Blog: Dealing with the leadership ‘reality gap’
Many managers believe they’re outstanding leaders, but employers often disagree—a gap affecting 72% of businesses. Personality profiling tools like Myers-Briggs can help managers develop self-awareness and understand their leadership impact, enabling positive behavioral change.
What does it take to be an HR director?
HR director positions require significant experience, typically from senior HR business partner or head of HR roles. Employers prioritize commercial acumen, board-level representation skills, sector expertise, and proven ability to drive organizational change and impact business performance.
Blog: What impact does office politics have on people’s work lives?
Office politics directly affects 95% of workers, with significant business consequences including 70% leaving jobs due to workplace manipulation, increased absenteeism averaging 4.5 days annually, and measurable team underperformance—yet most cases go unreported due to managerial cover-ups.
Talent Spot: Fiona Lawlor, HR director at Jack Morton Worldwide
Fiona Lawlor, HR director at Jack Morton Worldwide, transformed the agency’s HR function from a non-existent back-room operation into a strategic business partner over her 18-year tenure. She originally joined as a finance support staff member and carved out an HR role by taking on recruitment tasks, eventually becoming a senior vice president.
Blog: How to get the most out of restructuring, redundancy and redeployment
Maximize organizational restructuring and redundancy outcomes by placing talent strategy at the center of change management. Moving employees like chess pieces without considering their strengths and performance flow often backfires; instead, explore roles where staff can add genuine value and maintain productivity.
Blog: Nine attitudes to help you become an emotionally intelligent leader
Emotionally intelligent leaders achieve better results by developing key people skills. This article explores nine attitudes that help leaders manage their own emotions and effectively respond to their team’s emotional needs, a learnable skill that transforms workplace culture and engagement.
Blog: CEO confessions – What it takes to create a successful company culture
Learn from CEOs how to build a successful company culture through executive involvement, living core values daily, and integrating culture into recruiting and onboarding processes.
Blog: M&A success – It’s a people thing
Mergers and acquisitions fail 83% of the time, primarily due to people and cultural differences rather than financial issues. Successful M&A requires dedicated leadership focused on culture and change management alongside financial expertise, following the formula: People + Culture + Numbers = Success.
Three ways for HR leaders to thrive in today’s changing business landscape
HR leaders can thrive in today’s complex business environment by developing strategic thinking, adopting new collaborative approaches, and building resilience. As organizations face increasingly “wicked problems” that traditional solutions can’t solve, HR professionals must broaden their horizons, think systemically, and leverage their unique position to drive organizational change.
Blog: What makes a good mayor?
A good mayor needs both a compelling vision and practical ability to improve city services like transport, housing, and crime. This article explores parallels between mayoral and business leadership, emphasizing that successful leaders must balance charisma with tough decision-making and build strong teams to amplify their impact.
Six steps for succession planning success
Succession planning is critical for organizational success, yet many employers lack the expertise to implement it effectively. This six-step guide helps organizations identify future management needs, develop talent, and ensure key positions are filled efficiently while improving employee retention and engagement.
TV Review: The Apprentice Week 6 – Lead rather than manage
In week six of The Apprentice, the remaining candidates travel to Edinburgh to create gourmet food in mobile restaurants. Project managers Adam and Jenna lead Phoenix and Sterling teams through sourcing ingredients and securing prime locations, but poor decisions about clientele and food costs threaten their success.
Case Study: Baker & McKenzie attempts to optimise leaders’ performance with 360 degree feedback
Baker & McKenzie implemented a structured 360 degree feedback program among its London corporate partners to enhance leadership effectiveness and team engagement. The pilot project, run with specialist provider Track Surveys, gathered feedback from associates and staff on partners’ technical, leadership and individual capabilities to guide future performance and development.
Blog: Using employee segmentation as a tool to cut staff turnover
Employee segmentation reveals hidden turnover patterns that overall retention metrics mask. By analyzing turnover by department, manager, location, and talent level, organizations can identify specific problem areas and implement targeted solutions to improve retention.
Talent Spot: Donna Miller, European HR director at Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Donna Miller, European HR director at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, views her role primarily as sales—selling people into jobs and company initiatives. After studying marketing and working in retail and personnel recruitment, she joined Enterprise and transitioned into HR, learning on the job and developing a management philosophy that encourages employees to take risks and learn from mistakes.
Talking Point: Taming management beasts
Most managers aren’t intentionally difficult—they’re under pressure to deliver results. This program explores the unconscious habits leaders develop when stressed, from micromanaging to sarcasm, helping them recognize and manage these patterns before they damage team relationships.
Olympus whistleblower demands answers at shareholder meeting
Former Olympus president Michael Woodford demanded answers at a shareholder meeting over his dismissal after he questioned high advisory fees. Woodford, who exposed a $1.7 billion accounting scandal, called the meeting a “mockery” and warned the company’s refusal to explain his sacking could lead to the meeting being invalidated in court.
Construction sector sets up industry-wide forum to boost inclusion
The construction industry has launched an industry-wide forum to improve diversity and increase employment among women, ethnic minorities, and disabled people. The initiative follows research recommendations highlighting the need for change in hiring and retention practices across the sector.
Blog: Succession planning – Winning the talent war
Effective succession planning is critical for organizational continuity. While companies like McDonald’s and IBM excel at seamlessly transitioning leadership, many organizations lack formal strategies to identify and develop high-potential leaders, leaving them vulnerable when top executives depart unexpectedly.
Talent Spot: Rebekah Wallis, HR director at Ricoh
Rebekah Wallis, HR director at Ricoh, has led multiple company integration programmes over four years, supporting staff transitions as the printing and IT services firm expanded through acquisitions. Her career in HR began at British Gas during privatisation and has focused on applying psychology insights to organizational change.
