The Purpose of Purpose (20.10-2)
The aftermath of recent pandemic lockdowns has given a number of organisations the opportunity of taking time to consider their strategic intent. With a lull in the daily grind and a growing uncertainty as to what is “normal”, the chance to think about the future and how they better prepare for that has appeared on […]
When loyalty and commitment is driven by fear (20.10-1)
I was recently asked my opinion about the motivations of a long-serving senior manager who demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the organisation. He works long hours at both ends of the day; is rarely off work with illness; takes vacations routinely but not extensively. The question was: what drives him after all these years to […]
Vulnerability in Leadership (18.08-1)
What is “vulnerability” when it’s applied to leadership? If we take the definition as “the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally”, then any trepidation around vulnerability as a potential harm would seem to be justified. However, vulnerability in leadership is anything but weakness; […]
Mediocrity through Concensus
Are you surprised by the (old) “new-ageism” practised by some when it comes to recruitment? Where candidates are “interviewed” by all staff and only employed if there is unanimous agreement? Elements of this system have proved to be useful in terms of overall staff engagement where there is a demonstration to seek the feedback of […]
Managing expectations
An expectation is a strong belief that something will, or should, happen or be done. As managers we are normally placing expectations on others, especially our reports and subordinates and recognise that others have expectations on us as managers and leaders. This normally relates to process, treatment, consistency, transparency. It’s a challenging exercise to manage […]
Succession Planning
There’s enough said about a manager’s role in succession planning through an organisation but not enough about self-succession…
