Employees want clear direction from leadership but they also want freedom accompanied by loose guidelines and direction. Therefore, leaders need to relinquish control. Distribution of power throughout the organization and reliance on decision-making from those closest to the action is of extreme importance.
Read MoreWhich zone are you in? Which zone are your people in?
We need to know our people and recognize the warning signs when they are approaching the terror zone. We need to work with them so they can identify what is in their comfort zone and what could be in their stretch zone.
Read Moreking to James Gander - MD Gander Consulting - about games people play.
Simulations, their use, purposedand benefits.
Read MoreLeaders can only truly give up control by giving people autonomy.
There is extensive research and study into the effects of employee autonomy showing increased well-being, levels of job satisfaction, engagement, motivation, and productivity. This leads to reduced attrition and retention of talent within the organisation.
Read MoreTalking with Barrie Clarke from Q4IT about Project Management.
Project Management is Changing. Or Is It?
Read MoreIf leaders want to give up command and control, they have to trust their employees to do the right thing. When this happens, employees feel they are an integral part of the team.
In order to give up the command and control, and move towards delegation and trust, leaders need to be transparent.
To give up control means to delegate. When leaders delegate work to employees, they get increased productivity, quality, engagement, and motivation.
Read MoreWhen leaders are giving up the command and control approach, they don't have to give it all up at once. Giving up can be hard for many. Leaders shouldn’t try to eat the elephant in one go. They should eat it in bite size pieces.
They should look for an initiative or project that is within their scope of control and decide to let go. They give up control, and set clear goals and objectives. They provide guiding principles or guardrails and step back.
Read MoreOur leaders should set clear goals and objectives, and ensure that everyone understands what they will be held accountable for. Command and control management ensures that orders and work requirements are carried out by following strict plans and directions. We have to give this up.
Read MoreI have been asked to consolidate some of my recent blogs into a white paper and make it available to download by my subscribers.
The paper describes what would happen if organisations stopped focusing so much on profit, stakeholder and competition and instead shifted the focus to people.
It is my belief that if we truly focus on the people side of the business, the rest will take care of itself.
Read MoreAt the start of the decade, the typical worker lacked 1.2 of the critical skills needed by an employer to fill a given position. Today, the average worker is missing around 2 of the 18 critical skills that are advertised for a job.
Read MoreThe old lens of profit, return, competition and efficiency will not get organizations to where they need to be.
This old lens on business will not enable organizations to transform in a way they must in order to not only survive but also thrive.
Organizations will have to reexamine not only how they do business but also how they are led and managed.
Read MoreWhat if we focused on our people and realized those ledger items such as profit, return, competitive advantage, operational efficiency etc. as a result?
It is my firm belief that in this era of disruption, a shift in focus is imperative unless organizations want to die a slow and painful death.
Read MoreGreat leaders, like Steve Jobs, are both player and coach. A player-coach is someone who contributes as an individual but also coaches other employees.
Great player-coaches are able to balance their time between playing and coaching. They move up and down the player-coach continuum as needed. They know when to play and when to coach. It is whatever is best for the team.
Read MoreThe first in a series of reports from The Workforce Institute at Kronos and Future Workplace, that examines attitudes of 3,400 members of generation Z, has just been released. The global survey asked about how education prepared them for the workplace, the gig economy and their views on employers of choice.
Read MoreWe all have people admire because they have great leadership skills.
For me I don't have to go any further than Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Despite being born a scouser and a red at the same time, I don't think I am biased!
I believe that leaders (and budding leaders) can learn a lot from Jurgen’s example.
Read MoreEmployee burnout is a consequence of the increasingly fast pace of change today.
It is preventable if you invest in creating an environment in which your workforce can be resilient in the face of constant change.
Employees will be healthier and happier. Organizations have sustained, long-term productivity and growth.
Read MoreResilience is a real buzzword at the moment. Wherever you look there are articles and posts on resilience in the advent of natural and manmade disasters, resilience amongst political turmoil, resilience in the face of climate change, resilience to cyber threats, resilience on the playing field, resilience for children and resilience at work.
Read MoreThere has been much written about the difference between a leader and a manager. The main difference is that leaders do not necessarily have a position of ‘given’ authority. People follow a leader because they are inspirational and motivational, and because they build a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. People choose whether to follow a leader.
Read MoreI frequently find myself being asked this question. Who should be responsible for leading change in my organization? Change Management Office, HR, People and Culture, middle management, c-suite?
My answer. “All of the above and more. Leading change is everyone’s business.”
Read MoreWhen people use the phrase work/life balance, they generally mean that to be physically and mentally healthy, we need a balance between the both.
The phrase infers that one is bad for us (work) whilst the other (life) is good.
It also implies that the two have to be entirely separate. It suggests that work is something to be kept separate from the rest of our lives.
The truth is that we have ONE life, which is made up of lots of aspects, activities and interactions including work, play, home, social etc.
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