Book review: Servant Leadership Across Cultures
With the concept of servant leadership gathering momentum, Bob Selden reviews a new book designed to dissect the philosophy and explain its benefits. Title: Servant-Leadership Across Cultures: Harnessing the strength of the world’s most powerful leadership philosophy Authors: Fons Trompenaars and Ed Voerman Publisher: Infinite Ideas Limited, Oxford, 2009 Price: £20 Reviewer: Bob Selden ‘Good […]
Gordon Brown: Who’s sorry now?
Paul Bridle looks at the fine mess that Gordon Brown has got himself into, which he attributes to Brown’s lack of leadership ‘style’. One of the measures of good leadership is the leader’s ability to ensure succession. This means that should something unfortunate happen, the organisation has the necessary leadership to take it forward. We now understand why […]
Learning leadership in tough times
Nigel Paine, former head of Learning and Development at the BBC, and a regular TrainingZone contributor, is leading a one-day open workshop for learning professionals in conjunction with the Learning and Skills Group. ‘Learning leadership in tough times’ will take place on 2nd July in west London. Nigel left the BBC in September 2006 to […]
Why leadership training doesn’t work
Having effective and productive leaders are imperative for an organisation’s success. But, as Judith Germain highlights, leadership training has historically made several common mistakes. When the business environment becomes more challenging companies tend to concentrate on hard measures such as reducing costs, increasing profits and downsizing – often ignoring the sometimes intangible measures such as management’s […]
Video: Lord Bilimoria – mission and vision
There are many important elements in leadership, but mission and vision are amongst the most critical. Lord Bilimoria, founder and CEO of Cobra Beer, presents ideas and sources of inspiration to help you understand and devise them for yourself. Lord Bilimoria started his career at Ernst & Young in 1982, where he spent four years […]
David Fairhurst interview: Complex times require complex leaders
Leadership development is on everybody’s lips, but with so many leadership models and debate over the qualities of an ideal leader, many firms are in a state of confusion. Who better to provide some clarity than one of the industry’s leading lights, David Fairhurst. At the HRD conference and exhibition earlier this year, leadership development dominated the […]
The language of leadership
The ability to speak well can mark the difference between leadership success and failure. Martha Leyton and Martin Shovel of CreativityWorks specialise in helping people in leadership roles become inspiring speakers – and they’re here to answer your questions. Question: Last year I went to the annual conference of my professional body and was blown away […]
Recovering from the recession
A skilled workforce will be crucial to aid businesses in their recovery from the recession. And it would seem that the majority of business leaders recognise that continued workforce development is an imperative, according to Ruth Spellman. As the recession continues to take its toll, the temptation to continue to make cuts and focus only […]
Review: The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan
Title: The Leadership Secrets of Genghis KhanAuthor: John ManPublisher: Bantam Press Reviewer: John Pope John Man has written one of the most interesting books on leadership and management that I have ever read. He uses Genghis Khan as an example of a truly great leader and tells the story of his spectacular rise to power […]
Challenging leadership principles
The Christian movement continues 2,000 years after its inception, so its leader must have said something enduring. Therefore, by examining his reported words in the gospels, can we derive leadership principles that all leaders can learn and benefit from? Stuart Emmett believes so. My book “The Leadership Gospels” (2008) uses the gospels as a key […]
As a leader, are you in control?
When things go wrong, do you think that it is fate, luck, the system – or is failure, and success, all down to you? Bob Selden looks at how we think about who is ‘in charge’ – our Locus of Control – also affects the way that we lead. When the going gets tough, we […]
Leadership development in the brave new world
The economic downturn has demonstrated spectacular shortcomings in the abilities of some business leaders, especially in the financial sector. In turn this has raised questions about the efficacy of leadership development and training. Fiona Nicholson finds out what has gone wrong and what 21st century leadership development should really look like. In more prosperous times, […]
Is servant leadership the answer to the recession?
The idea that leaders and managers must serve their people if they are to create highly successful organisations is not new. Ken Blanchard – a high profile supporter of the servant leadership concept – explains why leading with humility could be the key to surviving and thriving during the current economic crisis. If you want […]
Review: Throwing sheep & Grown Up Digital
Title: Grown up Digital Author: Don TapscottPublisher: McGraw Hill The recent explosion of mainstream media stories about Twitter (see our Twitter guide here) shows both the fascination we have with the collaborative/communicative internet of web 2.0, and the fear – in some parts – that it is unpredictable, out of control and potentially dangerous. Two […]
Naked simplicity: The David Taylor interview
Mike Levy talks to David Taylor, author of ‘The Naked Leader’ and leadership visionary, about getting back to basics and fresh thinking on leadership. This article was previously published on LeadershipZone. David Taylor is a leadership guru who hates the ‘g’ word. This isn’t just lack of hubris. Taylor eschews the notion of gurus and […]
Coaching for resilience
At the epicentre of the economic crisis, the once booming financial sector has felt the full force of the recession. So how are the organisations helping leaders make their way through what are unchartered waters? Stephanie Sparrow discovers how coaching is developing resilient leaders in the finance sector. Coaching has been the people development success […]
The learning leader’s tips for tough times
In the current economic crisis same-old same-old is not an option. This is a time for fresh thinking, new ways of learning and adapting to business priorities. Nigel Paine offers these five tips to help learning leaders innovate their way through the recession. I am leading a Learning Technologies webinar and the topic is […]
Learning 2009: Mission critical
Drawing on research by the ASTD, Gordon Bull argues that for their own, and their organisations’ survival, learning leaders must be more business aware. This article looks at the importance of L&D during a recession and what learning leaders need to do to help their organisations survive the downturn. It is a certainty that many […]
What is a competent director?
When multi-billion pound bank bailouts start hitting the headlines, the spotlight naturally falls on the people in charge. Colin Coulson-Thomas examines the qualities that make a competent director. Despite the greater attention given to corporate governance in recent years, the competence of directors is still an issue. When bank write-offs and bailouts occur, discussion inevitably […]
Choosing a training provider who gives value for money
When times are tough and businesses are watching every penny, using a training budget wisely is more important than ever. Richard Marsh has some advice on choosing a training provider who gives value for money. As every L&D professional knows, when budgets are cut, it’s more important than ever to ensure training provides a worthwhile […]