By Heather Campbell >> Messages about the benefits of positive thinking are so prevalent nowadays that people end up believing this is the healthy way to operate.  Thinking negatively in the privacy of one’s own head is bad enough, but heaven forbid that anyone would be foolish enough to express negative views openly. Optimism is good, pessimism is bad. Full stop. Except, this just isn’t true.  There’s plenty of evidence to show that repressing negative thinking is bad for our health and ...

By Heather Campbell >> When a message gets communicated often enough and across multiple platforms, it can eventually become accepted as fact. And, of course, the more people believe it to be fact, the more they repeat it as such – and the more it becomes embedded in the general consciousness as being ‘right’ or ‘the truth’. Here are three of the most common beliefs often treated as ‘facts’ in relation to communication: 1. Only 7% of people’s understanding of your message ...

By Heather Campbell >> At a time when words about politics and politicians are taking up so much space in all forms of written media, I promise to add only a few more on this blog. Amongst the hyperbole and dissent about Margaret Thatcher’s recent passing I have found lots of good, honest sharing of views. I’ve gained insights that help me to understand the vastly different perspectives that surrounded her – both the woman and the politician. There seems to be ...

By Heather Wagoner >> We won’t survive on the status quo Innovation means stepping outside the status quo, thinking creatively and nurturing a welcoming environment so that the best new ideas can flourish. Improved customer satisfaction, cost savings and, ultimately, long-term viability are some of the more obvious benefits of innovation. It’s understandable that innovation can sometimes get put on the back burner. We spend a lot of time ‘getting things right’ in organisations. We focus on recognising, preventing and mitigating risk. ...

By “Cameron Leadership Damaged as Murdoch Inquiry Weakens Faith” “Powerful bankers defend their industry at annual Davos symposium” “Fake figures put trust in NHS waiting times at risk” …and so it goes on. It seems that headlines like these are becoming all too familiar and appearing all too often. Now, even allowing for the newspapers’ fondness for a good story, the question this raises for me is just what (or, more precisely, who) can we trust nowadays? And what is trust ...

By Clyde Marwick >> As a senior leader, I often ask myself how effective I am at handling conversations in an assertive – as opposed to aggressive – manner.  There’s a fine line between the two. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate or unfortunate enough (depending how you look at it) to have been involved in a wide range of ‘challenging’ conversations. And over the past few years I have experienced these types of conversations at Boardroom level with increasing frequency. ...