I used to be good at my job.
I knew where I stood, and always delivered as promised. As if to prove that no good deed goes unpunished, I was promoted to manager and it all fell apart.
In an attempt to sort things out I bought a notebook and read David Allen’s ‘Getting Things Done’ (GTD). Within a couple of weeks I was sleeping better, making better decisions and began to actually enjoy being a manager. I felt able to take on bigger challenges, and progressed through a variety of corporate roles over the following decades. But whether I was Client-facing, Software-developing or Operations-leading, I was always driven by the development and wellbeing of my teams.
Since first encountering GTD® I have bought, loaned and given away more copies of that book than I care to admit, so in 2006 I decided to put a ring on it and qualify as a trainer with Next Action Associates, the licensees for GTD® training and coaching in the UK and Ireland. Every seminar I deliver gives me a huge buzz, as attendees begin to understand how to achieve a life beyond their overstuffed inboxes and cluttered heads.
Before ... our inboxes were regularly hitting the 5000+mark and work life was pretty stressful. Tim changed that. The tools and techniques he shared with us in just one day sounded so simple, but they made a huge difference to the way we worked and work became much more manageable and much less stressful. Not only that, but we had a lot of fun!
Tim is that rare thing that you come across in business; someone incredibly relatable and easy to get on with coupled with demonstrable expertise. Seemingly unflappable, Tim moderated several business and process improvement sessions with my team, expertly communicating what had been abstract buzzword concepts into tangible actions and behaviours. These are now embedded in the team almost a year on and have helped drive significant increases in both operating efficiency and team morale.
My last corporate role was in Continuous Improvement. Leading a Lean transformation of a large Operations department not only gave me a solid practical understanding of the Lean toolset, but really impressed upon me the role of healthy working practices in employee engagement, inclusion and wellbeing. Empowered employees are, more often than not, happier and more productive.
I’m an energetic and empathetic facilitator, at home in environments from large corporates to small non-profits, and strive to create an open and supportive environment where teams and individuals can thrive.
I started Make Work Work Better in 2020 in a record-filled bedroom, with the conviction that workplace well-doing is the missing piece in the workplace well-being puzzle; that by enabling our employees to improve their own work, we can reduce their stress and improve the efficiency of the business in one fell swoop.
I look forward to showing you how.