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…
Is 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…
The Six Characteristics of Toxic Leadership
The majority of the articles that I have written are focussed on good leadership. This one focuses on the other end of the spectrum – Toxic Leadership. The reason I’ve done this is because ‘you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with’. You need to be aware of the…
How George Foreman changed to become World Champion at 44
George Foreman: An Inspiring Example of Personal Change The late 60’s and early 70’s are regarded as the golden age of Heavyweight Boxing. Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman were in a class of their own. Ali dominates the headlines – and rightly so, he remains ‘the greatest’ and defeated all the big names…
Why I start the day at 9pm…
We’ve all done it. You set the alarm for 0600 with grand aspirations to get up and workout like a Navy Seal before eating a healthy breakfast and cracking on with your day. Then the alarm goes off, it’s dark and cold outside, you’re tired – and those good intentions simply evaporate. Recognise the pattern?…
Why Sales Leadership is so Hard
Sales is a tough career. From the moment you start, you’re judged on the numbers. There is no where to hide. When you start out in sales, you’ve got to learn how to do it quickly or you’ll be looking for another career. Sales is ‘sink or swim’ and your numbers indicate whether your head is above…
Don’t f**k up the culture
When Peter Thiel invested $150m in Airbnb, the founder asked him, ‘What is the most important piece of advice for us?’ His response – ‘Don’t fuck up the culture…’ When asked to elaborate on this, he said one of the reasons he invested in Airbnb was the culture. But he had a cynical view that it…
How do you lead by example?
I have been thinking about what it means to ‘lead by example’. It’s a relatively simple concept that was hammered into us as Royal Marines Officers. It makes the point that it’s not what you say, it’s what you do that counts. People follow the example you set through your behaviour – not your words.…
How to manage your Boss
Towards the end of my tour in Afghanistan, I found myself in Camp Bastion detached from my Company. The unit were about to launch an Operation so I was on the phone to my Boss giving him the latest on the planning situation. During one of our calls, he asked me to get a load…
Focus and Depth – NOT Efficiency – Lead to Success
I have been thinking about focus. Focus is essential if you want to achieve the vision you’ve set. I am assuming that you’ve set a vision because if you haven’t, what are you working towards? If it’s not clear – and by clear – I mean written down and visible, then it’s not a vision. It…
Why you don’t need to build resilience…
A few clients have been asking me if I can do anything on resilience… What can we do to improve it? How do we get more of it? I have been reflecting on resilience. What it means and why some people have it whereas others don’t appear to. I’ve been thinking about my time in the…
Why being ‘goal-orientated’ might not be such a good thing…
I am sitting down to write this relatively late in the day. Usually I write on a Wednesday and then review and publish on a Thursday. However, this week is a bit unusual as my wife gave birth to our son on Tuesday and we’re all a bit sleep deprived as we get into the new…
How do you challenge without creating misalignment?
Alignment vs Challenge When I left the Royal Marines, one of the biggest differences I noticed between the military and civilian world is the understanding of the difference between challenge and alignment. So I thought I’d share a view to help clarify the issue… Being challenging is important. When an issue or a decision is being discussed,…
How do you give feedback so that it strengthens a relationship?
Giving and receiving feedback is one of the most important lessons that you can learn. It opens you up to the perceptions that other people have of you – specifically your strengths and weaknesses. We all like to think we’re good at everything but in reality, that’s not true. If we think that, we’re hiding…
