Would you pass the leadership test?
Discover what separates effective leaders during challenging times. Paul Kennedy, HR Director at New Balance, outlines essential leadership traits including leading from the front, making bold decisions, motivating employees, and maintaining open communication to navigate economic uncertainty and organizational chaos.
The critical dimensions of leadership
Effective leadership selection requires objective criteria based on validated research, not subjective impressions. Christian Hasenoehrl identifies five critical dimensions—Direction, Drive, Influence, Relationship, and Execution—that distinguish top-performing leaders from average performers, helping organizations avoid common hiring pitfalls.
Leadership culture: Stephen Covey speaks
Leadership expert Stephen Covey explains how organizations can shift from outdated hierarchical models to knowledge-worker cultures that empower employees at all levels, boost decision-making, and strengthen customer relationships.
Defining an engaging leader
Great leaders cultivate employee engagement by embodying organizational values, prioritizing customer satisfaction, and actively listening to their teams. HR professionals should identify and develop leaders who demonstrate these qualities, as engaged employees are more productive and likely to remain with their organization.
How leadership can help the economic recovery
Effective leadership is crucial for economic recovery as businesses navigate recession, consumer cynicism, and staff demands for more than financial compensation. Industry experts emphasize that modern leaders must act as partners rather than authority figures, embodying strong values and inspiring trust.
FAQ: Long-term sickness absence
Learn how employers should handle long-term and frequent sickness absence, including when to initiate procedures, how to distinguish between disciplinary and health issues, and what steps to take before considering dismissal.
Saving the endangered business partner
The HR business partner model, popularized by Dave Ulrich, remains relevant but execution has fallen short. Success depends on finding capable business partners with strong business acumen, strategic thinking, and the credibility to drive organizational change and capability building.
Now is the time for a new role
Managers must adapt their roles during economic downturns to lead teams effectively. Rather than hoping conditions improve or simply working faster, leaders should recognize their jobs have fundamentally changed and help their teams find clarity and purpose in the crisis.
How HR can sell itself to top management
HR departments often fail to demonstrate their strategic value through effective marketing, leading to budget cuts despite genuine business impact. To win over top management, HR leaders must understand executives’ priorities—such as profitability and competitive advantage—and present HR initiatives in quantifiable financial terms that directly address business problems.
The key to creating a great place to work
Creating a great workplace requires flexible leadership and addressing root causes of burnout. UK workers suffer from excessive hours, stress-related absences, and poor work-life balance that damage productivity. Leaders must adopt externally-focused strategies, prioritize employee wellbeing, and foster cultures that attract and retain motivated talent.
Seize the moment: Embrace change and strengthen HR
Economic downturns present HR professionals with an opportunity to implement strategic changes that strengthen organizational resilience and demonstrate HR’s business impact. By embracing transformation now—whether through process improvements or outsourcing functions like recruitment—companies can reduce costs while building competitive advantage without waiting for crisis point.
What is your boss really thinking?
Discover what your boss really thinks about common workplace behaviors like arriving exactly on time, staying silent in meetings, showing up late with excuses, and socializing with coworkers. Learn how to make a positive impression through engagement and initiative.
How to be a great HR director
Courage is the key attribute that separates good HR directors from great ones. Successful HR leaders must be candid, willing to take stands on controversial issues, and champion people-focused initiatives even when financial returns aren’t immediately clear.
Power methods for developing HR staff
Discover the most effective methods for developing your HR team’s skills and careers. Research shows that investments in staff development deliver three times more impact than HR technology investments, with stretch roles, internal networking, and custom training emerging as the most powerful approaches.
Success in a recession: The kitchen cabinet
Successful leaders rely on informal “kitchen cabinets”—networks of trusted mentors, allies, and experts who provide objective advice and challenge their thinking. HR professionals can foster positive informal networks by understanding how these groups form and ensuring leaders have access to trusted advisors outside their immediate business environment who can offer unbiased guidance.
Colborn’s Corner: Who are the fat cats?
Union leaders are emerging as the new “fat cats,” with some enjoying pay increases far exceeding inflation while their members face wage stagnation or job losses. The Times highlighted cases like RMT leader Bob Crow’s 8% raise to £91,646 and Unite’s Tony Woodley’s 20% increase to £105,761, raising questions about fairness during economic hardship.
Project management: What a steal!
Project manager Danny Ocean applies classic project management principles in Ocean’s Eleven, from stakeholder analysis and team selection through detailed planning and risk identification. This heist film demonstrates how effective organization, clear communication, and specialized team expertise drive successful project execution.
Effective change management: Interims in the driving seat
Interim managers bring external expertise and objectivity to drive organizational change effectively. These senior-level professionals excel at managing sensitive initiatives like restructuring and mergers while maintaining business continuity and employee morale during challenging economic times.
Undercover Boss: Paying lip service to the skills gap
Steven Martin, CEO of construction firm Clugston, goes undercover to discover how job cuts and poor communication have damaged staff morale. The Channel 4 episode reveals how management distance from frontline workers creates serious workforce problems.
Undercover boss: It’s worth investing in your people
Investing in staff training, development, and fair compensation directly impacts employee morale and business performance. An Undercover Boss episode revealed how one resort manager’s commitment to staff welfare created motivated teams and better customer satisfaction, while penny-pinching approaches led to poor morale and service.
