Mind the gap: The recession is no excuse for poor pay parity
Despite the Queen’s Speech revealing new moves to close the gender pay gap, Ruth Spellman warns that the fight for equality is not yet over, not by a long chalk. Much of the news in the run up to this year’s Queen’s Speech suggests that the government will press ahead with plans to require large […]
Organisational change – which model should I use? Part five
In the fifth article in his series, Larry Reynolds looks at the ‘Appreciative Inquiry’. Many approaches to organisational change are based on two key assumptions: first, that the change will be somehow led from the top of the organisation; and second, that the reason for change is that there is some kind of problem to […]
I’m a trainer – get me out of here!
Being in a recession is a bit like being in a jungle – the more you look at it; the harder it is to see a way through! TV presenter Ken Hames tells Ruth Moody how expeditions have given him inspiration as a leader and a trainer. Ken Hames has spent years in the jungle […]
CMI’s ‘Better Managed Britain’ campaign launches
More than 1,500 leaders and managers have pledged their commitment to a new manifesto launched by the Chartered Management Institute in a bid to nurture a nation of strong leaders and managers. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Synergy Health and the RSPCA have already pledged their support of the Manifesto which is also being backed by government. The Better […]
When bad things happen to good leaders
Despite our best efforts, sometimes life at the top can be cruel. Gregg Thompson says it’s time to take matters into your own hands. You’ve done all the right things. You’ve provided crystal clear direction to your organisation, rewarded courageous risk-taking, encouraged innovation, honored diversity, demanded personal accountability, put the customer first…but it all just […]
Leadership Lessons from Supernanny
What can a reality TV personality tell us about leadership? Owen Smith argues that Supernanny could teach L&D a thing or two. Jo Frost, aka TV’s Supernanny, could easily make the leap into business turnaround/performance management coaching if she wanted. OK, so I’m not suggesting that she starts putting the finance director on the ‘Naughty […]
You can’t learn leadership from a book (or google, or PowerPoint)
Becoming a great leader is about more than having an MBA or swotting up on the latest ‘how to lead’ guide, says Mark Walsh. You don’t need to read books on leadership to be a good leader – I know this as I’ve worked with some exceptional leaders in developing countries who didn’t read at […]
Organisational development – which model should I use: Part 4
In the fourth article in our series on organisational change models, Larry Reynolds examines the pros and cons of the ‘Systems theory’. Most people who want to bring about change in their organisations think in terms of cause and effect. If we introduce a new performance management process, then performance will improve. If we send […]
Caption competition
Congratulations to PhilAird who has won this month’s caption competition! Virgin’s new service really does cost an arm and a leg! Photo credit: Sara de Boer/Rex Features Congratulations to PhilAird who has won this month’s caption competition!Virgin’s new service really does cost an arm and a leg!Photo credit: Sara de Boer/Rex Features
In the spotlight: Stephen Covey
Leadership expert Stephen Covey tells LeadershipZone how organisations can change company culture to empower employees and improve performance. Citizen brands aren’t just good social citizens to the community at large – they also have to be good servants to those people within the organisation itself. And in case businesses needed any greater incentive, evidence shows that […]
How to prepare for the upturn
Will you be a winner or a loser as we emerge from the recession? Dan Kaplan argues that investment in people could be the difference between failure and success. It is during times of recession that those with genuine leadership skills emerge: Leaders bold enough to take decisive steps, so their company is best-placed to […]
Working the team
One of the key ingredients in a happy team is leadership. The inmitable Miriam Cox gives us her tips on how to lead a team more effectively. When I think of the word ‘team’ I immediately think of horses pulling a plough or men rolling around in mud on a rugby pitch…..um, sorry, lost track […]
Lessons in leadership: President Obama
‘What can decision-makers learn from the leadership style of US president Barack Obama?’ asks Paul Bridle. Let’s take a moment and consider America, in particular where America was before President Obama. It was a nation that seemed to have gone out of its way to be unpopular and alienate the world. Other nations considered what […]
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 […]