What direction are you heading in?
“Would you please tell me,” said Alice to the cat, “which way should I go from here?” “That all depends,” said the cat “on where you want to get.” “I don’t much care where,” said Alice “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll I […]
Lead like a tribal chief: Leadership lessons from Sitting Bull
A week ago today marked 125 years since the death of Sitting Bull. Holding an unprecedented position as leader of the Sioux, we consider his personal and team developmental leadership skills. Leader of the Sioux Sitting Bull was killed in South Dakota in what was the culmination of 22 years as supreme chief of all tribes. […]
The problem of coaching pt2
Robin Hoyle concludes his two-part feature on ups and downs of coaching in management. Following any L&D programme, what is required is some on-the-job support. Here there are, confusingly, some overlaps between person-centred coaching and the functional improvement required. Committing to action, gathering evidence of action undertaken, reflecting on what worked and what didn’t and planning […]
The problem of coaching
I ought to start by saying how much I am a fan of coaching. This is no rant about the established orthodoxies being less than perfect. No, I like the person-centred conversations which seek to empower individuals and lead them through clever questioning to both enlightenment and a new found clarity of action. An organisation taking an […]
Six steps toward a better training programme
In executing against your company’s key learning objectives, skilful presentation, engaging learning materials and a framework that always aligns with your company’s strategic intent are crucial for making a good corporate-wide training programme truly great, as well as cost-effective. Selecting a framework within which to organise the strategy, structure and execution of any training programme […]
Four Questions To Assess The Purpose Of Your Business
At the Stretch leadership conference in Budapest this week, one of the recurring themes was that of purpose. One of the quotes I shared as part of my session was Peter Drucker’s far-sighted observation from 1954 that ‘Profit is like oxygen. You need it to survive, but if you think that oxygen is the purpose of your […]
Difficult people and the resilience drain
Most companies are starting to recognise the importance of resilience in the workplace, and many organisations are beginning to invest in their people’s wellbeing through vital training and development programmes. While this is all positive change and key to the development of staff and organisational success, it is also important to establish where work stresses […]
If you want to get Lean, get active
‘More or Less’, the BBC Radio 4 programme on statistics in public use, regularly uncovers and tries to lay to rest Zombie Statistics. These are figures that are often taken as fact despite often having very little firm evidence. A good clue for spotting Zombies is the difficulty in finding the original research behind the […]
Inspire to lead: Leadership lessons from Winston Churchill
On 30 November 1874, Winston Churchill was born. 141 years to the day, we look at what he can teach us about leadership. Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill; grandson of the Duke of Marlborough, chancellor, home secretary, first lord of the admiralty and, arguably, the most revered prime minister in British history for his efforts in leading the […]
Current and upcoming trends in the training industry
I am always interested to learn about current and upcoming trends in the training industry and to get the most accurate results I would appreciate if any training providers could complete this short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/training-industry-survey-2015 The survey also provides the chance to win a Discovery Workshop session (or remain anonymous) which looks in detail at your […]
Perception and power: Leadership lessons from Elizabeth I
In the third of a series of guides looking at what leaders from history can teach us about leadership, Paul Russell looks at Elizabeth I. When considering the broad remit of a leader, managing personal image can often be the middle child, a little forgotten with concerns of the first born and youngest demanding attention. With […]
Annual Performance Reviews Scrapped
A recent article in the Independent: ‘Accenture: One of world’s biggest companies to scrap annual performance reviews‘ Apparently this decision has been based on the realisation that trying to measure the value of employees’ contribution and ranking them is in fact costly, an administrative burden and most of all not effective in improving the performance […]
The quality of management in organisations
There is definitely debate about the quality of management in organisations and what it can affect: morale, employee engagement, productivity rates and much more. But how bad is it really? People Management surveyed HR and L&D professionals via an online poll to find out what they really think about their line managers, and the results were […]
Survey results: What is the training industry looking for?
As a supplier it is crucial to understand your buyer’s pain points, wants and needs. That is why, before demonstrating our training management software we undertake a needs analysis to try and understand the current situation. The categories include: Current pain points Triggers for change Key objectives The information we have collated over the last […]
How to create a sustainable coaching business
Mike Greatwood, founder of The DMP Consultancy shares his experiences as an executive coach on how others can avoid the ‘fear or famine’ syndrome and build a successful and sustainable coaching business. Never underestimate the importance of a unique proposition Solve a specific business problem and demonstrate ROI Concentrate on what you enjoy and do […]
Managed learning: how to get it right
Joanne Casson summarises research findings on the secret of success in training outsourcing. Outsourcing training activity, commonly known as managed learning, is a growing phenomenon. According to the global learning portal TrainingIndustry.com, the number of organisations now supplementing their in-house training capability – by contracting out selective assignments to an external provider – is at […]
Want to step up and take more responsibility but someone has stolen your step!
Have you ever got frustrated with a someone who appeared to be shirking thier responsibilities? I know I have. However, when I reflect I often end up feeling sorry for them. Most people want to do thier best, it is not that they don’t want to step up, but that someone else has stolen the actual […]
Leadership lessons: Teachings from Sun Tzu
In the second of our series of guides looking at what leaders from history can teach us about leadership, we look at Sun Tzu’s approaches to conflict resolution. When did handling conflict become such an integral part of leadership? Whether managing interpersonal conflicts between employees, management disputes over strategic direction, or external disputes with stakeholders, […]
Takeaways are bad for your health
There are a few words in the English language that set my teeth on edge. Moist. Membury (the name of one of the services on the M4). Carbuncle. Work is also full of words and phrases I never want to hear again. I’m afraid to say “Learning & Development” (with the ampersand) is one of […]
Training can learn a lot from the Rugby World Cup winners.
Watching the victorious New Zealand Rugby team returning home prompted me to think that managers in business can learn a lot from the Rugby World Cup winners. They knew exactly what they needed to achieve (a clear goal) and this determined their decision making A wealth of experience goes a long way, a coaching style […]
