Connecting people to purpose

Mark Loftus continues his series on modern leadership, this month focusing on the nature of leadership and the reasons we need it. The CEO of one of my clients is facing a dilemma familiar to many CEOs. His Board want him to focus on building economic value, driving share price performance; they see the potential […]
The Mood of doom: Understanding public-sector culture

Mark Walsh looks at the tough public sector, and advises coaches how they can best penetrate this market. Why is it that many trainers and coaches I know dislike working in the public sector? I don’t think it’s the individuals that work there (it is full of perfectly capable and nice people), the lower fees […]
Call for more leadership training to plug skills gap

A professional management body has called on employers to commit to investing in leadership training as a national priority in order to spearhead a return to sustained economic growth. The plea from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) followed the launch of a public consultation on Northern Ireland’s skills strategy by Minister for Employment and Learning, […]
Want to be a better leader? Get charismatic

Nikki Owen looks at why being charismatic can make a more successful leader and how this impacted on the recent General Election. Having been gripped by the excitement of British Politics for the last six weeks and feeling privileged to play my part in the official political commentary team for Aljazeera News Channel […]
Management theory: Ignoring the science

Professor John Antonakis blows apart a multitude of modern management theories. Mike Levy reports from the trenches.A man who criticises the basis of Myers Briggs, ’emotional intelligence’, NLP and ‘good to great’ had better be sure of his facts. Professor John Antonakis is sure that he is. Catapulted into the media last year by his […]
Caption competition: Winner announced!

What a wonderful load of entries in this month’s competition…but there can only be one winner! “The Wayne Rooney Fan Club arrives in South Africa.” Congratulations to Garrydamant – he had the editorial team rolling in the aisles. A bottle of wine is on it’s way to you. Photo credit: Normal 0 false false […]
Good performance management demands leadership

In the fourth instalment of the series from The Thinking Partnership dissecting modern leadership, Graham Lee looks at performance management. Although performance management is viewed as necessary it is an unpopular organisational process. On the face of it the approach is sensible: set objectives, review performance against them, and develop new skills to address gaps. However, […]
Leadership lessons from Clegg, Cameron and Brown

When it comes to marketing your brand, leaders can learn some important lessons from the latest political campaigns. Emily Cagle reports. While the furore over the election results still rages, there are certain pointers that can be drawn from the way the three main political parties in the UK have been approaching their election campaigns. […]
The inner work of leadership: Bringing the right emotions to work

Jonathan Males explains why it’s so important for leaders to balance their emotions. Humans are social animals. As part of our pack behaviour, our brains are hard-wired to pick up subtle cues about our pack leaders’ moods and emotions. So whether they’re conscious of it or not, a leader’s emotional tone casts a long shadow […]
Managing coalitions: Do they ever work?

Stephen Walker discusses new political coalition and asks, do too many cooks always spoil the broth? You had to have been in an isolation tank (or not in Europe) to avoid hearing the outcome of the UK’s General Election. The media has ramped up discussions and tried to reinforce public interest in the latest speculation. […]
Are there any leaders out there?

Ruth Spellman reflects on how our managers are letting the side down. If the political debates and post-election negotiations have taught us anything it’s that how leaders are perceived can have a dramatic impact on results. Stakeholders, whether they are the voting public, customers or employees within your organisation, are heavily influenced by the sense of […]
Follow it live: Election 2010 results

As election fever rises comes to a climax, join TrainingZone.co.uk in the early hours of 7 May 2010 for live coverage of the results including instant reaction from a panel of experts plus a feed of the buzz on Twitter. <a href=”https://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=974de11f41″ >Election 2010: The results – Expert reaction</a> Take part in our quick poll […]
Bad leadership is a transmittable disease

Poor leadership, poor management, poor engagement and, it’s all your fault, says Robin Hoyle. Take any glossy company annual report and it will always boast how people are the heart of the business, the careers pages on the website will talk of exciting learning and development opportunities and fulfilling your potential and the induction explains […]
Caption competition: Winner announced!

Congratulations to emmw who has scooped the prize in this month’s caption competition. A copy of ‘Mind Maps for Business: Revolutionise Your Business Thinking and Practise,’ is on its way to you. Well done! “Her majesty is amused by Gordon Brown’s misunderstanding of her instruction to Toss a Caber.” Photo credit: Rupert Hartley/Rex Features […]
The shifting landscape of leadership

Professor Kim Turnbull James talks to Mike Levy about a key shift in the landscape to focusing on leadership rather than leaders. Do we need heroes? Should our leaders be like Barak Obama? Kim Turnbull James has her doubts, she believes that we are seeing some seismic shifts in the way leadership is developed. […]
Modern leaders: The three tests of leadership

In the second of this series dissecting modern leadership, Mark Loftus looks at how the main candidates fair in the three tests of leadership. I have yet to find anyone, friend, colleague, client or child who can muster any interest in the general election. Which for me prompts the question: irrespective of their politics, do […]
Are you a Branson or a Sugar? New tool launches to help identify your management style

Half of the UK workforce thinks the dominant management style within their organisation is negative, putting the UK’s economic recovery at risk, according to the latest figures published today by the Chartered Management Institute. A new survey of the workforce (5,000 adults surveyed by One Poll) highlights the three most common management styles within UK […]
Are your leaders change ready?

Our leaders need to be equipped with the tools to change and innovate, says Fiona Lander. The recession has left many organisations feeling somewhat battle weary. Morale may be low and ‘unhappy stayers’ may be draining the energy out of your workforce. For today’s leaders, being told that the key to success and survival is innovation […]
Caption competition: Winner announced!

This month’s caption competition has been won by Sarah Holroyd! Congratulations! A bottle of wine is on it’s way to you. “What, no receipt? I’ll never get it through expenses without one!” In order to enter our caption competitions you now need to sign in to become a registered member of either LeadershipZone or TrainingZone […]
Seth Godin: Creating tribes for business success

Trainers often don’t think of themselves as small businesses or even entrepreneurs, but they are. In this video Seth Godin – iconic figure in social media and small business – talks exclusively to Dan Martin about how small business owners need to think tribal to become indispensable. bits://v/vBSrgLQl-kCMmvSXN This video was originally published on our […]