“The mind celebrates a little triumph every time it formulates a thought” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) The work involved in using your creativity and imagination to innovate evokes many emotions – sometimes bringing agony, exhaustion, and tears, but on other occasions, satisfaction, joy, and excitement. Innovation, however, does not come without a price. In “The Second…
“Often, poor leadership is masked by those with the loudest voices and strongest opinions” (Nick Fewings) Many employees are highly skilled, adept at problem-solving and creative in fulfilling organisational goals. Some are business builders and grow the company’s reach (brand quality, sales, footprint, etc.). Most employees, however, though maybe not entrepreneurial, at least have a…
“Our ultimate freedom is the right and the power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us” (Dr Steven R Covey) When confronted by significant differences of opinion with others, aggressive communication, or manipulative forms of behaviour, particularly from those in more senior positions, many employees are overwhelmed and overcome – they…
“The fundamental response to change is not logical, but emotional” (Tom DeMarco) The current world socio-political and economic contexts are dismal, to say the least – financial analysts and the World Bank continue to predict slow growth, volatile markets, and the possibility of a longer or deeper recession than was first suggested. Governments are attempting…
“Almost all conflict is a result of violated expectations” (Blaine Lee, The Power Principle) To avoid relational frustrations and mistrust, expectations between people need to be clarified. This is true at home as well as in business or dealings within other organisations. “Clean up your room and the bathroom before going out” sounds pretty straightforward…
“Income and wealth may impress your friends and increase your vocabulary, but having a servant attitude and compassion for others will cause people to take notice and give purpose to your life” (Germany Kent) The company was ailing. It wasn’t that their chicken was bad or tasteless – indeed, their range of products was good….
“His thoughts were slow, His words were few, and never formed to glisten. But he was a joy to all his friends – You should have heard him listen”. (Anon) Listening is a rare phenomenon amongst human beings. It seems that the tongue is a very powerful and dominant muscle, at times completely overshadowing the…
“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth” (Bonnie Friedman) In our fast-paced world, expectations grow – partly as a natural consequence of development and the realisation of less than perfect results (oh, I wish this computer would just speed up and work for me!), but chiefly because of an inner…
We often make or break relationships with, and subsequent loyalty from, customers by the subtle and sometimes not so subtle messages that we convey to them. Customers want to be treated with dignity and respect, be understood, get good value from purchases and feel that there is a good connection with supplier employees. Treating customers…
“… the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” (James 3: 5) Although the weight of the human tongue is only about 60 – 70 grams, its potential for evil is so great that it has…
Most customers don’t care about you – they don’t care how good you proclaim to be. They feel nothing about the average experience and knowledge of your employees and they are really not that impressed with some of your veiled promises. Almost all customers want to experience great customer service and not just hear about…
When presidents play God, one is reminded of Martin Luther King’s words: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” Being a good leader in any context is tough – having a worthy vision, communicating with clarity, engaging authentically, empathising with compassion, providing hope, etc. One of the…
