Blog
active listening
As a wise friend of mine once said…
“you have two ears and one mouth for a reason!”
anon
Leadership frequently conjures images of someone speaking in front of the podium, or at the very least, in front of their team. It is easy to see why this image abounds however, leadership does not to be about talking others to death.
Resilience – dealing with life’s challenges
Resilience: a class of phenomena characterised by patterns of positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity or risk
Snyder & Lopez, 2002
Essentially, resilience is the ability of an individual to bounce back (or roll with the punches) from anything that life throws their way.
Brexit – the end is nigh
As we move into the last months of the Brexit negotiations, something funny is going to happen to those involved. It is called pressure and it makes people do things they don’t want to.
A Nudge is as Good as a Wink
You may have seen that Professor Richard Thaler recently won the Nobel prize for economics. Sometimes the winners of these prizes can occupy worlds which seem far removed from our own, and their theories seem to be relevant only for academia.
You are what you do…
Traits
“All leaders are inspired by those they admire. Reading about them and studying their
Rudi Guiliani
Leaders, like the rest of us are all different. That’s a strength, for leaders, followers and of course, their organisations. Although leaders’ personalities will differ, there are certainly traits that they should all hold dear and spend time developing:
What am I going to do with you lot? or Nurturing your team
what am I going to do with you lot?
or…nurturing your team
“Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing”
Tom Peters.
The Common Touch
You may recall that Gerald Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster died in August 2016. Like most people I heard of his death via the British media. He was famous for his great wealth generated through his business’s property holdings and investments. Those people who were aware of him would normally refer to him in sentences that included “he’s the richest man in England” or “he makes the Queen look poor”. For most, It was his vast wealth that defined him.
Change: don’t sell it, live it and lead it
CHANGE; It’s one of the those subjects, everyone has an opinion on it, you are unlikely to meet someone who hasn’t experienced it and, of course, no one has a good word to say about it. Wether we are 18 or 80, stuck in our ways or a self titled ‘free thinker’ we just don’t do change; its irritating and unnecessary.
Who’s made the first team? Selecting the right people
“whenever feasible pick your team on character, not skills. You can teach skills; you can’t teach character”
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
“This is as clear as mud…great!”
The more confusing the better (or ambiguity…I love it).
Clarity…it’s not terribly clear.
Whilst being in charge (ideally) requires clarity, lateral thought, creativity and a high degree of intellectual bravery, it is more often epitomised by fogginess, confusion and ambiguity. Most people will have aspired to clarity but hit the brick wall of obscuration on more than one occasion; indeed my experience suggests that the moments of clarity are only achieved by spending some time in the quagmire of confusion!
Pay attention 007
The James Bond Effect
An interesting phenomenon.
According to urbandictionary.com:
The James Bond Effect (also called 007 Effect) is a theory in propaganda and political circles, whereby the first detailed opinion/summary that someone hears or reads on a particular topic, is the one they are most likely to adopt.
Conformity – are you a snowflake or a sheep?
We’re all individuals; we have unique fingerprints, dna and personalities. even the most identical of twins are not identical. we’re not ants running around unquestioningly, but non-conforming, intelligent humans whose every action is an expression of our own particular interpretation of the world surrounding us. we each have within us the ability to question and challenge the status quo.
Delegate until you’re uncomfortable, then delegate a little more
Trust and Empowerment
“Tell people what you want doing, not how to achieve it, you will be amazed by their creativity”
Dwight D Eisenhower.
Having spent a long time in the Public Sector (the British Army), I have often thought that it is easier to let go, to let your team ‘crack on’ when the bottom line is not measured in financial terms. After all, if there are no share holders screaming for more profit and no board looking down from the ivory tower expecting you to deliver more £s, $s etc then letting other people make the decisions has to be straight forward, doesn’t it?
Hostage Negotation
they’re irrational, unpredictable, and like to make threats. no, i’m not talking about your customers or suppliers – but hostage takers.
so what can commercial negotiators learn from hostage negotiators? on the face of it, the two sets of circumstances are radically different: