Blog
5 steps to knowing your crucial core values
“I now realise that not really knowing what my core values are has been the root of poor relationships and decision-making in the past” This was just one of the comments made during my recent work with a group around their individual core values. ‘Core values’ is a...
Dread uncomfortable conversations? Use these 6 steps to improve your people’s performance without the likely tangle and upset
Does your stomach turn at the thought of having to have a conversation with one of your people about his/her under-par performance? Do you just know that, at best, it’s going to be tricky and at worst, it’s going to be nothing short of Armageddon? There’s bound to...
Feeling ‘piranha-ed’? 5 Key Questions to stop you being chewed to the bone
As a leader, we can have periods of time where we are asked for help with this project, that task, this person, that client, this plan, that presentation, etc, etc, on and on. At times, it can feel like everyone is wanting their pound of flesh, and they want it right...
Sure we have goals and actions, but there is more to it than that…
While thinking about the our business and personal goals in a recent Band of Bosses meeting, the BOBs explored beyond, “What do we want to have, so what do we need to do?” Starting with the end in mind is common place and good practice. Being specific about our goals...
When leading, how do you understand your people’s response to change?
As we all know, change is the only constant. Change can be born out of necessity, choice or natural process. Some of us really struggle in coping with change, while others appear to breeze through it. So, when it comes to the people in our teams, how do we understand...
What b****y planet are they on?
Have you ever come away from engaging with a colleague or a meeting and thought, “What bl***y planet are they on?” I’m sure, as a business owner, director or CEO, you have. Everyone I have ever worked with has had this experience. And so have I. This kind of thinking...
How can you cope when two of your tribes have gone to war?
As an MD or CEO yourself, you can probably relate to this... Your organisation is doing well. Growth has been good. You’ve found yourself handling a bigger workforce than you started out with. That’s great, and yet, it comes with its own challenges. The ‘mess’ of...
As a boss, are you fostering “Teams of clones” or “Teams of rebels”?
The success of our organisations heavily rests on the type of culture we grow and encourage. In the book review section of a Band of Bosses (BOB) group meeting, we discussed our findings and thoughts around the book “Rebel Ideas” by Matthew Syed (which the BOBs highly...
Do you feel the tension between ethics, morals and your role when facing a difficult decision?
As a boss, you may regularly find yourself in a position where a difficult and challenging decision needs to be made. This is something we explored in our Band of Bosses (BOB) meeting, using a particular decision-making framework. This framework had us reflecting upon...
Let’s not assume it’s a zebra
A client of mine was having a wobble. The wobble was based in “what ifs” and “maybes” rather than actual, factual information. This then, formed focus of our conversation for our session. I find it surprisingly common for us to worry ourselves sick about things that...
Fuming, I delivered a large piece of my mind and left!
The Head of Sixth Form tasked my 17 year old self with bringing together a disparate gaggle of students to perform a song at a sixth form prize giving event. Not one to quake at a such a challenge, I set about assembling willing-ish volunteers, many of whom had never...
“I’m a complete and utter fail!”
This is what I announced to my parents, after angrily stomping off the stage at the end of a violin solo, aged eleven. Sound familiar? Have you, as a boss, ever made such a declaration? I know that I have. So, what had been the disaster that warranted such a claim? I...