"It was love at first sight!" "I knew they'd be right for the job the moment they stepped into the interview room." Aren’t human beings amazing? We lay our eyes on someone and within mere seconds we have analysed and concluded whether: we like them we trust...
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” said Peter Drucker, by which I think he meant getting the right culture is very important for organisational and team success. Rather than just accepting culture as it is, a key question that leaders need to ask themselves is “how can...
One of my favourite quotes about presenting is from George Jessel who said “The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts to work as soon as you are born and doesn’t stop until you get up to deliver a speech.” Many of the people we...
The modern world is complex and requires leaders who can leverage the talents of a team of experts to solve problems and gain a competitive edge. As these individuals will most likely have more knowledge and experience than you in their areas of expertise, getting the...
The psychologists tell us that batching things in threes is a powerful way of communicating – three is the magic number, as the saying (or the song by De La Soul) goes! This is because the Rule of Three suggests that things which come in...
How do you calculate the true cost of an organisational problem? We may struggle to convince others of the value of change. They don’t feel the problem is sufficiently large to warrant the effort of change - particularly if it’s not impacting them personally. The...
This is a question that all leaders should ask themselves but, if we do, our reflection is often skill or attribute focused, for example “should I be more visionary, or more empathic, or more decisive?”. Is this skill or attribute focus the most effective way...
As a Learning & Development professional, I am well aware of the importance of reflection as an aid to learning and, as part of any training design, I include opportunities for participants to pause and reflect at regular intervals. It struck me recently that whilst...
Let’s start by reminding ourselves of the two fundamental questions of leadership: Where am I going? Why should anyone follow me? My previous blogs have focused on Strategic Thinking where I have outlined what it is and how developing an effective strategy may be best approached. This addresses...
If you were asked to describe the feedback culture of your organisation, what would you say and why? What, if anything, could be better? I have lost count of the times a client has said “Please cover feedback on your workshop as we want to create a...
How many times have you been to a meeting, whether a team meeting, project meeting or one to one with your manager, and felt like you had no idea where it was going? You might not have been clear on why you were there, what...
How many times have you categorically known that you are right about something but haven’t been able to persuade others? This has happened to me many times and it’s really frustrating. Why don’t people see what I’m seeing? Why aren’t they convinced when it’s so...
You’ve just sat down with one of your team to review his objectives and you’ve agreed that he needs to focus on developing his influencing skills, particularly in relation to his new project. You’re both very familiar with the concept of SMART, but have no idea...
Ever been in that situation where you’re put on the spot and asked a killer question? People are looking at you, the pressure is on, your reputation is at stake! ...