3 Reasons Why Introverts Make Great Leaders
Nearly six years ago, Forbes ran an important article arguing that anywhere between one-third to one-half of American adults classify as introverts. In a world that tends to reward the loudest voice in the room, it was a revelation for us, well, quieter types. Since then, we’ve all taken various personality tests, agonizing over our Myers-Briggs […]
Video: Treat your employees like grown-ups
In the Clear Lessons video featured below, Julian Wilson describes working for Apple in the 1980s and how their inclusive, ‘grown-up’ approach has influenced his management style ever since. When walking into the Apple office in the mid ’80s one day, Julian Wilson noticed no familiar faces – everyone on reception and the switchboard was new: […]
Leadership: why it’s time to ditch hierarchical decision-making
Too many organisations are still hung up on traditional hierarchical decision-making structures. In order to effect real change, it’s time these old structures were dismantled – but it won’t come without resistance from senior leadership. I’ve been invited to run a series of team offsites. This is not unusual. It’s my job. What is unusual […]
The creative approach to the labour crunch
Today’s business leaders are faced with a landscape that’s unlike any they’ve likely encountered in their lifetimes. No matter where you look, labour markets are tighter than they’ve ever been, driving a fierce competition for skilled job candidates in almost every industry. At the same time, the pace of technological change and rapidly aging populations […]
Five Steps to Becoming a Better Boss
The ability to manage doesn’t come naturally to everyone. It takes talent, practice and for some, copious amounts of coffee and reflection. A good leader is someone who dedicates time and focus to individual success and development, rather than the performance of a team as a whole. Being a good leader and being happy were […]
Video: The secret to managing people well
In the Clear Lessons video featured below, Keily Blair explains the principles that she uses for management, which include balancing freedom with support whilst avoiding micromanaging. “In order to manage people well”, says Keily Blair, “I really think that you need to do two things: You need to balance allowing them to spread their wings and take […]
5 Team Building Ideas for Great Staff Management
With all those benefits of team building activities, you’re finding them hard to resist. It’s not that you are merely interested in following the latest craze. The fact is that team building really works, and by that we mean it increases productivity and motivation. Everybody loves the sense of community, and it’s not achieved only […]
Innovative ideas for a Leadership Programme
I’m looking for innovate and creative ideas to inject into a leadership programme. Something a little different from the usual classroom training. Any ideas, no matter how far out of the box, are greatly appreciated. Thanks I’m looking for innovate and creative ideas to inject into a leadership programme. Something a little different from the […]
Leadership and development: how to challenge preconceptions about yourself using the Johari Window technique
Perception is a powerful thing in business, but understanding how you are perceived is only half the battle. Changing preconceptions and facilitating personal growth requires a deeper level of understanding. We all have blind spots and when they’re exposed it can be quite a shock. It’s like when you catch sight of the back of […]
Leadership: how to develop a growth mindset at work
Leading in an unpredictable working environment requires a growth mindset. Here are five key tips to help change your thinking and develop this. Today’s volatile economic and political environment makes workplaces especially challenging. Executives who approach this with the right frame of mind will ensure their own and their organisation’s success. Previous research suggests that […]
Post-Brexit recruitment crisis: could armed forces veterans save your business?
Ex-military candidates are frequently overlooked in the job market, but with the talent pipeline facing its biggest challenge yet thanks to Brexit, they could be just the solution that UK businesses need. As businesses worldwide evolve to keep up with Silicon Valley, data breaches and cyber attacks are an increasingly common issue for employers. The […]
Employee engagement: ‘motivation’ is dead, it’s time to find new ways to empower your team
‘Motivation’ used to be all the rage when it came to employee engagement, but today’s workforce needs a more subtle approach that takes their own needs and priorities into account. Remember when motivation was all the rage? We had the motivational posters and the motivational speakers and the motivation theories differentiating between intrinsic and extrinsic […]
Performance management: the five most common productivity killers and how to combat them
Inefficient processes mean your employees may be a lot less productive than you think and this is no doubt costing your organisation dearly. Here’s how to assess how productive they are and remove those barriers. How many days per week do you think your employees are working efficiently, doing what they are supposed to be […]
Leadership development: how organisations can provide breadth of experience to high potential employees
Developing high potential employees into the leaders of tomorrow hinges on being able to provide them with the right learning experiences to ensure they’re ready for the challenges at the top. Breadth of experience is the foundation for progression to senior roles. Only if a promising employee has worked through a variety of different organisational […]
Leadership development: how to create ‘cooling spaces’ in the heat of uncertainty
Self-reflection, or ‘cooling space’, is an underrated commodity in today’s working environment but it’s essential to ensuring that leaders keep a clear head and are responsive to change. The heat is on for the leaders of today. We are living in an age of uncertainty. In the retail sector alone we’ve seen headlines about […]
Learning strategy: the dangers of applying big data to learning
Technology has given us access to more data than ever before, but in the rush to make use of all this new information we mustn’t lose sight of the human side of day-to-day interaction, which can often teach us more than we realise. Our uniqueness is our distinct advantage, not our limitation. We need to […]
Leadership: how to create a learning culture from the top down
A learning culture can only really exist when it’s authentic and when leaders and senior managers set the tone. Let’s get one thing straight – a company’s culture cannot be manufactured. Saying that you want your culture to be a certain way doesn’t make it a reality, which is why when I hear companies saying […]
Why nurturing a love of learning will future-proof your organisation
Can continuous learning help future-proof your organisation, and how important are the leaders in creating a culture of learning? Today’s digital accelerating, politically unstable climate creates novel opportunities for business but also raises the threat of obsolescence across products, services and entire sectors. The organisations that succeed in this environment are those that can be […]
Why building a learning culture should start from the bottom up
Today’s ‘always on’ digital environment presents more opportunities than ever before for organisations to involve their employees in facilitating change in their learning culture. Traditionally, developing a learning culture would be treated like any other boardroom project – pushed down from the top with everything delivered as part of a formal framework with clear boundaries. […]
Using SEO to grow your training business
When it came to marketing courses and generating new business, SEO (search engine and PPC (pay per click ads) were surprisingly low on the agenda for training companies our industry benchmark report showed. This post focuses on how SEO can be leveraged to increase your course bookings and grow your training business. What is SEO? […]
