As a recruiter of leaders and senior managers, I’m often asked “what are the qualities of a good leader that you look for in candidates?” At this level, it’s often the case that most candidates I meet can probably do the job, at least to some extent. The interview has to confirm that they have […]
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If 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 MoreDoes the truth matter anymore?
Does the truth matter? Mark Twain once wrote “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” That’s a fine attitude for a fiction writer, but for most of us who work, run businesses, or are in public life, it has generally been considered that being “economical with the truth” is not […]
Read MoreYour leadership style: the key to succeeding as a manager
“What’s your leadership style?” It’s a common enough interview question. But the answer is rarely insightful, or helpful to the interviewer. “I have an open-door policy” or “I’m tough but fair” are frequent responses. Those stock answers may well satisfy an inexperienced interviewer, but they tell us nothing about what your actual leadership style is. […]
Read MoreLeadership: how important is looking the part?
How important is looking the part when applying for a new leadership job? This is a subject that comes up often when working with employers during recruitment projects and with individuals who are seeking new roles. We all know that clean and pressed clothes for an interview is a basic requirement, but does it go […]
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 MoreLocal government leadership: council bosses lead the way
The results of the latest leadership research carried out by bfpeople shows that bosses in local government have better leadership judgement than those in other industries or professions. Council chief executives achieved the highest overall leadership judgement in the analysis of more than 17,000 professionals who completed the Leadership Judgement Indicator (LJI) a psychometric test widely […]
Read MoreRemote working: Food for thought or recipe for disaster?
Flexible and remote working is a topic that is often in the news and a Virgin Media Business Survey shows, not surprisingly, that “most employees would prefer working from the comfort of their own homes.” There is also a big drive from the government to extend the right to request flexible working for a wide range of […]
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 […]
Read MoreAre you “untouchable” at work
Jose Mourinho has said today that none of the Chelsea football team should think they have a permanent place in his team selection, saying “At this moment I don’t have untouchables.” Mourinho has been talking about “untouchables” for at least 9 years: in December 2006 he said: ‘Claude Makelele is untouchable because of the way […]
Read MoreCompany values and mission statements – do they matter?
Do company values and mission statements mean anything anymore? As another highly successful and previously exceptionally well-regarded business – this time an auto manufacturer – is in the news for the wrong reasons, it’s a reasonable question to ask. We have witnessed heads rolling recently at many successful businesses –Deutsche Bank, Tesco, Petrobras and Toshiba are […]
Read MoreHow soon do you fire a new employee?
How long do you give new members of staff to perform? It’s a question I get asked frequently when recruiting and on-boarding new people into organizations. The easy answer is that “it depends”, but what are the factors to consider when making that crucial judgement call on individuals. Trigger happy society? In recent times there […]
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