Why entrepreneurs need coaching more than most…
Every time I meet or hear an entrepreneur speak I’m inspired by their self belief and drive, but I’m also reminded that of all personality types, entrepreneurs need a coach more than most. At the...
View ArticleBusiness icon or super hero - who makes the best role model…?
Role models are an important part of our development. We learn by observing them and often want to emulate them. Our role models change as we age and as our careers progress, and of course we will...
View ArticleWhat do your shoes say about your personality?
No, you really haven’t read the title of this blog wrongly! I came across an article with a very similar title in the latest British Psychological Society (BPS) Research Digest (taken from the Journal...
View ArticleFirst impressions can be wrong…
Many years ago when I was a police officer working in Brixton, South London; I decided to walk to a meeting on Streatham Hill. As I approached Streatham High Road a massive guy came out of the tube...
View ArticleOrganisational values: essential or a waste of time…?
I believe very strongly organisations need values and that these values should influence both the employee and the customer experience. I also believe that most organisations are wasting time and money...
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Relationship-building: the 'critical' factor
In the same way that every dog has its day, eventually every organisation has a crisis. Whether it’s a critical drop in performance, adverse publicity, a hostile take-over or merger, downsizing - they...
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The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: individual vs collective...
When people talk about leadership, they usually do so from an individual perspective. If you ask anyone in a medium to large organisation what the leadership is like you will hear statements such as...
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Leaders and social media: a question of ‘fight’ or ‘flight’?
As a senior leader, if there was a way that would help you to communicate with both customers and employees alike with clarity, consistency and frequency, a tool that would help you amplify your brand...
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How biased are you – a little or a lot?
The fact is that each and every one of us is biased. We have all at some point judged someone according to a stereotype that we are familiar with. Sometimes it’s done consciously because it’s our way...
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Know your derailers, know yourself: how do you respond under pressure?
You know that feeling when you’ve just made a comment or taken a decision that you’ve done under pressure and you know that you perhaps didn’t handle it in the way you really you should have? Maybe you...
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Survival of the fittest?
According to some business leaders, Sir Martin Sorrell of media group WPP being one, the UK is facing a lost decade for growth and we’re only half way through, so reports City AM, London’s daily...
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Leaders need to be connectors
Critical to organisational success, leaders need to embrace every opportunity to demonstrate leadership. This includes communicating the direction and vision of an organisation frequently, consistently...
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Is having courage of conviction the be all and end all?
To have the confidence to do or say what you think is right even when other people disagree or the determination to carry out your goals... many may think that they have what it takes, particularly at...
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Are you a ‘T’ shaped individual?
Fact: organisations and the individuals that make up those organisations need to be able to survive in the certainty of the uncertain. These days that’s a given. Complexity and ambiguity (which works...
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Leadership: imagine yourself as a frog...
Have you heard the boiling frog anecdote? I was reminded of it by a recent conversation in which the topic was organisations who don’t realise they’re in trouble... until it’s past the point of no...
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The ONE thing to do if you want to hire staff in 2013
There have been a number of commentators and surveys in the past few weeks that, in one way or another, suggest more businesses will be looking to hire staff in 2013. Although growth is likely to be...
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Five business reasons to invest in developing your people
Once a business has hired people, whether it’s as little as two or as much as two hundred, giving employees the opportunity for development is a must. Why? Put simply, developing your employees...
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Mental Toughness: do you have what it takes?
If you heard the words mental toughness would it conjure up a picture of someone who is super resilient, able to deal with any situation no matter how stressful and no matter how critical the decisions...
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Which animal best describes your leadership style?
This is the type of slightly left field question that some organisations have been using during interviews. It seems to be more prevalent at the moment – maybe it’s an attempt to make a particular...
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Every organisation needs a leadership brand.
I want to qualify this statement by defining what I mean by leadership brand. It isn’t, as many may think about an individual leader’s brand (what I would call a personal brand) – what I refer to is...
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How good is your “gut feel”?
Most of us widely use this phrase. As leaders and managers, going with your “gut feel” or something that “feels right” is usually somewhere in the mix when you’re making a decision – it’s your...
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You either have talent or you don't.
Success. It's about two things: having talent or putting in the hard work and effort that will make you a success. How you view it is dependent on your own perspective... so, which camp do you fall in?...
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Feedback is vastly underrated.
Question: why is that when you hear someone say “can I give you some feedback?” most people will automatically think that the ‘feedback’ is likely to be negative. I don’t know how much research exists...
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Authentic Leaders Take the Checkered Flag!
Is it possible to be an effective Authentic Leader at the upper levels of an organisation without having worked your way up from junior and middle levels?Lets review the challenges any new senior...
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When is a team NOT a team?
As Laurence Fishburne says to Neo “Welcome to the Real” referring to the real world as opposed to the dream world in the film ‘The Matrix’. This links nicely to the subject of this blog which is the...
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