Author Archive
Seven Tips for Becoming a Better Leader
My son plays the clarinet. I don’t know if you’ve seen one up close, but it’s a beautiful instrument: a glossy black wooden tube, encrusted with silver stops and levers.
But it takes time to learn how to play. (It takes time to learn how to put it together!) Everything to do with this beautiful instrument […]
The Number One Failing of Really Useless Leaders
Now I’m sure you’ve read Stephen Covey’s excellent book ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’. But if you haven’t, you should. It’s an inspiring summary of the seven simple but motivational things you need to do to be an inspirational leader. And it can help you to build an inspirational leadership style.
I mention Covey’s […]
Two Serious Failings of Really Useless Leaders
It’s daunting for business leaders who aspire to improve their leadership to be told to follow the example of Gandhi or Martin Luther King. These people are certainly inspirational, but they’re a tough act to follow in the real world.
I’ve therefore been looking at what we can learn from leaders who get it wrong. In […]
Are You the Worst Leader in the World?
The question I am most often asked by managers is: ‘Why won’t they do what I want?’ This is usually followed by: ‘And why don’t they work harder?’
As leaders and managers, we often assume that, if our employees really wanted to perform better, their performance would just increase. We assume that people’s ability to boost […]
Three Steps to Unleashing Your Team’s Potential
Most people could perform at a much higher level than they do if their boss created a suitable environment for them to flourish in. In many instances, it’s the boss who is holding the team back by trying to control it too closely.
So ask yourself, do you set unnecessary boundaries for your teams? If […]
The Ultimate Leadership Strategy
Put people first. It’s the great cliche, isn’t it? When a business school professor like me asks you ‘what’s the most productive leadership style?’, you know the answer don’t you? Put people first.
But if everyone knows the answer, why aren’t more people doing it? Why aren’t executives focused on motivating and inspiring their people?
The reality […]
How to Learn from Your Leadership Mistakes
We learn most from our mistakes. It’s true. But problems occur for us when we forget this. Or when we deliberately deny that we made a mistake. And - if we’re honest - most of us do this, from time to time.
So in this article I want to share with you the IMPORTANCE of learning […]
Leadership Lessons from the Presidential Election
Business executives don’t have to win votes to get appointed. But to be a successful leader, in the corporate world or the political world, you need to know who you are and what you stand for.
Even if you’re not the next president of the USA, I urge you to spare five minutes to read these […]