Mindfulness seems to be a hot topic right now, and not clearly understood, especially in the context of leadership and the workplace. We hear elaborate explanations referring to Buddhist and similar doctrines which are helpful in the longer term in the personal development and spiritual space. However, they need to mean something more direct and […]
Max (not his real name) was my new client, a CEO of a mid-sized infrastructure service provider (industry changed for privacy). He had asked me to help him improve his leadership skills. I agreed because he had the ‘learner’s attitude’, despite his solid experience as a respected senior leader. He believed in continuous improvement and […]
Stop, I say – we are all human with similar predictable needs, established over the millennia. We need clarity of agreement about values, vision, goals, tasks and roles. We need clarity about our value to the team, organisation or community. We need acknowledgement for achieving agreed outcomes. We need clarity about the possibilities for our […]
Sharon (not her real name) had completed our three-day executive retreat and returned to her workplace determined to rejuvenate her people. Sharon is an engineer and the chief operating officer of an infrastructure service employing 120 people. Sharon’s motivation to attend the retreat was that her people were becoming disengaged, productivity was slipping and the […]
We are all facing continuous, even disruptive change or improvement, aren’t we? We have all experienced a natural resistance and even rejection of change, especially if it is forced upon us. Whilst most of us eventually accept change that makes sense, some of us are very resistant for a variety of reasons, such as the […]
Gordon (not his real name) had just been appointed head of his firm’s large regional office, after four years as a senior sales manager there. He was aware that it was an unpopular choice, having earned the mistrust of three long serving key people he’d criticised and re-deployed whilst in his previous role. They were […]
Have you ever been with a leader who doesn’t give you space to have input? Do you get bombarded with what he or she says? Do you get the impression they don’t or can’t listen to you, only to what’s going on in their heads? Is there no thoughtful pause between their mind and their […]
There are two reasons why workplaces lack accountability: Inept leadership Dysfunctional culture The reasons why the leadership is inept at creating accountability are: Inability or unwillingness to confront the issue effectively. They’ve set the low standard themselves by their own example. They don’t know how to reset the corporate mindset, or improve the culture. They […]
Ineffective leadership is the biggest reversible cost to a business. If the leadership is dysfunctional at the top, then it gravitates downwards, infecting leaders at other levels. However, dysfunction in leadership at any level will have a negative impact at all levels of the business. The costs come from loss of: - talent engagement productivity […]
Asking and listening – that’s it. Gone are the days when leaders could just be command and control addicts. Gone are the days when leaders are anointed the alleged gurus in their field. Educated informed and concerned employees worth their salt need more than gurus and bosses. Google is guru and bosses are dinosaurs. Today’s […]
