Beyond SMART : The challenge of setting courageous goals
Ian Day and John Blakey continue their series on challenging leadership. This time the focus is on goal setting. Goal setting is a crucial part of any organisation. Goals provide clarity. When people have goals they have the focus to align action with corporate strategy. Many of us will be familiar with SMART goals (Specific, […]
An issue of trust
Ken Blanchard gives his opinion on the soft skills and leadership debate – with some interesting stats to boot. Ouch! It seems many of our workplaces, far from being the fair, nurturing collaborative environments they should be, are in fact hotbeds of mistrust and dishonesty. When I came across research suggesting only 20% of employees […]
Caption competition
We have a winner! Credit: iStockphoto/Thinkstock This month’s winning caption: ‘Rover was determined to make a dogs dinner out of this one!’ Congratulations to CazzyP who has won this month’s caption competition! A bottle of vino of your choice will be winging its way to you. In order to enter our caption competitions you need to […]
The importance of soft skills in leadership
Leaders don't need to worry about soft skills, right? Wrong. Fiona Lander elaborates. Technical know-how is all well and good, but it is emotional intelligence and self-awareness that will differentiate traditional managers from the star leaders of tomorrow. In recent years, there has been an influx of new leadership development methods; and it is no coincidence […]
A question of trust
Research shows that one in four employees don’t trust the senior leaders in their organisation. Dr Rena Rasch reveals the truth about trust and what leaders can do to improve it. Do your employees trust you? Perhaps you’ve never even been asked this question. However, it cuts to the heart of your working relationships and […]
What next for management training?
Stephen Walker takes a look at the development of management and the new skills needed in the immediate post-recession future. The art or science of management has developed over the last 200 years. Sun Tzu’s writing on how to manage a war is often included as an early example of management theory in 500BC, and […]
Can leadership be defined?
Al Gini and Ronald M Green give us a taster of what we can look forward to from their new book, 10 virtues of outstanding leaders. If you ask anyone interested or involved in business or politics to come up with a short list of leaders they admire, most people are readily able to do […]
How to delegate with the ‘loving boot’
Ian Day and John Blakey continue their series on challenging leadership. This time the focus is on delegation. In these tough economic times leaders need to adopt an approach that both supports individuals yet also challenges them to step up. Last month we introduced the concept of challenging leadership suggesting that a high support / […]
Intuitive intelligence in leadership pt2
Brian Bacon concludes his piece on how to develop the intuitive intelligence of leaders and why it is a critical factor in leadership development. As Barry Gordon states in his book Intelligent Memory: Improve the Memory That Makes You Smarter, '…Since birth our brains compartmentalise experiences and information akin to an elaborate closet organisation system. […]
Tips for Handling High Staff Turnover
Generally, a high staff turnover is a sign that all is not well within a business. The UK average employee turnover rate is approximately 15%, but some industries by their very nature tend to rely on casual labour, temporary workers, or simply employees who have no intention of remaining with the firm for very long. […]
Leadership: Vision and self-promotion
Stephen Walker looks at leadership and proposes two factors as being the most significant in leader effectiveness. The ability to create a vision and generate publicity. Leadership is one of those personal qualities that is easier to detect, than it is to define. Most would agree it is something other than good management. I’d like […]
Intuitive intelligence in leadership pt1
Brian Bacon, chairman and founder of Oxford Leadership Academy, discusses how to develop the intuitive intelligence of leaders and why it is a critical factor in leadership development. Do you trust your gut when it comes to the big stuff? Instincts and ‘hunches’ may have a comforting influence on day-to-day decisions, but when it comes […]
How to set goals and achieve them
If you want to be a great project manager, you’ll need to be extremely good at setting goals and achieving them. Every project has a defined delivery date, so you need to be goal-oriented if you want to deliver your project on time. Taylor Williams tells us how. Identify what’s important In projects, everything is a priority. Take […]
A great sales team depends on a strong first-line sales manager
Graham Scrivener looks at the precarious perch of a first-line sales manager and the importance of leadership development to help them to balance the complexities and demands of their role and turn them into high-performing bosses. The role of a first-line sales manager is a juggling act. They have to close sales, coach and motivate […]
Caption competition
We have ourselves a winner! ‘Castration had definitely put Fido in touch with his feminine side.’ Congratulations to Jacqui C who has won this month’s caption competition! A bottle of vino of your choice will be winging its way to you. In order to enter our caption competitions you need to sign in to become a […]
L&D industry insight: Dan Hammond
For our industry insight this month, we turn to leadership consultancy LIW’s Dan Hammond, who talks influence, inspiration, the traits of the modern leader, and more. Dan was also our guest interviewee for May’s TZ podcast, where you can hear an abridged version of this interview. L&D industry insight: Dan Hammond by Trainingzone on Mixcloud […]
Leading with personality pt4: Planning – is it essential or constricting?
In his fourth and final article exploring leadership in terms of the dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Tim Schuler explains how the judging/perceiving preference helps us understand how we relate to the outer world, as well as holding the key to exploring the MBTI in greater depth. I sometimes hear people dismiss the Myers-Briggs […]
21st century leadership
Taavo Godtfredsen looks at how leadership values have changed, and what it takes to be successful in the modern world. The world is changing, and those changes are accelerating rapidly. The explosion of online, social and mobile technologies is driving a 24/7 worldwide workplace, while the current economic climate is pushing organisations to do more […]
Thinking, feeling, and knowing you’re a leader
Clive Hyland takes a cerebral approach to analysing and understanding the traits of the successful leader. Why is it that some people seem to be natural leaders whilst others struggle to impress? The elusive nature of effective leadership has prompted many a debate and there are as many leadership models as there are business schools. […]
Challenging leadership: Time to face the FACTS of the loving boot
They challenged coaching, but now leadership is the target say John Blakey and Ian Day. Here's a quick intro to the new series. What is the most appropriate leadership style in these challenging times? What style effectively balances the need for short term financial results and the longer term need for sustainable business practices? What […]