📅 First posted: May 3, 2021 | Updated for 2025 Introduction: AI and Sustainability – A Perfect Match? Chatbots are everywhere—from customer service and education to social activism and sustainability. But can they play a role in creating a greener, more sustainable society? 🌿 In 2025, AI-powered chatbots are increasingly being used to: ✅ Raise environmental awareness through education and activism ✅ Support industrial and climate research ✅ Reduce companies’ carbon foot

Opening a negotiation is a fundamental step that sets the tone for the entire negotiation session. Here are some tips to get you started on the right foot: 1. Create positive vibes in your opening speech Highlight your team’s open-ness to the other party’s interests or concerns. Affirm your commitment to the negotiation as a joint effort to reach agreement and that you respect their expertise and experience. 2. Discuss expectations People may go into a negotiation with diff

Chatbots have been steadily gaining attention for their cost- and time-saving benefits in customer service and sales support roles. With the correct application of chatbots , businesses are able to automate repetitive tasks and optimise their operational processes, while simultaneously creating a positive customer experience. The benefits of chatbots go beyond efficiency and productivity - namely, they provide a high entertainment value that enhances the customer journey. Ha

As a manager, your goal in stress management is not to eliminate it but to learn to manage it. Here are some tips: Make work days satisfying Take time out to give your employees feedback and provide the information they need to do a good job. Give your employees a sense of control over their work by involving them in decision making. Employees need to feel a sense of purpose when faced with stress so as to propel them to push on. Recognize their efforts Consider non-monetar

Negotiation is as much a science as it is an art. Whether you are talking to your boss about the need for a new laptop or negotiating a multi-million dollar contract for your company, here are 3 key rules to abide by for effective negotiation. 1. Be crystal clear about your objectives. It is important to begin with a clear idea of what you want to achieve. However, you may also want to be prepared that it is possible that you may have to modify your objectives as the negoti

After creating goals and assessing the coachee’s performance, it is vital to formulate a plan to improve your coachee’s performance. Here is a useful checklist: What is the goal? Recall what is the desired outcome to be achieved. What are your roles? List down the tasks for you and your coachee. When will you do it? What is a reasonable deadline? Are there opportunities to invest in? How will you execute it? State clearly the steps and processes. Think about the resources a

As compared to the whiners at the workplace who are considered a nuisance, the procrastinors need constant supervision and the process can be exhausting. Situation: Sheila thinks that her manager has unrealistic expectations and does not think that she can complete the work in 3 days’ time. She stuffs the report into her drawer. She proceeds to do other work stuff before pulling out the report hesitantly. Her manager has been observing her and decides to approach her “Sheila,

Managing employees who are stationed in remote locations or those who work from home is common for managers in today’s society. Here are some tips for managing virtual teams: 1. Set clear standards of work Successful virtual teams spend time getting to know each other in a face-to-face setting. An initial face-to-face meeting provides an opportunity to foster a relationship between employees and establish rules on how you will communicate and work collaboratively. 2. Build t

There are 8 areas of project management managers need to be aware of to make a project succeed. Managers need to plan for and work in each of these areas as they prepare, do and follow through on each project. Scope Project scope is about “what are we making?” and “how will we make it?”. Complete and accurate scope planning is the key to project planning. If the scope is defined correctly, every other part of the project such as the budget, the schedule and the quality plan w

Projects and initiatives need the support of managers and staff in the company to make it a success. Read our tips below to learn how to gain buy-in. Be prepared to answer questions: Why is it important to achieve the goal that the project will achieve? Why is this project the best way to achieve the goal? Anticipate challenges Will people generally dislike or like the project? What can you use to overcome the dislike? Are there any rules or assumptions in the company that t

Everyone has the ability to come up with good ideas and solve problems. Here are 6 suggested steps for generating new ideas: 1. Define the problem What is the problem? What kind of ideas do you need to solve the problem? 2. Gather the facts Round up all the information regarding the problem. Include past unsuccessful attempts to solve the issue. Sometimes ideas that did not work previously might succeed at another time with a change of circumstances. 3. Name the obvious solu

Turnover can be a concern for many companies because finding replacements costs time, money and productivity. Here are some tips to manage staff turnover: Assess the reasons for staff turnover While most managers will say that employees leave to make more money elsewhere, money is rarely the only motivator. Evidence shows that motivation plays a big role too. Some of these reasons include: opportunities for development, being recognized and appreciated for their efforts, doi

Closing a deal once you have reached an agreement with the other party is the final but critical step of the negotiation process. Here are some tips on closing negotiations: 1. Send some signals As you are approaching what you would like to be the final deal, make your intentions known to the other party. Let them know that you have reached agreement on the various aspects of the matter and check with them for their input. If you act like things are drawing to a conclusion, t

The importance of communication should not be undermined in any project. It is vital to many projects and flawed communication can doom a project. Here are suggestions for creating a good communication plan for a project. Assign responsibility for communication This is usually the role of the project manager, but the project manager may assign this responsibility to a dedicated communication manager. Create key messages. What are the main messages about the project you wa

One of the most daunting tasks for a project manager is to estimate the budget accurately amidst the uncertainly in projects. Here are our tips for estimating and creating project budgets: 1. Determine what components of the project need to be paid for. Make sure you have included the cost of the following: Staff: Time spent by your colleagues, colleagues in other departments, etc. Facilities and equipment: Computers, laptops, conference rooms, printing facilities. Indirect c

Want to start your day right? Nothing beats the importance of eating a nutritious and healthy breakfast to start off your day. We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet many of us skip breakfast or end up grabbing a fast food option on the go. No wonder we end up feeling lethargic and start grabbing for a third cup of coffee to keep ourselves awake before lunch time rolls around. How can we stay productive at work? September is Better Breakfast Mon

Counselling at work is not about psychological therapy. It is about confronting and correcting individuals whose performance is not up to par. Read on to find out how to conduct effective counselling for your staff. 1. Gather and give information Not all employees come to you and confide that they need help. As a counsellor, you will need to gather relevant information from the employee and in return, respond to the employee’s need for information. 2. Agree on performance st

First Posted: April 8, 2021 As a manager, the level of interaction with senior management increases. How can you keep your cool and impress them well enough for them to take an interest in you? Here, we share some tips: Before the meeting Prepare thoroughly. Do your research and gather as much information and data as you can. Collate ‘success stories’ relevant to your industry to support your proposal as senior management tend to sway towards ideas that work. Also, the more i

First Posted: April 8, 2021 A lot of new managers assume that they know exactly what they need to do in order to be successful in their new role. Sometimes they are right and sometimes they are not. Here are 5 common assumptions: Assumption 1: I must know EVERYTHING One of the hardest facts that new managers have to accept is that it is alright to say “I don’t know”. Your employees do not expect you to know everything. When they ask you questions, they may hope to get an ans

We know it when someone has it, yet it remains difficult for us to pinpoint what exactly it is. Leadership presence is something that all managers aspire to possess and they know that having this “X factor” means that they are able to command an audience simply by walking into a room. It is a quality that makes others sit up and take notice of you and be receptive to what you have to say. As a new manager, how can you establish your leadership presence in meetings? Here are 4