Bite Sized Business Tips
2 minute reads for the values-led business leader
Snippets for purpose and values-led business leaders about meeting our responsibilities to our team, customers, owners, communities and suppliers. Context is everything, so these aren't dogma - rather a stimulus for thought. Subscribe below.
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Leadership may need you to use soft skills to do hard things
It’s a funny thing I notice about LinkedIn. Posts about vulnerability, authenticity and psychological safety get a lot of interaction. Which is great, as these are important, if nuanced, topics in leadership. However, posts about some of the harder parts of leadership, such as dealing with an underperforming team member, ...
Being good isn’t enough
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” What is true of "men" in Edmund Burke's famous quote is true of any social unit - communities, companies, governments. I believe most humans are good, and the vast majority are not intentionally bad ...
The killing of ethnic minorities anywhere is the killing of oppressed people everywhere.
The killing of George Floyd is unconscionable not just for its brutality and inhumanity, but for its inevitability. Because in societies whose actions value the lives of some less than others, oppression doesn't start with a policeman crushing a neck. It takes deeper roots to lead to these kinds of ...
How SME leaders kill off their strongest advantage
It never ceases to amaze me when SMEs voluntarily kill off their own advantages. One of the beauties of being relatively small is that we can be nimble. We can respond or pre-empt quickly. We don't need to get 8 levels of approval, manage 9 competing quarterly-bonus obsessed execs and ...
Shall we rebuild the same unequal, vulnerable and high-carbon economy we had before?
"It would be a tragedy if after spending $10-20tn of public money we simply rebuild the same unequal, vulnerable and high-carbon economy we had before." Dr Andrew Steer, president and CEO of World Resources Institute. I couldn't have said it better. But beyond saying it, we actually need to act ...
Leading in crisis (5) – Communication
I was asked on Monday if I know a leader who over-communicates. Honestly? I've neither known nor often been one who's communicated enough. It's a top 3 concern in every leadership team I've worked with. Often number 1. (Though I have known many a leader who sometimes talked too much! Guilty ...
Leading in Crisis (4) – Be open
Out of 7 roles of authority, business leaders currently rank last in public opinion of response to the Covid Crisis. Behind journalists. Behind government leaders. Why is that? My guess would be that it's because most are doing a shocking job of listening to and looking after their teams. It's ...
Leading in crisis (3) – Confidence
If you lead a business, the last thing your team needs right now is brazen acts of vulnerability. (Let the trolling commence!). In times of crisis, we need leaders who inspire confidence in the direction we're going. Because confidence turns purpose from fantasy to hope. But most of us can't ...
Leading in crisis (2) – Hope
Crisis brings fear; crisis wreaks havoc; crisis destroys. Crisis brings hope. Crisis presents opportunity. Crisis creates. With everything around us, most people only see the first set of options. But If we want our teams and businesses to emerge stronger and create a better future, we \*have to\* show them ...
Leading in crisis (1) – Values
{Leading in crisis - Video 1 of 5, Values} There's this great quote about Abraham Lincoln that I love. "If you wish to know what a man really is, give him power". (Note that if you look at the relative success that many countries with female leaders have had dealing ...
The need to lead
If you're a business leader, your leadership will not be defined more clearly than it is right now. How you lead your team will deepen trust. Or shatter it. We're facing extreme uncertainty. High stakes. Health AND livelihoods at risk. How do you lead through it? Most important, lead with ...
Is your policy serving a purpose or masking your inability to deal with uncertainty?
Are your policies up to scratch? Consider this. True story. For 11 years, a company has an expense policy that says "don't take the piss". That's it. Not a word more. This serves them well for 11 years. Then, one night at a works drinks gathering, someone orders a several-hundred ...