Blog: Succession planning – Winning the talent war
I was watching Oprah’s Lifeclass the other day, and one of the things that resonated with me was that statement that one of her friends said about Oprah and why she was successful. Who is next in your pipeline? Who do you have your other hand extended to? Succession or replacement? You choose. I read […]
Talent Spot: Rebekah Wallis, HR director at Ricoh
Back-to-back company and employee integration programmes have kept Rebekah Wallis, HR director at printing and IT services firm Ricoh, pretty busy over the last four years or so. This is because HR has been considered core to the success of such integration work by ensuring that staff are supported and helped to make the necessary […]
Is there such a thing as a typical HR career path?
There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ career in HR. The diversity inherent in the profession provides the opportunity to take things in a variety of different directions and to influence strategic business decisions. This is as true today as it was 20 years ago. HR is an evolving profession and entry routes […]
Blog: Boris and Ken – Lessons in leadership
There is something worrying about the struggle for mayoral rights in London, between past and present: Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone. Perhaps journalist Rachel Sylvester packaged up the problem in the neatest way when she wrote: "It’s not supposed to be about you, Boris and Ken." But, at the moment it is. It appears that […]
Living Leader Learnings: Why saying ‘well done’ just isn’t enough
The challenge A sales team leader at a mobile technology company asks: “I am constantly telling people at work that they have done a good job. I say ‘well done’ all the time, but it doesn’t really seem to make a difference. I do sometimes feel a bit like a broken record. How can […]
Blog: Why I rate The Apprentice US more highly than its UK counterpart
I watch The Apprentice – the UK version with Lord Sugar and when I spot it in the TV listings, the US version with Donald Trump. Four programmes into the new series in the UK and I have to say I’m watching it for negative rather than positive reasons. None of the candidates seem to be covering […]
How to overcome six employee engagement challenges
Employee engagement should not be seen as a goal in and of itself. It should instead be treated as a vehicle to help fulfil the corporate vision and achieve business success. As such, it is essential to translate the concept into what this specifically means for your organisation. So what would the experience of […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 4 – Quality over quantity
After another saucy (sorry!) episode last week, I was looking forward to seeing what Lord Sugar and his trusty aides had in store for our 13 remaining hopefuls this week. Once again they did not disappoint. First of all, Lord Sugar injected a breath of fresh air into the proceedings by springing this week’s task […]
Blog: The power of trust
The bloodshed and killing in Syria goes on unabated. Yesterday the news was full of stories casting doubt on whether the peace plan will be respected and hostilities suspended. And as the deadline for the withdrawal of government troops and weaponry from population centres approaches, the government and the opposition forces continue to trade demands […]
NHS Academy set up to train next generation of leaders
A national centre has been set up to train new generations of NHS, public health and social care leaders in a bid to improve patient care. Plans for the NHS Leadership Academy were unveiled by the secretary of state for health, Andrew Lansley, in July last year, and its aim is to train doctors, nurses, […]
Charities increasingly look to private sector for HR skills
As traditional sources of funding dry up and levels of professionalism continue to rise, charities are increasingly looking to the private sector for the HR skills that they need to manage change. Although third sector organisations have in the past been reluctant to hire people from other industries over fears of too strong a commercial […]
Blog: How well would you do if ranked by former employees?
I saw and interesting article this week about a Glassdoor survey which shows that the highest rated CEO is Tim Cook of Apple. His approval rating was a whopping 97 percent. That rating even beat out his former boss, Steve Jobs. And as so many have reported, Jobs was pretty challenging to work for. That […]
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 3 – Stick to your guns
Lord Sugar took us back to his (Levi) roots last night, to weave his sauce-ery at St Catherine’s docks and introduce the candidates to this week’s task: to create a new condiment – manufacture it, bottle it, brand it, sell it. Sounds simple enough. Not for this lot who managed to get themselves into a […]
Case Study: JT bases leadership development scheme on ideal boss profile
JT (formerly known as Jersey Telecom) has introduced a leadership development initiative centred on an aspirational profile of a senior manager in a bid to encourage proactive organisational change. The company undertook a rebranding exercise last year as part of a new five-year growth strategy intended to take it beyond its civil service background, beyond […]
Blog: How one company coped with tragic loss
Recognise This! – Your values and your culture can sustain you through horrific loss. What would you do if you were tapped to be the CEO of an organisation that had just lost every single member of the top two tiers of leadership in a plane crash? Culture can carry your organisation through great […]
Seven ways for HRDs to boost their influence at the top table
The easiest way for HR directors to make a big impact at the top table is to have big responsibilities – ideally, bigger than most of the people you work alongside. This means taking on the type of role that grabs the limelight and, to a large extent, the organisation relies upon. Functions such […]
Five characteristics of an effective leader in times of crisis
The Bradford Bulls rugby league club is an organisation in crisis. Mounting financial pressure has painted its leadership into a corner, forcing it to make a desperate request to loyal supporters to put their hands into their pockets and dig deep to help fill a £1 million black hole. And the pressure is on because, […]
Blog: Using transparency as a tool to rebuild employee trust
"I am sorry, but we have already identified someone for that role.” The next question was, “how could that be, the job was just posted on the Internet?” What my friend had just found out is a little dirty secret in some organizations. Sometimes when jobs are posted, and even when they are not, […]
Blog: Are you an inspirational leader?
Inspiration is the best way to engage people! Or does it make you squirm? You may be an HR Professional, leader or manager relying on HR to help move your business forward. When discussing strategy with people of different roles at many levels, I have often been met with a perplexed look when I have […]
Blog: Three tips for changing company culture
Recognise This! – Proactive culture change and management is strategy. Company culture is much in the news these days, a development I am very excited to see as it shows more and more buy-in to the importance of culture as something that can be created and, yes, proactively managed. A round-up of articles that […]