Being in a leadership position is not for the faint-hearted – effective leadership requires a high level of emotional intelligence and a comprehensive understanding of one’s personal value and contribution ability. Typically, leaders get to occupy their respective management positions due to one or more of the following reasons: Subject matter experts – they know…
Build a team so strong that no-one can point out the leader (Anon) The mark of true leadership lies in the efficacy, confidence and performance of the leader’s team. Too many leaders rely on personal charisma, authority (even manipulation) and other coercion techniques to get the job done, disempowering team members as a result. Trust…
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that is heard by the listener with a delay after the original sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the listener. Well-known echo examples include those produced by the bottom of a…
Employee wellbeing and employee engagement are both critical ingredients of individual and organisational performance. The two concepts are inextricably interlinked, like two trees growing intertwined. When one is damaged, the other also suffers. This concept has become particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not only impacted so many people physically, but, too, has…
“… the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” (James 3: 5) Although the weight of the human tongue is only about 60 – 70 grams, its potential for evil is so great that it has…
Most “Chief Operating Officers” would love them – employees on the shop floor with biologically-enhanced capabilities. Much in the same way that Hollywood created films of super soldiers, like Bloodshot, Captain America and Universal Soldier, and then of course all the super-hero movies, company executives would love to create super-hero employees with the abilities to…
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads” (Back to the Future – 1985) So much has been written of late about the disruption and subsequent pain that the world has experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have died. Many are hurting. Still more are frustrated by the precautions that are…
When presidents play God, one is reminded of Martin Luther King’s words: “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” Being a good leader in any context is tough – having a worthy vision, communicating with clarity, engaging authentically, empathising with compassion, providing hope, etc. One of the…
The newly-appointed CEO to a giant retailer sat down with his executive team to go through the finances of the group. Pouring through the budget, they came upon a line item with a large associated “expense”. The CEO questioned the number and the finance chief responded: “Shrinkage is included in the budget for theft. Our…
So much is being written about team collaboration and cohesiveness currently – perhaps more specifically, the electronic and digital tools associated with keeping team members in touch with each other and working towards the same goals. So Deloitte, The Digital Workplace, even notes this by means of a definition: “…to solve business problems and operate…
“The future belongs to people who see possibilities before they become obvious” (Ted Levitt) Curiosity is a leadership trait that can transform a business to achieve extraordinary results. While some leaders seem to think that when they have found a solution to a particular problem they can stop looking for new ideas, great leaders carry…
“If you’re not willing to accept the pain real values incur, don’t bother going to the trouble of formulating a values statement” (Patrick M Lencioni) In 1994, when Jim Collins and Jerry Porras published Built to Last, CEO’s all over the world starting investing time and energy in developing a set of values for their…
