Should management be everyone’s career end goal?
"Brilliant people – people who are good at their jobs – are not necessarily management material." Being technically brilliant does not automatically translate into being a brilliant manager of people. Traditional career paths have held up management positions as the ultimate destination. Management has been seen as the holy grail of promotional prospects. But is […]
Finding those leadership moments of power
Leadership is a vital responsibility of every manager, young and old, in every organisation – the team leader and the lance-corporal, the directors and generals. Every manager needs to value their leadership role and spend time on it, acknowledging where they need help. For new start-ups this is particularly challenging as the focus will be […]
Changing world of work must drive management makeover
Management needs a makeover if optimism is to fuel long-term growth and companies are to prepare effectively for the future business landscape, said the Chartered Management Institute recently. CMI’s survey of 750 of the UK’s top leaders identified where managers will need to excel by the end of the decade if the UK economy is […]
Are you in cat or lion mode? Using neuroscience and physiology to manage your performance
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish football captain used the terminology above, to describe how Jose Mourinho made him feel when he worked with him at Inter Milan. – "He turned me from a cat into a lion, dragged things out of me at Inter that no one had done before". Why am I writing about a […]
Is 360 feedback measuring the ‘wrong stuff’?
This article was co-authored by Gail Wise, Partner at enVision Performance Solutions and Clinton Wingrove, EVP and Principal Consultant at Pilat HR Solutions. Multi-rater feedback, or ‘360’, has been in widespread use since at least the late 80s, with almost all large corporations using it in some form or other. Organisations employ it for a wide […]
Apathetic workforce? UK employees are suffering from a lack of creativity
The UK is home to an apathetic workforce that doesn’t feel like they are contributing to their place of work in a meaningful way, according to a Microsoft research report. It reveals that organisations are finding that employees are becoming demotivated due to a process-driven culture that focuses too much on managing email traffic and […]
How being brain-savvy can improve performance management
The press coverage of Microsoft’s ‘stack rating’ system has put the whole process of performance management and ratings back in the headlines. I am sure many HR people are rather surprised that a system that was popular in the 80s and 90s is still being used by a ‘modern’ company like Microsoft, especially one that […]
Five reasons the perfect candidate just isn’t so perfect
If you recruit, at any level, chances are you’re overlooking potentially excellent candidates in the mistaken belief that lack of experience makes them unsuitable for the job. Here’s why the person you think is perfect, probably isn’t. 1. Their experience – it might seem a perfect fit, but previous experience, even significant levels, have absolutely […]
What makes a successful management team?
This piece was written by Alison McSparron-Edwards, founder and managing director of Consultrix. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. It is important for business owners to recognise this. Although many people have different management and leadership skills, there are qualities that must be identified in order to culminate in a successful management team and therefore […]
Six insights into Performance Management best practice
A few years ago, the CIPD report ‘Performance Management in Action’ revealed the shocking statistic that less than 20 percent of organisations said they realised ‘some’ benefit from their investment in performance management. Just pause a moment and think about that number: this means that more than 80 percent of organisations see no benefit at […]
The difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ performance management
Guest post by Simon North, Founder of Position Ignition and the Career Ignition Club.What does good and bad performance management look like and how do we ensure that our organisations have good performance management at every stage and in every element of what is a significant process? At one level it is easy to see […]
Taming the raging bull
Can the Power of Emotional Intelligence be used to deal with a ‘classic’ type of boss? Philip Gimmack, Director Certified EQ & NLP Coach at eqworks says yes. What is Emotional Intelligence and EQ? Someone’s Emotional Intelligence is the balance of their personal, social and coping skills. These are based around their awareness and management of […]
Ask the Expert: can you refuse to interview an unsatisfactory former worker?
Question: Can you refuse to interview an unsatisfactory former worker? What is the legal position if a former employee who had a poor performance/attendance record but left of their own accord rather than having formal action taken against them, applies to work for your company again? I can’t seem to find any guidance relating […]
Blog: how fiefdoms destroy company cultures
This morning I had breakfast with a friend, Martha. As friends do over coffee and pastry, we filled each other in on the latest happenings in our work and personal lives. I was particularly concerned about Martha’s work experiences as her company has gone through some “right sizing” in recent months. As part of the […]
HRZone interview – Linda Holbeche, director The Holbeche Partnership
A chance meeting at a conference between Linda Holbeche, director of HR consultancy The Holbeche Partnership and Geoff Matthews, vice president for HR at Merck KGaA, led to a collaboration on a book that has become shortlisted for the CMI management book of the year. The idea behind the book, Engaged, unleashing your organisation’s potential […]
Business meet HR, HR meet the Business – you’ve got a lot in common!
A failure to demonstrate strategic value is damaging HR’s reputation with business leaders, warns a new Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report. HR is perceived as implementing rather than devising strategy by business leaders, according to the CIPD survey of 369 business leaders and 107 senior HR professionals. This means […]
News: Management on the move in 2013
Almost a third of UK senior managers are looking to switch jobs this year, according to an independent report commissioned by career advisor AGM Transitions. The research found that the desire for a new job was high among senior managers, prompted by the prospect of better pay (37%) as well as a fresh challenge (18%). […]
News: ‘Sign up to ethical code or quit,’ Barclays’ CEO warns staff
Barclays’ new chief executive issued employees with an ultimatum today to either sign up to an ethical code of conduct or quit, as part of the bank’s attempt to try and repair its battered reputation. In a memo sent to its 140,000 staff worldwide, Antony Jenkins warned that, in future, performance would be judged on […]
Talking Point: Is motivation the secret to employee engagement?
Employee engagement appears to be top of the agenda for today’s enlightened HR manager. It seems that, at every turn, there are consultants and articles in the business press telling us how to create an ‘engaged workforce’ and how much benefit such a workforce will have on your bottom line. Naturally, business academics have […]
News: Banks angle for tax-efficient bonuses amid change to police and teachers’ pay
As a row broke out over attempts by bankers to defer bonus payments in order to exploit forthcoming tax cuts, it was announced that the starting salaries of police officers were to be cut by a fifth. According to the Daily Telegraph, the outgoing Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, warned the banks that they […]