Ask the Author


Frequently Asked Questions about Managing Yourself.


1. How do I know whether current management thinking is genuinely here to stay or whether it’s just a fad?
2. What worldwide trends do I need to come to grips with and what skills will I need to develop in order to succeed as a manager?
3. My boss doesn’t listen!
4. I hate writing reports and memos!
5. How can I improve the way I communicate with people?
6. How can I make myself understood?
7. Why is listening such an important communication skill?
8. What is meant by the three ‘points of view’?
9. What are the ‘four Fs’ of communication?
10. How can I manage my body language for greater credibility and more powerful communications?
11. How can I gain and retain people’s attention when I need to tell them something?
12. How can I make my messages powerful?
13. How can I ‘read’ body language?
14. What are the bad listening habits and what should I replace them with?
15. What can I do to become a better listener
16. Is there a formula I can use to remind me how to listen better?
17. How can I build rapport with people?
18. How do you ‘listen between the lines’?
19. Why is body language so important?
20. How can I avoid the biggest blunders in communication?
21. How should I deal with angry customers?
22. How can I really understand what people are saying?
23. How can I make sure people really listen and understand what I’m saying?
24. How can I be persuasive without being pushy?
25. I’m finding my job so stressful that I have difficulty concentrating and even sleeping. I seem to be spending all my time worrying. Any suggestions?
26. How can I turn a gloomy mood into a good mood?
27. Help! I have to make a speech!
28. I have a stressful job. What should I do so all the stress doesn’t make me ill?
29. I’m being interviewed for a job I’d really like. How can I make sure I come across really well?
30. What is meant by ‘working to your strengths’?
31. How can I deal with stress?
32. What should I do when I feel ‘stuck in a rut’?
33. Should I play organisational politics? And if so, how?
34. What sort of image should I cultivate?
35. What are some tips for doing my job with excellence?
36. I get nervous when I speak to my boss, or when I need to speak up in a meeting. How can I hide my nerves?
37. I get nervous and my voice lets me down whenever I make a presentation or even speak up in a meeting. How can I sound more confident?
38. When should I speak up and when should I shut up?
39. What are the three-letter words that create arguments or transform them into agreements?
40. How can I avoid getting people ‘off-side’?
41. What is the best way to deal with conflict?
42. Is it okay to like some of my team members better than others?
43. I’m at loggerheads with a colleague. How should I deal with it?
44. How should I open a discussion with someone?
45. How can I build great working relationships?
46. I’m working hard at developing effective relationships with the people I work with and it would help to have a list of phrases to use and phrases to stay away from. I want to make sure I don’t ‘rub people up the wrong way’!
47. What is the best way to praise my staff?
48. How should I lead a meeting?
49. How should agendas for meetings be written?
50. Even when I have something to contribute, I get flustered when I need to speak up in a meeting. What can I do?
51. How do I know what is expected of me?
52. I don’t have time to do everything.
53. How do I get my day off to a great start?
54. I have so many interruptions, I can hardly think or get anything done!
55. How should I set goals?
56. I have just taken on a lot of new duties in my job and I have no idea how to do them. I’m really nervous that I’ll fail.
57. The telephone never stops ringing! It’s a huge interruption and distraction. What can I do about it?
58. How can I cure myself of procrastination?
59. Which is better – a paper to do list or an electronic one?
60. How can I manage my time so that I achieve results and am still able to catch my breath?