Leading

Very good is boring Very good is boring nowadays and excellent will soon be boring. For instance: mid-summer my two sons were home along with my eldest’s girlfriend. The three of them are each well over six foot tall. They fancied a day trip so Sue and I suggested we all go to Northumberland. There…

Do everything ‘On Purpose’ and the second rule of my business is follow through. When a prospective customer asks me to work with them my instinctive first response is to question: what’s it for, what’s the point, what’s the purpose, why are you looking to do this work and what business result are you seeking…

Years ago, talking with a CEO he kept referring to brand and culture – curious I asked him to distinguish between the two. He said – “our brand is our reputation, how we are experienced in the world. Culture is how we do things round here. And how we do things round here directly affects…

The Brexit vote is a massive shock to me and from what I see and hear it’s a big shock to the ‘system’. No-one knows what is going to happen and there is huge uncertainty. Already I have spoken with executives who have had orders cancelled, downgraded their forecasts and are contemplating shedding staff. For…

Sir Ernest Shackleton and a small crew reached the shores of South Georgia after a 14 day, 800 mile crossing of the most dangerous seas on the planet in a 23ft rowing boat. It’s a great story of endurance and leadership though that’s only a small part of it. I will pick up the tale…

At the start of the season Leicester City were 5000/1 on to win the Premier League. I suspect at that time they would have been happy to avoid relegation. Now they are five points clear at the top of the league and looking good for the title. All the football talk is will they do…

Andy is a senior guy. He looks after a decent chunk of the company’s business and reports directly to the board. I’ve worked with him on and off since about 2001, though not for the last three years. Recently, we caught up. He opened by saying he felt the company had lost its way. It…

What constitutes a ‘best selling’ book in the construction industry? If my intent is to share what I have learned and my ideas rather than make money from my books, and I have given away 1,500 copies of my first co-authored book, “21st Century People Leadership”, is that a ‘best seller’? When a busy director…