C-Suite Leadership, Communication, Covid-19 Leadership, Fear, Leadership, Leadership Development, Organisational Development

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 to seem to be in such different places at the moment.  Some are stressed because business is booming, some are stressed as major redundancies loom; a few are starting new, exciting roles, others are marking time to see what happens ...

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C-Suite Leadership, Coaching, Communication, Covid-19 Leadership, Difficult Conversations, Leadership, Leadership Development

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 future tends to throw curveballs.’ I was one of the MBA students whose laughter was cut short and that brief exchange has always stuck with me. I’ve shared it with CEOs and Directors when discussing strategy over the years and ...

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C-Suite Leadership, Communication, Covid-19 Leadership, Difficult Conversations, Leadership, Leadership Development

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 share and discuss, along with our special guest, Craig Darroch, Head of Senior Leadership Development at Shell.  The overwhelming sense from the conversation is that working remotely is creating opportunities to build strong, productive teams, and that leaders have more ...

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C-Suite Leadership, Communication, Covid-19 Leadership, Difficult Conversations, Fear, Leadership, Leadership Development

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 remotelyHow to have difficult conversations in the midst of Covid-19How to maintain personal resilience and well-being Our online session on ‘How to Lead Remotely’ was over-subscribed within just a few hours so an early heads-up that our session on ‘How to have Difficult Conversations’ will take place on Wednesday 24th June at 12 noon. Tomorrow, we’ll be sending ...

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C-Suite Leadership, Communication, Covid-19 Leadership, Leadership, Leadership Development

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 all now possible… so much appreciation for the little things we took for granted just three months ago. As I catch up with friends around the world, it’s fascinating to hear how we are all dealing with the situation as ...

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C-Suite Leadership, Coaching, Communication, Covid-19 Leadership, Difficult Conversations, Fear, Leadership, Leadership Development

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 I passed moved to one side, while I stepped on to the (thankfully, traffic-free) road, to maintain ample social distancing. We acknowledged one another’s gesture with a smile or a wave. One couple, however, simply continued along the path without ...

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