Trainer’s Tip: Set Perfomance Targets that Motivate
This week Peter Hunter explains how to set performance targets that inspire rather than demotivate staff. Setting performance targets can have a negative effect on the ability of the workers to achieve them. The workforce perceives performance targets as the management telling them what they should be doing. Telling people what to do makes them […]
Companies Neglect Board Development
Companies spend more effort on recruiting and developing graduates than their board members, according to management development group Roffey Park.The company said that new Board members should have the ability to challenge, a ‘can do, will do’ attitude, technical expertise and an affinity with the organisation’s culture and values. While new non-executive directors should be […]
Parkin Space: Holy Grail or Poisoned Chalice?
For some years now, the notion of competency-based learning management (CBLM) has been viewed by training departments as the Holy Grail. But, like many things that make a lot of sense in theory, the practice is somehow unconvincing. In fact, the pursuit of CBLM, like the pursuit of e-learning, can cause us to lose sight […]
Trainer’s Tip: How to Make the Case for E-Learning
Over two years ago, I introduced e-learning to the company I worked for. In making a case for investment, I made a clear case as to how e-learning would complement other forms of training in the organisation. E-learning is not for everyone as it depends on one’s learning style so, in writing the strategy, e-learning […]
Leadership Development is Top Skills Challenge
Developing potential leaders, enhancing managerial and supervisory skills, and dealing with competitive pressures are at the top of the list of challenges faced by HR and training executives, according to the 2005 Business Issues Survey conducted by The Ken Blanchard Companies.Respondents were asked to define their organisation’s top management, employee development and business challenges from […]
Trainer’s Diary: The Presenter’s Fear
Byron Kalies confronts the manager’s fear of giving a presentation. “Fake it ’till you make it.”Blank looks.“Pretend you can do something, keep doing it until you wake up one morning and find you really can. Pretend you’re really confident about presenting. Visualise someone who does it well. Copy them. Really. Trust me – try it […]
Training Managers Say UK Lacks Effective Leaders
Two-thirds of UK organisations are suffering from a shortage of highly effective leaders, according to the 2005 Training and Development Survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The survey of 664 training managers working in UK organisations found that in response to this leadership deficit, 85% of UK organisations are now investing in […]
The Way I See It… Leadership: Visionary, Popular or Sledgehammer?
Fraser Murray of Fairplace categorises different styles of leadership and assesses when each style is most successful. I have observed some common patterns in ‘leadership styles’ and, before you ask, no my views are not statistically tested or validated – but I’m sure you’ll have come across these people in your company. When a company […]
Charisma Key to Success
Almost half of UK company directors and senior managers believe that a plummy upper-class accent is a hindrance rather than a help when it comes to succeeding in business, according to research from The Aziz Corporation. However, having a working-class accent is considered even worse, with 86% of those who took part in the survey […]
UK Managers Are No Role-Models
Only one third of UK employees (34%) see their manager as a role model, with many resenting their boss’s failure to involve them when developing new ideas, according to a new MORI poll. The research, commissioned by Investors in People (IIP), found that nearly a quarter of employees (24%) feel that their line manager takes […]
Trainer’s Diary: The Okavanga-Kalahari Syndrome
Management consultant and writer Byron Kalies looks at why change programmes fail so often. “There’s a new change management programme starting next week,” said the worried voice on the phone, “What can I do?”“Keep your head down,” was my sage advice.“But this one’s serious.”“They all are.”“No – really. This time the HR Department is determined […]
The Way I See It… 10 Strategies for Successful Presentations
A survey for the Confident Club found that nearly one in two Brits are more scared of making presentations than they are of dying. Confident Club coach, Steve McDermott, reveals powerful strategies for successful presentations. 1. Believe: A presentation starts long before you get up to speak. Mental preparation is at least as important as […]
Staff Critical of Managers’ Skills
More than half of British workers think their manager does not have the skills required to do their job, according to a new survey. The poll of 200 workers found that:• 25% said their managers needed to brush up on their communication skills.• 10% felt that their manager’s language skills could be improved.• Nearly 20% […]
Feature: Network Success
According to a recent leadership study, becoming a master at self-promotion is one of the most fail-safe ways of getting to the top. Here Sandra Beale reveals her tips on how to become a successful networker. Recognise the importance of networkingAsk any successful business person and they will tell you that above all else networking […]
Women Make ‘Better Leaders’
Women are more likely to have the leadership characteristics essential for high performance in today’s workplace, according to a new study.The research, from leadership consultants the Centre for High Performance Development (CHPD), suggests that while men believe they are more competent than women, the reverse is true. However, men’s self-belief and ability to promote themselves […]
Skills Study Shows Growing Management Gap
A new study by the The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) shows a widening gap in top management skills.During 2001 to 2003, reported gaps in management skills rose above that of professional occupations. The SSDA expects that gap to get bigger.Demand varies considerably across sectors, with textiles and clothing and transport equipment predicted to decline […]
Alan Sugar’s ‘The Apprentice’ Sparks Leadership Debate
BBC Two’s reality TV hit, ‘The Apprentice’ in which fourteen hopefuls fight it out to become the six-figure protégé of the AMSTRAD chief has triggered debate on what characteristics make the best leaders.According to consultants, Mercer Delta those that focus on power and politics might get to the top but aren’t always the best for […]
MBA Courses Need the ‘Feminine’ Touch
Researchers from Brunel University’s Business School are calling to ‘feminise’ the MBA by incorporating softer skills into the curriculum.Condemning the current structure as largely ‘masculine’ Brunel argue that ‘harder’, analytical skills are prioritised to the detriment of more ‘feminine’ skills relating to personal and interpersonal development. In particular, they have identified listening, trust building skills […]
The Way I See It… Investing in Inclusion
Tony Burnett, MD of Performance Through Inclusion, argues that without understanding the difference between the two concepts of diversity and inclusion, the problems over the next 10 years resulting from an ageing and shrinking UK population will not be solved. Many people in positions of power and influence in society have no great difficulty in […]
Review: Outdoor and Experiential Learning
Title: Outdoor and Experiential Learning – An holistic and creative approach to LearningAuthor: Andy Martin, Dan Franc, and Daniela ZounkováPublisher: GowerISBN: 0-566-08628-XPrice: £49.50Reviewer: Mike Taylor If you are involved with experiential learning, whether with youngsters or managers, then this book will certainly speak to you, but whether you would find it was good use of […]