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3 Winning Strategies to lead through COVID Uncertainty

by: cariona October 5th, 2020

by Cariona Neary

The rollercoaster of emotions we are all experiencing can
make the task of leadership all the more challenging. And yet, this is a time
when your leadership skills can make the significant difference. Right now,
leaders need to help keep themselves and their teams focused, upbeat and
productive. Undo any of these three elements and people become despondent and
fight the small stuff, negatively affecting their own health and wellbeing as
well as business outcomes.

#1 Strategy – Diagnose the Team Mood

Leadership in the […]

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Pssst! Did you know Skillnets can help you do a Masters?

by: cariona October 18th, 2013

DIT Masters in Professional Practice  – the perfect qualification for SME Sector!

If you have been considering doing a Masters programme this year but have been put off by   lengthy academic programmes and concerns about going back to education when you’re trying to run a small business, the DIT awarded Masters in Professional Practice, kicking off this November, is just the right programme for you. This highly regarded programme has three major advantages over other taught Masters programmes:

Taking […]

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Is body language important? If you agree, nod your head!

by: cariona August 27th, 2013

Years ago, when we were holidaying in France, I asked a local if he knew where the local post office was located. He said Oui but vigorously shook his head. When training on body language, I sometimes tell this story of mixed signals. It always gives me a headache! It’s actually very difficult to say yes and shake your head simultaneously. It goes against one of the most fundamental and universal body language gestures, the head nod.

Body language is older […]

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Networking: How to communicate your value proposition

by: cariona February 25th, 2013

When you finally meet 'the special one', do you know what to say?

It’s amazing how many business people become tongue tied when asked about their value proposition. Ask them what they do, and they are happy to chat away about their company, how many people work there, what the make or do and how long they’ve been in business.

The Bland leading the Bland

In many of the workshops that I run with SMEs and larger organisations, I invite people […]

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New Year’s Resolutions that don’t stick

by: cariona January 7th, 2013

New Year’s Resolutions and Falling off the Wagon

Some New Year's Resolutions Just Don't Stick – Even with Glue

Laden with guilt, extra weight and fear of going broke, it’s no wonder we are all suckers for New Year’s Resolutions. I make pretty much the same ones every year and like boomerangs, they always  come back, unchanged by their flight into wishful thinking.

I’m reminded of that scene in the hit film Airplane, when Lloyd Bridges realises he’s taken on too […]

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Change the dynamic by giving a little something

by: cariona July 5th, 2012

For the summer we have an overseas adult student staying with us. She has come to Ireland to learn English and we are acting as a host family. In those first tentative days, inevitably we are checking each other out; wondering how the next few weeks will go and hoping we will get along well. It’s a typical phase in any new relationship.

We were showing our guest around the sights of Dublin and as part of that tour, we popped […]

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Why bosses have bad table manners

by: cariona July 3rd, 2012

Would you like to try a little experiment to track who in your team thinks he or she is the boss? It will only cost you a few biscuits and good observation skills. At your next meeting, bring in a plate of say 7 biscuits for 5 people and then watch what happens. Who will take the last biscuit? Probably no one: social etiquette dictates that it is not acceptable to grab the last biscuit. Ah, but what about biscuit […]

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Multi-tasking is a myth

by: cariona April 13th, 2012

Not only is multi-tasking a myth, but the idea that we mortals can hold seven ideas in our heads at any time (the Juggler’s Brain) is also a myth. According to a fascinating book by Nicholas Carr “The Shallows – How the internet is changing the way we read, think and remember”, the biggest mistake we can make is to overload our brains with too many stimuli from actions such as constantly checking our iPhones, tweets and e-mails.

If you have […]

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One thing successful people do differently

by: cariona July 27th, 2011

Work-Out – GE's Continuous Improvement Programme

I was recently facilitating a Work-Out session with a very dynamic company. We were focusing on building change from the bottom up, engaging staff by asking them what their solutions were to problems. But we had a problem. Staff were coming up with great action points but were then finding it difficult to work on their ideas once they went back to their desks. We were stalling because the old excuse ‘I’m too busy’ was […]

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