BOOK REVIEW: The Leadership Coach (Teach Yourself)

This book came as a surprise at several levels. Firstly, I wasn’t expecting a “Teach Yourself” title. I’ve bought several TY books in the past and often been a little disappointed. They’ve been far more complex than I had wanted… Continue reading

How long do you need to hold an audience’s attention?

It’s intriguing… One of the things I was told when I started teaching last year was that students have a very short attention span. It took me a while to accept this. How could I possibly be so boring that… Continue reading

Idea identification and development – entrepreneurship & accelerated start-ups

This may seem blindingly obvious, but the usual starting point for an entrepreneurial venture is an idea. Let’s qualify that immediately. Some entrepreneurs (and do not dismiss them as they could be far better business people than you and I… Continue reading

Reputation management, social media, food poisoning and Sy Oliver

As a lot of people know, I am a great fan of the sentiment of Sy Oliver’s song – “It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.”  Well, I came across a new variation on the… Continue reading

There’s lies, damned lies and statistics…

There’s a saying, often mis-attributed by Americans to Mark Twain, who equally mis-attributed it to Disraeli, who may well have been using a similar phrase common at the time (the 1880-1890s)[1]. It goes; “There’s lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Nowhere… Continue reading

Reflective practice and journaling

Journaling has been recognised as a powerful instrument for personal development for as far back as we can tell. It isn’t for everyone, but at least giving it a try may help you identify another way of doing something that… Continue reading

When you REALLY want the people you work with to read something…

On a LinkedIn forum today, a “Global HR Professional” posted the following question; Employee Handbook Update – Opinions please We are adding a few lines to our employee handbook which was originally created and distributed in 2012. The changes are… Continue reading

Help for those returning to work…

An article in HR magazine today highlights the problem that many people, especially those who have been unemployed in the longer term, experience when they get a new job. Roughly 4/5 employees (not just those who ‘return to work’ (RTWs))… Continue reading