The Pace of Change is about to Accelerate

Hear about it, discuss the implications and feel it for yourself in a Tesla Model S.

Wearable technology, electric cars and the internet of things is expected to reach a tipping point in 2016. This presents numerous opportunities for your businesses to gain first mover advantage.
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4 Reasons Most Meetings Fail

Ever been to a meeting and not really known what it has achieved – or have you ever been to a meeting to talk about going to another meeting? These incidents are common and so what is it that makes a meeting a ‘fail’?

Grumbling about meetings for the sake of meetings is something of an art-form in business. Meetings are necessary though. As any manager will know – without a meeting all hell can break loose with miscommunications, undefined goals and missed deadlines. So why is it that so many meetings are seen as a complete waste of time by those who begrudgingly attend them?

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Leadership lessons from the LEGO success story

Over 70% of homes have at least one stray brick buried deep in a sofa or hiding in the dusty corner of a cupboard. With a net profit of 16.7bn DKK in 2025, LEGO is a serious business.

Alongside bacon and beer, LEGO is one of Denmark’s greatest exports, some might even say ‘Probably the best toy in the world!’. The LEGO phenomenon began in 1932 when Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, who believed in the value of play, decided that the best kind of toys are those that can be built, and then rebuilt. Stimulating creativity and imagination, whilst developing character.

There’s much we can learn from LEGO as adults. The four letter name LEGO is derived from leg godt, meaning ‘play well’ in Danish, and ‘I study’ or ‘I construct’ in Latin. Underpinning the name is the company slogan ‘Only the best is good enough’. An admiral intention, but one that nearly led to the iconic toy’s collapse in 2004.

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Top 5 Leadership Epic Fails

We’ve all made some bad decisions as leaders but hopefully never on the scale of these:

Failed to adapt – George Fisher led Kodak, the once dominant photography consumables business.  Despite Kodak having built a digital camera way back in 1975 he failed to anticipate the demise of traditional photography and led the business into a spiral that resulted in his successors filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Interestingly, closest rival Fuji read the writing on the wall and used their expertise to diversify into alternative sectors.

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The Price of Efficient Workplaces

Brand managers, accountants and numerous other roles were very different 10 years ago. Whereas now it’s hard to tell who does what, in an open plan office with scores of people all sat staring at screens.

Many employees, regardless of role spend their entire day sat in the same seat, staring at the same screen. perhaps occasionally moving to another seat to attend a meeting. All the while, efficiently working through a series of defined tasks. Rarely, if at all sharing a thought with a colleague or testing a new idea. Consequently, the efficiency we’ve striven to achieve has compromised our ability to innovate. …

Is the Office Redundant?

As the New Year fireworks echoed off the once iconic – soon to be redeveloped – Shell Centre next to the London Eye, we considered what 2014 might bring and what changes can we expect.

Wearable technology in the form of Beanie hats with in built speakers and microphones are just a click away http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Beanie-Headset-Stereo-Speakers/dp/B00GX9IAJA. 3D printers in the home may soon produce utensils, household gadgets, and even fashion on demand. Driverless cars are already a reality. …

Plotting What Makes Your Team Tick

Understanding what motivates co-workers can ensure a happy and productive workplace. The Royal Navy use the Strength Deployment Inventory to maintain harmony aboard ship, as do many leading businesses.

Like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator the SDI is based on proven Jungian Psychology.  By highlighting individuals’ strengths it serves to encourage team members whilst also graphically showing the spread of strengths across the team….

Serious Business doesn’t take itself too Seriously

I spent two days of my summer holiday this year at Disneyland. Later in the trip we drove through Hollywood then past Google and Apple’s global headquarters.  It struck me that each of these mega industries was founded with fun in mind. And perhaps there’s more value to this distinctive founding feature than many CFOs have grasped.

When Walt built Disneyland he said “Disneyland is a work of love. We didn’t go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money.” …

DIY Team Building – 6 Solutions

As budgets tighten and in-house trainers look for more inspiring ways to get their message across, our collection of licensed team and leadership activities are proving popular both at home and abroad.

Spicing up induction programmes and providing new managers with a safe environment in which to practice taking the lead are amongst the many ways in which our exercises are being used.  …

The Case for Experiential Learning – 5 ways we learn better by doing than listening

For years practical activities have been used in team building to help people get to know each other ‘off the job’. In management development case studies and role plays are used to turn theories into experience.

Experiential learning is more acceptable now than at any time in the past as participants have become less fearful of leaving the security of the classroom, relishing the opportunity to take a break from the monotony of the lectures.  …