There’s something very interesting that happens when you hire someone from outside instead of developing the people that are already at the company – it happens in the form of 2 totally different communications: The company message 1) An internal memo goes out introducing the new hire, making them feel welcome, whilst also painting a […]
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I’m not going to get into politics but, like many, I’ve been reading with interest that our new PM is actively promoting discussions about our academic system and questioning its value to our wider economy. I left formal education at 16 and I have a single GCE in Mathematics to my name (a proper old […]
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You’ve started to think there is a need for another leader in the business. There are quite a few people wanting to put their names forward but before we get some interviews scheduled lets think about the person everyone trusts, but nobody would describe as ‘leadership material.’ They’re the quiet one, the steady one. The […]
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When my son Joseph, was 16 we were out for a long country walk and stumbled on an elderly couple. The lady was panicked and the man was laying motionless by the side of the footpath. There was nobody else to be seen as we waited for an ambulance so I had to step up […]
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Most businesses are surrounded by leadership talent they’re not seeing. Not because it’s hidden. Because they’re looking in the wrong places. We’ve been conditioned to look for leadership in a very narrow set of places. Job titles. Seniority. The person who speaks most confidently in a room. The one who puts their hand up for every new […]
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The team don’t care about your strategy – they care about how you make them feel about the journey ahead. I’ve been in rooms where business leaders introduce a shiny powerpoint, they can recite their 5 year plan from memory, but they can’t remember the names of all the people in the room. When I […]
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Mr Bryan was my rugby teacher when I was 11 years old. I couldn’t tell you what tactics he taught us, the scores in many of the games and the festivals that we visited. BUT I can tell you exactly how he made me feel. He made Captain, he said he believed in me and […]
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I’ve never made a secret about leaving school at 16, formal education just didn’t do it for my teenage self. I wanted rugby, I wanted fishing, I wanted real life. The week after leaving school I got a job on a trawler, making tea boy, gutting fish, scrubbing fish boxes and generally cleaning the boat. […]
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You built the business but what else did you create ? When I sold a second business, I didn’t get remotely emotional about the brand, the revenue or the office we had. For the month running up to the sale I spent most of my time thinking about the people I would be leaving behind […]
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Last week my ego nearly did. I planned to do the climbing part of the 3 peaks challenge and drive the support vehicle for the other climbers between each one. My son Joseph was joining me. Was I doing it to impress him? Not consciously, but my ego definitely was. 20 minutes into the first […]
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