Great Leadership – Taking Difficult Decisions
Teresa May quoted in a recent press conference on the reaction to the Brexit plan that has just been signed by all 27 member states – “Great leadership is not about taking the easy route, it is about making difficult decisions.” Putting Brexit aside – I hear a sigh of relief? This quote is at […]
Two phenomenal leaders of our time – Kofi Annan and Aretha Franklin
The sad news last week of the passing of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul and Kofi Annan the statesman who spent his life dedicated to a fairer and more peaceful world, leaves two huge empty pairs of shoes for someone to step into. Their contributions to this world, their ability to touch the minds, […]
Leadership – service provider or security pre flight specialist?
I recently had the displeasure of being subjected to the pre flight security at Terminal 5. On the best occasions this is not fun, but a necessity. On average I travel through an airport approximately every six weeks. Not a lot some might say? Irrelevant of how you perceive the frequency, this last experience got […]
International Women’s Day – A Celebration of Female Leadership
On the 8th March to celebrate International Women’s day perhaps it is appropriate give credit to the many female Heads of State, CEO’s, Owners and Mothers. How interesting that the world has a strong representation of female leaders, 22 countries in total including Denmark, Poland, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Brazil and Norway. This is quite a sizeable […]
Olympians and Leadership Lessons
Sports and leadership have so much in common, as do leadership and sports? Kirsti Yamaguchi could not have put the point across more succinctly. To be successful in any sports, whether on ice, on snow, in water, on a track or field, focus is required to keep your goal in mind, and in vision at […]
You scratch my back and i’ll scratch yours – the law of reciprocity
In Robert Cialdini’s Influence: Science and Practice (2009), he describes the powerful rule of reciprocity as one of “the most influential dynamics of human behaviour, the reciprocation rule essentially states that if someone gives something to us, we feel obligated to repay that debt.” Reciprocation, “the quality or state of being reciprocal: mutual dependence, action, […]
Swan-like leadership – a festive thought moving into 2018
At this time of year many of us try to be the archetypal model of a swan, gracefully gliding over the surface whilst paddling like fury under the water line trying to get everything done both in the work environment and at home! I can relate to this, especially with so many events that come […]
Are your employees not performing because they are suffering from poor or lack of sleep?
According to the National Sleep Foundation “more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month – with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more”. A goods nights sleep and the preparation for sleep is as […]
How compatible is your company motto with decisions that affect customer loyalty?
Continuing the airline theme by taking a look at our own national airline in terms of the company motto and how poor decisions within the organisation affect customer loyalty. As seen on the Ba.com website: “At British Airways our promise of ‘To Fly. To Serve’ embodies who we are and what we do. We want […]
Ryanair – a fine leadership cock-up
The purpose of my blog is not to run Ryanair into the ground, though I am sure there are a number of people out there who would willingly do that. Anyway time will tell? As my mum always said “All good things come to he who waits!” I was listening to a well-known radio station […]