Blog: Was Europe’s Ryder Cup win the result of emotional intelligence?
Europe’s remarkable comeback from 10-6 down to take the Ryder Cup was not only an incredible sporting achievement, I believe it also illustrated how a great leader made an emotional connection with his team and fueled them with a desire to win. As I was listening to the interviews after the famous win it struck […]
What risk type are you? And why does it matter?
Arguing for the importance of self-awareness, Socrates famously taught that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. Arguably, the self-awareness of senior executives and managers determines whether other people’s lives are worth living – and that applies especially to self-awareness about risk type. The distance between an extreme ‘Wary’ risk type and their opposite, the […]
Blog: HR, it’s time to show bullies the exit
“As I opened the door, I saw her with her back turned and shoulders slumped. When she turned around, I could see that she had been crying. I felt bad but it made me realize that I am not the only one who gets verbally abused. The kicker was that she was a senior level […]
Blog: Andrew Mitchell’s hissy fit – Why swearing at work is never a good idea
The dear old Brits used to be famous for the rigid quality of their upper lips. Death, debt, war – we remained determinedly phlegmatic. Whether John McEnroe was a cause or a symptom, whether it’s those Oprah-type shows that encourage us to let it all hang out, but the UK’s upper lip is looking really […]
Engaging for success: The key role of line managers
The recently formed government taskforce ‘Engage For Success’ is urging employers to prioritise staff engagement as means of achieving economic growth. As Russell Grossman, director of communications at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, observed at this year’s Institute of Internal Communication conference, if the UK’s 4.8 million businesses could boost engagement levels by […]
News: British workers “among the worst idlers in the world”, claim Tory MPs
The UK’s “poor productivity” is down to the fact that British workers are “among the worst idlers in the world”, a group of Tory MPs has claimed. The five MPs, who are joint authors of a book that is out next month entitled ‘Britannia Unchained’, attest that the country “rewards laziness”, bails out the reckless […]
Legal Insight: How do you control social media usage in a BYOD world?
Media reports and a growing number of employment tribunal cases have revealed just how naive but also cruel and sometimes defamatory people can be when it comes to communicating online. But if social networking does get out of hand, it can generate potential problems and liabilities for employers. Social media buffs can use the […]
Living Leader Learnings: How do I get my team to take me seriously?
The challenge The manager of a production team at an animal feed manufacturer asks: “Six months ago, I was promoted to a management position within my team, replacing the manager who was also promoted to the level above. Soon after I took up my new position, I noticed that team members were still going […]
Blog: What are your staff non-verbals really saying to customers?
What do your employees unwittingly communicate to customers about how important they are to the company? Despite the focus on customer service, customer experience and more recently customer engagement, the following examples of employee behaviours are still common – and of course impact how customers feel about the company: 1. It’s Too Much Trouble I was […]
In a Nutshell: Four tips for creating a positive company culture
Hilti, a major supplier of fastening and demolition systems to the construction industry, takes the idea of company culture very seriously and devotes 10 million Swiss francs and 30,000 working days per year to building and nurturing it. But Eivind Slaaen, the firm’s head of people and culture development, believes that, when you get down […]
Academic Insight: Charles Handy on leadership, work and well-being
Charles Handy, an author and philosopher who specialises in organisational behaviour and management, is described as a storyteller. Over the years, he has written a number of books that contain rich tales and showcase his ideas on the meaning of life, business and purpose. Here, he opens up the floodgates and asks each of […]
Living Leader Learnings: How can I stop older colleagues putting me down?
The challenge A team manager at a law firm asks: “I am a manager in a family-run firm of lawyers. I joined the company a year ago and my first impression was that everyone was really nice. However, since then, I’ve noticed that lots of comments are made about my age and perceived lack […]
How to cope with Friday the 13th (and other superstitions)
Fear of the number 13 is so common that there’s actually a word for it: Triskaidekaphobia. Many employers are affected by peoples’ fear of this number and have had to change their practices to accommodate it. For example, buildings often avoid naming a 13th floor, while airlines report that every time a Friday 13th […]
Blog: Is an anti-bullying policy enough?
Recognise This! – Bullying is a cultural issue that cannot be addressed through a policy in the employee handbook. Have you ever been bullied at work? To some, this is a sensitive question to ask. Some don’t want to acknowledge having been bullied out of fear it will make them seem weak. Others, perhaps, […]
News: National Grid boss publicly accused of sexual harrassment
The boss of National Grid was yesterday publicly accused of ruining the fledgling career of a female employee because of a failure to satisfy his “sexual demands”. The allegation was made by an audience member at Marks & Spencer’s annual shareholders meeting, of which the Grid’s chief executive, Steven Holliday, has been a non-executive director […]
Talking Point: What’s happened to business ethics?
It seems that every time you open a newspaper at the moment, there’s a new business scandal. The fall-out from Barclays Libor-rigging fine continues to be an ongoing story. The scandal has already claimed the scalps of the bank’s chairman and chief executive – and who knows how many more may follow? Barclay’s leadership […]
Blog: Why is it still a novelty when women get a seat on the board?
“Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Long-Time COO, Becomes First Woman On Its Board Of Directors.” That was the breathless announcement coming from CNBC this week. thi As my daughter always says, “Really”? Here we are in 2012 and to make mention of the fact that she will be the only WOMAN to me just sounds so dated. […]
Heathrow: Ensuring staff actions line up with corporate values
I think it was Napoleon who said that Britain was a nation of shopkeepers. It’s certainly true that we know a thing or two about queuing – it’s pretty much a national past time. So it seems strange that we could get it so wrong at Heathrow Airport. It’s not as if it’s something […]
Talking Point: How professionalised is the HR profession?
As the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development prepares to mark its centenary next year, the event raises an inevitable question: how has the HR profession changed over the last 100 years and where is it at in professionalisation terms today? Compared to some of the newer professions such as information technology or facilities management, […]
Blog: Lessons from JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon – Admit your mistakes
“We know we were sloppy. We know we were stupid. We know there was bad judgment. We don’t know if any of that is true yet. “Of course regulators should look at something like this, that’s their jobs. So we are totally open to regulators and they will come to their own conclusions. But we intend […]