I’ve spoken about succession planning and practice awhile ago. Since then I’ve been struck by the number of stories I’ve heard about the difficulty in finding good people, talent and those ready to step up to leadership. Globally it remains a primary challenge. As I look around my client base, a mix of government and […]
As a teenager I took a holiday job cleaning offices with a friend’s father. Whilst I was soon bored by the repetitive nature of the work, I noticed my friend’s father was clearly pleased with it. He paid attention to each aspect of the work, making sure difficult corners were cleaned properly, and carefully cleaning […]
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 […]
There it was. This great grey amorphic beast filling all the gaps around the boardroom table, spilling over the table and into their documents. The board themselves were tainted with its grey tones. It was no wonder the C-level team believed they “managed” the board. The elephant hunter was called in to deal with it. […]
The moment I hear someone say “Our employee engagement program” I have to contain my mirth. All the research with scientific rigor points to employee engagement being a product of leadership engagement where the leaders ensure that the organisation’s environment and culture are both functional and attractive. That is not a “program” – that’s simply […]
As a newly appointed leader, you have an obligation to earn trust and respect prior to being effective as the leader. The quicker you do that the quicker you can become effective. You won’t gain it quickly by being a know-it-all hero. You won’t gain it quickly by becoming popular. You’ll gain it by being […]
I’m dismayed at the shallow attempts to improve employee engagement with gimmicks. I expect that employees are or will be too. Here’s a partial list: Employee satisfaction surveys that are looked at then filed and no further meaningful action taken. Regular streams of one way “communication” about the business coming from head office. “Happy Fridays” […]
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 […]
