back to opinion

More opinion

Presenting to diverse audiences

David Livermore

Presentation skills are a critical part of being an effective leader. But the more diverse your audience, the more you have to plan ahead and adjust the way you present.

Can you work from home and still have a career?

Wayne Turmel

Everyone knows that if you work from home once everyone else returns to the office, you've obviously decided your career doesn't matter. Right?

Creating serendipity in the workplace

Christian Busch

Everyone experiences good or bad luck at some point in their lives. But what if luck isn't as blind as we thought? What if it is something we can cultivate in the workplace and beyond?

The demise of the Blackberry and its link to Covid

Bob Selden

What's the link between the iconic Blackberry phone and the Covid pandemic?

Taking time for leadership

Duane Dike

Pondering issues before acting brings new alternatives, fresh perspectives and creative solutions. That why leaders who don't pause to reflect often run into trouble.

Do you trust your new team member?

Wayne Turmel

Think about the way you interact with new members of your team. You might not actively distrust them, but do you act like you trust them?

What is a 'global' leader?

David Livermore

'Global leadership' is one of those fancy terms that gets used in glossy consulting reports and EMBA marketing briefs. But what does it actually mean?

When will they ever learn?

Bob Selden

Boris Johnson's attempt to apologise for attending a Downing Street party during last year's lockdown is a timely reminder about the gulf between making a formal apology and being genuinely sorry.

Five remote team new year's resolutions

Wayne Turmel

The new year is a great time to ask some fundamental questions about how your remote team works together and what needs to change.

The biggest source of conflict on diverse teams

David Livermore

Clashing expectations are the main source of conflict in almost any relationship. And nowhere is that more true than with the intercultural challenges of diverse teams.

The supremacy of the mediocre

Rainer Zitelmann

Why are people with ambition who want to achieve something extraordinary and are unwilling to settle for an average existence so often met with hostile suspicion?

Managing time in meetings

Wayne Turmel

One of the main concerns when running a webinar or virtual meeting is managing time effectively so we don't lose sight of what the meeting is actually supposed to accomplish.

Getting back to work in the post-pandemic world

James M. Kerr

As organizations prepare to get back to work in a post-pandemic world, leaders must focus on just how they intend to get on with work for years to come.

Cultural intelligence and competing with robots

David Livermore

The dystopian view of a future overrun by robots forgets that the human brain gives us some things technology cannot compete with, namely our ability to adapt and create.

Experimenting with scenario planning

James Berry

Scenario planning isn’t just about developing proactive strategies to deal with a possible crisis. It can also be a useful way to highlight potential weaknesses in your organisation or operations. Here’s how to go about it.

Presenting online is still presenting

Wayne Turmel

Presenting online is more like a traditional presentation than most people think. But too often, those delivering material online do so in just about the least effective manner possible.

Remember those resolutions you made?

Jurgen Wolff

The chances are that the resolutions you made on Jan 1 are already distant memories. But if you want to avoid making the same resolutions again next year, here’s a simple, four-step process to get you back on track.

Learning is everywhere

Wayne Turmel

What you know now is good for now, but might be completely outdated by tomorrow. This means there's a constant need to learn new things, both formally and informally.

Ten habits of bad management

Andre de Waal

Too many organizations ignore or tolerate bad management. Yet bad managers will never get optimal results, so their tell-tail traits need to recognized and dealt with.

The mortar in a project's wall

Wayne Turmel

What holds a wall together is the mortar between the bricks. And what holds a project together is the effective, clear and proactive communication between individuals.

The myth of change management

Rod Collins

The world is changing much faster than their organizations. And that’s a big problem, because traditional businesses are not designed for adapting to change or aligning with shifting markets.

And some more

New year questions for team leaders

Wayne Turmel

What better time than the New Year to stop, reflect on what’s happened in 2020 and gird our loins for what looms ahead. In that spirit of reflection, here are five questions all team leaders should be asking themselves.

Why 'how are you?' is such an important question

Steven Buck

After this unprecedented year, finding ways for a team to connect and address the needs of the whole person rather than focusing solely on work priorities is more important than ever.

How to take expert advice

Wayne Turmel

You could drive yourself crazy trying to follow every piece of advice you get - and often the experts disagree. So how is a rational person supposed to take all this advice without their heads imploding?

Ideas are fragile (handle with care)

Max McKeown

If someone in your organisation has an idea, is it welcomed? Or does hierarchy, history and organisational politics make innovation impossible?

The group excluded from diversity programs

David Livermore

The US is a divided nation, in part because many working class individuals believe progressives and diversity advocates have compassion for everyone - except them. Might they be right?

Coping with COVID restrictions this winter

Lynda Shaw

In the midst of another lockdown and with the colder months are setting in, many of us are wondering how we are going to deal with this winter. Here are some tips on how to cope.

In praise of inconspicuous leadership

Duane Dike

Many so-called leaders have an unhealthy interest in the outward trappings of their position. But real leadership is inconspicuous - and it’s about far more than status or measurable achievements.

Staying on track isn't easy

Wayne Turmel

It's surprising how often teams lose sight of their goals. There are plenty of reasons, and maybe understanding some of the most common will help you and your team reassess where you are headed.

A far more serious public health crisis

Rod Collins

As we struggle against the the Covid-19 pandemic, it's clear there is a far more serious public health crisis that has long been hidden in plain sight: a digitally primitive healthcare system.

And still more...

How problem-solving styles affect team togetherness

Curt Friedel

As a manager, how do team members respond to your approach to solving problems? How does team dynamics gel with your personality and affect chemistry and productivity?

The supremacy of the mediocre

Rainer Zitelmann

Why are people with ambition who want to achieve something extraordinary and are unwilling to settle for an average existence so often met with hostile suspicion?

Covid-19 and the hazards of experts

Rod Collins

Rather than simply a public health crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic is a social system crisis that demands solutions based on the evidence of data, rather than simplistic responses based on the opinions of experts.

Three ways to plan for an uncertain future

James Berry

In today's troubled times, even the most successful business can find itself in difficulty. So how can businesses plan for an uncertain future?

Old habits die hard, new habits die easy

Max McKeown

Habits are efficient. Without them, we would need to find a response to every situation no matter how many times we had experienced it before. But how do you change an old habit or create a new one?

Don’t confuse task completion with productivity

Wayne Turmel

People who work remotely often claim to be ‘more productive’. But productivity is a long-term measurement that means more than just getting more tasks finished in a given time period.

Managing the new era of flexible working

Fred Krieger

In the post-Covid era of flexible work, physical and remote workspaces will coexist. But the question is: how can this fragmented set-up be effectively managed?

Make your people part of the solution, even virtually

Matthew Handley

This year has presented companies with a series of seemingly insurmountable problems. But those that find ways to engage their employees in the design of solutions are likely to rise above the adversity.

The difference between a mob and a crowd

Rod Collins

How is it that sometimes when we come together in groups, we are extraordinarily brilliant, but at other times we are incredibly dumb? The answer is the difference between collective intelligence and groupthink.

The four obstacles to corporate innovation

Michael Ellenby

There are four main obstacles to corporate innovation that can stifle the potential of organisations of all sizes. Understanding how to overcome them is key to a healthy future for every business.

We're in a crisis! Why can't we all just get along?

David Livermore

Even faced by a global pandemic, we don't seem able to bridge our tribal divides and leverage our differences to find solutions, rather than using them to further destroy us.

Get out of the way!

Duane Dike

Barriers to productivity are many and varied, but the vast majority of them are by-products of the destructive attitudes and behaviors of leaders.