What is impression management and why do we do it?

We want people to be authentic in the workplace, to show up as they are, and to be their best selves.  Not only do we want to be authentic because it helps us build trust and better relationships, but it is easier – it takes less work just to be you.

At the same time, we all want to fit it, show off our best bits and look good, so from time to time, we put effort into ensuring that others see us in the way that we want them to.

In this podcast, Rob and Paul explore another way we might ‘get in our own way’, when we start to put some much effort into managing how we are seen, we don’t have enough left in the tank to get things done.

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Posted On September 22, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Podcasts, Productivity, The question is /  

Is perfectionism a problem or an advantage?

Rob and Paul continue this mini-series within The Question Is podcast about some of the different ways that people ‘get in their own way’.  This time we consider perfectionism. 

Could perfectionism be an advantage, or are we confusing high standards, with nothing ever being quite good enough?

Like most traits that get in our way, these habits were once useful, which is why they have become a habit.  Then, out of the blue, the very thing that was helping becomes the thing getting in the way. 

Paul and Rob explore the fine line between driving to excel and perfectionism and discuss strategies for perfectionists to stay on the right side of the line.

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Posted On September 6, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Leadership, Podcasts, Productivity, Resilience, The question is /  

What happens when we have unrealistic goals?

Can you have a goal that is too big? Or too small?

In this episode of the podcast, Ricky and Rob explore how we can get in our own way when we pick goals that are either too easy or too hard.

They discuss how our belief in our ability to achieve the goal dramatically impacts how we approach it, so the best goals always fall within a ‘goldilocks’ zone of not too hard and not too easy; falling in the zone of just-right like the best porridge! Even when we have the right level of belief, that on its own is not enough. Rob and Ricky explore how the goal needs to be relevant to us, congruent with our overall priorities, before we will truly allocate the time needed to be successful.

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Posted On August 9, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Leadership, Podcasts, Productivity, The question is /  

Why do I procrastinate when I need to get stuff done?

Ever wondered why you can find so many things to do when you have something important to get done or why social media seems more interesting than the piece of work in front of you?   

Most of us procrastinate from time to time, some of us more than others.  In this podcast, Paul and Ricky explore why we do and how it is often misunderstood (especially by those that don’t do it as much). Importantly, they explore the different strategies for tackling procrastination when it gets in the way.  

If you know someone who might find this or any of our other podcasts useful, can you do us a favour and share this with them?    You will be helping them and helping us.  Thanks

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Posted On July 12, 2023 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Leadership, Podcasts, Productivity, The question is /  

How can you create questions to unlock your creative mind?

Another short podcast in our mini-series on questions, this time Rob and Ricky look at the role of questions in making us think creatively.  

Questions have the magical property of making you think, even when you don’t want to, so with small shifts in the structure of the question, you can use questions to make anyone think more creatively.  

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Posted On October 21, 2022 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Podcasts, The question is /  

How you can create questions to achieve laser-like clarity?

Continuing our short series on the power of questions, in this podcast, Rob and Ricky explore the role of questions in creating clarity.

Questions are one of the easiest ways of engaging our minds. In fact, they are sneaky, as it is almost impossible not to think about a question when asked, even if you don’t want to answer it. Questions can help us sort through the noise to discover exactly what we want, when we want it, and how we will know when we get there.

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Posted On October 5, 2022 By Paul Hutchinson In Coaching, Podcasts, Productivity, The question is /