Dump PowerPoint – Tell Stories

We all talk about ‘Death by PowerPoint’ yet the massacre continues.  There may be occasions when a picture, quotation or chart can help to reinforce a fact, but they rarely inspire an audience in the same way as a well told story. And still a terrifying proportion of highly paid execs continue to fall foul of the classic PowerPoint bloopers:

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Learning from Journalists – 15 ways to ask better questions

Journalists are among the least trusted of all professions, yet there’s still a thing or two they can teach managers.

To manage effectively we need to have good insight. A primary source for insight is those around us, not just our own team but our peers, customers and those that lead us. …

Less stress, more wine – the key to a longer, healthier life?

A BBC news report about the elderly population of the Greek island of Ikaria in the Mediterranean has highlighted the importance of a lifestyle rich in fresh food, wine, friends and family on health and longevity.  

Research carried out by the University of Athens studied those aged over 65 on Ikaria. …

10 Resolutions for Leaders

As we begin another new year with good intentions to break bad habits, let’s take a moment to consider what small behaviours could make a big difference in our role as leaders.

Hopefully many of these already form part of your day to day routine, but which are missing?…

Four Tips to LEAN your Six Sigma Team

A recent issue of Fortune magazine focuses on the secrets of greatness: Teamwork. It offers insights into teams past like Apple Computer’s Macintosh team and teams of Marines in Iraq…

…It also argues that “most of what you’ve read about teamwork is bunk.” While you can’t just demand teamwork, there are some simple lessons….

Does Size Matter in Teams?

This year’s Olympics saw rowing teams of eight, four and two. In handball teams of seven; in hockey 16 and in volleyball six. So should team size be dictated just by the task, or are there other factors to consider?

It could be assumed that the larger the team the more productive they are as a whole but the opposite seems to be true.  Very often larger teams are in fact less efficient per capita. In rowing and in the workplace, overall performance is as dependent on coordination across the team as it is on the sheer effort of individual team members.  …

Pat on the Back or Kick up the Rear – Good managers do both

There’s little doubt that praise is a powerful motivating force – we all feel uplifted when our efforts are recognised – and management has moved on from 19th century command and control to an era of recognise and reward.

Equally important, though rarely used effectively, is the reprimand.  Just as we need to catch people doing things right we also need to help people to identify where they are going wrong and to take steps to improve.  …

Learning Through Play – Could bad management be the result of too little play?

This Christmas children will be pleading for the latest toy and many families will dust off their Monopoly sets and rediscover the simple joy of playing a game together. But should we limit our game playing to childhood and holidays, or can play help us in our work, our thinking and our leadership?  

Attitudes to play are changing and the once ridiculed video game industry is now recognised as a valuable contributor to the economy and culture. …

The Perks don’t Work! 5 Steps to Better Management

Subsidised restaurants, table football games and fashionable work wear are a few examples of initiatives employers adopt in the hope of creating a great workplace.

Whilst it’s true that some of the best places to work do have games in their office, great food and contemporary dress codes, it’s not these initiatives that make them great workplaces.  It’s the people, in particular the managers….

How innocent’s Richard Reed Leads his People

Starting on September 12th, Richard Reed the founder of innocent smoothies will front a new business show on BBC Three called “Be Your Own Boss”.

Richard knows a thing or two about growing a business – innocent went from an idea to a £100 million business in just eight years, and we took a film crew behind the scenes to see how they did it.  Alongside great products, quirky marketing and a steely commercial edge, innocent’s success is largely down to the way they hire and lead their teams.

They recruit and manage against five critical behaviours no matter what the role:…