How can leaders become more inclusive?
Leaders can become more inclusive by shifting from command-and-control to influence-based leadership, communicating clear purpose and values, and developing emotional intelligence. This connected leadership approach emphasizes transparency, listening, and devolving decision-making across organizations to build trust and engagement.
Help your leadership team decide what they want to be famous for
Organizations stand out by deciding what they want to be famous for—whether strategic innovation, operational excellence, or customer relationships. Leadership teams should align this organizational focus with their natural strengths and personalities to ensure authenticity and success.
10 most read articles from 2014
Discover the 10 most-read HR articles from 2014, featuring insights on emotional intelligence, Netflix’s culture strategy, generational workforce changes, interview techniques, and workplace policy challenges that shaped HR thinking that year.
Which famous leader is your boss most like?
Discover which famous historical leader your boss most resembles. From Napoleon’s calculating precision to Margaret Thatcher’s unwavering determination and Martin Luther King’s inspiring vision, this guide helps you identify your manager’s leadership style and navigate working with them effectively.
Are we witnessing the re-emergence of the HR Business Partner?
Organizations are increasingly refocusing their HR Business Partner role, with over half of UK firms actively redesigning this strategic position. Originally introduced by David Ulrich in 1997, HR Business Partners are now gaining renewed attention as companies seek to move HR beyond routine transactions toward strategic business alignment.
Putting leadership under the magnifying glass
Effective leadership requires company-wide development focused on self-awareness and interpersonal skills, not just task management. Recent research shows leaders excel at setting goals and driving results but struggle with relationship-building and team engagement—a “command and control” approach that undermines long-term employee engagement and innovation.
What is host leadership?
Host leadership is an approach where leaders balance stepping forward with stepping back—planning and directing when needed, then creating space for others to act and contribute. This model draws on the ancient practice of hosting, offering a powerful alternative to outdated command-and-control leadership in today’s fast-paced, interconnected world.
Interview: Jonathan Ferrar, VP, IBM Smarter Workforce
Jonathan Ferrar, IBM’s VP of Smarter Workforce, discusses how organizations can leverage big data analytics in HR while balancing employee privacy concerns. He emphasizes the importance of transparency, social employee relationships, and clear data governance to build trust and encourage employees to share personal workplace data.
Are HR business partners a dying breed?
HR business partners are becoming harder to find, with many organizations struggling to develop commercially-aware talent with the strategic skills needed for effective partnership roles. A recession-era pullback on graduate recruitment and the rise of shared services models have depleted the talent pipeline.
Understanding the differences in types of temporary labour
Temporary workers represent a £24bn annual investment in the UK economy, with businesses using contingent staff to fill staffing gaps and maintain workforce flexibility. Understanding the four main types of temporary labour—including front-line staff, specialists, and others—helps companies effectively manage complex hiring needs across diverse job categories.
Engaging through powerful, authentic conversations
Low employee engagement persists because managers rarely have authentic, meaningful conversations with their staff. Building trust and commitment requires prioritizing regular, genuine two-way communication over email and formal channels.
The shadow side of leadership – hubris, derailment and overdrive
Leaders often display a “shadow side” characterized by traits like hubris and derailment that emerge under pressure. Research shows that understanding these dark-side personality patterns and assessing them during recruitment and development can help organizations reduce costly leadership failures and improve team performance.
Interview: Laura Temple, Head of Leadership Engagement, SABMiller
Laura Temple, Head of Leadership Engagement at SABMiller, discusses her philosophy on employee engagement, the critical role of line managers, and actionable strategies for organizations to boost engagement levels and organizational performance.
The untapped end of the talent pipeline
UK employers struggle to fill leadership roles, with only 14% confident in their talent pipelines. Disadvantaged young people represent an untapped talent pool with significant potential that could be developed through mentoring and leadership coaching to address critical skills gaps.
The six stages of the leadership journey
Leaders navigate organizational change through six distinct stages: research, strategy, engagement, execution, learning, and adaptation. Understanding these stages—from establishing vision and creating route maps to building commitment and sustained improvement—is essential for creating agile, successful organizations that attract and retain talent.
“Four facets of leadership I’ve learned from heroes,” by military leader Matthew T. Fritz
A military leader with 20 years of Air Force experience shares four key leadership facets learned from heroes and mentors, emphasizing how persona, credibility, resource management, and intuition drive effective leadership in complex, dynamic environments.
Five ways HR can develop innovation cultures in large companies
HR departments can drive innovation in large companies through strategic recruitment, training, and organizational practices. With 96% of corporate innovations failing financially, implementing innovation methodologies and fostering diverse teams significantly improves success rates and capability development.
Five myths about personality profiling
Personality profiling measures core traits that remain consistent throughout adulthood, though behavior can adapt in specific situations. Common myths suggest personality changes with mood, some types are “better,” and cross-cultural comparisons are impossible—all are false when proper testing methodology is used.
Group HRD Travelex: “How I chose the HR technology I wanted.”
Gareth Williams, Global HR Director at Travelex, shares how he selected cloud-based HR technology including Workday and Peoplefluent for the company’s global transformation. He discusses key selection criteria like integration capabilities, mobile-first design, and analytics functionality.
Travelex HR Director: “I would not have a strategic capability without technology.”
Travelex’s HR Director Gareth Williams is transforming the currency company into a technology-driven organization by implementing cloud-based systems across the entire employee experience. He credits his success to embracing digital innovation, securing CEO support, and recognizing that strategic HR capability depends on leveraging technology effectively.
