Show us the way
Recession spreads fear and fear fuels recession. Stephen Walker looks at leaders’ need to communicate with confidence in times of turmoil. I make no apology for bring the ‘R’ word into the TrainingZone again. We are all affected by the recession. It is uppermost in our minds. No doubt there is a general decline in […]
Coaching alpha males
Think ‘alpha male’ and do you see an inspirational, decisive leader, or a bullying chest-beater? Dr Ho Law addresses the common weaknesses of so-called alpha males and how coaching can help. What do the international executives and many charismatic political leaders such as the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair have in common in terms […]
Video: Professor Cialdini turns his persuasive skills to training
Master of persuasion Professor Robert Cialdini discusses why UK businesses need to improve skills training.Prof Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, says that businesses that continue to invest in training during recession fare better during the downturn and eventual upswing. Master of persuasion Professor Robert Cialdini discusses why UK businesses need to improve […]
Ken Blanchard answers members’ questions
Ken Blanchard, of One Minute Manager fame, generously answered a selection of members’ questions after our interview with him appeared on site. Here’s what the chief spriritual officer has to say about the leadership ‘faith’, and how to put the head, heart and conscience back into leadership… stirring stuff! Tom Boydell asked:I’m interested in a […]
Video: Sanjiv Ahuja – leadership is not a popularity contest
Effective and decisive leadership will mean making unpopular decisions at times – so don’t confuse popularity with making the right choices! Ultimately, if you make the correct decisions, people will respect you anyway, says Sanjiv Ahuja, the chairman of Orange UK.Listen to his thoughts on the popular ‘myth’: ‘ You have to have buy in […]
Is entrepreneurial leadership the way out of global recession?
Can all our problems be solved by entrepreneurs? Should we prioritise the creation of an entrepreneurial infrastructure? Patrice Houdayer, the dean of the international business school in Lyon, France explains the importance of entrepreneurial leaders – and the 10 pitfalls they must avoid. As economic doom and gloom continue to sweep the globe, it seems […]
Review: Taming Tigers by Jim Lawless
Title: Taming TigersAuthor: Jim LawlessPublisher: Taming Tigers PublishingReviewer: Bob Selden The last self-help guide book I read was almost 20 years ago. I got sick and tired of the same old things being said in slightly different ways. So, I was a little apprehensive when asked to review Taming Tigers by Jim Lawless. Always up […]
To agree, or not to agree: How to improve team decision making
Businesses are suffering from poor decision making, says Clive Lewis. He highlights the perils of allowing the loudest people to get their way, and describes how consensus decision making can harness the collective creativity of teams. Majority decisions may have the illusion that we are getting on with the job, but in reality it often […]
Diary: A rookie mistake
It’s hard to be an award-winning L&D manager when all the business wants is basic training. Diarist Josie Roberts has been dreaming of putting together a world-class training programme, sadly, the business’ needs are quite different… I have made such a rookie mistake I am embarrassed to admit it. Last month I wrote about my […]
The engaged learner
If staff are unmotivated and unengaged then that will have an impact on learning. So why is the motivation of the learner so often overlooked among L&D’s assessment and evaluation? This is Nigel Paine’s diagnosis. I read recently that 69% of adults of all ages in London are bored! I have no idea of how […]
LeadershipZone caption competition
There were some excellent entries to the LeadershipZone caption compeition, but the winner was Juliet LeFevre, who suggested the caption: “…and this lever works his eagle eyes.” Juliet will receive copies of two of the best leadership books on the stands – Rudolph W. Giuliani’s ‘Leadership’ and ‘It’s Our Ship’ by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. […]
How clean is your coaching?
Bob Selden has discovered that the old adage ‘It’s not what you say but the way that you say it’ is particularly relevant to coaching, and is a convert to the method of using ‘clean’ language – as free as possible of assumptions, opinions and advice. So how clean is your coaching? "The quality […]
What should directors know?
Recent write offs and bail outs in the financial services sector have once again focused attention on directors. Professor Colin Coulson-Thomas discusses the knowledge a director ought to possess, and answers the question: what should a director be expected to know? As well as various personal qualities and competencies, such as visioning and delegating abilities, […]
Free training resources
So far in this series we’ve had free team building and management and business training resources. In this latest instalment, Cheryl Taylor picks the best of the rest – resources that defy categorisation, other than they are useful, useable and, of course, free. If we’ve missed any gems, post a comment below or send an […]
Diary: And now for something a little bit different
As the new restructuring beds down, training manager and diarist Nathaniel Wallace faces up to the challenge of providing some innovative learning solutions in 2009. He starts by hiring a trainer who is just a little bit odd… We have reached the final lap of the financial year. Heads and senior managers are putting the […]
Climbing the training career ladder
So, you want to make training a career? Bob Selden has some essential, practical advice for those just starting on the training career ladder. I recently had an enquiry from a young trainer asking how she could improve her career prospects. My answer? “Become an expert”. Not an expert trainer (that is taken as a […]
Free thinking: Obama’s magic
Barack Obama can hold his audience spellbound, so what can the rest of us mere mortals learn from him about his magnetic speaking style? Martin Shovel looks at what makes Obama’s presentations so successful, and says it’s possible to spread a little of his magic. "Having heard someone speak, as time passes, you may find […]
Training to save lives
For Geraldine Grainger, training people to deal with choppy waters is all in a day’s work as she takes the helm as college principal at the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset. The former head of L&D at John Lewis talks about about her transition from commercial to charity sector. Geraldine’s departure from the John Lewis […]
Dealing with a credit crunched training budget
In difficult times, there are certain budgets that tend to get squeezed first, and training is often one of them. But after speaking with a number of training managers and consultants, Christiana Tollast finds that where there’s a will, there is most certainly a way. “Firstly, pool your resources: nine borough councils in Sussex have […]
The language of leadership
Are you in a leadership role? Do you sometimes struggle to find the right words? Language is an essential tool for leaders. 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 engaging, persuasive and inspiring […]