Posts by Roderic Yapp
In Defence of Micromanagement
This article is meant to generate a reaction, something that surprises the reader and makes them think. Hopefully I have made my case effectively but please comment and let me know if you think differently – all respectful opinions are valued! Leadership is not just about empowering people and letting them get on with…
Read MoreIs that a Fact or your Opinion?
Leaders create the conditions for execution. They nurture people and the environment to make it easier for them to perform. If you want to understand why someone is or isn’t performing, it often helps to look at the environment and ask the question, ‘is it easy or difficult to perform here?’ I believe that nearly…
Read MoreThe Space Shuttle and the Horse’s Backside: How context shapes everything.
If you read any articles on LinkedIn, the majority of them will simplify leadership. One of my favourite lines is that “Leadership is all about empowering people and just letting them get on with it”. I thought about this and asked myself the question, “why do we have command and control then?” If leadership is…
Read MoreStop Plan and Implement – Start Experiment and Learn
I have been taught that in order to achieve something you have to have a clear goal and a plan to get from A to B. This has worked for the majority of goals I have set over the course of my life. It was the approach I used when I applied to join the Corps and the one I used to plan my career. But I am starting to challenge this assumption based on recent events and what I have learnt over the past couple of years.
Read MoreThe Danger of Blindly Trusting the Data
It was just after midnight on 26 September 1983, Stanislav Petrov, poured himself another cup of coffee and sat back in his chair in front of series of bulky computer screens. He was preparing himself for another night on duty in the Serpukhov-15 bunker just outside of Moscow. His responsibilities included the monitoring of the early warning satellite system which warned the Soviet Union of an impending nuclear missile attack.
Read MoreWhat is Organisational Culture?
What is Organisational Culture? Culture is defined as ’the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or a society’. Put simply, it’s how people behave when they don’t think that they’re being watched. There are a number of models that can be used to help understand organisational culture. There are three that are…
Read MoreThe Spectrums of Leadership
In the last article we talked about the Foundations of Leadership. These are the basic skills that you must have in place before you can start thinking about the spectrums. If you lack self-awareness or fail to understand the context of the situation you are in, then it’s hard to think about adjusting your behaviour. Leadership is all about behaviour but behaviour is based…
Read MoreHow to Create a Strategic Plan
The purpose of this article is to help you create a strategic plan. It will focus on the four following questions. Where are we now? Where do we want to go? What do we need to do to get theere? How do we measure success? We will use Barcelona Football Club as an example of a highly successful organisation with a clear vision and a strategy.
Read MoreHow Evolution shapes your thoughts
There is more than one way to answer the question, ‘what is coaching?’ But most coaches agree that coaching is about supporting and enabling the process of change and self-improvement. The way in which the coach achieves this effect might be different, but it will usually involve a combination of listening, asking questions, sharing insights…
Read MoreBuilding Trust with the Triple H Exercise
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how little executive teams know one another. One of the lessons my first Company Commander in the Royal Marines taught me was… ‘get to know your men, develop a strong understanding of who they are and what makes them tick. If you don’t know…
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