Way back in 1997, one-hit wonders Chumbawumba sang ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again. Cos you’re never gonna keep me down’. In more prosaic terms, I’d call this resilience. Dictionary.com defines resilience as: the power or ability to
Workplace vs home office – how to have a meaningful conversation
Heather here. According to BBC Radio 4 this morning, Next (the multinational clothes and homeware retailer) has reported one of the downsides of home-working as ‘missing the cauldron of creativity’ that happens when people are together. I don’t know if
Four useful questions to re-focus your leadership in the final months of 2020
September! With the summer period behind us in the northern hemisphere, there tends to be re-newed focus as we prepare for the final four months of the year. For sure it feels different this time and there’s trepidation as Covid-19 continues
The importance of consistency when so much is inconsistent
Hope all is well with you and yours. Sorry I missed you last week. Truth is, I couldn’t decide what to write about. My mind couldn’t settle on one relevant topic because, more than ever, the business leaders I’m speaking
Why leaders should use these four little words more often
‘How do you know if you’ve got the right strategy?’ asked the MBA student ‘When you find out whether or not it worked.’ replied the Strategy expert.The group laughed. ‘I’m not joking’ replied the expert. ‘Strategy is about the future, and the
How to Lead Remote Teams – top tips from today’s leadership discussion
One of the key themes that leaders have highlighted they want to explore in more detail is how to lead remote teams. Today I hosted a leadership discussion on this theme, with senior leaders from several global organisations joining to
How to Have Difficult Conversations in the Midst of Covid-19
Last week I outlined the three key topics that leaders have highlighted as their primary people-related challenges right now: How to lead remotely How to have difficult conversations in the midst of Covid-19 How to maintain personal resilience and well-being
What’s the biggest leadership challenge you’re facing right now?
‘How’s business’ and ‘What’s are the biggest challenge you’re facing right now as a leader’? These are two questions we’ve asked leaders in over 100 companies across construction, engineering and manufacturing sectors over the last two weeks. We’ve had some
Good Leadership? It’s Still the Simple Things That Count.
We’re still in full lock-down herein Scotland with things easing in other parts of the UK. A visit to the garden centre in Wales, to play golf in Northern Ireland and to meet a friend in the park in England are
Beyond Anxiety and Sadness lies Anger – Leaders Must Prepare

Out for my daily exercise recently, I was running along a footpath with a wide grass verge. I wasn’t alone in my quest for fresh air and that all-important opportunity to get outside in the midst of lockdown. Most people