“A good boss makes his men realise they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could” (Charles Erwin Wilson) I am surprised at how many people hate work. Wherever I go, I come across hundreds of people who prefer the duvet rather than…
“When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality” (Joe Paterno) Many motivation theories suggest that successful performance hinges on both having the needed skills and, also, the will to use these skills to achieve, but even motivated and skilled teams may fail to perform if they don’t have a…
The “sweet spot”, a term used typically in relation to the best point of ball impact on clubs used in the sport of golf, is often misused by club manufacturers when they boast that their clubs have “a larger sweet spot” – suggesting that amateurs have less chance of messing up the shot when they…
Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads (Back to the Future – 1985) The world is quite different now – the very concept of “team” has been challenged, revised and reconstructed. On the one hand, globalisation has accelerated the employ of diverse and remote teams, where team members operate from many different countries in…
Build a team so strong that no-one can point out the leader (Anon) The mark of true leadership lies in the efficacy, confidence and performance of the leader’s team. Too many leaders rely on personal charisma, authority (even manipulation) and other coercion techniques to get the job done, disempowering team members as a result. Trust…
“You will eat, bye and bye, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You’ll get pie in the sky when you die” (Joe Hill – 1879-1915) This quote is originally from the song “The Preacher and the Slave” (1911) by Swedish-American labour activist and songwriter, Joe Hill, which he…
The fall-out of the current COVID-19 pandemic is significant – not only are millions of people worldwide contracting the disease and suffering as a result (many of whom are dying), but also economies are shrinking and millions of people are losing their jobs. Although some progress had been made in relation to addressing poverty, the…
When I was young, my first attempt at ‘real’ cooking was memorable, but for all the wrong reasons. Oh yes, of course I could fry bacon and eggs, make milkshakes and grill toasted cheese and ham, but I had never tried the real deal – meat, vegetables and a starch. On a particular day when…
“A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows every corner” (Anon) “Break neither the new nor the old broom – they are both essential if the organisation is to grow” (Jonathan Mills) There are times when a change in leadership is exactly what the organisation needs to stimulate growth, reduce inefficiencies and engender…
“Success is never owned. It’s rented and rent is due every day” (Unknown) Success seems to be a fairly short-lived commodity – just being successful in one year doesn’t mean that the feat will be repeated in subsequent years. Exceeding annual sales targets significantly in one period does not guarantee future successes. The results derived…
Many companies can be commended for the amount of training and development opportunities that they offer their employees. Many of these short (or longer) courses have great value and staff members seem to find them helpful. Employees who attend these courses, however, often complain about the lack of opportunity to implement the principles and suggested…
“If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his employees, not his equals” (J K Rowling) The leaders of Korn Ferry, in their “Future of Work” study, suggest that two-thirds of senior leaders think technology will generate greater value for their business than human capital. They note…
