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.

LinkedIn is telling your employees not to be loyal to you

They're telling everyone that their employer doesn't care about them. There are two agendas at play here. First, bad news gets noticed. If I tell you that your employer doesn't care about you, you're far more likely to read my post than if I tell you that your employer cares ...

You’re standing on the edge of an impossibly high bridge overlooking a ravine.

You've got a bungee rope tethered to you. And I reassure you that the bungee has its limit at precisely your weight. Precisely. Optimised to a single gram. When you're at the bottom, you'll get the best bounceback possible because it will be stretched exactly to its limit. Then just ...

Leaders beware the traps of authenticity

We live in a business culture that has made a God/dess of authenticity. Be authentic above all.But... if you lead a company, and especially if you're a founder CEO where your word permeates the whole organisation, make sure you're not being authentic to the wrong thing!I once delivered some group ...

Do you recruit for cultural or values fit?

I've interviewed over 1000 people, and \*probably\* recruited over 500. I used to look for cultural fit when I was recruiting. I hear this a lot still. And it's wrong. The right fit to look for, and the one I eventually learned to look for instead, is a values fit ...

Feedback can hurt. But we need to stop thinking all pain is bad.

I found this on a school report from when I was 12. It's wonderfully honest.I'd wager Mr Thomas was really thinking "The kid's a bit shite. But as he's large, we can use him as an obstacle in defence."But he was worried about my feelings. So he softened it up ...

The debate on remote vs on site has become as polarising political debate.

People proffer their views on it as a doctrine.Which it isn't, though there \*is\* a structured way to work through it.Start with recognising that the real question isn't whether the future of work is remote, on-site or hybrid.The real question is what tradeoffs are the right ones for \*you and ...

Leadership couples uncertainty and impact

OK, so we are neither Presidents of the USA or Prime Ministers of the UK. However, I couldn't help but think of these snippets in tandem - one from Obama's autobiography, and the other from the BBC reporting on the checklist that new PMs go through when appointed. Do read ...

Is your team being triggered by your behaviour?

Is your team being triggered by your behaviour? So have you sent any members of your team on training for mental wellbeing at work? You should. It's amazing that we now recognise that mental health actually is important, and can be impacted by work. For better and for worse. And ...

Must we digitise love?

Technology is amazing. And its possibilities are boundless. Which is a source of hope and trepidation. As we marvel at where AI is going, as ChatGPT wakes us up to a new horizon of possibility, we so need... to..... pause. I remember the initially exciting, then disturbing feeling a while ...

Recession is like skiing

Skiing is like navigating strategy. It's end of quarter. And I'm going through quarterly strategic planning with most of the CEOs I'm working with. And as it's nearing the end of an annually shorter ski season (thank you fossil fuels et al), I was just thinking about a principle I ...

The Key to a Successful Leadership Team: Cultivating a Culture of Ownership

Aside from growing my own, I've also supported a lot of CEOs in growing their leadership teams. There are many differences between the teams, their skills and personalities. But when it comes to the leadership team there's a common factor between the members of that team who make things happen ...

Wisdom and context

There are many skills the best leaders have in their armoury. But I think one trumps all of them. Mostly because one skill, one virtue, is the enabler - the one that helps them decide which skill to use when. That skill? Wisdom. Like many others on various media, I've ...