In 1864, shortly after the American Civil War ended, President Abraham Lincoln, said in a letter to Col. William F. Elkins: ‘We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood … It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but...
We are taught to build and create not destroy. We learn about continuous improvement, as step by step we refine an idea, a project, a programme, an offering. Our focus is on making things better and at one level that makes perfect sense. However sometimes, we need to destroy something in order to build the...
When we think about the work of leaders, we rightly have an expectation that they will have a wider, bigger, higher perspective. We imagine that they are so well connected and ‘read in’ to the major factors that may affect the well-being of the organisation that they are able to see new pathways that we...
It can be very easy as a business to wax lyrical about customer service and the importance of customers within the psyche of the organisation. At the same time, as customers we all have endless anecdotes and stories about very poor service alongside the occasional great service. Despite the fact that often we see service...
The pandemic was possibly a once in a generation event (let’s hope so). And in that trial for the human family most businesses suffered. Many have survived and are now thriving once more. Others have gone to the wall. Why, we may ask. What sets some on the path to sustainability and the elevated path...
Short-termism may appear to be a particular affliction of political leaders. The constant restructuring of national services with ill thought through plans and/or little time given to allow the new to work is one example. Another is the promises that got them elected are often side-lined or plain broken when in power. Perhaps the short-termism...