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In fact, many questions! One key role of a leader is to help those around you to be the best they can be. To empower people, they need the skill and the will to do their jobs. What happens when someone has the will, but the skill level is lacking? They need some learning and […]
Everyone talks about leaders needing to have a clear direction, a company vision, compelling goals don’t they – but what if these things were overrated and/or not the only answer? Here’s more – what if these sorts of leadership and management books were wrong, and something else was needed to get your team on board […]
Getting The Work Done Willingly And Well! Practical ways to motivate Motivation: the art of getting people to do what you want them to do, because they want to do it. Sounds good? Dwight D. Eisenhower certainly thought so – he said it! Let’s talk about motivation – what can a manager do to motivate […]
Are you looking to expand into project management? Do you want to be a leader that people follow and who gets results? Here at STL Training, we provide you with the best project management tools to ensure you hit the ground running. In this post, we’ll expand on everything you need to be successful, from […]
OneDrive for Business is a place where you can store, share and sync your work files. It is an amazing way to make your digital life more efficient and productive, with very little effort. Your files can be updated from any device with OneDrive for Business installed, and OneDrive also allows you to work on […]
Effective Communication Skills. 3 tips to address Conflict We usually don’t chose who we work with and conflict can occur in the workplace due to differences in personality, culture and working style. The ability to deal with conflict is a critical soft skill for Managers and staff of all levels to ensure teams work productively, […]
BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND ASSERTIVENESS AT WORK: Wikipedia describes confidence as “a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective.” The Latin word from which confidence derives (fidere) means “to trust”, either in oneself or someone in whom you […]
Project management is the process of delivering projects to a high standard on time and budget. But, it’s not as if every project goes to plan. Some go off-piste while others hit their mark and goals effortlessly. What’s the difference? Usually, the answer centres on the person in charge. An excellent project manager can work […]
New Managers need to learn and develop certain skills if they are to be successful when leading others and to ensure they help nurture improved productivity, efficiency and performance from their team. Attending an Introduction to Management training course (part of our management training courses London) would be a useful method to up-skill new Managers […]
The ability to give and receive feedback effectively is an extremely important skill for any Manager or Leader. This article will focus on 5 different ways Managers can give more effective feedback to their staff: Ask before giving feedback Some Managers are worried about offending their subordinates when giving feedback so they procrastinate feedback conversations […]
Did you know that in a recent survey conducted by a leading British University, Organisational Skills came out as the 3rd most important skill sought by employers in the UK? Organisational training skills are amongst the most transferable and valuable in any marketplace and they allow professionals to plan, prioritise and achieve as part of […]
How to say ‘no’ assertively If you are a passive person, there is one word that strikes fear into your heart, and because of this it rarely appears in your personal dictionary. It’s a difficult but short message – the word ‘no’. If you are passive, you prefer to be a ‘yes’ person, a people […]
Introduction: One of our most precious commodities is ‘time’. We often find ourselves believing that we don’t have enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks we have. This post examines this mindset and provides three tips for better time management; how to prioritise effectively in order to achieve what’s important whilst learning […]
When interviewing candidates, we tend to follow a tried and tested recruitment pattern rather than recruiting based on attitudes and personality. We look for the person with the closest match to the skills and experience to the job description. We could broaden our perspective on how we recruit people, by looking at the approach that […]
Delegating tasks successfully frees up valuable time for you time, helps you to develop your people, enables your to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, and motivates members to perform. Poor delegation or a lack of it can slow work down, demotivate your team and cause negative conflict. Here are 4 Habits for Successful Delegation […]
With so much at stake in corporate development, leadership is perhaps the single greatest key in finding the correct decision and then making it count. Here are four principles to help you develop a strong leadership presence and authority. Planning – Finding all the information required can be a challenging process however the best guide […]
The flexible back-and-forth pattern of text conversations is at odds with the literal, efficient and measured approach most professionals have come to expect from business writing in the workplace. Email writing requires a bottom line, results oriented approach. Here are 4 Tips for Powerful Emails which will turbo-charge your productivity and write emails for results. […]
What is the STAR? The STAR technique is a process that helps you to respond efficiently and effectively to those tricky interview questions that ask you to reflect on your experience. It will help you to ace every interview. These types of questions will often begin, “Tell me…?”, “Describe a situation…?” or “Give me an […]
Four Key Interpersonal Skills for Better Relationships The nicest people in our lives have interpersonal skills in abundance. They are attributes that make the toughest requests reasonable, the toughest situations bearable and the scary challenges that we face seem exciting. Below we look at four of the most powerful interpersonal skills for high performing teams […]
Even with the best of intentions on both sides, negotiations can stall as we have seen in recent times with the spluttering Brexit negotiations. Sometimes there are sticking points that initially seem impossible to overcome. There are advanced strategies, however, that high performing negotiators can use to problem solve and get around these roadblocks. The […]
see how our workshops provide immediately applicable SKILLS. As part of our Public Schedule portfolio, STL offers a Negotiation Skills Course to a range of organisations, from banking and finance to one of the leading on-line global travel companies. What they have in common is that they have identified a ‘negotiation skills profile’, namely employees […]
Finance for Non-Financial Managers is a popular training course for professionals of all levels that need to improve their financial acumen and improve their ability to interpret a company’s financial statements and use this information to make sound business decisions. It’s the nature of finance that invariably there will be spreadsheets involved. If you need […]
Case Study: Change Management “I don’t know how to tell my team to change” and “I don’t know how to implement change with my team” were both comments on a recent Change Management training course at STL By the end of the day they were much more positive and confident. What helped? As often happens […]
Counterproductive emotions can affect decision-making, performance, and profitability in an organisation. Emotional Intelligence at work means being able to build powerful and trusting relationships with colleagues whilst enjoying greater confidence and security. Using ‘Emotional Intelligence at work’ to Understand Ourselves Before we can work better with others, Emotional Intelligence requires us to look within and […]
5 Tips to “Wow” Your Audience As a presenter, your goal should be to engage your audience, keep their attention and get them to take action or agree with your point of view. You are most likely to keep the audience’s attention if you remember that you – not your props or slides – are […]
It’s all in the understanding…. Do you know anyone who practices assertiveness at work, and gets it right? Ask ten people what assertiveness is and you’ll get ten different answers. Naturally passive people can see it as a hurdle to climb, yet at the same time feel small for not standing up for their rights. […]
I don’t need this, do I? Did you know that you can improve your memory with mind-mapping? And why would you? Sometimes we can’t remember what we went into the bedroom for, the name of the person who we’ve known for years in the supermarket, or some dates we set aside for meeting with people […]
Why do we need training to talk to people? The number of people who do not have a structured approach to making and taking successful calls – their lack of basic skills required to answer the phone is surprising. This includes making sales calls or assisting someone who needs information. They forget the basics of […]
Wellbeing in the Workplace is a very real issue that if not tacked quickly, can affect motivation and your organisations internal and external relationships. It can also lead to an increase in absenteeism as a result of elevated health-risks. A recent study found that; In 16% of employees, sleep is regularly affected by work-place issues […]
Change is the one thing that has the greatest impact on our lives and careers and there is no doubt that communication is key to managing it. But how well do Organisations perform in this area? When we lose the security of routine and the known boundaries in which we operate, change affects us on […]
When our teams and departments need to make efficient decisions, it can be challenging. Decision-making is compounded by complexity, political interests and conflicting personalities. With more at stake, productivity can slow down and consensus can seem a long way off. Positions harden, alliances form and people compete as discussions move in opposite directions. Below are […]
Coping with stress Stress defined? ‘When the demands placed upon us at work exceed our resources, and we feel we can no longer cope’. You’ve had a stressful day – there’s too much work, deadlines are tight and you’re worrying constantly if it’s not done. Perhaps your manager will blame you? Not a pleasant situation, […]
Performance Management In this post we will provide a definition for Performance Management and guidance as to how to ensure it is used effectively. What is Performance Management? “A process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such it establishes a shared […]
What is Management? As you might expect a simple Google search brings up many definitions to help answer the question, ‘What is Management?’. For the purposes of this post, we’re going to focus on the one below. It’s a good one and one of the most widely quoted. “Management is the art of getting things […]
One of our most precious commodities is ‘time’. We often find ourselves believing that we don’t have enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks we have. This post examines this mindset and provides some tips as to how to prioritise effectively in order to achieve what’s important whilst learning to identify, and […]
Project management requires adaptability and creative thinking. You have to problem-solve on the fly and will find yourself trying to keep many plates in the air throughout the day. Despite this turbulence, there are still Do’s and Don’t’s that should inform your workplace decisions. You need to balance the ability to be flexible with the […]
Setting effective goals Have you ever explained a task to someone, and they seem happy with your instructions, only to find that later, they’ve done completely the wrong thing? Or they’ve come close, but the end result is still not what you really wanted? Responsibility lies on both sides here. When you explained what needs […]
Introduction We all have a ‘toolkit’ to draw on as we seek to be the best we can be at work. In recent years a person’s emotional intelligence helps to increase our efficiency and productivity. It underpins the ‘how’ we do things in terms of the approach. In this post we’ll provide more detail around […]
It’s a new fiscal year for a lot of businesses. Targets are being set. Commitments are agreed. Customers are made promises. And the big question that businesses face is how can they expect to grow and generate more revenue from their customer base and new customers if their customer service is not set at the […]
Let’s start at the very beginning… What’s a project? How about ‘a unique venture, with a start and an end, and its own budget, perhaps intended to create something new, to meet established goals within parameters of cost, time and quality’. Like most things in life, a good start works wonders. So how, as project […]
Flex your approach We all have preferred ways of working, and managers and leaders will have preferred ways of managing and leading. If you’re not sure about your preferred style of leadership, it’s usually the one which emerges when you’re under pressure! Not thinking first, just saying and doing, with mixed results! This is where […]
Stages of team development What’s a team? How about ‘a group of people working together to achieve a common goal or objective’? How does that sound – not bad? And if you like the definition, do you have a team? If the answer is no, then how do you get one? Questions, questions! Let’s look […]
“Can I give you some feedback please?” What’s it like for you when someone unexpectedly offers you feedback? How do you react? Intellectually most of us know that feedback should be helpful, that we should treat it as a friend. The problem is, particularly if we have not gone out and invited it, feedback can […]
(This blog was updated in January 2024) In our interconnected world, we often find ourselves collaborating with colleagues, clients, and suppliers from various countries and time zones. Cities and countries are becoming melting pots of diverse cultures, emphasising the need for effective communication both within organisations and with the public. Recent studies highlight the growing […]
Conflict or communication – which works best for you? Three types of Team Conflict: When the stakes are high, which one of these scenarios have you seen play out? (A) The conflict is swept under the carpet. Denial that conflict existed, or had any impact on the team or performance (B) When aggression threatens to […]
You’ve been promoted – congratulations! It’s your first leadership role, and it is something you have wanted for some time. Nearly half of all leadership transitions fail You are beginning to realise that there are things to plan for as well as celebrate. There is a shocking statistic that nearly half of all leadership transitions […]
What DO Excellent Account Managers do differently? There’s account managers who seem to just about do enough in terms of generating profitability. And then there is successful Account Managers who are critical to their business and the customers they serve. This sounds familiar with account management teams across the responsible for developing account managers….so […]
Is there a problem here? Logically, everyone knows it makes sense to use our strengths at work, yet not all of us do. Research from strength expert Marcus Buckingham shows that only 12% of professionals use their strengths consistently in the workplace. This can have a huge negative impact on business performance. What does it […]
In a survey conducted in 2018 by a leading British University, Organisational Skills emerged as the 3rd most important skill sought by employers in the UK? Organisations skills are amongst the most transferable and valuable in any marketplace. They allow professionals to plan and prioritise their objectives and meet their goals. The Chartered Institute of […]
It takes an honest person to admit that they overcontrol at work. Maybe you know someone who has received this feedback? Maybe someone has confided in you that their team are not working at their best? They may have even suggested that their overcontrolling style of micro-management could be contributing to this? One thing is […]