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"Experience
is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens
to him"
Aldous Huxley
|
|
| Stormy
waters: Leading in a downturn |
| HR
Zone.co.uk 13 November 2008 |
|
Leadership in turbulent
times is not only a challenge but a real test of mental toughness. Jackie
Orme, the new chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development (CIPD), told delegates at the CIPD's recent conference,
"In my experience, leadership is becoming more values driven. It
isn't just about what you do - how you do it is becoming
more important in today's environment." And Professor Sharon Turnbull,
Centre for Applied Leadership Research reports seeing a number of big,
global companies that are investing more than ever in their leaders: "They’ve
realised from previous recessions that you can't stop investing and thinking
about your people."
|
| |
| A
business case for women |
| The
McKinsey Quarterly 2008 |
| Companies
that hire and retain more women not only are doing the right thing but can
also gain a competitive edge. These companies will be able to draw from
a broader pool of talent in an era of talent shortages. And what’s
more, research shows a correlation between high numbers of female senior
executives and stronger financial performance. |
| |
| Work
conflicts 'costing billions' |
| Channel
4 News 6 October 2008 |
| Stress,
heavy workloads, personality clashes and "warring egos" in the
workplace are costing employers billions of pounds a year in lost production,
a new report claimed. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD) claimed that the average employee was spending two hours a week
dealing with some form of conflict, suggesting it was costing millions
of working days a year. A survey of thousands of workers and hundreds
of managers showed that most believed bosses should tackle underlying
tensions in the workplace before they escalated into conflict.
|
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| Promoting
health and wellbeing of staff must be a priority for employers |
| Personnel
Today 20 February 2008 |
| Health
secretary Alan Johnson has called for all employers to do more to promote
the health and wellbeing of their staff. He has called on government to
work with employers to improve the way health risks are identified, including
stress and mental health. |
| |
| Kick
mediocrity into touch |
| Personnel
Today 14th January 2008 |
| The
Institute of Leadership and Management’s new boss believes taking
an uncompromising approach to leadership will help breed success. The saying
that people leave managers, not companies, is something that Penny de Valk,
newly appointed chief executive of the Institute of Leadership and Management
(ILM), takes firmly to heart. De Valk is convinced that quality of management
and leadership is the most powerful catalyst to drive success in any organisation.
"For me, investing in the quality of your managers is probably the
best retention investment you could have," she said. "We know
that people who are managed well, working with people they can learn from,
and that they trust and respect, is the best bit of stickiness an organisation
can have." (To find out more about help for managers and leaders
call 020 8546 4012.....DP) |
| |
| New
year resolution? Don't wait until New Year's Eve |
| The
Guardian 2 January 2008 |
A
team of psychologists, led by Richard Wiseman, have spent the past year
analysing the ingredients of the best-kept new year's resolutions. In their
findings, published today, they found that the resolutions most likely to
succeed were: enjoy life more, which 32% of people stuck to; improve your
fitness (29%); lose weight (28%); be more organised (27%); quit or cut down
drinking (25%); quit or cut down smoking (24%). Amongst their tips they
suggest - Men should set specific goals,
Women should tell others about their resolution, Choose a new approach and
Do not leave the decision to New Year's Eve. (For more ideas and support
for setting and achieving your goals for 2008 call 020 8546 4012 ....DP)
|
| |
| Dalai
Lama on Business |
| The
Independent November 2007 |
| The
Independent reported today on the forthcoming book The Leader's Way:
Business, Buddhism and Happiness in an Interconnected World by His
Holiness the Dalai Lama with Laurens van de Muyzenberg. It was born out
of a decade-long discussion between the two men, one a spiritual leader,
the other an international management consultant. The book – due late
next year – will apply progressive techniques to such global topics
as poverty, sustainability, diversity and the environment. It will also
invite Corporations to set out "authentic principles".
(For more about the impact of
Happiness on performance and success click here...DP) |
| |
| Burn-Out
Britain |
| The
Times October 2007 |
| Nearly
a quarter of us spend the whole day chained to our desks, according to
a survey carried out by Legal & General.The poll revealed that 23%
of office workers never get up from their desks, not even for lunch. And
all of this hard work is damaging our health. Another survey revealed
that 52% of us are kept awake at night with worry. So what should we do?
The standard advice is to take an hourly 5 to 10 minute break which helps
to reduce eye, neck and back strain, and reduce stress.(You could
also work with a coach
to explore more effective ways of working, or learn how to manage
time better.... DP) |
| |
| Leading
employment minister Barbara Follett blasts Britain’s line managers
|
| Personnel
Today September 2007 |
| Barbara
Follett, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Work
and Pensions, said bosses had consistently failed to get the most from their
workers. She said that an inability to use innovative processes to motivate
employees had held the UK economy back. (To learn more about motivation
click here or call 020 8546 4012.......DP) |
| |
| Leadership
is another skill facing a shortage in the UK |
| Personnel
Today August 2007 |
| Building
the top team's skills, and those of prospective leaders, is vital to any
organisation's success. Failing to do this risks the future of the business
and contributes to issues such as poor succession planning, which Investors
in People research has shown wipes £2bn a year from the value of FTSE
350 companies.That's a massive hit for those businesses that are failing
to develop the senior talent they need, now and in the future. Trouble at
the top will have a major impact on the bottom line. Simon Jones, Investors
in People |
| |
| External
advisers, mentors or coaches play the most dominant role in a successful
promotion |
| Personnel
Today June 2007 |
|
A recent survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD) and Development Dimensions International (DDI), shows that coaches
and external advisers play the most significant role in leadership transitions
with 43% of senior level leaders citing their contribution. "Providing
training and equipping leaders with the right resources and development
tools are essential" said Vanessa Robinson, CIPD. Simon Mitchell, DDI
director added "Simple things like helping newly promoted leaders anticipate
what they need to do differently would make a huge difference to the effectiveness
of those in transition." |
| |
| Keeping
workers’ minds on the job |
| The
Times March 2007 |
| Lifting
‘employee engagement’ levels can give firms a competitive edge
over their rivals, writes Mary Braid. Last December, a survey by the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that only 35% of people
in the UK are actively engaged in their work. Other studies rated “active
engagement” in the UK as low as 20% and the cost to the economy at
tens of billions of pounds. "Businesses can no longer win competitive
edge by using better machines or processes. To get the
edge now all we have left is this thing called human resources,” says
Andy Parsley, director of employee engagement consultancy. Businesses need
to create an environment where people actually want to give more and feel
fulfilled. |
| |
| Direct
correlation between staff morale and stock price increases |
| Personnel
Today February 2007 |
|
A four-year study in the US by Sirota Survey Intelligence reported a direct
correlation between staff morale and stock price increases.The 2005 research
focused on 28 publicly-listed trading companies with more than 920,000 combined
employees. It found the 14 companies with the highest rates of morale achieved
an average of 16% growth, while others in their industries notched up an
average 6%. Six companies defined as having low morale saw an average increase
of just 3%. |
| Are
your leaders engaging with their followers? |
| Personnel
Today 20 February 2007 |
| Effective
leadership should engage staff at all levels of an organisation. Most organisations
may view good leadership as the key to success, but to live up to their
own employees' expectations, many leaders are going back to the training
room. Recent ILM research warns UK businesses risk losing young talent because
of old-style, dictatorial management practices. A YouGov survey in July
2006, called Young People's View of Managers, of 496 18- to 24-year-olds
in full-time employment found 60% said they most disliked managers who look
for someone to blame, while 86% wanted a manager who would inspire them. |
| |
| Pedersen
finds key to success - Blackburn Rovers 2 Sheffield United 1 |
| The
Times 5 February 2007 |
| A
25-yard free kick by Pederson two minutes into stoppage sealed all three
points against a hugely unfortunate Sheffield United. Morten Gamst Pedersen
is a consummate professional who spends hours practising. The odd bit of
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) also helps. “We
work deliberately on Morten’s mental imagery leading into games,”
Hughes said. “It is NLP. When he gets into certain situations, he
tries to do things in exactly the same way. It is a little bit like Jonny
Wilkinson’s approach". |
| |
| Mind
Games ..........on the piste |
| The
Times 20 January 2007 |
| Martin
Symington discovers that NLP is one of the buzz terms in
modern ski teaching. He attends a two-day ski clinic run by The Development
Centre (TDC), a team of young British ski coaches who promise a different
experience from the traditional ski school. All the coaches hold the International
Ski Teachers Diploma and the European Speed Test, which allows them to teach
in France. They are at pains to describe themselves as coaches rather than
instructors, with the emphasis on determining individual needs. NLP
is used to help pupils find a metaphor for a specific skiing action to which
they can relate and learn more easily. |
| |
| Office
politics the biggest contributor to workplace stress |
| Personnel
Today 18 January 2007 |
| Office
politics have become the greatest cause of workplace stress, according to
research. A survey of 490 managers by research firm Roffey Park found that
60% believe an "increase in political behaviour in their organisation
in recent years" was their greatest cause of stress. This figure rises
to 77% for those working in the public sector. "......managers have
had to become more adept at influencing, negotiating and navigating organisational
networks in order to get things done. Similarly, the demise of the traditional
career ladder now means that a good deal of influencing and networking is
required.” said Valerie Garrow, principal researcher at Roffey Park.
|
| How
to keep staff happy at work |
| Personnel
Today 16 January 2007 |
| According
to research, the most important factor in securing goodwill from staff is
good communication and good relationships with colleagues. It might sound
obvious, but two recent studies have suggested that this is actually the
most difficult thing to get right. A survey published last week by HR consultancy
Chiumento found 73% of British workers cited good relationships with colleagues
as the key reason they enjoy their jobs. Chiumento chief executive, Sarah
Chiumento, said: “Business should not ignore the value of good relationships
at work. Simple ways to boost happiness include treating staff fairly, ensuring
communication is good, and fostering a positive atmosphere.” |
| |
| Your
Planet Needs You - Book Launch! |
| John
Symes December 2006 |
| .
|
 |
This
wonderful book, written by good friend Jon Symes, has just been launched.
It's a beautifully illustrated book showing how all of us can respond
to the crises we see in the world, and how all of our actions and thoughts
add up to create a future worth choosing. Every purchase supports the
movement which is spreading the word throughout the world. Buying this
book sends a ripple of hope out into the world, the ripple has started.............
Buy the book as a gift at www.yourplanetneedsyou.org
and ask the recipient to pass it on. |
| |
| |
| Coaching
drives new Range Rover launch |
| People
Management magazine 28 September 2006 |
| The
successful launch of the new Range Rover, despite complicated circumstances,
owed much to team coaching. Peter Wall, education training and development
manager at Land Rover and Jaguar explained how the product launch in 2003
was "particularly complicated". Coaching took place in the UK
over a six- to eight-month period. It involved one-to-one coaching for the
Land Rover team leader and collective coaching on project issues and personal
and team effectiveness. |
| |
| Poor
communication leads to dissatisfaction among the ranks |
| Personnel
Today 21 August 2006 |
| An
ability to communicate effectively was listed as the most important quality
for a successful manager by respondents in a recent survey conducted for
Investors in People, yet nearly one in three (32%) said their manager was
not good at communicating with them. |
| |
| Employees
want more support from managers |
| Personnel
Today 7 July 2006 |
| Employees
want their managers to support and develop them more at work, a recent survey
reveals. Commissioned by Investors in People the survey found that over
half of the 1,700 adults questioned felt that their bosses did not give
them enough help. "This research exposes managers who are failing to
help employees reach their full potential. Keeping employees involved, motivated
and productive is a vital part of any managerial role," said Ruth Spellman,
CEO IiP. |
| |
| L&D
is productivity key |
| Personnel
Today 14 June 2006 |
Bosses
of medium-sized UK businesses think learning and development is the best
way to raise staff productivity.
Some 58% of bosses polled by management consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC) for its 2006 Business Insight survey, said employee L&D will be
the top priority when addressing employee productivity in the next year.
|
| |
| NLP:
where anything is possible |
| Marie
Claire 29 May 2006 |
| Neuro-linguistic
programming is the latest self-help fix that promises to help you quit
smoking, lose weight or boost your ego in super-quick time. NLP is increasingly
popular………. now more complementary therapists than ever
are becoming NLP trained.
So,
how does it work? The idea is to re-programme your brain so you think
in another way. Instead of concentrating on the problem, NLP attempts
to alter the thought processes that lead your body to behave in a certain
way. Once your brain has been retrained to think differently, your actions
should change automatically.
Anna
Moore
|
| |
| Coaching
creates a culture of empowerment at John Lewis |
| People
Management Magazine 20 April 2006 |
| Steve
Millbank, personnel manager, learning and development at John Lewis said
that coaching was helping the organisation to shift to a culture of empowerment
rather than command and has played a central role in cutting staff turnover,
boosting customer satisfaction levels and shifting employee attitudes.
|
|
|
|
| People
Management Magazine 6 April 2006 |
| CIPD
research shows that 99 per cent of employers believe coaching can deliver
tangible benefits to both individuals and organisations |
| |
| Everything
is possible |
| The
Sunday Times - Health 5 February 2006 |
| Afraid
of flying? Want to give up smoking? You can do it - you just need to reprogram
your brain. Anita Chaudhuri reports on the rise of NLP
NLP
is a way of reprogramming the brain in order to change negative behaviour........it
[NLP] can help with a range of problems, from confidence-building and
stress-management to relationships and health and wellbeing |
| |
| Research
reveals that dissatisfaction at work causes illness |
| Lancaster
University Management School - November 2005 |
| Workers
who are dissatisfied with their jobs are more likely to become ill, reveals
the largest ever study into the links between job satisfaction and physical
and mental well-being, carried out by Lancaster University Management School
and Manchester Business School. "Employers should seriously look at
tackling the consequences of job dissatisfaction and related health problems
with innovative policies.” Professor Cary Cooper http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/news/6596/ |
| |
| The
key to ..... coaches |
|
| The
Times 15 March 2005 |
| Seventy-nine
per cent of UK organisations use coaches, according to the Chartered Institute
of Personnel and Development (www.cipd.co.uk) and the public sector is leading
the way. “People in the sector are managing complex change with a
lot at stake,” says coach David Birch, business director at Ashridge
business school (www.ashridge.com). “Coaches allow them to step back
and think things through.” |
| |
| What
they do
Coaches, mentors, managers . . . what’s the difference? According
to Harvard Business School, a manager is someone who gets results through
other people. Coaches and mentors help those people to fulfil their potential.
Coaching tends to be more skills-based than mentoring and tackles specific
short-term issues......
John
Plummer |
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