Lucky chap… I was 28 when I started my first job in sales. I had never sold before. Hadn’t read any of the books. My previous job was with The Beeb in a management role. My progress there was impressive I suppose but in my heart I knew this wasn’t for me.Colleagues and friends always…
A soldier walked into a warHis Sargent standing at his sideThe boy was scared, he feared for lifeHe looked into his leader’s eyes Those eyes were strong, those eyes were clearThey sent a message straight and trueHis Sargent didn’t speak a wordHis Sargent cared, the boy just knew He felt the best that he could…
In conversation with CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners, I frequently hear about individuals within the organisation whose performance is ‘sub-optimal’. Digging a little deeper, I hear about the behaviours that make their contribution to the organisation questionable. Here are a few in terms of archetypes: The Bully – angry and threatening The Gossip – undermining…
“Why is it every time I ask for a pair of hands, they come with a brain attached?” So said Henry Ford referring to employees who just don’t seem to do what you want them to. And guess what, he was right! Organisations are full of incompetent people that can’t understand exactly what needs to be said and…
Last week I delivered a workshop on Confidence. I have never run a Confidence workshop in my life and I must admit that I found myself questioning my credentials before realising that doing so was to slip back into the received ‘wisdom’ that Confidence is inextricably intertwined with Competence. That to be confident, you have…
One of the most pernicious diseases that an organisation can suffer from is one that undermines the relationships upon which the whole enterprise is founded. Any organisation is just a bunch of people doing stuff for another bunch of people. The organisation is people. Its value and impact lies in the relationships between its people. Assets, infrastructure,…
If you like winning arguments, you’ve come to the right place. Particularly if you like to be right at work. What follows are 3 foolproof techniques for putting the argument to bed and coming away with a lasting sense of satisfaction that you were right all along. Prove it. You’re right, they’re wrong. If it’s…
Many stressful and debilitating situations in the workplace can be transformed by a fundamental shift in the way we look at ourselves. Most of us are inculcated from birth with the notion that the way we feel is determined by our circumstances, our environment, our situation – and in particular, our relationships. So that when we…
I’ve just listened to Google’s Mo Gawdat on the subject of Happiness and liked what he said. For too many, happiness is viewed as a bit of a sideshow in the game of life. Nice if you can get some, but let’s face it: no pain no gain. You have to suffer to make it…
Every director I’ve ever worked with wants change (even though we’re all meant to hate it). You want more growth, sales, time, influence, certainty; better decision-making, conversations, relationships, sleep, people; less stress, conflict, failure – you get the picture… And you look hard for it – very hard indeed. You re-engineer your business, recruit new people, train them, develop new strategies,…
Now I know you probably haven’t even got time to do your own job, given the welter of legislation that you have to keep up with, the compensation and benefits admin, performance management, compliance, policy development etc. etc. But as the Director of Human Resources, you are the go-to person for all things pink and…
I know you’re the boss and you have a lot of responsibility sitting on your shoulders; you get paid more than anyone else (apart from that consultant you keep hiring) and your neck is on the chopping block if things go wrong, but we need to get a couple of things straight about your actual…