Management and leadership skills: What’s the difference?
When furthering the skills of your managers and leaders, you must first define the difference between management and leadership. Mike Morrison says that many believe you can train management skills, but you develop leadership abilities, and he explores the options open to those responsible for the training and development of managers and leaders. As our […]
The leadership survival guide
New managers may welcome extra responsibility but it comes with greater accountability, says David Pardey – it’s like two sides of a coin: you can’t have one without the other. His checklist for first time leaders is designed to help them know what to expect from their new role, and cope with the burden of […]
To hell and back again: Leading in troubled times
There is no substitute for inspirational leaders, particularly when times are bad, Jack Welch told delegates to the recent Leaders in London conference. The conference brought together some of the world’s biggest authorities on leadership and business, including Rudy Giuliani. Steve Roth, LeadershipZone managing editor, was there. Prepare for the worst, Jack Welch told the […]
Government leadership training back on track in latest round of Capability Reviews
The government is seemingly back on course to meet the training targets set by Cabinet Secretary and head of the Home Civil Service, Sir Gus O’Donnell, according to the latest round of capability reviews.The reviews, published at the end of last week by the Cabinet Office, outline the progress made by the Department for Business, […]
2008: That was the year that was…
2008 is a year few of us will forget in a hurry. But as the credit crunch rolls into recession, it has been interesting to hear so many voices stress the importance of investing in skills. So how has L&D fared over the past 12, turbulent, months? Rebecca Midgley asked some key industry figures about […]
Simplicity: Formality v informality
Today’s society is less stratified and deferential than it was 30 years ago. Has the workplace lost anything important along the way? Trevor Gay considers the pros and cons of formality. “Would I be comfortable receiving financial advice from a bank manager dressed in jeans and T-shirt and a gold stud in his or her […]
Excuse me sir, ever thought of retraining?
In times gone by, making the board meant you had made the grade, so what was the point of development at this lofty level? Professor Colin Coulson-Thomas explains how times have changed. The credit crunch has exposed the limitations of many boards. The public intervention required to prevent meltdown reflects a failure of boards to […]
John Adair: In pursuit of a global leadership strategy
In the final part of our series, leadership development guru John Adair explains to features editor Louise Druce why effective leadership programmes need to begin on a global scale. In the midst of the seismic shift from old style command-and-control management to the concept of leadership, a need for political buy-in has emerged, says leadership […]
The tomorrow people: Preparing the next generation of government leaders
The government is no stranger to criticism when it comes to how it keeps its own house in order but following a damning review exposing the lack of leadership training for civil service staff, has it finally redressed the balance? Verity Gough investigates. Heavy criticism over the Baby P case has forced the government […]
The secret to getting your team engaged
Many supervisors, managers and team leaders bemoan the fact that their team is not totally engaged with what they are trying to achieve. Bob Selden suggests some solutions. A recent survey by the Corporate Leadership Council of 50,000 employees worldwide found that only 11% felt fully engaged in their current work, 76% felt neither engaged […]
Leadership development in a flatter world
What leadership qualities are essential in the current economic climate and how can training professionals help develop them? Professor Sharon Turnbull of The Leadership Trust reports on the findings of a global research project that may help. Leadership is and always has been about winning the hearts and minds of people to achieve a common […]
A week in training: Education and Skills in the spotlight
It’s all about education and skills this week following the landmark Education and Skills Act 2008, Sir Alan Sugar signs up to back the push for apprenticeships, Universities Secretary John Denham’s University Challenge looks set for success and a new report suggests women may make better leaders than men. Almost a decade after last addressing […]
The 21st Century learning professional is well and truly credit crunched
The credit crunch is more than just an embarrassment to those in the financial sector, says Paul Kearns, who asks why the plethora of leadership development programmes didn’t see it coming? It’s time for management development to address real world issues, he says, in order to mould the behaviour of future leaders. As I draw […]
A week in training: The £65m skills booster
This week: there’s a £65m pot for boosting skills in science, manufacturing and engineering, managers show support for extending flexible working to all, learndirect launches an interactive game to boost literacy and numeracy, and staff show a lack of trust in their senior managers. £65m skills boost for science, manufacturing and engineeringSemta, the sector skills […]
John Adair: Why does leadership training fail?
It’s not enough to just send people on leadership courses; you need to think about why they are needed in the first place. It sounds simple enough, so why does training so often fail? Leadership guru John Adair shares his thoughts with Louise Druce. Good leadership is fundamental to good business so it makes sense […]
Trainer’s tip: Team building activities
You’ve suddenly been asked to come up with a team building exercise at the last minute – what do you do? Trainers point to several websites that offer details of great team building exercises, and the beauty is, they’re all free! Carson Warnes asked: I’m two months into a new job & I’ve just been […]
A week in training: A vision of the C21st trainer
As an L&D professional are you firmly rooted in C21st? Find out how the CIPD would view you as it presents its vision of the modern trainer. Meanwhile the government invests millions in advertising Train to Gain and it turns out that coaching doesn’t always mean a lucrative contract. CIPD sets out its vision of […]
To lead or to manage?
Leonard Wolff examines the roles of leaders and managers, and why it’s a challenge to be good at either job. In today’s world, the terms ‘manager’ and ‘leader’ are often confused as one and the same. But, is a leader a manager? Is a manager a leader? Was Einstein a leader, a manager, neither or […]
Agenda: Leadership lessons from Obama
After 21 months of campaigning, America welcomed president elect Barack Obama on 4 November. At least 134 million Americans registered votes, shattering the previous record of 122 million, but with economic instability at its peak and the world looking for solutions, Obama has high expectations to live up to. John Fay MBE, founder and CEO […]
Coaching tips for managers
When an organisation has invested in developing managers to coach, how do you help them to stay on top of the game post-training? Phil Deer has developed this simple coaching checklist for managers. What is coaching? My favourite author on the subject, Sir John Whitmore, defines it as “unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their […]