Talking with a client the other day about a Google story – how they have a slide in one of their buildings instead of stairs. We got to talking about leaders set the tone for their leadership. By the environment they create around them.
It also got me thinking about the difference between tone, mood and emotions. If there is any, to start with. And what leaders need to do about the tone they set – so that their team can work in the best possible environment. Continue Reading →
Malcolm Gladwell is one of the most compelling speakers I’ve paid good money to listen to. We trooped off into London to hear him talk about his then latest book ‘Outliers’.
Good for him – he didn’t just recite extracts from the book, which uses the early career of the Beatles, or Bill Gates, to make his points. He took me back to my childhood and the career of a band with many incarnations – Fleetwood Mac.
The key message I took from that talk was the importance of practice. Gladwell’s message is that it takes10,000 hours to achieve mastery. Continue Reading →
This issue of ‘difficult’ conversations certainly stirred up a hot debate in an Ignite workshop we ran last week. What I love about our clients is that they’re the kind of people to discuss things rigorously. Whether they agree or disagree, they’re always willing to give our recommendations a try. That’s a real leadership quality. In this blog I focus on seven leadership qualities that will make your life easier. Give them a try. They’ll also switch your team towards positive delivery, development and greater solidarity Continue Reading →
I had one of those ‘I have a dream’ moments last week: I want managers and leaders to have more supportive conversations with their staff. But I know that people tend to compartmentalise – people OR performance?
I had this lightbulb moment as we were driving to the country house hotel in the heart of England where we run our coaching skills courses. A drive is a great way to explore and discuss ideas.
Why more supportive conversations? The benefits are huge – both for achieving high performance and maintaining it. 
Continue Reading →
I’ve written about the good and the bad, then there’s the Ugly Boss.
Which is why I was driving into the cold wet night to meet up with a client. This boss believes that the carrot and the stick both work. If you break the stick over a team-member, hit them with the carrot.
This boss doesn’t bother to find out what motivates his team. He’s quite frank about it. He simply doesn’t care. He pays you to deliver and when you do he won’t congratulate you or give you the pat on the back you deserve.
Illustrations by Frits Ahlefeldt at hikingartist.com
He may deliberately (or unwittingly) practice ‘divide and rule’. Belittle you because you’re his target this week. Buy 2/3 of the team the latest laptop. Leave the rest of you to struggle with new systems without the firepower or the back-up. Continue Reading →
On Sunday I posted part one of this blog – ‘Good Boss, Co-Create’ – now we begin to get into a little less comfortable area of leadership – so let’s see what we might do….
The Bad Boss – Check for Checks and Balances
I’ve got those Spaghetti Westerns cowboys in mind. A rough figure in a poncho. Sombrero tipped off his head, half-covering the rifle slung across his back. Liable to pull it into action at any minute. Or fire off from one of the pistols at his hips.
This is a sharp-shooting leader of my acquaintance. Oh, and he’s a she. Busy building her own career with the politicos and external stakeholders, she’s driving her posse from one poorly-thought-through project to another. Continue Reading →
My alter ego is an ‘Emma Peel’ figure from the ‘60s British TV series The Avengers. I see myself jumping into a red Mini Cooper, probably emblazoned with the motto “Coach on a Mission”. I pack my Boss-Taming kit in the tiny boot, and deal with the good, the bad and the ugly of leadership.
The boss tamer’s top hat
This is a longer blog than usual. So I’m going to share it over three days – and give you time to think about the different elements. Continue Reading →
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