How to smash leadership barriers

It has become a common mantra that it is vital to develop leadership in our organisations. Many firms spend thousands of hours and millons of pounds trying to develop their leaders. But when would-be leaders return to the workplace, they find the all the inspiring ideas about leadership are impossible to put into practice. Why […]
The key to 21st century leadership

Despite the IMF forecasting an increase in the UK’s GDP by 1.4% this year and 1.9% in 2014, and initial green shoots of recovery that are beginning to appear, it is clear from the CEOs we speak to that today’s climate is anything but comfortable. Finding strong business leaders has always been a challenge. It takes […]
A new workplace approach to dyspraxia

The Dyspraxia Foundation is the only charity dedicated solely to helping those living with dyspraxia; a condition that impacts on the lives of children and adults on a daily basis. The charity supports an adult group answering queries, producing factsheets, organising events and facilitating an adult Facebook page. A recent award from the Big Lottery […]
Culture change at Zappos and the power of a mantra

Although the spotlight shone on American retailer Zappos when it announced that it was demolishing its traditional leadership structure in favour of a holacracy (flat, without bosses), it wasn’t the first to make this change. Some have been doing it since day one. More than half a century ago, Bill Gore decided that he’d had […]
How to foster female talent

In December 2013 it was announced that Mary Barra will become the first female Chief Executive of General Motors. This move signifies an important change in corporate attitudes towards women in business, but why is it that the appointment of women in senior positions seems to remain the exception rather than the norm? One factor […]
Developing corporate entrepreneurs to drive innovation – part 2

Find out more about how to drive innovation through coaching in this free whitepaper. AOEC are also promoting a Twitter chat on coaching and innovation that starts at 8pm on Thursday February 13th. Why not join the conversation with hashtag #aoecinnov? This is part two of a two-part article series – read Developing corporate entrepreneurs to drive innovation […]
The way you think about leadership is broken

Most people think about leadership in an archaic way. And as much as I don’t mean to point the finger, chances are, you’re one of them. Frankly, the entire leadership belief system needs upending. Until we – as people in businesses up and down the country, up and down the corporate ladder – make some […]
Interview: Eoin Carty, Product Manager, ADP UK

On Wednesday 12th February 2014, ADP UK hosted a webinar, "How to stay connected to your workforce," with Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University Management School. View the video recording today and join Cary, alongside ADP UK's Product Director Trevor Townsend, as they discuss the best ways to learn how to align your people with your […]
Were psychometric tests to blame for the appointment of Co-op Chairman Paul Flowers?

Last autumn, you may recall, the former Chairman of the Co-operative Bank, Reverend Paul Flowers, was revealed to be neither as financially literate nor as clean-living as a senior role in an ethical bank might demand. As the “Crystal Methodist” and “Cocaine and rent boys” headlines piled up, questions were asked about how he was […]
Leadership figures in focus – Napoleon Bonaparte

Professor Stephanie Jones is co-author of the upcoming book Napoleonic Leadership – A Pact with Power, to be published by SAGE in London in mid-2015, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon as a leader was complex and is a challenge for us to understand, despite dozens of new studies appearing as […]
Avoiding the wrong hire: keys to recruiting successful employees

Hiring the best, most talented workforce is vital to an organization’s success; however, this can be a challenging task for many companies. According to the Harvard Business Review, as much as 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions. Many in HR are looking at new hires with a narrow lens, confined to […]
50 top tweets from the HR Directors Business Summit 2014

The HR Directors Business Summit took place on February 4th and 5th 2014 at the ICC, Birmingham. HRZone was in attendance and covered the event live – you can review the coverage here. Twitter was on fire with coverage of all sessions from exhibitors, bloggers, professionals and journalists. We’ve collected the best tweets from the […]
How can businesses weather out the storm?

All over the UK, employees struggle to make it into work due to the weather conditions every winter. With wind, rain, floods, ice and even talk of snow on the way, nearly everyone has been affected to some degree. When the weather makes it difficult to travel, employers should consider how this could impact on […]
7 thought-provoking photos from the HR Directors Business Summit

On February 4th and 5th, the annual HR Directors Business Summit came to Birmingham, UK, drawing in senior HR professionals from large and small companies across the world. These are seven of our top photos from the event. We also reported live from the event – you can review our live coverage here. How do […]
Creating a culture of innovation to be better than the rest

Companies are facing an increasingly competitive environment, having to tackle smaller profit margins, more demanding customers and a growing international competition. For many, the only way to respond to this challenge is to innovate and re-create their business in order to grow. Even though most corporate leaders are aware of this, many are at loss […]
Developing corporate entrepreneurs to drive innovation – part 1

Find out more about how to drive innovation through coaching in this free whitepaper. AOEC are also promoting a Twitter chat on coaching and innovation that starts at 8pm on Thursday February 13th. Why not join the conversation with hashtag #aoecinnov? This is part one of a two-part article series – read Developing corporate entrepreneurs to drive […]
Simon Sinek – how do great leaders inspire action?

This article is a summary of Simon Sinek's TED Talk, which asks how great leaders inspire action. His talk is the most-viewed of all time – many millions of people have tuned in. How do you explain when things don’t go as you assume? And, more importantly, how do you explain when others are able […]
LIVE COVERAGE: HR Directors Business Summit 2014

HRZone will be reporting live from the HR Directors Business Summit on February 4th and 5th in Birmingham. There’s a superb line-up of speakers, including: Stuart Crabb, Director of Learning, Facebook Lucy Adams, HR Director, BBC Dr Melissa Hungerford, VP Talent and Leadership, Coca-Cola Matt Stripe, Group HR Director, Nestlé UK At 9am on February 4th the […]
Secret to brand engagement? Trust in good leadership

Brand engagement only works if there is employee trust in the new values. But trust cannot be won through good internal marketing alone, although it undoubtedly helps. Leaders need to be seen to be involved, to be actually leading the programme and above all, to be trusted. We must remember though, that leaders include all […]
How do the rest of the C-suite view HR’s role?

How aligned are the views of HR and other business leaders about business priorities? Do they agree about the impact HR has on business performance? How do we need to be working together in 2014? CIPD’s latest HR Outlook survey compares the views of HR and non-HR business leaders about HR’s contribution and impact on […]