The Manager Blog -
What's New On The Happy Manager

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Jan 27, 2010, Teamwork in the Workplace: Create the Conditions

For teamwork in the workplace to flourish you need to create the right conditions.But how do you do this?

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Jan 26, 2010, What is Teamwork?

What is teamwork? Teams are not the answer to every organisational issue, so what is the kind of work that teams are best suited to do?

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Jan 19, 2010, Time Management Activities: 8 ways to invest your time

Develop your own time management activities based on these 8 thought provoking ways to invest your time

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Jan 18, 2010, Why is Time Management Important? In a Minute!

Why is time management important? Here are 8 ways to take better care of your time, providing a timely reminder that time is both scarce and valuable

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Jan 14, 2010, Teamwork Definition Activity

This teamwork definition activity helps you and your team think through what you value about teamwork. Whether refreshing your emphasis on teamwork, or starting up with a team, this activity will help you think through what teamwork means to you.

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Jan 13, 2010, Define Teamwork

How would you define teamwork? Whilst you can't have a team without teamwork, you can have teamwork without a team. To understand teamwork we should be clear about what we mean by a team

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Jan 12, 2010, Happy Life Quotes

Take some time to read these happy life quotes, from Bertrum Russell to St Augustine there are though provoking suggestions for finding happiness in life.

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Oct 26, 2009, Teamwork Articles: the Art and Science of Leading Teams

Our series of teamwork articles focusing on the art and science of leading teams. Many organizations recognize that the power of teams is not always fully realized. In this section of the Happy Manager we'll examine the factors that help to make teams more effective. In doing so, we'll explain teamwork theories, provide helpful tips and tools, and post links to other useful resources.

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Oct 22, 2009, Benefits of Teamwork: Group Activity Tool

What are the benefits of teamwork in your organisation? Use this teamwork group activity tool to help find out.

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Oct 22, 2009, Don't Worry Be Happy: Just a Good Line From a Song?

Don't Worry Be Happy is the famous opening line of a song by Bobby McFerrin, but it's not just a nice thought. Worry eats away at our happiness, causing feelings of anxiety, fear and apprehension. But how do we stop worrying?

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Oct 18, 2009, Teamwork Theory: Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

Probably the most famous teamwork theory is Bruce Tuckman's 'team stages model'. Tuckman's model is widely used as a basis for effective team building and leadership. He suggests that teams grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of individuals, to cohesive, task-focused teams.

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Oct 16, 2009, Work Life Effectiveness: Work to Your Strengths - in a Minute!

Follow these 15 suggestions to help you think about your work life effectiveness. Questions to help you identify your strengths, encourage you to learn more about yourself, then perhaps decide what it is you really want to do!

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Oct 15, 2009, Self Motivation Techniques

Sometimes we may need self motivation techniques to help us cope with difficult situations at work. Whatever is causing you to be unhappy at work, here are some techniques which may help you change things for the better.

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Oct 8, 2009, Problem Solving Exercises

This page contains links to our articles and resources containing problem solving exercises. It includes a wide range of tips and tools, including our seven step problem solving process.

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Sep 30, 2009, Definition of Happiness - The Experts' View

Where better to look for a definition of happiness than in the words of the experts? However, don't expect just a few words, in one, single definition. Happiness is not as straightforward as that!

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Sep 21, 2009, Happiness Theory: Happiness, Lessons from a New Science

Perhaps happiness theory can explain a paradox. Whilst we're getting richer, healthier and have more possessions than ever before, why are we no happier? In his excellent book 'Happinesss', Richard Layard uses lessons from a new science to give us pause for thought.....

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Sep 17, 2009, Creativity Problem Solving: 5 Questions to Put Your Creativity to Work!

Whether you've a problem to solve, or a decision to make, our creativity problem solving questions help promote 'possibility thinking'....

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Sep 11, 2009, Happiness Definition

It's one thing to find a simple happiness definition, but understanding and applying that definition can be much more difficult. To help you understand and use any definition of happiness, here are the views of three leading psychologists.

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Sep 10, 2009, Maslow Motivation Theory

The Maslow motivation theory is one of the best known theories on workplace motivation. Though more than half a century old, Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' is still a widely read and influential motivational theory. Here we cover the essentials.

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Sep 8, 2009, Definition of Decision Making.

We think having a clear definition of decision making can help you make better decisions. Our definition incorporates 4 elements which can help with all types of decision making...

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Sep 1, 2009, Time Wasters

Reduce time wasters in a minute. Read our tips on reducing low value activities, so you can concentrate on the things that produce meaningful results.

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Aug 27, 2009, Steps in Decision Making

These 7 steps in decision making will give you the essential elements of a structured process model. Improve your decision making ... in a minute!

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Aug 27, 2009, Steps in Goal Setting

Discover 8 steps in goal setting in just one minute! What's the most important goal setting activity we can do? Some might say its to think about what we really want to do in life. Use these 8 steps in goal setting to take a good look at yourself by asking some big questions.

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Aug 27, 2009, Intrinsic Extrinsic Motivation - the Basics

Do you want to understand the basics of intrinsic extrinsic motivation? Workplace motivation can be a difficult and complex subject but it's still important to understand the basics.

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Aug 27, 2009, How to Stop Worrying ... in a Minute

Do you want to know how to stop worrying in a minute? Here are some steps adapted from Dale Carnegie. How to face what you're worrying about, then plan and act to resolve the situation!

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Aug 27, 2009, Effective Meeting: in a Minute?

Want to know how to manage an effective meeting in a minute? Here, in a series of bullet points which can be read in a minute (ish!), are some essential tips on how to run an effective meeting.

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Aug 27, 2009, Asking Good Questions: In a Minute?

We think the best management tools are good questions, but how do you find time to ponder them? This page contains some short cuts to asking good questions at work.

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Aug 25, 2009, Why is Teamwork Important? 8 Good Reasons!

Why is teamwork important? Well it's one thing to create a team, but quite another to create teamwork. Just as it's one thing to join a team, but quite another to perform as a team member. To put it simply, teams don't work without teamwork.

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Aug 24, 2009, Types of Decision Making

Are different types of decision making needed for different types of decisions? We think so. Improve your decision making by considering important variables such as level, style and process.

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Aug 24, 2009, Decision Making Articles, Tips and Tools

This page is a portal to our collection of decision making articles, tips and tools. Be sure to bookmark it for regular updates.

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Aug 24, 2009, Rational Decision Making Model

A rational decision making model provides a structured and sequenced approach to decision making. Using such an approach can help to ensure discipline and consistency is built into your decision making process.

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Aug 24, 2009, Intuition and Decision Making

Use your intuition and decision making becomes a lot easier. Well, many people believe that but is there any truth in this, and does it help you to make good decisions?

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Aug 24, 2009, Decision Making Technique

One useful, initial, decision making technique is to assess a decision based on its level. This technique may sound simplistic but it can be very helpful in determining which type of decision making process is the most suitable for any specific situation.

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Aug 21, 2009, Effective Meetings

How do we manage effective meetings? It's been said that there are only two kinds of activities in an organization. Attending meetings and answering the phone for colleagues who are attending meetings!

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Aug 13, 2009, Decision Making Lesson 1: Do You Need to Make One?

Perhaps decision making lesson 1 should be to ask yourself, do you need to make a decision at all? Here we discuss insights from two famous philosophers....

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Aug 12, 2009, Peter Principle: A 'Bad Boss' Early Warning System?

What is the 'Peter Principle'? Here we discuss some of Laurence Peter's excellent insights based on his famous principle: that people rise to their level of incompetence. Use these to arm yourself with a 'bad boss early warning system'!

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Aug 8, 2009, Group Decision Making Methods

What group decision making methods do you use? If you're unsure how to answer that question, then read on! This article will help you think through some relevant approaches.

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Jul 29, 2009, Develop Good Leadership Qualities by Learning from the Best

How do we develop good leadership qualities? Perhaps it's easiest by learning from the best! This is the second article in our guru series. We explore their value and ask: why should we bother to learn from the gurus?

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Jul 26, 2009, Workplace Motivation

Here is our collection of articles, tips and tools related to workplace motivation.

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Jul 22, 2009, Time Management in the Workplace.

Time management in the workplace: how do you balance demands, constraints and choices? Here we discuss 'discretionary time', so you can do what you're best at.

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Jul 22, 2009, Work Motivation: Play to Your Strengths

Work motivation. How do you view work? Are you weighed-down or buoyed-up by what you do? Change your view of work by playing to your strengths.

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Jul 22, 2009, Time Management at Work: Is Busyness Killing Business?

Time management at work has an enemy: busyness! Here we define busyness and offer some tips for identifying its existence in your workplace.

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Jul 22, 2009, Dealing with Job Loss: How to Stop Worrying With Plan A

Facing a job loss? Perhaps Plan A, our example of a personal development plan, can show you how to stop worrying.

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Jul 11, 2009, Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management

Peter Drucker is widely regarded as the father of modern management. This book is a collection of his landmark Harvard Business Review articles. It's essential reading for all managers.

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Jul 11, 2009, 10 Tips on Time Management: How to Reduce 'Busyness'

10 Tips on Time Management: because identifying busyness may be relatively straightforward, treating it can be much more difficult!

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Jul 9, 2009, Famous Leadership Quotes

Some of our favourite famous leadership quotes, from Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela to Peter Drucker and Anita Roddick

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Jul 4, 2009, The Success Principles - How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Jack Canfield's 'The Success Principles' is a classic self-help book: '...become the happy, successful person you know you are meant to be - without burning out.'

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Jul 4, 2009, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organisation

The Fifth Discipline popularised a whole new way of thinking about the way organisations function. Peter Senge's ideas still profer powerful challenges to this day.

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Jul 4, 2009, The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

The Happiness Hypothesis blends ancient wisdom with modern science: 'superbly argued, crystal clear and intelligent.......and....reading it did actually make this reviewer happier.'

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Jul 4, 2009, Project Management Checklist

About to start a project? You'll need a project management checklist, especially when project management isn't your day job.

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