Content syndication has been added to this blog.

steer clear of the past lane

originally an extract from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/09/15/ccfifty15.xml(Filed: 15/09/2005) Link no longer available


This week: David Varney, HM Revenue & Customs executive chairman

what Mandela taught me

originally an extract from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/09/08/ccfifty08.xml (Filed: 08/09/2005) Link no longer available

Bryan Sanderson, chairman of Standard Chartered and Bupa
There are lots of lessons on people: most of all that they're the most important part of any organisation.

hear it through the grapevine

Originally an extract from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/09/29/ccfifty29.xml(Filed: 29/09/2005) Link no longer available.

Lord Kalms, life president of Dixon's Group
Knowledge is the most important thing that the boss has. He has to know everything that goes on in the business. He has to have an eye at the back of his head, be very sensitive, and be aware of everything that's happening.

if pain outweighs gain

originally an extract from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/10/13/ccfifty13.xml ..(Filed: 13/10/2005) Link no longer available.

Dawn Airey, managing director of Sky Networks

build up a diverse team

originally an extract from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/10/20/ccfifty20.xml (Filed: 20/10/2005). Link no longer available


Paul Skinner, chairman of Rio Tinto
It was pretty late in my life as a business leader and manager that I began to realise just how important investing in people is.

real leaders show, not tell

Originally extracted from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/10/27/ccfifty27.xml (Filed: 27/10/2005). Link no longer available.

Senior international business figures have agreed to share their experience with Fifty Lessons. This week: Clive Mather, president and CEO of Shell Canada

change and you beat the rest

Originally an extract from http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/09/22/ccfifty22.xml(Filed: 22/09/2005). Link no longer available.

Karan Bilimoria founder and CEO of Cobra Beer
Constant innovation is absolutely imperative because people are always going to copy what you're doing, and you can rarely stop that.

Workshop team work image set

THE JOHARI WINDOW: A GRAPHIC MODEL OF AWARENESS IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

When Ingham and Luft first presented "The Johari Window" to illustrate relationship in terms of awareness, they were surprised to find so many people, academicians and nonprofessionals alike, using, and tinkering with, the model. It seems to lend itself as a heuristic device in speculating about human relations. (To read an article by Dr. Dorothea von Ritter-Rohr explaining the Johari Window in more detail, click here--PDF file.) It is simple to visualize the four quadrants which represent the Johari Window:

Overhead as a function of turnover

Example of how overhead may vary with turnover

2002 Actual vs 2004 Budget

Standard 1 for Condition - Criteria

Included as an aide memoire...

Strategic reminder - Boston Consulting Box (BCG) and Portfolio Analysis

boston consulting box

The business portfolio is the collection of businesses and products that make up the company. The best business portfolio is one that fits the company's strengths and helps exploit the most attractive opportunities.
The company must:
(1) Analyse its current business portfolio and decide which businesses should receive more or less investment, and
(2) Develop growth strategies for adding new products and businesses to the portfolio, whilst at the same time deciding when products and businesses should no longer be retained.
Methods of Portfolio Planning
The two best-known portfolio planning methods are from the Boston Consulting Group and by General Electric/Shell. In each method, the first step is to identify the various Strategic Business Units ("SBU's") in a company portfolio. An SBU is a unit of the company that has a separate mission and objectives and that can be planned independently from the other businesses. An SBU can be a company division, a product line or even individual brands - it all depends on how the company is organised.

We don't need another hero

Research from three associates of Ashridge Business School has brought to light the leadership values for the 21st century. Gone is the CEO superhero dispensing wisdom from on high, and in its place is the human leader with frailties and weaknesses like the rest of us.
 

Here, Ashridge associates George Binney, Gerhard Wilke and Colin Williams reveal their blueprint for legendary leaders

Also from Ashridge Leadership skills for the 21st century
 

Owed Two a Spell Chequer

Eye halve a spelling chequer, it came with my pea sea;
It plainly marques four my revue miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word and weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong or write, it shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is made it nose bee fore two long.
And eye can put the error rite, it's rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it and I'm shore your pleased two no
It's letter perfect awl the weigh,
My chequer tolled me sew.

Adam Wood
Senior Trainer
Hitec (Laboratories) Ltd.

A peau hem

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod
are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the
rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I
awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt

Optimising time

Remember to take breaks.

• RAF trainers work on 50 min hours
• Even 1 min off looking at bright light is beneficial
• Chilled water helps the brain to work more effectively

How mad are you?

from Independent article (26 April 05)
Knowing your mind

Paranoid
As a trait: cautious, observant
As a disorder: suspicious
Best: where caution and attention is rewarded
Worst: in jobs that require spontaneity

Schizotypal
As a trait: independent, calm, a little bit cunning
As a disorder: manipulative, emotionally cold
Best: in self-motivating, high control jobs:
Worst: in jobs that require interpersonal skills

Borderline
As a trait: sensitive, volatile, spontaneous and imaginative
As a disorder: prone to self-harm, changing moods
Best: in creative, non rigid environments
Worst: in threatening situations; the army, police

Antisocial
As a trait: adverturous, clever, ready to fight for his cause
As a disorder: agressive, lacking conscience
Best: in exciting, fast-paced environments
Worst: in jobs or relationships that require caring

Narcissistic
As a trait: self-confident
As a disorder: arrogant, egotistical, greedy, uncaring
Best: in competitive, entrepreneurial environments
Worst: in jobs that require following orders

Histrionic
As a trait: stylish, fashionable
As a disorder: demanding, self-centred, vain, superficial
Best: in Ab Fab-style environments
Worst: in business-like environments

Avoidant
As a trait: reliable, reclusive
As a disorder: painfully self-conscious, suspicious
Best: in structured environments where there is a minimum of new experience
Worst: at public speaking, can be unpredictable

Dependent
As a trait: faithful to partner
As a disorder: weak, insecure
Best: in secure environments where they can become close to others
Worst: in challenging environments, singles bars

Obsessive compulsive
As a trait: single-minded
As a disorder: inflexible
Best: in any ordered environment such as accountancy, admin, police
Worst: in chaotic environments which lack rules

CLP Assessment Centre Update

1. Successful leaders need to be able to balance and judge approach with people based on
. Task
. Process
. Climate
2. Feedback from previous years suggests over longer term (3+ years)most successful (high potential & high performance) score well on intelligence measures.
3. Ability to deal with change as a constant challenge is the third key ingredient.

HPC recruitment

• Read intranet guidelines prior to undertaking activity that not routine experience.
• Plan structure and have fair scoring system
• Check contractual framework exists and that agency is on approved list before agreeing to interview candidates
• Agree approach for recruitment at outset and keep under review (pass plan by SMEs)
• Particularly in case of JV partners agree common framework & advertising
• Peopleclick process assumed to understood and used by people (prior to my own training).

However due to it being a new untried process there were more teething problems: greater opportunity for support should have been built in to help learning and avoid future rework

#end

Results 2005

. ISTCs
. Focus on organic growth
. Key: inspire and lead
. Remember everyone has a right to monthly quality dialogue, team talk, annual review and objectives
--------------------------

3 minute talk (...only three minutes for your speech - then use this aide memoire)

Using the following check-list you can do a three minute talk or speech on a any topic 

without any real preparation or notes

• Go back in time 
• History of
• Types, uses
• Cycles, Seasons & Patterns
• Visual Picture

People often recommend only having three topics or themes as that is what most people can typically remember and

- past, present and future are therefore the usual stalwart to frame a talk around - taking the above as a guide this can be far more imaginative. 

• Past /go back in time, for example in the case of an apple, could be anything from Adam and Eve to your childhood or just last summer

Try it out with

• apple
• moon

• potato

• your best friend
• you
• your best-man or bridesmaid's speech

It is fascinating what you'll have to cut out of only three minutes

De Bono Hats

De Bono Hats : How to Use the Tool:
You can use Six Thinking Hats in meetings or on your own. In meetings it has the benefit of blocking the confrontations that happen when people with different thinking styles discuss the same problem.

Each 'Thinking Hat' is a different style of thinking. These are explained below:
  White Hat  : With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them.
This is where you analyse past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.

 Red Hat : 'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.

 Black Hat : Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them.
Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties.

 Yellow Hat : The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.

 Green Hat : The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here.

 Blue Hat : The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, etc.

A variant of this technique is to look at problems from the point of view of different professionals (e.g. doctors, architects, sales directors, etc.) or different customers.

Mentoring

3 Stage Model
Stage 1 - Exploration
Stage 2 - New Understanding
Satge 3 - Action Planning

Model can be used in a number of ways
* to reflect upon what nmentoring involves, and assess yourself as a mentor
* as a schedule for a mentoring meeting - to work through the stages
* as a map of the mentoring process - to see what ground has been covered and what needs further attention
* to review the mentoring relationship over time, as the mentee moves towards achieving the goals identified earlier in the relationship,
* to enhance shared understanding of the mentoring process and relationship, and to develop the mentee's ability to use the model indpendently.

ref Mentoring Pocketbook Geof Alred, Bob Garvey & Richard Smith