The companies we work with at Excel Communications are full of bright, enthusiastic and driven individuals; that’s more than likely  why you’re reading this blog post!  Consequently, it’s logical that during your career you will step outside your comfort zone and manage a friend, co-worker or peer.  In the spirit of authenticity let’s get real about the situation.  I suspect you might have the odd wave of […]

It’s likely over the last two years you’ll have heard references to ‘having a growth mindset.’ Perhaps you have listened to your senior management team talking about developing a growth mindset culture in your organisation? While some of you may have read an article or book on this topic, others may be wondering what I’m […]

Navigating a successful career as a leader in organisations today is no mean feat. It’s a roller coaster of highs and lows, achievements, failures and continuously overcoming one road block after another. It’s hardly surprising then to read that ‘resilience’ is a crucial leadership skill. So, lets explore what makes a resilient leader and how […]

Challenging conversations and leading a team are discussions our trainers often have with our course participants. Building a team can have its challenges, as I am sure we all know. Sometimes it will be around engagement, occasionally it will be around performance issues or some impending change. The reality is that when you are managing […]

In a previous article, we explored why so many managers avoid giving feedback. For many managers giving feedback becomes stressful and consequently, some individuals consciously choose to avoid giving feedback; not ideal especially when it can truly help an individual improve their performance. One of the main reasons managers say they delay giving ‘constructive’, or developmental feedback, as we prefer to call it at Excel Communications, is because they don’t […]

It’s been the topic of conversation on many an evening over a glass of wine with our training team over the years. Why do so many managers avoid giving feedback? In our experience, the reasons are not so different today as they were 10 years ago.   While it’s relatively easy for managers, even the less experienced ones, to identify areas for performance improvement, doing something about […]

For many of us that move into a new role there is a tendency, after the initial euphoria, to reflect on specifically how we excelled in our past position and then how we can replicate this success as we take the next step on our career path. I recently went through a similar scenario when […]

The step up to management is an exciting one to take, and it’s normally a very steep learning curve as well. You’ve certainly been promoted because you’re very good at what you do, yet there’s an important change of perspective you need to make if you’re going to really succeed at management. It lies in […]

Often, companies make the mistake of thinking that as long as they present a great product, the client is bound to immediately say ‘yes’. But it’s not as simple as that- far from it!  Pitching for business is not just about putting a client or internal stakeholder in a room and telling them about your […]