Refocusing the Leadership Development conversation
Pick up any professional journal and you’ll see that the subject of human capital metrics is on the organisational agenda. With leadership development programmes competing with other organisational projects for financial resources, a natural consequence is the need to demonstrate the return on investment from such talent development. It would be naïve to suggest that […]
Running a Team
One of my favourite things about my job is that there is no end to the experiences that demonstrate ways that I can do it better. Last weekend was no exception. That said, I would prefer it if these experiences did not often involve a 6am alarm call on a Sunday morning… So why did […]
Coaching for leadership – how to make it work
What are the building blocks for confident, focussed and trusted leadership? This series, 'Building great leadership' covers everything you need to know, from identifying and developing leaders, to giving effective feedback and measuring success. When does the leadership journey start? Is there some sort of magic mirror that we pass through on our way from […]
Giving feedback to promote confidence and learning
What are the building blocks for confident, focussed and trusted leadership? This series, 'Building great leadership' covers everything you need to know, from identifying and developing leaders, to giving effective feedback and measuring success. “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Aristotle’s words may be a wake-up […]
Measuring leadership: how can we do it effectively?
What are the building blocks for confident, focussed and trusted leadership? This series covers everything you need to know, from identifying and developing leaders, to giving effective feedback and measuring success. How do you measure leadership? Analysts may look at purely financial outcomes or the longevity of a company. Marketeers may instead concentrate on strength […]
Selling leadership
Does leadership require you to be ‘all things to all men’? It’s an interesting question and it is one perhaps best answered by a quick look at the nature of leadership. You see, whilst great leadership requires you to be authentic, to be true to yourself, great leaders also know that you do not lead […]
Book Review: ‘The People Formula: 12 steps to productive, profitable, performing business’ by Jane Sunley
In The People Formula, Jane Sunley aims to ‘dramatically improve the performance and profitability of your business’ through the application of 12 steps which address many important business challenges. These steps address issues such as how to get buy-in from the top, driving employee engagement and delivering practical learning and development. The book is not […]
The Leadership Material – How leadership skills impact training results
The definition of leadership normally varies largely based on the context within which it is applied and from whose perspective the definition is sought. Leaders will often have a different opinion on how to define leadership when compared to the followers that they lead. Generally, leadership is perceived as the ability to influence a few […]
Want to empower employees to bridge the digital skills gap? Start at home…
The UK is facing a much reported shortage of digital skills, which is currently costing the economy an estimated £63bn a year – according to a report by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. Yet, while recent Government figures put 12.6 million Britons at risk of being left behind in terms of skills […]
Change the Recipe for Success
Have you ever suddenly been confronted by an unexpected change forced on you by the actions of others? How did it feel to have your status quo unexpectedly thrown off kilter? Did you feel shocked? Or was it anger that overwhelmed you? Maybe you wanted to cover your ears, close your eyes and scream "Noooooooo"? […]
Job shadowing, mentoring & open communication: developing future leaders in the public sector
Having a positive impact on real people’s lives has always been a passion of mine. It’s what gave me the drive to establish a career in the public sector. After several years at the Cabinet Office, I decided it was time to get back on the frontline so took my current role as Head of […]
Time to align your corporate learning strategy to business goals?
This article describes the key features of an effective corporate learning strategy (CLS) and will help you understand how and why your strategy needs to be linked to organisational goals. In the 21st century business environment, it’s essential that L&D delivers to the pace and direction of the business. As the global environment and business are rapidly […]
Soft Skills style secrets: Greta Garbo
We’ve looked at high profile names for whom the term ‘soft-skills’ could have been penned for but what about those in the limelight who struggle to reconcile the necessary public persona with their natural personality? We take a look at iconic 20s/30s film star Greta Garbo. There are many stars who are immortalised by a […]
Five key steps toward creating a learning culture
Businesses have tendencies to develop and stick to ‘success formulas,’ processes and strategies that were carefully honed, and which have served their firms so well in the past, that executives are loath to change them regardless of the circumstances. However, with the fast pace of today’s digital markets, this is no longer a viable approach. […]
Training budgets for employees
Hi all, I am currently developing a training budget protocol. We want to provide every employee from a certain level a individual training budget. I am not sure how this is working in other companies, but I am curious to know a few things: 1. What would be the requirements for an employee to get […]
Rethinking Your Employee Benefits For Better Retention Rates
Benefits packages play a very large role in employee retention and satisfaction. Perks and benefits are so important that in a 2015 survey conducted by Technology Advice. 56% of respondents reported that they would be willing to forgo a salary increase for certain benefits. If you find yourself combating high employee turnover rates, a look […]
Your people, your differentiators
How do you see your people? Are they paper shufflers and process followers; part of that vast army of ‘heavy-on-the-costs’ entities which are tolerated at least until the machines can take over? Or are they the centrepiece of your organisation, the guardians of the culture and the drivers of differentiated innovation? Unnecessary question? Well, even […]
Politician analysis: Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, the man that Barack Obama has recently labelled “unfit” to be president of the US could potentially hold that very office on Tuesday November 8th 2016. We ask, how does a man who is widely reported to be brash, rude and more than a little economical with the truth, get to be […]
Believe in leadership
How much do you believe in leadership? Do you see it as a destination or a journey, a right or a privilege? Do people engage with you because of your title or because of who you are and what you can bring to the organisation? It’s a question which sits at the heart of leadership. […]
Book Review: Designing The Purposeful Organisation
Clive Wilson’s Designing the Purposeful Organisation is a striking and compelling argument for placing ‘purpose’ at the heart of every organisation. Told in an almost personal narrative style, the author’s voice resonates throughout, embedding the key message that ‘for organisations to be successful, they must be purpose-driven’. Although arguably a simple enough premise, Wilson guides […]