Yes we can – Barack Obama’s leadership lessons
Paul Brindle discusses the effect self belief and confidence can have on leadership – and what lessons HR leaders can learn from Barack Obama. The unipolar world of Bush was not something that could, or would, last forever. An autocratic stance and unilateral attitude when the Asian star was in the ascendant was perhaps unwise: […]
Would you pass the leadership test?
Paul Kennedy, HR Director at sportswear company New Balance explains the test leaders should set themselves, and why it’s important to be honest when looking in the mirror… Since 1990 we have operated with a calm economy, successful organisations, low unemployment and generally a good warm feeling about everything that we do. In the last […]
The critical dimensions of leadership
When it comes to leadership, do you know how to set objective criteria? Christian Hasenoehrl provides insight on avoiding the pitfalls of common perception. Leadership selection through promotion or recruitment, boards and senior executives routinely focus on certain skills, experiences or traits that at least appear, intuitively, to be important. Often they look for team […]
Leadership culture: Stephen Covey speaks
Changing an ingrained culture isn’t easy, but leadership expert Stephen Covey has made it his life’s work to empower employees and improve performance. He told LeadershipZone how organisations can bring the change they wish to see. As someone who has dedicated his life to demonstrating how anybody – at any level – can […]
Defining an engaging leader
Andy Lowe provides an exploration of the kind of qualities HR need to cultivate to harvest a crop of great leaders of the future. When it comes to leadership, there are so many questions to be answered. Test yourself: what criteria do you use to decide how to you invest in tomorrow’s leaders? Do you […]
How leadership can help the economic recovery
Leadership will be a key aspect when business seeks to recover from the recession. Experts in leadership including Ken Blanchard and Tom Peters share their thoughts. Whether it is representing the brand’s values or inspiring and engaging staff, the role of leader has never been so important as it will be in 2010. The present […]
FAQ: Long-term sickness absence
Dealing with long-term sickness can be daunting. We present everything you wanted to know about dealing with long-term sickness absence but were afraid to ask, from legal expert Rayner Jones. Coping with staff sickness absence can be a major headache for employers. Dismissal is always a last resort. But, sometimes, it is the only option […]
Saving the endangered business partner
Grahame Russell considers how far the Ulrich model has come and where it fits in with today’s human resources department. Three years ago I rather mischievously suggested that we were entering the ‘post Ulrich era’, a period of reflection for global HR given that our beloved guru and HR proponent had been quiet for three […]
Now is the time for a new role
David Barnard examines the various ways in which managers must adapt their role to the recession, and explains how to lead teams successfully through the crisis. At ten o’clock last night, the tandoori restaurant on the corner of my road was empty. Unheard of. Each evening, I walk home down a street full of restaurants. The […]
How HR can sell itself to top management
Struggling to be strategic? Dave Millner offers his top tips to help HR directors to win friends and influence people. Many HR functions have been downsized, not because HR provides a lack of strategic value but because of the lack of effective marketing. Too often, HR simply fails to provide quantifiable proof […]
The key to creating a great place to work
Long hours, high workloads, out-of-date leadership style and cultures do little to retain staff. Flexibility and good leadership is key to a happy workforce, says Lynne Copp. In the UK we work 46% longer hours than our European neighbours and are 27% less productive. Long hours and high workloads do not create successful businesses […]
Seize the moment: Embrace change and strengthen HR
Dan Ferrandino discusses why the current tough trading conditions present an ideal opportunity to embrace change and reinforce the business relevance of the HR function. 2009 will go down as a year of unprecedented change – from a new political agenda in the US to the global economic crisis. As Barack Obama said: "The world […]
What is your boss really thinking?
Have you ever wondered how your boss interprets your actions? Chester Elton answers questions about what bosses really think when their employees exhibit typical workplace behaviours. What’s my boss thinking when I don’t speak up in a meeting, come in late with an excuse, volunteer to organise all the team private parties and events, or […]
How to be a great HR director
All leaders want it, many aspire to possess it, and without it, few succeed. Having courage is vital if you want to be a successful HR director, says Andrew Leigh. Recently, Battalia Winston International, an organisation that employs over 5,000 people worldwide, wanted to appoint a human resources director. If you had fancied the job, you would need to have been: […]
Power methods for developing HR staff
Are you using the most effective methods to develop the skills and careers of your HR team? Jan Hills discusses which methods work best and how you can combine these to achieve more results for your investment. Recent surveys suggest that some 80 to 85% of medium to large companies have already, are in the process […]
Success in a recession: The kitchen cabinet
Successful people rely on a network of close allies who guide and challenge them. So how do they select those in their cabinet and how can HR professionals encourage the right kinds of teams to form around leaders? Blaire Palmer has the answers. Successful people do not become successful alone. We know this is true, which […]
Colborn’s Corner: Who are the fat cats?
With news about Barclays’ recent profit announcements and headlines about the fat cats being back in town, Quentin Colborn takes a look at fat cat salaries in the light of a recent article in The Times and questions if they are who we were expecting. When you think about it, the expression ‘fat cat’, which is normally used […]
Project management: What a steal!
Matchett’s senior consultant Amanda Brown has taken a novel look at the process of project management and how it relates to George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s Oceans Eleven. Initially, I thought that it was just a good film, she writes, now I realise that it is a case for the well organised project, following the […]
Effective change management: Interims in the driving seat
In these difficult times, businesses need as much help as possible to ensure they are best placed to weather the economic storm, says Paul Botting. The recession has emphasised the need for organisations across the public and private sector to take a fresh look at their inner workings and indeed, their HR policies. There can […]
Undercover Boss: Paying lip service to the skills gap
In the final episode of Channel 4’s Undercover Boss, Steven Martin, CEO of construction giant Clugston goes incognito to find out how his employees really feel about their jobs – and the firm. Penny de Valk shares her views. "Every boss needs to do something like this. Thing is I’m not convinced they want to […]