Ethics – the ‘magic’ of right relationship There is plenty of high profile evidence in the media these days to suggest that we are increasingly, and perhaps even, universally ethically and morally corrupt – whether that’s in sport, industry, politics, religion or indeed any part of our social fabric. And we’d be forgiven for thinkingRead more
Choosing our leadership words well The things we think and do not say is a line featuring in the opening scene of seminal 80s movie Jerry Maguire, spoken by the title character himself…a celluloid comment on a different world. In today’s world and today in this piece I am really thinking about the things weRead more
Seeking talent beyond skills Any good organisational leader rightly concerns themselves with ensuring they have the right skills in the business to assure a sustainable future. Increasingly though the talent pipeline discussion needs to address much more than technical or business management skills. It needs to encompass a range of personal capabilities that are aboutRead more
Going freestyle at work When was the last time you went freestyle at work? I’m not talking about a more casual interpretation of the dress code or rearranging the agenda at that regular meeting to start at the finishing item, or sitting in a different seat to your usual position at said meeting. This isRead more
How high can you go? Our world is built on teams – they are everywhere…at work, at home, on the TV (think Rio, the new football season, et al). Even in solo sports there’s a team behind the ‘star’ making achievement possible. Where a team is functioning well, performing to a high level, the resultsRead more
Trust stocks hit new low Amongst all the other fall out around Brexit one massive casualty is trust…that ephemeral quality that, in my view, is as essential to our existence as oxygen, water, food. Squabbling, manoeuvring politicians perpetually changing their narratives (seemingly to suit today’s mood) do nothing for confidence whether that’s in global financialRead more
A passion for compassion A quick scan of daily news feeds suggests the world is an increasingly challenging place whether through man-made conflicts or more naturally-occurring disasters. Individuals, countries and sometimes whole continents are under growing pressure. What’s true of the world is also true of our world in the teams and organisations we lead…inRead more
Be the voice not the echo It still surprises me how tricky it can be to have robust, yet open and challenging conversations amongst groups of leaders or Executive Teams – healthy dissonance if you will. Discussions where it’s not about taking up positions or proving our value but where there is a genuine opennessRead more
And the gold goes to… Another week, another example of trust under the cosh. US Olympian Ryan Lochte’s fake robbery story and subsequent plummet from grace has not only tarnished his golden achievements it has provided an object lesson in destroying trust. This was a self-destruct approach that few leaders are likely to take yetRead more
The corporate ladder is redundant The corporate ladder – that icon of career progress – would seem to have had its day with future workplace ‘stars’ making their difference by moving sideways as well as up. The conventional ladder model, where people move up a step/promotion at a time dates from the industrial revolution andRead more