“If you are asked a direct question a second time, give a direct answer no matter how much it may hurt.” This is a rule I'd like to encourage you to strive towards because it will, in the long run, help you to achieve greater success and fulfilment. Although this may appear naïve, especially if a frank and honest answer may work against you, the long term benefits can be great. Surprisingly, the short term outlook Read More

It is entirely natural to have opposition. In fact, I would encourage it. Unless you have opposition the game is too easy ― isn't it? Well I hope you think that because otherwise you might be wasting your talent, ambition and energy. Opponents stretch thinking, pressure test proposals and balance the corporate agenda. Without opposition you may end up with an organisation being dominated by a powerful few; and this can wreak havoc on the strategy, results and morale ― at least in the medium term. Yet, desirable though it is, the fact remains that the opposition will still want to win. They may be mature and tell you that it is all about making the right decision for the business, but don’t be fooled. Underneath the rhetoric is a real person. They, like you, much prefer Read More

In some recent research* it has been found that the number one skills gap among executives is the ability to build vision and engage stakeholders to make it happen. Without vision and engagement not a great deal is going to change, and implementing change is another oft quoted deficiency in the senior ranks. The Vision Gap To my mind, there are three main Read More

Nine out of ten leaders are not respected by nine out of ten of their followers. Well, that’s the way it often appears when you get a group of people together in a room talking about leadership. This also came across loud and clear earlier this year when I was researching line management relationships. Part of the problem is that respect is a concept that varies wildly in interpretation, especially in diverse populations. But, does respect even matter these days? Read More

A little while ago one of my private coaching clients was expressing his frustration about the political activity surrounding his work. This stimulated me to ask my connections about their views on this common feature of organisational life...

What's your take on this, necessary evil or total waste of your time?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, here are just a few of the hundreds of responses I received: Read More

As discussed on the video Attitudes and Approaches in How to Win Over Your Boss, I stressed the importance of checking in with yourself about your attitude towards the relationship you have with your boss. The purpose of this exercise is to help you to land your reflections and turn them into specific actions you can begin to take to move towards a more helpful attitude. This does not mean you have to always be agreeing, always be positive, but that you become far moe aware of the impact your chosen attitudes have on the behaviours that inhabit your relationship (your behaviour and your boss' behaviour). During the first webinar we covered a number of attitudes that help and support your transition into a strategic influencer. The purpose of this exercise is to give you the opportunity to do a little self-analysis and also, make decisions about adjusting the attitudes you approach your work with. Read More

Relationships need to be in good shape if you are going to be able to deliver at your best. You have relationships all around you: your boss, your co-workers, your team members, and many more besides. When they are not working, problems quickly ensue. If you are interested in improving a specific relationship, it really helps to quantify exactly what you are aiming for, and find a way to measure the quality of your relationship. This will help you to focus on what to improve and find actions you can take that will (hopefully) move you towards your goal. Rather than tell you what you should measure, I’d like you to work it out for yourself, lay down some measures appropriate for you, and then set about making it happen. To do this, reflect a little on relationships that Read More