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. Newspapers have known this forever, […]
Bite Size Business Tips
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 before you jump, I ask […]
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 training where well […]
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. Values are what matters – […]
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. Though it’s still […]