The challenge of helping people to help themselves

Many of my friends and colleagues know that I have a strong interest in the prevention of drowning.  While this is less of a problem in the UK than it is in many other places, it remains a significant cause… Continue reading

Human Capital Management – automating the abuse of your most valuable asset

A while back I started collecting examples of business-speak that I found alarming. Some simply seemed to set out to confuse. Others were intended to make the speaker seem clever – usually for their own benefit. But the worst examples… Continue reading

With the id and super-ego fighting it out, should Prince Albert have played down his recent acquisition?

In an article in the Riviera Times, New jet for Prince Albert II, written by Nancy Jane Carragher, it is explained that Prince Albert II has just ‘secured’ his latest private jet, a Dassault Aviation Falcon, worth up to 50… Continue reading

Sustainability research funding – Is this just a case of Government lip-service?

The latest spin from the Technology Strategy Board reveals that a paltry £7M is going to be spread thinly across 17 projects – shared by 70 institutions, with a direct benefit to a clutch of very well known global companies… Continue reading

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – What are WE going to do?

CSR is not a new phenomenon, although it has experienced a renaissance in the last decade after 20 years in which it had largely been ignored. The importance of CSR, and the manner in which society regulates corporate behaviour is… Continue reading

Business Book of the Week : The Net Delusion by Evgeny Morozov

Belarus-born researcher and blogger, Evgeny Morozov, works on the political effects of the internet. He is skeptical about the Internet’s ability to provoke change in authoritarian regimes. He points out that the internet is used as a powerful tool to… Continue reading

Business Book of the Week : The Khan Academy ‘flips’ education (12/03/2011)

“With so little effort on my own part, I can empower an unlimited amount of people for all time. I can’t imagine a better use of my time.” Salman Khan – founder of the Khan Academy The history In late… Continue reading

After greed, is the relentless pursuit of efficiency as damaging?

I’ve been engaged in dialogue with someone on a forum dedicated to helping people find work. In the course of it, I began to expound my own perspective on the current economic, political and social climate and my frustrations at… Continue reading

What exactly is a ‘rapporteur’?

A few of my clients and colleagues have asked, from time-to-time, about the side of my work that I describe as being a ‘rapporteur’. Sitting in my hotel room waiting for a flight home, I thought I’d share the story… Continue reading

Ten ways for senior executives to get ahead by managing themselves

These notes began life five years ago. They reflect the issues that my leadership coaching clients (and their peers or bosses) see as holding them back. They also address the stumbling blocks that HR Directors frequently encounter when considering otherwise… Continue reading