You might recognise the quote from the famous BBC quiz show, Mastermind. The rules of the game mean that if the host has started to ask a new question when the time buzzer goes off, they finish asking the question and the contestant is allowed to answer. In real life, not everything is that simple.

Anecdotally, I’m hearing lots of stories of how people are reacting to the lifting of lockdown restrictions. As well as hearing the relief and pleasure of people returning to their offices, I’m hearing that some people are suffering anxiety and panic attacks...

When I worked as a consultant and trainer for a small consulting firm, it was someone else’s job to source venues. Now I run my own business and public programmes, the job is mine. Here are my criteria for a great venue for the kind of course I run now...

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in his press briefings about coronavirus restrictions, frequently refers to the importance of the ‘freedoms of the British people’. I’m somewhat uncomfortable about this slightly awkward use of the English language... but I agree with the sentiment. Freedom is important.

As part of a recent team meeting I invited each team member to share their (current) favourite Personal Development book and it was one of my highlights of the day. I can’t invite you to one of our meetings, but I can share with you the books that were recommended in that session and a flavour of the discussion...

Recently, I’ve read several reports on research that shows a drop in employee engagement over the past twelve months. It’s not really surprising that employees who have been working at home for over a year feel less connected and less involved and perhaps care a bit less about the organisation than they did when they reported for work in an office five days a week.

For me, there isn’t much that beats the pleasure of a good book. I love to lose myself completely in a story. As a child, I used to read under the bedcovers at night. As a student, I would reward myself for ploughing through academic papers and text books by stealing an hour to read fiction.