Ep 210: Help! What do I do with this feedback?

In this second part of our focus on reflection and self-awareness, we take a look at the role of feedback. While it's not always comfortable to ask for - or receive! - feedback from our colleagues can make a valuable contribution to self-awareness and personal development. Others' perspectives can round out the view we hold about our own skills, behaviour and performance.  In this episode, we look at how to request feedback from others, how to deal with the emotions we feel when we receive it, and how to make sense of what we receive.  As always, thanks for listening!  Resources for this episode You can join our personal development community WorkLifeSpark here: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up  You can find out more about this month's Masterclass all about personal reflection and self-awareness here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1986208577322?aff=oddtdtcreator  Check out the last episode, where we set the scene for reflection and self-awareness: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/209  Find out more about our Coach on Tap solution here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/coachontap/ 

In this episode, we take a look at a key element of personal development and growth: reflection. While so many of us feel we're too busy to engage in reflection, or worry that it's too time-consuming, this episode illustrates that we can start with tiny steps and grow from there. But it's not just thinking about our experiences. It's about sense-making and identifying ways that we can turn our insights into action. And don't forget about this month's masterclass on reflection, where you'll learn how to structure your reflection, ensure you have a accessible record of your experiences, and know how to turn your experiences into helpful, workable actions. You can sign up via the link below. In the next episode, we'll look at how to use feedback to support our reflection and growth - especially when the feedback isn't exactly what we'd like to hear! For now, thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Register for this month's masterclass on developing a reflective practice Join our online personal development community: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up  Find out more about the Kolb Learning Cycle

In this, the final episode in our mini-series on procrastination, Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Joe Gray for a conversation about workplace proactivity - and how it can be a useful antidote to our procrastination habit. Joe explains the different ways we can be proactive, while also sharing the fundamentals that need to be in place to facilitate proactive behaviours. Joe is the author of 'Powering workplace productivity: How to create future-focused, change-oriented culture' and simply illustrates the ingredients of proactivity and its benefits for employees and employers. Let us know what you think about the concept and how to bring it to life. Email us at 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' or come and joi the online conversation over at WorkLifeSpark. Thanks for listening!   Resources for this episode Ep 206 - Your secret procrastination habit: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/206/ Ep 207 - Tackling your procrastination habit: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/207/ Discover more about Joe's work and explore resources to build a more proactive, high-performing workplace at poweringproactivity.com or connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joannegray-theprogresslab/ Join WorkLifeSpark here: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up

Last time, we explored procrastination, its origins and how it impacts our wellbeing, productivity and relationships. In this second part of our three-part review of procrastination, we look at how much psychological discomfort can lead us to delay taking helpful action. We look at some of the sources of this discomfort, how it can show up and how we can effectively reframe it to side-step procrastination.  In the next episode, we'll be joined by Dr. Joe Gray for a conversation all about how to turn our procrastination into proactivity at work, and in life more generally.  Resources for this episode Joined WorkLifeSpark, our online personal development community: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up Learn more about procrastination in our previous episode: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/206  Explore some of the 'advantages' of procrastination: https://www.worklifepsych.com/the-advantages-of-procrastination/   

In this first episode of a three-part series, we take a look at the origins of procrastination, how it can show up, and the impact it can have on our wellbeing, relationships and performance at work. Rather than being some kind of moral failing, procrastination is essentially part of being a human with a mind! And rather than being a permanent fixture or part of our identity, we can view it as a habit to change.  We are more likely to procrastinate when our work systems fail to give us clarity on what needs to be done, or when we focus on avoiding the psychological discomfort associated with the task. Or a combination of the two!  In the next episode, we'll look at how to beat our procrastination habit.  Resources for this episode Video: Procrastination - the stories we tell ourselves: https://youtu.be/oxiuc4Po8kE  The 'advantages' of procrastination: https://www.worklifepsych.com/the-advantages-of-procrastination/  Ep 154: Navigating deadlines - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/154/ 

Building on our last episode, when we looked at how organisations can misinterpret resilience at work, this time we look at how individuals can expand their perspective on resilience.  There are so many misconceptions when it comes to resilience. That it's just about keeping going, persistence, bouncing back. When over-simplified like this, it can lead to disappointment, unhelpful behavioural responses and interpersonal difficulties.  Instead. we can benefit from viewing resilience as something inherently flexible, a way of responding to dificculty that is based on our context, and one that allows us to pause or even give up completely - if that's what's helpful.  Let us know what you think about resilience and how you maintain a helpful focus on your own resilience. Email your thoughts to 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' or join WorkLifeSpark and join the conversation there!  Thanks for listening!  Resources for this episode Ep 204: Resilience: it's not the answer to everything - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/204/  Ep 198: Self-care for leaders (and everyone else!) - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/198/  Ep 199: Coping for leaders - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/199/  Resilience - when all you have is a hammer: https://www.worklifepsych.com/resilience-when-all-you-have-is-a-hammer/ 

The topic of the month over on WorkLifeSpark, our online personal development community, is resilience. So for the next couple of episodes, we're going to take a look at this concept. In particular, why it's not the panacea or answer to all organisational problems.  In this first episode, we look at resilience from the organisational perspective, and how it often gets over-emphasised and how. If "you need to be resilient to work here" is the pervading message, what does this do to employee behaviour, performance and wellbeing? What message does it send out to prospective employees? And what behaviours will be accepted in the name of 'resilience'? In the next episode, we'll look at the employee perspective and explain why often, resilience just isn't enough.  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Self-care: what is it and why does it matter? https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/ Resilience: when all you have is a hammer https://www.worklifepsych.com/resilience-when-all-you-have-is-a-hammer/  Resilience: prevention is better than cure https://www.worklifepsych.com/resilience-prevention-is-better-than-cure/  Ep 043: You don't have to be resilient to work here - but it helps!  https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-043-you-dont-have-to-be-resilient-to-work-here-but-it-helps/  Our working definition of resilience comes from Michael Neenan's book, which you can find here: https://www.routledge.com/Developing-Resilience-A-Cognitive-Behavioural-Approach/Neenan/p/book/9780415792912  Don't forget, you can continue the conversation on WorkLifeSpark and join for free today: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up 

In this episode, I take a few minutes to remind us all that we can make a fresh start on any day of the year. There's nothing particularly magical about January 1st! So if your attempts at change since New Year's Day haven't been fruitful, it's never too late to try again. But rather than simply repeating the same unhelpful or overly-demanding approach again and again, I have some recommendations for how you can Reflect, Recalibrate and be Realistic about your planned changes and then leverage the 'fresh start' effect. "Fresh starts increase your motivation to change because they give you either a real clean slate or the impression of one..." - 'How to Change' by Katy Milkman I also explore some other simple behaviour change principles you can put into practice to make your attempts at change more likely to stick. And remember: there's no law that says you have to make personal changes in January - or at all. Don't feel pressurised to jump on the change bandwagon if things are going well or if this time of year just doesn't work for you. Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode 'How to change' by Katy Milkman - https://www.katymilkman.com/book  You can sign up for our online personal development community WorkLifeSpark here: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up

Welcome back for the first of our episodes for 2026 🎉 In this episode, Richard is once again joined by business psychologist Kara Daley. This time, it's for a discussion on the wide-ranging topic of organisational culture. What exactly is it? Why can it be so hard to pin down and change? And what exactly is the role of leaders in culture development and change?  We'd love to hear from you on this key topic. Drop us an email "podcast at worklifepsych dot com" or join us for online discussion on WorkLifeSpark, our personal development community. It's free to join.  As ever, thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Find out more about Kara here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-lee-daly/ Learn about Sustainable Leadership here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/sustainableleadership   You can join our online community for free here: https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up  Check out our previous episode all about Menopause at work: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/168/ 

Hello and welcome to the final episode of My Pocket Psych for 2025. In this brief episode, I take a look ahead to the benefits of side-stepping unhelpful messages about the New Year, and how small changes, personal experiments and a fresh start might be what we all need instead.  No matter what holiday you're celebrating in December, I hope you get a chance to effectively disconnect from work. I hope you get a chance to engage in whatever traditions bring you a sense of meaning and purpose, and really importantly, get a chance to relax and enjoy yourself. I'll be back in touch in 2026, but until then, I wish you an excellent holiday. Thanks for listening!  Resources mentioned in this episode The WorkLifePsych Newsletter - https://www.worklifepsych.news  The People Soup podcast by Ross McIntosh - https://rossmcintosh.co.uk/people-soup/  Episode 200 - https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast  Join our online personal development community, WorkLifeSpark - https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up  Find out more about our January masterclass - Fresh starts in Wellbeing https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fresh-starts-in-wellbeing-tickets-1687257284959?aff=oddtdtcreator