Leadership is not just about the leader

LONDON — There are endless discussions to follow and videos to watch this morning.  The two candidates for US President almost came to blows last night in an odd and hostile affair.

It makes you wonder though how the behaviour of two men — flesh and blood and insecurities, like you and I — has come to be so [...]

Leadership and transformation: It’s not what you think

BALTIMORE TRAIN STATION — Harvard Business Review has a cover story about Apple founder Steve Jobs.

THE REAL LEADERSHIP LESSONS OF STEVE JOBS

The title is not capitalised like that, but it might as well be.  It screams from the news-stand. And maybe some people will part with $25 to buy [...]

Leadership: we’re all relying on it while we sleep

 

PICADILLY CIRCUS — Looks like the sun might actually come up in London today.  That’s a relief.  And one of my biggest concerns.  Yesterday was dark and I can’t handle that.

So, how lucky am I?  That trivial issues like that concern me?

Yesterday umpteen decisions were made that affect all of our lives and futures.  Not just in London, New York [...]

Who would want to be a leader?

HYDE PARK CORNER — I had a run of texts from a politically obsessed British friend last week. “Have you heard the latest joke about Chris Christie?”

I hadn’t. In fact I hadn’t even heard of Chris Christie.  I was still catching up on the impossible rise and fall of Rick Perry (who I also hadn’t heard of a [...]

[Change Index]

Is your organisation telling itself “we need to get better at change”?

Many successful organisations are handling big changes – restructures, cost cutting and efficiency drives, or expansions into new markets and territories.

All too often, the answer seems to lie in finding or training highly skilled change and transformation leaders to deliver the change. But is that really enough? [...]

Providers of executive education

LONDON — I’ve just been reading about a company that offers “custom executive education” and does so very successfully around the world.

It’s an interesting business.  We were talking to the good people at BraveNewTalent about the subject yesterday. 

How do companies get talented people to learn and grow at / for the job?

Just [...]

“Help, my CEO just resigned!”

LONDON — It seems to be catching.  But it has actually been going on forever.  The departure of a CEO gets business journalists all twitchy with glee.  So the stories get written like detective novels:

It was a dark night, and she was feeling darker than the dark side of Venus…

It’s exciting for the journalists, and maybe even the readers, but [...]

Chief Executive communication strategy

TCR — More and more we are running into Chief Executives that are in trouble. They’re feeling the pressure and struggling to consistently marshall their troops.

Business communication is a challenge because we tend to think that if you say the same thing twice you are stupid. And yet when chief executives say things differently from one day to [...]

A BRIC through your window?

TCR — Something quite amazing happened yesterday. Did you see it? No, it wasn’t the Blur concert. Or the Beckham’s nanny, or Tiger talking about Lefty’s wife.

Yesterday the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China met. They were in Yekaterinburg, of course. [...]

Internal Comms: Top-down versus bottom up

LONDON — As part of the course that I am have been asked to give in Kuala Lumpur later this month, one of the participants sent in this question:

Q: Will you be covering the topic on top-down and down-up internal communications?

In responding to the question I realised that the answer may have a more generalist interest. So [...]