The importance of communicating using the personal touch

Although in this instance the Army was quick to admit that this was “a bad mistake” and the result of “a serious administrative error” there are many cases where similarly important and sensitive news has been communicated via an inappropriate and impersonal method such email….

Egos erode teams

Teams contain people and people have egos. Egos erode teams. This fact threatens most teams, particularly those made up of high achievers.

Unfortunately when we lack humility we fail to own up when we don’t understand what’s going on. Very often our colleagues are equally confused but they too keep quiet, so confusion reigns – silently.

If a Picture says a Thousand Words, then a Movie Says a Million

“If only we were better informed” is a common complaint amongst employees, particularly in larger organisations.

An example of a recent film we produced for Treasury Wine Estates

Similarly managers often complain that their staff don’t seem to be ‘on message’ with the organisation’s products, values and operations….

Two things that are very likely to lead to a spike in staff turnover

The latest CIPD Employee Outlook Survey reports two significant findings that, if not addressed, are very likely to lead to a spike in staff turnover:

1. In the private sector 1 in 5 employees fear that they will loose their jobs (in the public sector it’s as high as1 in 3). Given that 29 million people are currently in employment, this means that many millions of employees are insecure in their jobs and subject to de-motivation and distraction….

New Team Building Event

Way back in 1997 Fresh Tracks created the Chocolate Challenge it brought team building indoors and replaced military style tasks with a sensory experience that was both enormous fun and conveyed important messages about business and teamwork.

Every few years we develop more events, like The Team Machine, and we are currently creating another completely original team building exercise that responds to the needs of the present time….

The Essence of Leadership

So much has been said, written and thought about leadership that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to identify what actually makes a good leader.

So when the BBC announced it was dedicating two thirty minute radio shows to the subject, by asking leaders from politics, business and sport what they believe makes a good leader, we had to tune in. Listen again to the programme here:  http://bbc.in/fbhJ5S.

Some of the attributes listed by the leaders interviewed included:…

Lord Sugar, The Apprentice and the cost of staff turnover

While several million people were transfixed as Lord Sugar chose his sixth apprentice at the weekend, it’s worth asking if the ‘world’s toughest job interview’ even works.

Of the five apprentices ‘hired’ so far, none of them currently works with Lord Sugar! Tim Campbell the first apprentice left after two years, Michelle Dewbury lasted only 11 months in the company. The 2007 winner Simon Ambrose resigned to set up his own business, Lee McQueen won the 2008 show only to quit after little more than a year and the 2009 winner Yasmina Siadatan is now a busy new mum….

New Year, New Job – 6 things to keep the right people in your team

Will your team be the same next year?

If you are fortunate to be part of a stable and established team, don’t rest on your laurels. All that effort you’ve put in to team building could be lost within moments of the bells tolling the start of 2011. Here’s why:…

The X Factor of teams

As we approach the year end it’s good to reflect on our achievements. It’s even more gratifying to reflect on the achievements of others, particularly those we’ve helped along the way.

Some time ago we were asked to create a team exercise for X Factor runners up JLS. As the video above shows their performance was outstanding and it’s no coincidence that a year later JLS are have become one of the most successful teams in their field.

Our normal candidates for our team building activities are work teams and during 2010 we’ve seen teams from industries including oil, wine and management consulting all raise their game having adopted some of the same principles that pop stars JLS exemplify:…

Five Practices That Help Motivate Individuals and Teams

Have you ever thought that some of the same best practices that support individual employee motivation and performance could also apply to teams?

Here are 5 management practices we normally associate with driving individual performance and motivation that I think should be applied to teams:…