Getting HR the boardroom impact it deserves
Boards need your help Hand on heart, in the last 25 years has HR moved closer to having strategic boardroom impact? In my opinion, no. Yes, HR has flourished, developing new tools and insights and becoming a vital partner in operational delivery and corporate change. But so has finance, and look at what hasn’t changed: […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Cheerfulness is the most important leadership quality
Andrew's insight in this article is based on three years spent with the Royal Navy, examining their attitudes and. From this experience he wrote a book, Royal Navy Way of Leadership. What is the single most important quality in a leader? For me, it’s cheerfulness. No one follows a pessimist. No one. Never. I have spent […]
Interview: Ann Francke, Chief Executive, Chartered Management Institute
Why is the pay gap still prevalent when more and more women are in the workplace? In this practical report, Cherie Blair CBE and Ann Francke explain why and – more importantly – what you can do about it. 1. How are employers’ expectations of managers changing? One of the biggest expectations of managers today […]
Changing world of work must drive management makeover
Management needs a makeover if optimism is to fuel long-term growth and companies are to prepare effectively for the future business landscape, said the Chartered Management Institute recently. CMI’s survey of 750 of the UK’s top leaders identified where managers will need to excel by the end of the decade if the UK economy is […]
The HR identity crisis and what we can do about it
When you think of Human Resources, what’s the first image that springs to mind? Is it that of a minor, admin-intensive department, responsible for managing employee sickness, holiday and training? Or do you instead see a team of strategic business partners capable of developing and implementing your corporate strategy across a number of different levels? […]
Leadership lessons from Nelson Mandela’s life
Two big leadership lessons can be drawn from observation of Nelson Mandela’s life and time in history. The first lesson is that it takes more than a single heroic leader at the top to change the trajectory of an institution, or a nation. The second lesson is that in leadership, character is always more important […]
Lessons from Colonel Chris Hadfield, astronaut extraordinaire
Commander Chris Hadfield is the former commander of the International Space Station whose awareness-raising activities – both on the ground and traveling at 7km/s around the Earth – have in many ways re-ignited public interest in space travel. On the social networking site reddit, which features 'ask me anything' interviews, Commander Hadfield has many times […]
Nelson Mandela has passed away and we’ve lost a visionary leader
The sad news of Nelson Mandela’s passing came on Thursday 5th November, at about 10pm. As the world responds to the news, we take a look at his life and leadership and ask what lessons we can take away for personal success and leadership from the man who made history as the first black President of […]
HR technology toolkit, written by Professors
DOWNLOAD OUR ACADEMIC TOOLKIT TODAY In our latest toolkit you’ll find contributions from academics in Italy, Germany, UK, France and America on topics including: Social media and Web 2.0 Big data and analytics Employee use of self-service Generation Y and technology Technology in multinationals …all based on leading research from top business schools. As always, […]
Leadership development is not working. Here’s why…
If your reaction to my rather controversial title was to want to close the internet page and go do something else you are probably having an avoidance reaction! Your brain experienced the title as a threat. You probably felt you really don’t want to read about this but as a professional you decided to scan the […]
A guide to creating employment ads that stick to the rules
Recruitment can be a huge task, and when you’re looking for new candidates you want to be as pro-active as possible. Effective job ads are key to attracting the right candidates, and in a highly competitive market a good ad can make your job spec stand out from the crowd. It’s fine to use your […]
Financial services & manufacturing leaders ‘worst in UK’
The Financial Services and Manufacturing industries have the weakest leaders in the UK, according to a detailed study released this morning by Head Heart + Brain, a leadership development consultancy. To gauge the standard of leadership in different industries, Head Heart + Brain commissioned a poll of more than 2,000 people which asked UK workers […]
Interview: Brian Bowden, Director of HR Operations at Aer Lingus
1. On your LinkedIn you mention part of your role has been ‘re-positioning the HR function.’ Can you elaborate on this? Where was it before and where do you want it to be? Our transformation has sought to reposition the HR function so as to focus on strategic HR activity and standardise and systemise our HR […]
An iceberg sunk the Titanic, right? Wrong.
David Buchanan BA (Hons) PhD FRSE Chartered FCIPD is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Cranfield School of Management. If you investigate why the Titanic sank, you’ll realise an iceberg was just the final straw. “There were a whole host of contributory factors,” says David Buchanan, a professor at Cranfield School of Management. “The lookouts in […]
Has BBC HR director Lucy Adams really ‘killed’ off the HR profession?
Louisa Peacock’s biting editorial in the Telegraph today questions whether disgraced BBC HRD Lucy Adams may be a ‘wicked witch’ figure that changes the face of HR forever. The backstory is this: Adams was severely criticised over excessive payments she made to departing BBC executives. When questioned why, she said "the overwhelming focus was to […]
