Leadership in a small business
In my opinion effective strong leadership is critical to the success of any business but its form depends on a business’s stage of growth. For example, when the business first starts up what is...
View ArticleThe Meaning of Leadership
I was discussing with a colleague the other day about what leadership is and what it means. To help my understanding I looked up the meaning in the Collins English Dictionary which defines the verb ‘to...
View ArticleWhy Performance Appraisals Don’t Work
I recently worked for a client that struggled to get their annual performance appraisals completed. Less than 20% of their staff received an appraisal at the end of their financial year. The...
View ArticleEffective Team Briefing
For me, team briefing was always a vital component of employee engagement in the businesses I worked in. It enabled me as a manager to know that all employees received information about the business...
View ArticleGaining Better Engagement
I recently read Dan Pink’s book ‘Drive’ about what truly motivates and drives us. It was an interesting read as Pink argues that there is currently a charm between how businesses and organisations...
View ArticleMentoring works!
Having worked in the private sector for 18 years I found it very frustrating when I joined the public sector when it came down to moving forwards on new ideas. I was an experienced individual who had...
View ArticleThe Real Cost of Bad Bosses!
Have you ever thought about the true cost to your business of a bad boss? In my career I have worked for many different people, some were very good and others were appalling, simply treating me like I...
View ArticleSaying it like it is!
I have met a number of managers in my career who pride themselves in being direct with their staff. ‘If someone does something wrong, I will tell them’ or ‘I tell it like it is’, are two examples of...
View ArticleThe Importance of Talent Management
After working with many different businesses I have concluded that one of the biggest risks facing many organisations is having the right talent to enable them to compete in the future. I see many...
View ArticlePutting your People First
I recently read an article calling business leaders to pay more attention to ‘the 3P’s’. This interested me, was this phrase simply another management acronym or was there some substance behind what I...
View ArticleAre you Stressed?
Are you feeling stressed? At times it seems like we all have just too much to do with too little time to do it in. I often feel stressed at key points in the year, christmas, holiday time, and at times...
View ArticleAre you a new boss?
Have you been recently promoted or have you taken on a new role in a different company? If you have beware as it is very easy to come across as though the promotion or new role has gone to your head! I...
View ArticleWhat Makes a Great Leader?
Characteristics of Leaders There are lots of articles about that have been written on what makes a great leader and what the characteristics of successful leaders are. I am sure you know someone who...
View ArticleLeading Change
I have witnessed many changes fail, from poorly implemented CRM systems that have compromised the organisation’s ability to service their customers effectively to inadequately executed acquisitions...
View ArticleAssessing Recruitment Candidates
Having participated on ‘both sides’ of an independent assessment process (as a recruitment candidate as well as a manager assessing candidates) I fully recommend it as a means of identifying the most...
View ArticleManaging Your Levels of Stress
I read an article the other day in which the HSE reported that there were an estimated 428,000 cases of work related stress in 2011/12, which was around 40% of all total work related illnesses. While...
View ArticleThe Benefits of Changing your Leadership Style
This is a true account of an experience I had many years ago when a change in leadership style dramatically improved the performance of the business. In the late 1990’s I worked in a factory that...
View ArticleWhat is ‘Authentic Leadership’?
Many people have written about the importance of ‘Authentic Leadership’, and as a phrase it certainly sounds appealing, but what does it really mean? To me ‘authenticity’ is something about being...
View ArticleLeadership Research Finds Managers Lacking Fundamental Skills
I recently read the leadership institute Roffey Park’s annual Management Agenda report which provides indicators of emerging workplace trends in the UK. The Agenda is a survey of 1,460 managers and...
View ArticlePutting your People First
The other day I heard the former chief executive of the bakery chain Greggs on the radio talking about executive pay as well as other current issues. One of the things he discussed was their staff...
View ArticleThe two most important words – Thank You!
I read a great article the other day in April’s issue of HBR by Robert Eckert about the two words that he considers most important – thank you! Eckert spent 23 years at Kraft Foods where he started at...
View ArticleIs ‘Cost Leadership’ an effective long term strategy?
Many companies experience a roller coaster ride of success. Some years they have great successes while other years can be very challenging and there can be a host of reasons for the challenges from...
View ArticleHow Not To Get On in Your Organisation!
Today there is intense competition for products and services and even stiffer competition for jobs. The one thing no one needs to do is make matters worse by shooting themselves in the foot. Over the...
View ArticleManaging Conflict at Work
Over the years I have observed that many managers struggle with dealing with conflict at work, and I include myself in that. I have had to deal with personality clashes between team members, resolve...
View ArticleHow does your boss make you feel?
Maya Angelou the famous author once wrote that people will forget what you said, they will even forget what you did, but they will never forget how you make them feel. In the context of Leadership,...
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