Outlook for 2017: optimism for UK employees, but will it last?

CIPD recently published their bi-annual Employee Outlook survey, so we thought it would be helpful to have an overview of the key findings and changes for our readers. Luckily, Claire McCartney was happy to help and has rounded up some of the more interesting insights from the survey below. It is encouraging to be able to […]
Influencing- it’s all in the preparation

We have been working with a national organisation developing staff's influencing skills. Demands on their services are set to increase significantly in this decade to over 1 million service users. This places significant demands on the organisation and their ability to provide a first class service. Influencing has been identified by the charity’s leadership team […]
Rethinking training for empathy-driven innovation

You know the scenario. There’s a group of you sitting around chatting, mulling over the next steps for the organisation and out of that discussion an idea starts to grow. Maybe someone’s pointed to a problem or a discussion they have had with another member of the team or a customer, or maybe something on […]
New Year, New Skills

As we sink our teeth into a new year, we’ve now become all too familiar with the short, dark days of winter. But the beginning of a new year also brings the optimism of a fresh start. People are keen to face new challenges and experiences. With January comes thoughts of professional and personal […]
5 Things We Can Learn From Disengaged Employees

In a recent article on our blog, I suggested that many disengaged employees do care about their work, careers, and how they are seen professionally by other people. This suggestion is based on our work with client organisations. Disengaged employees, when given the opportunity, are more likely to communicate what they need to be engaged. It […]
Leading in uncertain times

2017: a time of certainty or uncertainty; a time in which we lurched from one supposition to another or a time in which previous speculations clarified into fact? As January draws to a close either, or both, could be true. And the problem is that even when uncertainties crystallise, the very act of confirmation won’t […]
Learning Technologies 2017: Why waste your money on leadership development?

Ahead of the Learning Technologies 2017 conference on 1st & 2nd February, we thought we'd get a sneak peek at one of the sessions to give us a taste of what to expect from the packed 2 day agenda. Let us know what you're most looking forward to from the conference in the comments below, or […]
Expectations, experiential learning and the power of Kanban

Time to take five to catch up on some highlights of this week's L&D news and opion, which we've spent the past week gathering together from our favourite sources. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week too! Skills – Strong leadership: does […]
“Theft is theft. So sack ’em, right?”

Theft is a severe offence and is normally viewed as gross misconduct at work. The outcome seems pretty clear (after the obligatory disciplinary procedure). Take the the theft of a laptop from the office. It’s high value; the evidence is caught on CCTV; there’s reliable evidence to suggest that the employee sold the laptop at […]
How to build a business case for your employee engagement programme

The main driving force behind any organisation is its people. The right people analytics programme will help you measure the leadership, vision, happiness and cultural alignment within your organisation. These metrics have in the past been considered as immeasurable and vague. Consequently, the drive to collect data around them is often discounted. Employee engagement technology […]
CEOs can no longer ignore the importance of a healthy corporate culture

Back in the good old days it was possible for a big company to defend its market position by splurging on advertising. Whenever new competition came along, the CEO and the Board would sign a large cheque to a top-flight ad firm, and they would cover the town, TV, and radio with adverts for their […]
Lost at Sea Copywrite?

This exercise has been around for ages now and I've seen it used loads, but does anyone know who owns the copywrite for Lost at Sea? I want to do the right thing with regards crediting the owner etc, but I cannot find anything concrete (Google seach is inconclusive). Cheers lovely people. This exercise has […]
Is there such a thing as a natural born leader?

Regardless of what position you’re currently recruiting for, every great hiring manager recognises the value of recruiting for potential. Ideally, we are all looking to recruit tomorrow’s leaders. We want to know that the time, money and effort spent recruiting an employee today will likely result in a competent, decisive and motivated manager in the […]
Learning analytics, wellbeing training and new vs. old talent management

Give yourself a well-earned break and take five to catch up on some highlights of this week's L&D news and opion before we all depart for a few days of rest over the holidays. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and tell us what you've enjoyed reading too! Leadership – Business […]
Responsibility at work: using it to solve value incongruence

There's so much rich insight coming out of the academic sector that HR professionals need to know. At Academics' Corner we feature the best HR researchers that tell you what they’ve found and what you need to do differently on the back of the research. Get connected to the academic sector through Academics’ Corner and […]
Coffee Break: Collaboration, cultural fit and what makes a great mentor

Here's your lovingly-crafted list of news, blogs and opinion from across the L&D world. Let us know what you think of the articles we've shared, and don't forget to tell us what you've enjoyed reading this week too. Culture – Why you should care about emotional culture (Talent Culture) – 11 crucial interview questions to […]
The Road to Innovation, or bust

One of the great things about Christmas is the reappearance on the TV of all those old films which you first enjoyed as a child. The Sound of Music, The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery, Monty Carlo or Bust; whatever your personal favourites, the chances are that a bit of channel hopping will bring at […]
2017 – The year of the Next Generation

What’s it going to take to lead in 2017? Will Brexit and the change in US President bring fire fighting to the fore or will all those foretellers of doom and gloom be proved wrong once again as 2017 turns out to be a year of unprecedented growth? No I’m not a fortune teller either […]
Mindfulness for leaders: new research shows sustained benefit

Just 10 minutes of mindfulness practice a day can have a significant impact on a leader’s ability to be more resilient, collaborative and equipped to lead in complex times. This is one of the key findings of the world’s first wait-list control* research study to look specifically at whether mindfulness can help leaders become more […]
Reconnect with yourself in 2017

The run-up to the New Year is a time for reflection; for quiet self-congratulation on milestones achieved or for learning the lessons that tough challenges can bring. It’s also a time for looking forward, for working on the strategy and values that will ensure continued success into 2017. And there’s no getting away from the […]