number one thing that makes us happy. Are you ready for it? It is the quality of our workplace relationships – how well we are getting along with our leader…

Managing Upwards

April 13, 2023

Stevef

Communication

A recent poll of one million workers showed that the number one reason people quit their jobs is a bad boss. So what do you do if you have a supervisor you are unhappy with? You can leave or become miserable and make their life hell, but you can also attempt to influence positive change. The challenge is how to manage upwards. Here are six ways you can develop a more positive working relationship with your line manager. Get to know them. Look for opportunities to get to know them and build more of a relationship with them. Find out what is important to them in their personal life – perhaps their children or a passion they have. Building rapport helps to…

People Management Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

July 14, 2022

Stevef

Communication

Here are five common pitfalls of people management to avoid. Being too busy to touch base. It is easy to forget the importance of touching base with other team members. Speaking regularly with our colleagues is one of the most important things we can do. Human beings are social animals. Genuinely asking ‘How are you going?’, thanking them for their efforts and laughing with your team mates, are all important parts of team well-being. Not communicating expectations. In sharing the load and working well in teams, it is important to clearly communicate our key expectations of each other. One staff member I know has three key expectations of her colleagues – that they are reliable, responsible and respectful. What are…

Remaining Positive When Others Are Stressed

November 18, 2021

Stevef

Resilience

Have you ever noticed that some people are able to maintain their positivity, even in stressful situations, whereas others do the opposite? Why is this? Positive co-workers have the right attitude. They realise that although others can act in ways that help to make us stressed or happy, ultimately our happiness is determined by the choices we make. They don’t expect perfection from themselves, their colleagues or their workplace. It is OK to have a bad day or two. But a bad week or month is not so good. Positive people also appreciate that their happiness is not determined by the absence of challenging circumstances at work. Putting off your happiness until circumstances are better is not the answer. If…

Top 5 Reasons Why Some People I Work With Are So Difficult

August 27, 2020

Stevef

Communication

Whenever I speak in workplaces about difficult managers and co-workers, there is always one question that always comes up… ‘How do we get rid of them?‘ But I think a more important question to ask is, ‘Why are they so difficult?’ If you have the belief that the answer to that question is that they are … “100% pure evil!” “They cannot help it” or “They are beyond help”, it will certainly affect the way you interact with that person and possibly make a bad situation much, much worse. Here are my top five, less-sinister explanations for difficult people at work. Although these explanations do not excuse their behaviour, they certainly can help you see their behaviour in a kinder…

Letting Go of Betrayals of Trust

February 13, 2020

Stevef

Resilience

What are you like at forgiving others and getting over hurts? Some of us find this extremely hard to do. However, over time unresolved, painful emotions can come at a major cost. Most of the hurts that we have are misunderstandings where we have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Many of these upsets are easy to get over. We calm down, find a kinder way to explain another’s behaviour and then find it easier to let go of any remaining hurt when the normal pattern of positive interactions resumes. But there are also major hurts, betrayals of trust or a long history of hurtful interactions that are much harder to let go of. Sometimes the change required is…

Five Tips for Communicating With People you Don’t Get on With

June 20, 2019

Stevef

Communication

Schools are busy, people places. At times we will need to work with people we don’t get along with. The following are the first five of ten tips for communicating with people we find difficult to get on with. Acknowledge others’ feelings and points of view Listening to and acknowledging the other person’s feelings and points of view can bypass many arguments and misunderstandings. Don’t try to correct them or rebut their points of view or feelings. Just listen. See if you can understand what the other person is trying to communicate. You don’t have to agree with what they are saying, but don’t dismiss or minimise their feelings or tell them they are wrong for feeling that way. Remember…

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