The power of the spoken word
Churchill, Ghandi, Malcolm X and Thatcher. All these people understood the power of the spoken word. Modern leaders would do well to take note, says Paul Bridle. Leaders use the spoken word to take their participants through to a measureable result. But do they truly understand the power of their words? Although the evidence has been there […]
In the hotseat: Peter Jones
Best known for slaying entrepreneurs in BB2’s Dragons’ Den, Peter Jones now has the nation’s business skills in his sights. Verity Gough gets the inside story. In recent years the government push for up-skilling Britain’s young people has seen a number of academies opening with the aim of helping to help bridge the skills gap. […]
Women boost boardroom effectiveness, says report
A new report has revealed that female board members are not only are more driven than their male counterparts but they are keen adopters of team working, training and mentoring practices. The study: ‘Board Dynamics – a female perspective,’ offers an insight into the views of female board directors of FTSE 100 companies and found […]
Myths of leadership
Rigid devotees of common sense and management theory could be making a big mistake. Mark Walsh offers an alternative take on leadership development. Myths are sacred stories (sacred as in not tested or based upon fact) and both management theory and 'common sense' views of leadership are full of them. This article is a little […]
Where are all the good role models?
Gemma Middleton laments the loss of the traditional role model and argues that it’s time that our leaders stepped up to the plate. Politics really does remind me of the school playground; factions of kids grouped together for whatever allegiance, cussing and embarrassing members of rival groups at every opportunity. If any business or organisation […]
Competence is not enough
Mark Loftus argues that character assessment is the key to selecting the most effective leaders. This article has a very simple point to make. All of us in business must take our innate ability to assess character and use it to predict how leaders will shape the character of their organisations. The systematic assessment of […]
UK leadership failings stifling organisational change
Poor leadership is one of the key barriers preventing UK organisations from embracing change, a new report has revealed. According to a recent study, 88% of businesses have experienced change over the last two years but only a paltry 9% said that they had been truly successful at managing that change. The report by Normal […]
Leadership spotlight: Steve Jobs
Leadership methodologist Paul Bridle casts his eye over Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ leadership style. It is said that the Apple staff were summoned to an early morning meeting at HQ and the then CEO, Gilbert Amelio, came in and said, “it is time for me to go” and left the room. Before anybody could gather […]
Losing friends and infuriating leaders
Mike Levy talks to author, innovative thinker and all round leadership guru, Jonar Nader. Jonar Nader would probably rather ‘think’ than spend time to read this article; you should be experimenting with pineapples and jelly. As one of the most iconoclastic of all writers on business, he is an ardent believer in ‘thinking for yourself’ […]
Caption competition
This month’s competition was won by Audrey. Her witty caption was deemed the funniest. Congratulations! “Back a bit more!” When Tony was invited to the G20 Summit, he hadn’t realised they only wanted a parking attendant. This image features ex-Prime Minister, Tony Blair speaking at the Middle East Peace Process press conference, UN Headquarters, New […]
How to coach responsive leadership
Are great leaders born or created? Or do they simply respond well to the circumstances they face? Alan Ward explains how coaches can help leaders to become more resourceful and imaginative. According to many business schools and leadership development providers, there are certain qualities that great leaders possess. The theory is that if you could […]
Don’t underestimate the power of the dark side: Why leaders fail
The results of a new 10-year study into leadership reveal the full extent of the UK’s exposure to the risk of the ‘dark side’. So where are the leaders going wrong – and how are generational differences shaping leadership characteristics? New research based on 18,000 assessments shows that 85% of UK’s leaders demonstrate ‘dark side’ characteristics. […]
Leadership in a crisis
Leadership is critical for determining outcomes in any situation – but what is distinctive about the leadership that is required in a crisis asks Professor Ivan Robertson. Over the past few months, the public have lost their trust in politicians and in the political system as a whole as a result of the expense claims […]
Why don’t we trust our leaders?
The ILM’s Leadership Index recently revealed that UK employees have lost faith in their leaders. David Pardey looks at why this is and what can be done about it. Nearly one third of UK employees have little or no trust in their senior managers. It should perhaps come as no surprise given that the past […]
Brit leaders are losers in employees’ eyes
Senior leadership teams in the UK are not seen as strong and visible leaders by their employees according to the latest global research. An international study of 28,810 employees revealed that the UK was ranked 10th out of the 15 countries included in the poll in terms of how well employees view their leaders. This […]
Part 3: Organisational change – which model should I use?
In the third of his series on organisational change models, Larry Reynolds looks at the Nadler and Tushman congruence model. Human beings transform food and oxygen into energy and action. Organisations transform resources into products and services. If you want to understand how this works in humans, your guide is Gray’s anatomy: If you want […]
Caption competition
Congratulations to sarah holroyd who has won last month’s caption competition… “This lady is not for turning – not without assistance at any rate. “ Photo credit: Rex Features In order to enter our caption competitions you now need to sign in to become a registered member of either LeadershipZone or TrainingZone – membership […]
Book review: Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep It From Happening to You
Bob Selden reviews the latest leadership book: Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep It From Happening to You. Sydney Finkelstein, Jo Whitehead and Andrew Campbell, Harvard Business Press, Boston 2008. “Most leaders make bad decisions. Even great leaders can make bad decisions.” The introduction to “Think Again” leads with […]
New leadership styles in demand, reveals leadership study
A new type of leadership is needed in today’s changing business environment, according to a survey of hundreds of L&D professionals conducted by the World of Learning 2009. An overwhelming 91% of respondents in the poll said that they believe the greatest priority in skills development is the ability to think flexibly and creatively, with […]
More than a feeling: Can EI be taught?
Can you train someone to be more self aware, or coach them to have better intuition? Professor Malcolm J Higgs tells Verity Gough that emotional intelligence is all a matter of motivation. Every so often emotional intelligence (EI) seems to become de rigueur, and now is one of those times. In the last year alone, […]