Enablers vs Debilitators
The best teacher I ever had was, undoubtedly, Mr Emery. When I was nine, I started my first ‘novel’ and I’ll never forget his enthusiasm and encouragement of my efforts. I wrote three chapters before the distractions of youth and the complexities of writing about the adventures of swallows emigrating to Africa, when I’d never […]
Benefits Of Using Gamification In The Workforce
Your employees are great people, but it’s your job as a manager or business owner to get the most from them by bringing the best out in them. Gamification is a commonly used term over the past few years in the marketing industry, human resources, sales, and entrepreneurship. Gamification is a great way to boost […]
Learning from Glastonbury’s big talent problem
I was reading an article looking at this year’s Glastonbury headliners, when I was struck by a realisation: they were all white men with guitars. Then I read that they have all played Glastonbury before—up to five times, as in the case of Radiohead. Before the 2017 festival had even kicked off, a new study […]
Mentoring with a twist: encouraging employees to stay curious & creative
Most businesses today will have some form of training in place, whether this is formal, through a third-party provider, or through internal employee mentoring schemes. There’s currently a great focus on improving diversity in the workplace, especially for STEM jobs. It’s become the general consensus that having diverse teams and actively promoting an inclusive work […]
3 Ways To Train Your Customer Service Team
Customers are the lifeblood of any business, and customer service reps are often the only contact your customers will have with your business. Training top-quality customer service reps and motivating them to go above and beyond every day is a massive challenge that reaps massive opportunity. The only way your organization will improve its customer […]
Is ‘radical candour’ really a new approach to management?
If you pride yourself on your care and consideration for colleagues and your ability to sidestep potential conflict, you might smugly consider yourself to be doing rather well. But I have news for you: your lack of candour means you’re in dangerous territory known as ‘ruinous empathy’, or so says former Google executive Kim Scott, […]
Graduate recruits – trainees or the finished article?
Last week, the Association for Graduate recruiters (AGR) released their annual development survey. As reported in school and university bashing newspapers the main focus of the report was, apparently, about how young people joining the workforce in graduate programmes lack team working, problem-solving and other so-called soft-skills when they start work. Employers are, if media […]
Do I need certifications to train?
Hi all, Newbie here who just joined. I have been thinking of setting up my own freelancing in-house training business in my area of expertise (financial services customer services). This would be aimed at clients abroad, outside Europe in fact. I have over 18 years experience in managing client services team, train and mentor different […]
Is Coaching & Mentoring Millennials So Important?
Uncertainty. If you ask Millennials how they feel about life and their future, and if they are honest, they will answer with this one word. Some will also say maligned. They feel maligned. Gen X-er’s and Boomers have painted a picture of this generation as narcissistic, self-absorbed, and, in the workplace, needful of constant feedback. […]
Why Leadership Is Learned From Experience & Fails
Here’s the thing about leadership. You probably didn’t study it in college or design school. And yet here you are, an entrepreneur with a growing business, adding staff, and wondering how you are supposed to “manage” these employees. This is your first mistake. You will need to drop the term “manage” and adopt instead the […]
Five coaching suggestions for engaging millennials
Millennials are a breed apart. They’ve grown up with a different set of values, different technologies and different expectations from all of those who came before. The result? They expect different things. This means that in order to motivate them during coaching, you’ve got to do things a little differently. Not drastically differently, mind you. […]
Getting the best involved in a mentoring programme
I just saw a similar query on our LinkedIn group and thought it was a good question – if you're running a mentoring programme, how do you ensure the best managers get involved, rather than those with bad habits? Or do you think by involving all managers in mentoring that it can iron out any […]
Selling leadership
Does leadership require you to be ‘all things to all men’? It’s an interesting question and it is one perhaps best answered by a quick look at the nature of leadership. You see, whilst great leadership requires you to be authentic, to be true to yourself, great leaders also know that you do not lead […]
Job shadowing, mentoring & open communication: developing future leaders in the public sector
Having a positive impact on real people’s lives has always been a passion of mine. It’s what gave me the drive to establish a career in the public sector. After several years at the Cabinet Office, I decided it was time to get back on the frontline so took my current role as Head of […]
How Toyota Trained GM: An Example of the Value of Company Culture
Company culture is difficult to define, but it can make a massive difference in how competitive a company can be and whether they can remain dominant for an extended period of time. When a company can survive varying economic environments, expand into new markets, replace its leading officers, and still thrive, it is likely because […]
How To Use Training To Foster Healthy and Engaged Employees
These days, it takes more than increasing salaries to cultivate healthy and engaged employees. Although the financial reward is why most of us need to work in the first place, encouraging true on-the-job motivation and enthusiasm is a slightly more complex matter. One of the most influential studies, conducted by the UK Civil Service Health […]
Let me“enter-train” you…
In a previous blog I talked about the importance of creating a “group feel” when hosting live on-line training. To access that blog click here. In this blog, I wanted to share some of the fundamental attributes of a successful virtual trainer – we sometimes call them ‘Entertrainers’. 1. They know how to deliver at […]
Coaching – a partnership of trust
Whether in the sporting arena or in the office it is all too easy to see the coaching relationship in terms of hierarchy; between someone who needs help and someone who can provide the answers. Whilst that level of relationship may work on certain superficial levels, the best coaches operate on an entirely different plane. […]
Three reasons why building from within builds customer service heroes
Business growth creates new staffing opportunities but it can also bring recruitment challenges. Think about the lengthy notice and inductions periods, for a start. Strong succession planning provides a more seamless process and ensures a bank of motivated individuals who are ready to step up when needed. They are immediately up to speed and in […]
Business Mentor/Coach (for small training company)
Hi I'm managing director of a small training company/consultancy and looking to grow the business. I'm seeking a business coach or mentor, ideally with a knowledge of how tranining companies work and their markets, to help with this. Does anyone know of a business coach or mentor who might be interested and if so, would you […]
