The secret to motivation for managers
“How can you motivate the people who work for you?” This must be the toughest question I ever ask when training managers as I rarely get any answers. If I push, I might get something along the lines of...
View ArticleNurturing good leadership qualities
The world is filled with outstanding leaders. Leaders who have faced adversity, who have defied all odds, who their people love to work with. I’m going to make an assumption. I’m going to assume that...
View ArticleAre your board identifying their leadership challenges?
Learning is for life. That’s one of the lessons Virgin Founder Richard Branson has learnt as an entrepreneur. We couldn’t agree more, and we’re sure you couldn’t either. In L&D we live and...
View ArticleMaking leadership learning real
Years ago, when I first set my sights on a boardroom role, I realised that to earn and hold a place at the top level, I would need to be able to evaluate my own leadership style honestly and...
View ArticleLeadership is a service not a right
I was keen to explore changes in customer expectations and how this appears to be increasing in line with that of today’s workforce. Today’s society appears less willing to accept a standard level of...
View ArticleGet out of your own way
A number of years ago I invested in myself and chose to spend time in the lovely Lake District for some personal development with like-minded people. A message that really hit home for me that week was...
View ArticleThe future of business leadership
Most of us in L&D are well aware of the importance of leadership development. However, the recent report “Rewiring leadership: The future we want, the leadership we need” from CISL, brings up...
View ArticleAre you leading with your brain switched on?
While attending a client’s annual business briefing, I was impressed by how much they had achieved in a year and was surprised by the impact this had on them. They had done really well and achieved a...
View ArticleEstablishing the need for management development
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated to reflect the current climate. I’m a strong advocate for providing new managers with all the help they can get if...
View ArticlePrioritising soft skills – isn’t it about time?
Soft skills are taking the spotlight in workplace learning. The World Economic Forum (WEF) have predicted a significant rise in demand for soft skills by 2020. This means that soft skills such as...
View ArticleHas leadership development turned into a balancing act?
Leadership is a global hot topic right now. Just think of recent headlines surrounding the gender disparity in leadership, the need for leaders to create a sustainable future, the millennial...
View Article7 critical soft skills for leaders
The latest reports from top researchers are rating the soft skills demand and the need for strategic leadership development as two of the top priorities for businesses: To summarise the research, soft...
View ArticleLessons on leadership from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Christmas countdown has officially begun. The advent calendars are out, the office has Christmas tunes on a loop and the cold dark evenings are finally warming up with lots of sparkling lights. I...
View ArticleWhy communication is key for leading through uncertain times (and what it...
If there’s one word that sums up the current climate for me, it must be ‘uncertain’. Commonly described as ‘VUCA’ (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), it is an environment of rapid change,...
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