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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Employee development – a cost or an investment?
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT – A COST OR AN INVESTMENT? I was recently staying in a hotel on the Salford Quays. For purposes of my blog I will only say that it is a well known international brand. Not a huge hotel, and therefore potentially able to give guests a more personal experience. There was nothing particularly […]
In pursuit of perfectionism
Perfect or perfection is often thrown about in the business world as a desired state. This might be voiced as an exclamation – “Oh perfect!”, as a statement, related to a particular desired outcome – “That is almost perfect?” Clearly from the last sentence we can see that something is missing, not aligned correctly, has […]
Enthusiasm – a leadership characteristic
“I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.” Queen Elizabeth II One of my clients some […]
Trust Takes a Lifetime to Build and a Moment to Lose
Successful leadership and trust go hand in hand. Unless the leader has the trust of his or her team, leadership is likely to be ineffective and will probably fail on most levels. Earning trust takes time, losing it is quick. As leaders it is easy to find ourselves in situations that cast doubt over our […]
Stress is good – Well sort of…….?
When was the last time you walked into a train and saw people just sitting or standing looking into “space” or out of the window? When was the last time you walked in the street and everyone was mindful of where they are going, but not in a hurry to get there first? When was […]
Do Financial Bonuses Enhance Performance?
I read with interest the article in a recent Sunday Times (Business section) “Bosses: Is the Party Over?” by Ben Laurance. The article was about Neil Woodford of The Woodford Patient Capital Trust, who after many years of paying bonuses to his fund managers has decided to scrap them altogether. Woodford is compensating his team […]