Our values drive us consciously or unconsciously. This is true for people, teams and organisations. The question is how can conscious awareness of our own values, give us insights about our behaviours, our drivers and out motivators?

I have always loved the word authenticity. It embodies a sense of strength that comes with courage and the softness of vulnerability and humaneness.

In these uncertain and unprecedented times, we are all facing a range of different emotions. A lot is going on for each of us at work and home. As a leader, this is the time to acknowledge and be able to respond to what’s going on for our people. This is where a well run team check-in can be very useful.

While we frantically work towards containing the covid-19 pandemic, we can also begin to focus on how this might change the way we work forever.

A girlfriend recently turned 39. She had the customary drinks planned to celebrate the onset of the milestone 40th year. Her invite message stated:

Covid-19 - If you haven’t heard this phrase mentioned every 30 minutes in the last few weeks, you are likely to be an alien from another planet! It is an unprecedented event in peace times that has created panic, anxiety, havoc and a global lock down.

The 'what' hijack you may ask me? The 'amygdala hijack' is a termed coined by Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence.

We have been recently looking at schools for our 4-year old. As part of the school tour at a Montessori school, we were introduced to the concept of the Peace Table. It was part of their philosophy to inculcate skills to help children resolve conflict.

So how often have you had a conversation with a friend, colleague or family member in the last week where either of you have NOT used the B#$Y word to describe your general state of life?