Leadership

I write about my journey from technical person to a leader, covering following topic within category Leadership: leadership development, leadership skills, management techniques, team building, communication skills, decision-making, problem-solving, time management, strategic planning, employee engagement, conflict resolution and remote work.

How to start your professional development - airport test

How to start professional development

Piotr Zagorowski
May 28, 2020March 10, 2022
2 Comments
Leadership

You decided to step into the people leader role. There is a good chance, however, you still have been helping your team with daily operations. At some point, you noticed that to accomplish all things that are on your plate, your day would need to have 26 hours. You may even look to time management technics, just to find out that you cannot manage time. You can only control yourself in time. Maybe it is a good moment to shift the focus? It is time to let the team run with daily operations and start to learn a new role. But how to start your professional development as a leader?

3 practices that will help to stay sane in crisis

Piotr Zagorowski
April 9, 2020April 5, 2023
Leadership, Lifestyle, Remote work

Have you noticed that working these days seems more tiring? I do pretty much what I was doing before. The “only” difference is that kids are always at home. And of course, we have constant information noise about the current situation. Even if we limit access to the television, the news comes to our minds one way or another. I compare the current situation to a long-haul flight with no noise cancellation headphones. There is a constant sound of engines and air that makes us more tired at the end of our journey. I would like to propose three practices that will help to stay sane in a crisis, but also be more positive about the surrounding world.

On-line resources for working from home with kids

Working from home with kids and your partner at home is challenging. We need to create a new routine. We need to be flexible. Work needs to be synchronised with your team and spouse, especially if they can also work from home. But how about kids? They need to carry on education. Children need to be entertained and taken care of. First of all – take it easy – try to agree with your partner when you can take care of children and when your spouse can spend time with them as you need to take this call or do something on your list for today. And secondly, make sure you get creative and prepare a routine for your kids and yourself. Below is the list of some online resources that can help to compile some activity lists for our little ones.

First aid for work from home

Piotr Zagorowski
March 19, 2020April 5, 2023
Leadership, Remote work

Working from home for the first time may and will feel awkward. We used to go to the train station, get our morning coffee on the way, read the newspaper or listen to our favourite podcast. It’s been taken away. We open our laptop and work is supposed to flow. However, even getting to sit in from of laptop seems difficult, there is no buffer and preparation time. In theory, we have more time, but on the other head we feel like time is shrinking. We even struggle to keep up on what day is today. Is there any first aid for work from home situation? There are many good resources in the webs, I am going to share what is essential for me. Check it out, experiment and see if something work for you.

What is a jet lag and how to mitigate it?

What is jet lag and how to mitigate it?

Piotr Zagorowski
March 5, 2020May 16, 2023
Leadership, Remote work

Remote work is excellent. It has a lot of benefits; it saves you time on the commute, and it helps with life and work balance. And what’s been important recently, it limits your exposure during seasonal flu outbreaks. Technology, team agreement and procedures can help with day-to-day team operations, but nothing will replace face-to-face communication. Even fully remote teams and whole companies must meet every so often to ponder on the past, plan the future and just spend some time together. That means travel. And that usually means long flights, at least for some members of the team. Is there anything we can do to be prepared for a long trip? How can we mitigate jet lag?

Time management is a myth – it’s all about choices

Piotr Zagorowski
February 27, 2020April 5, 2023
Leadership

Very first thing you will notice as a new manager will be that you run out of time in a day. If you search interwebs for a term “time management”, you will quickly find thousands of tips on how to help you to manage your time more effectively. They are all wrong. You can’t manage time. It’s all about you, your choices, and how you can manage you in time. Is time management is a myth? Let’s find out!

Being busy is a choice. I think that busy is a decision. We do the things we want to do, period. If we say we are too busy, it is shorthand for “not important enough.”
Simply put: you don’t find the time to do something; you make the time to do things.
Debbie Millman

Do you consider stepping into a people leader role?

Piotr Zagorowski
February 20, 2020February 15, 2022
2 Comments
Leadership

Here you are, thinking to step up and applying for a new role. You want to lead people. Maybe you’re already a natural leader. You discovered the power of synergy, you found that helping others to achieve bigger goals is so satisfying. You are ready. It is excellent and probably in every industry, there is in need for good people leaders. In the end, it is the same experience as parents have when they help their kids to grow: unparalleled satisfaction, sense of accomplishment and legacy that every one of us wants to leave behind ourselves. Similarly to parenting, becoming a manager comes with a full package. Some things are not so glamorous, will make you occasionally frustrated and will test your decision of becoming the people leader almost every day.

How to stay fit when working remotely – be minimalistic but consistent

Piotr Zagorowski
February 13, 2020April 5, 2023
Leadership, Remote work

We all have plenty of things to do every day. We need to work, and we want to cultivate our hobbies. Our families and friends require a quality time from us. It is interesting for those lucky ones who can work remotely. In theory, we have more time. Reality is – there are too many things to do every day. Unfortunately, staying fit is usually the first thing we give up when we try to decide on how to divide our precious time. The results could be fatal, so the question of how to stay fit when working remotely should be essential.

How to conquer your fears - are kids completely fearless?

How to be brave and conquer your own fears?

Piotr Zagorowski
February 6, 2020February 21, 2022
Leadership

Do you know what the opposite of love is? Most people’s answer would be “hate” or “dislike”. The truth, however, is that the opposite of love is fear. If we fear someone, we will not be able to love this person. If we are afraid of something, it will consume all our energy and drain our thoughts towards the subject of our fears. In extreme cases, it will prevent us from thinking about anything else. It will paralyse our ability to move forward, loving other people or, in severe cases, live our lives to the full. Can we learn how to conquer our fears?

Leadership lessons we can learn from children

Piotr Zagorowski
January 30, 2020May 8, 2020
Leadership

My younger daughter, who was “just” born, will start school this calendar year. I’ve been recently pondering on the fact that our kids grow fast. They don’t only grow but also learn a lot. However, we – parents – also grow with them. Every member of the family, despite the age, level of growth and development, they always give something to others. What parents and leaders can learn from children?