Leading change – how hard can it be?
Charles de Gaulle famously said, “l’intendance suivra”. By this he meant that his role as leader was to set the vision or direction and other peoples’ roles were to sort out all the necessary activities required to turn it into a reality. De Gaulle was indisputably one of the great leaders of the 20th century […]
How to become an effective delegator
Do you delegate tasks without due consideration, only to be disappointed by the results? If so, perhaps it’s time to stop and rethink the way you respond. I get to hear the frustrations of many leaders in my line of work, and there’s a common theme in what they complain about: Why do I get so many […]
Why change programmes fail in their tracks
Organisational change is fraught with issues, but it’s not the process that presents the greatest challenge, it’s getting employees to adopt a positive mindset. The figure of 80% failure rate that’s often quoted when anyone talks about change programmes is probably mythical. But it certainly feels accurate. Changing systems and processes, structure, even a new business […]
Retention, INSPIRATION, Action
In my last blog, I explored Retention and the need, first and foremost for learners to remember the training you give them. This week, I want to explain the importance of Inspiration. We’ve probably all been on courses where the trainer, having perhaps noticed a few nodding heads in the graveyard session after lunch, has […]
How to deal with people you just want to strangle
Dealing with challenging behaviour in the workplace is not easy, but there are tactics you can use to reduce conflict and take control of stressful situations. Sometimes we find ourselves in a difficult situation, where the behaviour or attitude of another person pushes all the wrong behavioural buttons and the choices they make, things they say […]
The Route to Action Starts with Retention!
Trainers who attended my Trainers’ Masterclasses in 2018 will, I hope, recall three words that for me are key to successful training. They are Retention, Inspiration and Action and together, they describe what I believe a trainer must achieve – in that order. In short, the ultimate goal of any learning is action back in […]
Why we need to engage head AND hearts!
What happens when we ‘tell’ people how to behave, but we don’t engage them emotionally? And, in those circumstances, what happens when people no longer feel they need to conform to the ‘rules’, or society gives them an anonymous platform in which to ‘relax’? A few weeks ago I provided a link to the film […]
Is An Executive Coaching Program Right for You?
One of the commonly cited reasons for clients to seek out executive coaching is their feeling that their careers have stalled or that they have not reached the height of success that they desire. It has been found that programs that are short in duration and very targeted in nature can yield the best results. If you […]
How to gain control of your inbox
We’re all guilty of checking our emails first thing in the morning and then reacting to notifications throughout the day. But what would happen if we decided to isolate a few hours a day to read and respond to emails? Work is busy and it’s getting busier. Life is busy too. Especially for those of us with […]
New roles for L&D: the reality of 70:20:10
A great deal has been written about the 70:20:10 model. Some of it suggests the authors understand what the model is about, but a significant amount suggests otherwise… If you and your organisation are planning to use this approach to help improve the way you build and support a high-performing workforce, it’s important that you first understand […]
Essential presentation skills for introverts
There are lots of ways you can make public speaking less stressful but the key to success is ensuring you’re fully prepared before, during and after your presentation. Those of us who try to go through life unnoticed will often panic at the thought of having to give a presentation. It doesn’t matter if it’s to […]
Improving Culture? It Takes More Than A Pool Table
We’re currently going through an office redesign at MTD Training and during an initial meeting with one of the potential office designers they recommended: “In order to build a high performing culture you should look at putting in a pool table. According to the plans you’ll have room next to the digital learning team and […]
Training and Hostage Negotiations – Similar?
Recently, I had the opportunity to hear from some great speakers at Connect, London. One of these was Simon Horton, author of ‘The Leaders Guide to Negotiation’. Simon knows a thing or two about negotiation. He has trained hostage negotiators and he gave us a brief insight into the essential steps followed in those critical […]
Groupthink: avoid the drive to conformity
A culture that doesn’t challenge irrational, poor decision making characterises the dangers of groupthink within an organisation. In order to avoid this phenomenon you need to understand why it happens. Back in 2007 I ran a session for senior traders in a financial services organisation. A participant was presenting a project about a complex new financial product to […]
Self Care At Work
October is home to World Mental Health Day so, in its honour, here are 9 mindful tips to help you take best care of yourself at work, today, and every day. 1 Mirror Mindfulness Each time you catch your reflection today use it as a prompt to check in with yourself. Feel your feet on […]
Three Ways to Support LGBT Staff in the Workplace
Stonewall, Britain’s leading charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality, published a recent report revealing worrying trends in discrimination throughout the workplaces of Britain. The research, which was made public in April 2018, showed that “more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have hidden that they are LGBT at work for […]
Defining who should be involved with the development of your OD strategy
People are the most important part to any OD strategy, making it vital that stakeholders from across the organisation should be involved when developing an OD strategy. There will be several different levels of involvement, ranging from those who simply complete a survey as part of the consultation phase, through to those who are responsible […]
Learning to file on time
Have you heard the one about the dog who likes to eat homework? It’s an excuse which is now so much part of folklore that you pity the poor child whose canine companion really does have a taste for textbooks. But it’s also an excuse which is so much a part of childhood that we […]
Five questions every organisation should ask itself before developing an OD strategy
Developing an OD strategy is something that is very individual an organisation. There is no one-size fits all solution, and there are some organisations that might be better suited to another style of corporate strategy altogether Here are five questions you should ask yourself before developing a new OD strategy for your organisation. 1. Is it […]
Teaching Employees to Leave Their Mark
In the world of professional wrestling, career achievement boils down to a performer’s ability to “get over”. Getting over means making your character work to the point of eliciting cheers if you’re a good guy, boos if you’re a bad guy, and to elicit enough passion for people to spend money to see you. Since […]
