When Mark first called me to talk about his leadership team it was clear how frustrated he was. Mark is the Managing Director, and owner, of a small (around 150 people) design and manufacturing company. Over a few years he’d assembled a team of experienced leaders in their disciplines with strong track records. I had […]
Read Moredevelopment and coaching
What’s the Difference Between Coaching and Mentoring
I’m often asked to explain the difference between coaching and mentoring by business owners and leaders. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably when they are quite different processes. But both approaches offer great benefits to individuals, wherever they are in their careers. I use both executive coaching and mentoring in my work with client companies […]
Read MoreIf 2% of your staff drive value in your business. Do you know who they are?
Talent Wins, the book by Dominic Barton, McKinsey&Company’s Managing Partner, suggests that as few as 2% of your workforce create the most value in your business. And those people are not necessarily in the top-tier of your organisation chart. So, do you know who they are? Those crucial people in pivotal roles can be the […]
Read MoreLeadership coaching topics: the most common leadership challenges
We looked at the leadership coaching topics that are most frequently covered with our executive coaching clients. These are the most common leadership challenges that we deal with in working with new and experienced managers and leaders in a range of industries. It gives a clear indication of the competencies and skills that sponsoring organisations […]
Read MoreWhy is it so hard to keep your new year resolutions
Can you keep your new year resolutions? It’s a brand new year and many of us will have resolved to make changes this year: to “get fitter”, “lose weight”, “be more confident”, “have a better work life balance” or “get a new job” are typical examples. If you have made new year resolutions, you’ve probably […]
Read MoreHow do we plug the creative skills gap?
Matt Hancock, the government minister responsible for the creative industries, spoke recently (read his full speech here) about how important the sector is to Britain’s future. He promised ongoing commitment to the industry and this is good news, of course. But his speech comes at a time when skills are diminishing and good people are […]
Read MoreSales training for technical specialists
How we provided sales training for technical specialists without calling it “sales training”. When a large software company decided to move the responsibility for selling maintenance and upgrade packages from the sales team to the technical project management staff, it didn’t expect the outcome. The board of directors decided it was important to keep the […]
Read MoreImproving leadership effectiveness
When the management team got more than they bargained for.. The new Managing Director of a large manufacturing group requested our help in understanding and improving leadership effectiveness among his board and senior management team. On the face of it, as the client saw it, this was a fairly straightforward leadership development engagement – with a focus […]
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