Dave Cass | Coach, Mentor, Educator

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Decision Making Biases Part 2 - Confirmation Bias

Decision Making Biases Part 2 - Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias refers to the tendency for people to favour information that confirms their existing beliefs whilst ignoring and filtering out data that contradicts those beliefs. If we are going to make good decisions it follows that we need to be aware of this bias to consciously avoid falling into

Decision Making Biases Part 1 - Overconfidence

Decision Making Biases Part 1 - Overconfidence

We all hope that we make rational decisions however we are almost always under an array of pressures that can impair our decision making. To be a better leader, it is important you understand how decision making biases can influence you. In this first of a series of posts, we

5 Key Tips to Avoid Micromanagement at Work

5 Key Tips to Avoid Micromanagement at Work

I was discussing this subject at length with a co-worker last week, particularly focusing on the negative impact on morale and productivity that this can have. We have all micromanaged at some time or other and have probably also had to suffer working for one. If however this is a

Can Business Coaching Help You?

Can Business Coaching Help You?

Have you ever considered working with a business coach? Here is an experience I had helping a senior level leader, let’s call her Sarah, who was struggling with managing her team effectively. Sarah had just been promoted to a director role and was facing difficulties with her deputy, who

Self Efficacy and Leadership: How to develop a team attitude that they "can make it happen".

Self Efficacy and Leadership: How to develop a team attitude that they "can make it happen".

As an educator and business coach, one of the common issues I come across is an understanding of the importance of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy theory, developed by psychologist Albert Bandura, is the belief in one's ability to successfully complete a task or achieve a goal. Let’s use an

5 Top Tips for First-Time Managers

5 Top Tips for First-Time Managers

I have seen firsthand the challenges that new first-time managers can face when it comes to developing strong relationships with their teams. However, there are several strategies that can help you improve your interpersonal skills and build a strong rapport with your team.

Imposter Syndrome: how to recognise it and beat it

Coaching Featured

Imposter Syndrome: how to recognise it and beat it

70% of successful women experience imposter syndrome at some point in their careers. I offer coaching advice for business women to help tackle it.

Achieving Deep Work

Leadership Featured

Achieving Deep Work

Deep work is the ability to focus on a task and produce valuable results without distractions. In today's fast-paced and connected work environment, it's crucial to master this skill and I can help you on your way to achieving it.

The Great Lay-off : Possible impacts to higher education

The Great Lay-off : Possible impacts to higher education

I have friends in the tech industry who have suddenly found themselves the wrong side of a dismissal letter as part of the “great lay-off” which is occurring across the tech industry. With circa 241,000 tech jobs lost worldwide over the past year [1], the market is awash with

About to lead a change program? Use a RACI matrix to ensure clear communication and coordination

change management

About to lead a change program? Use a RACI matrix to ensure clear communication and coordination

By using the RACI matrix, you can ensure clear communication and coordination among the various stakeholders involved in the change management program. It helps to prevent confusion, misunderstandings and conflicts, as everyone knows their specific roles and responsibilities

The Charrette Procedure: A Brainstorming Technique

The Charrette Procedure: A Brainstorming Technique

The Charrette procedure is a great tool for effective brainstorming with larger groups or if you have multiple ideas to discuss

Amazon - A tale of leadership responsibility and authority mismatch

Amazon - A tale of leadership responsibility and authority mismatch

This story from my time at Amazon is a salutary lesson in the need for leaders to match decision making authority with the responsibility they require from their personnel. Have you got the balance right?

Starbucks: Lessons in Succession Planning

Starbucks: Lessons in Succession Planning

Starbucks chaotic CEO succession plan and the requirement to parachute in its past saviour Howard Shultz as an interim CEO provide lessons for us all. How do we avoid a similar experience in our organisations?

The Lotus Blossom Brainstorming Tool

Problem Solving

The Lotus Blossom Brainstorming Tool

The Lotus Blossom Brainstorming Tool allows deeper ideation in a structured way and works very well for online collaboration by networked teams.

Power and Leadership

Power and Leadership

Power is the ability to influence others. Follow this story of three new managers as their career paths rise or fall depending on their use of power.

Toxic Leadership: What to do about it.

Toxic Leadership: What to do about it.

Although toxic leadership can be hard to spot, it's often easy to tell when you're working with a toxic leader. But what can you do about it?

Design a Public Toilet: A micro learning exercise to improve your team's customer thinking

Design a Public Toilet: A micro learning exercise to improve your team's customer thinking

Micro learning exercises like this one from my agile course are an ideal way to improve team engagement and problem solving capabilities - try it and you may be surprised how much fun you have

Unlock Your Team's Initiative With This Surefire Principle

Unlock Your Team's Initiative With This Surefire Principle

Have you heard of the 2Up Principle? It's used by high peforming organisations to allow their people to use their initiative, exploit opportunity and speed up decision making to the benefit of everyone.

7 Shrewd Tips for You to Deliver "Turn-Around" Performance Appraisals

7 Shrewd Tips for You to Deliver "Turn-Around" Performance Appraisals

Learn 7 tips which I have used to turn around poor performing individuals by use of the appraisal process.