I have a couple of clients who have both admitted recently that they have a reputation for being ‘scary’. Scary Dave is one of these. He has extraordinary focus, he says it as it is and he isn’t afraid of upsetting people – and all of these qualities help him to drive through obstacles and [...]

When I suggested to Pete that he and the team needed to become much better at being ambassadors for one another he wasn’t at all sure. “How can I tell someone that one of my colleagues is great when I know he sometimes makes a mess of things?” he challenged. It’s amazing that people struggle [...]

Why do some leaders block the growth of their rising stars when development of leadership potential is so obviously beneficial for the individuals concerned and the business. What is getting in the way? I was having a great conversation on exactly this topic with an executive team last week. They agreed that their people had [...]

How many times have you found yourself caught in meetings or debates where it all comes down to people trying to prove that they are right? It is always important of course to examine your options but when your energy is spent trying to win the argument and convince others that your way is the [...]

One of the business books of last year, according to Fast Company, is ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown. In essence Brown’s big theme is vulnerability which she says is central to relationship and engagement. Vulnerability is in fact a strength. None of us are failure proof, we are going to feel vulnerable – it’s part [...]

Some people use pain as their lever to change. For example they reach a point when they can no longer bear the existing situation any longer. In organisational speak this is sometimes called the burning platform syndrome. But what is stronger and more compelling than this – and of course the focus of so much [...]

I was recently reminded of a cartoon I came across. It showed an angel looking thoroughly bored as he waited to show people into heaven. Why was he bored? Because nobody was coming his way. Yet across the road was a mile long queue of people going into a lecture on ‘how to get into [...]

This isn’t a new story but it’s one worth recalling. It’s all about what makes great coaches great – and in this context I’m suggesting coach also means leader. The story comes out of the US and concerns Red Auerbach, who coached the basketball team the Boston Celtics to nine championships (think Alex Ferguson here [...]

How often do we examine what we believe? When it comes to developing other people as leaders it’s crucial. Let me tell you about Elina. She’s a director who is forever putting people into situations where they are fully stretched – situations which might be perceived as high risk but which Elina is absolutely clear [...]

I was with a team of leaders recently. They’d been working extremely hard for many months and were exhausted. There was little energy in the room and most of them talked about hanging on until their holiday. But many of them had big issues to deal with at home too. And that of course led [...]