Senior leaders tend to require their people to be trained without attending themselves. There are various stated reasons for this: They are too busy. They’ve already been trained in those areas (albeit some time ago). They are not the ones who need development. They aren’t sufficiently connected with the people being trained. They don’t want […]
John A was the CEO of the tightly held public listed company. The biggest external shareholder was a smallish superannuation fund with 9%. The remainder were 187 loyal investors who held on to their shares and between them held 43% of the share capital. The founder held the rest. The company’s shares were rarely traded. […]
We know how important it is for a business, any business, to have a market, access to money and people. But beyond those obvious three, there are three ingredients that really matter that we must also have. Let me give you a double case study to illustrate. Peter started his business as a sole trader, […]
The newly appointed executive was invited to lunch with the chair of the board. “Welcome to the rank of servant” said the chair. There was no smile on her face. “What do you mean?” asked the executive. “What do you think I mean?” The executive paused. This is not what he expected. He’d imagined he […]
The drive for higher performance, productivity and sustainability inevitably raises the topic of innovation. I assert that innovation like many other concepts has been made complicated in an effort for the authors to be heard, to help and to stand out. Let's keep it simple for once. Just keep these core principles in mind, experiment, […]
“I am holding you accountable for this to be done on time and as agreed, OK?” said the general manager to her direct report. “Sure” was the reply. At the due date and time the direct report said “I’m sorry but there were too many other interruptions that were of immediate priority. I’ll have it […]
Leaders have so much to think about and do, more so these days than ever before. The biggest challenges are still around people. People are more mobile, expect more and can actually do more – provided they are effectively inspired, become motivated and are well developed. This then becomes an essential, if not the most […]
I’ve had a Google alert on employee engagement in operation now for eighteen months and consequently have seen almost 100% of all news, article and blogs captured by Google in that time. Here’s what I’ve noticed: Everything everyone suggests to deal with employee engagement has been captured in Herzberg’s Dual Theory for about five decades. […]
We are obsessed with technology. Digital, online, in the cloud solutions for everything are available for almost every conceivable function. There are apps for everything – almost. This has created a double edged sword. One edge has sharpened the possibility of improved performance and productivity, taking the pain out menial tasks and enabling enterprises to […]
The huge ore truck slid sideways down the slope and then rolled as its load shifted. By the time it had reached the bottom of the open pit the ore had been scattered, the truck destroyed and the driver was dead. The investigation pointed to a number of causes: Driver fatigue Roadway too narrow Insufficient […]
