Showing results by author "Muriel" in All Categories

As a leader, you likely find yourself frustrated at times, wondering why employees don't meet expectations, peers are slow to act, or pressure from your boss falls unfairly on your shoulders. It's easy to point a finger at others and double down on getting results. But have you ever considered that the problem may not be them—it may be you? Through countless hours coaching executives, Muriel M. Wilkins has pinpointed the biggest reason behind these common leadership challenges: hidden blockers.

"How wonderful to be an artist and a woman in the twentieth century," Fleur Talbot rejoices. Loitering about London in 1949, with intent to gather material for her writing, Fleur finds a job "on the grubby edge of the literary world", as secretary to the odd Autobiographical Association. Are they a group of mad egomaniacs, hilariously writing their memoirs in advance, or poor fools ensnared by a blackmailer? Rich material, in any case.

We all want to get to the next level of our career, but so many of us get stuck. Longtime leadership coach Muriel Wilkins takes you inside real-life leadership coaching sessions with high performers working to overcome professional challenges and grow as leaders. Listen in on real conversations and leave with new insights and practical guidance for your own career. The views expressed on this podcast are those of its hosts, guests, and callers.

An enchanting New York Times and international best seller and award-winner about life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege, and power, seen through the eyes of a 54-year-old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl.

People are drawn to, and influenced by, leaders who communicate authentically, connect with people, and have immediate impact. So how do you become one? How can you learn to “own the room?” This book will help you develop your leadership presence. The authors offer a simple and compelling framework as well as practices for developing your "signature voice." Wherever you sit in an organization, you can develop presence if you are able to do two things well: demonstrate your authentic value and distinction; and connect to others in a positive way.

Your workday is filled with them - people who frustrate, impede, maneuver, undermine, plot, connive, and whine. This indispensable guide details specific techniques for handling all of them, with easy-to-follow scenarios for every situation. Updated and revised to reflect modern issues including technology, generation gaps, and language barriers, this guide describes 10 kinds of culprits and offers helpful strategies and phrases for diffusing workplace tensions and effectively resolving conflicts.

"You girls are my vocation... I am dedicated to you in my prime." So says Miss Jean Brodie, a teacher unlike any other. She is proud and cultured. A romantic, with progressive, sometimes shocking ideas and aspirations for the girls in her charge. When she decides to transform a select group of pupils into the 'crème de la crème' at the Marcia Blaine School they become the Brodie set. In exchange for their undivided loyalty the girls earn a special place of honour and privilege within the school. Yet they are also introduced to a startling new world of adult games....

Lise is thin, neither good-looking nor bad-looking. One day she walks out of her office, acquires a gaudy new outfit, adopts a girlier tone of voice and heads to the airport to fly south. On the plane she takes a seat between two men. One is delighted with her company, the other is deeply perturbed. So begins an unnerving journey into the darker recesses of human nature.

The Mandelbaum Gate divides the conflict-torn realm of Jerusalem, separating Israel from Jordan. Barbara Vaughn, a stubborn young English woman and half-Jewish Catholic convert, insists upon crossing the divide in order to rendezvous with her fiancé, in spite of the very real danger. Her quest sets off a series of bizarre situations and adventures, set against the backdrop of the Eichmann trial of 1961.

"Remember you must die" says the telephone caller.This the voice, and message communicated in a series of anonymous calls made to many elderly people. Including; Dame Lettie, a blue-blooded reformer, Godfrey - her rather irritating brother, and his once fabulous novelist wife Charmian. But who is the caller? And why are they reminding them of this final truth? It's unsettling and mysterious. The activity increases and soon a witch-hunt is in full force, with nobody beyond suspicion.

THE FINAL FREY & McGRAY MYSTERY All will be revealed... * * * * * The Devil Has Come to Edinburgh... An ill-fated grave-robbery unearths a corpse with a most disturbing symbol on it. When a patient in Edinburgh's lunatic asylum is murdered, the same sign is daubed in blood on the walls - the...

First published in 1988 and described by Ali Smith as 'one of Muriel Spark's most liberating, and meditative novels' - A Far Cry from Kensington shows Muriel Spark at the mature height of her powers.The narrator is one Mrs. Hawkins. She writes from Italy, a far cry from Kensington indeed, taking us back to her threadbare years in postwar London. As a young, rather fat war-widow she spent her days working for a crazy, almost bankrupt publisher; and her nights offering advice from her boarding-house in South Kensington.

Saber escuchar es una habilidad crítica que a menudo se da por sentado. Al aprender a escuchar atentamente, conseguirás mantener a tus empleados más comprometidos, fomentar el descubrimiento de nuevas ideas y escuchar lo que necesitas escuchar en una reunión en lugar de lo que esperas escuchar.

Die junge Mrs. Hawkins ist eine wunderbare Frau, die Ruhe in Person und stets für alle da. Mit ihrer mütterlichen und lebensfrohen Opulenz gibt sie dem erfolglosen Londoner Verlagshaus, bei dem sie arbeitet, Halt und Kraft. Genauso verlässlich wehrt sie aber auch mit wohlgezielter Garstigkeit nervtötende Schreiberlinge ab. Jahrzehnte später ist Mrs. Hawkins zur schlanken Nancy geworden und nimmt uns mit zurück ins Kensington der Fünfzigerjahre, das voller raffinierter, ja sogar böser Überraschungen steckt.

This is the story of Lys d'Angely. She was in need of a job and managed to get one as a maid to Lady Turnour, because she, in her anger, had fired the previous maid. Lady Turnour and Sir Samuel were about to leave for a motor tour. During this tour, Lys starts referring to herself as The Motor Maid. (Summary by ShrimpPhish)

This wonderful collection, ideal for cat lovers and feline fanatics, brings together the best and worst of catty behaviour. Ranging from the very funny to the profound, this collection has something to please everyone - without running the risk of developing an allergy!

À Édimbourg dans les années trente, Mademoiselle Brodie enseigne dans une des écoles de filles les plus huppées d'Écosse. Ses méthodes d'éducation très personnelles et son charisme lui valent l'admiration de ses élèves les plus brillantes, un petit groupe de jeunes filles qu'elle nomme le "clan Brodie". Face à elle se dresse la presque intégralité de ses collègues, choqués par son enseignement d'avant-garde qui jure tant avec la rigueur historique observée dans l'école.

The Complete Short Stories is a collection to be loved and cherished, from one of the finest short-story writers of the twentieth century. From the cruel irony of A member of the Family to the fateful echoes of The Go-Away Bird and the unexpectedly sinister The Girl I Left Behind Me, in settings that range from South Africa to the Portobello Road, Muriel Spark coolly probes the idiosyncrasies that lurk beneath the veneer of human respectability, displaying the acerbic wit and wisdom that are the hallmarks of her unique talent.

The Girls of Slender Means is the third Muriel Spark audio release of 2012, following The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Complete Short Stories. It is 1945; a time of cultural and political change, and also one of slender means. Spark's evocative and sharply drawn novel focuses on a group of women living together in a hostel in Kensington who face new challenges in uncertain times. The novel is at once dramatic and character-based, and shows Muriel Spark at the height of her literary powers.

Imagine a world where a simple desire for a beautiful white frock with roses could alter the course of history. At just sixteen, Lady Peggy OMalley reflects on how her wish for a dress from Selfridge’s led to a secret crisis between the United States and Mexico, forever changing the life of a remarkable soldier. Discover the intertwined fates of the girl, the soldier, and that iconic frock in this captivating tale. - Summary by Carolin