May you live in interesting times, says the famous Chinese curse. Well, it certainly feels as if we’re all cursed at the moment. Social, political, and economic turmoil, coupled with growing environmental issues, are all combining to such an extent that we’re seemingly suffering from corporate discombobulation. Every day there’s yet more bad news, raising the already raised blood pressure...
Read MoreRegular reader(s) of this blog will know that I find work fascinating. Like Jerome K Jerome, I can look at it for hours. And for a while I’ve been interested in how we organise ourselves to jointly create (*) goods and services that provide a value for society. It has always seemed to me that, given the opportunity, in most cases we would never reinvent businesses the way they are now. They s...
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We are now living in a post-truth world, apparently. Recent political events have led some to conjecture that truth is passé, that facts are debatable, and that fake news is to blame. Some of this analysis comes from people genuinely concerned by how public discourse has become fact-lite, but the rest seemingly comes from those struggling to make sense of how their side lost. They perhaps feel...
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Summer is over, annual leave has ended, Autumn is upon us, and it’s back to work. Despite the summer break it is all too easy to settle back into the same old routine and roll downhill to Christmas. All those dreams and ambitions of the summer, the wistful feelings of another way of living, all land with a bump when real life comes back with a vengeance. It is surprising how many people jump ba...
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In the good old days one could usually rely on August to provide a steady stream of seasonal silly stories. The long, hot month served up nothing but ephemeral flotsam and jetsam which could happily be ignored. One could set aside newspapers for a few weeks in the sure knowledge that nothing of significance would settle on the idle hills of summer. This year is different. We are now, it seems...
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How to change Executive Pay How to change executive pay? These words are, frankly, less of statement preceding a solution than a plaintive cry. We have arrived at a point where pretty much everyone agrees that there is a problem. However, it’s a bit like London house prices where everyone recognises the issue but no one is prepared to make the first move and shave £200,000 off their ask...
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As the Euro referendum debate hots up, both sides are in full storytelling mode. And this means storytelling in both senses of the phrase: that of offering compelling visions of an In/Out future, and telling stories of the wild, exaggerated, porky-pie variety. Many people, including seasoned campaigners and commentators, feel that this campaign is both far too negative and characteris...
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Who wouldn’t want to be a CEO. It’s a role that comes laden with extras: status, authority, power and money. And for those at the very top, there’s the chauffeur-driven car, and even perhaps a private jet whisking you between Davos and some other gathering of the great and good. Not only does the job provide recognition of one’s special qualities of leadership but it also gives a plat...
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Much of my business life is spent coaching and supporting people through change, both personal and professional. One of the many reasons people seek me out is because I’m viewed as being someone who is comfortable with change; somebody who is able to navigate complex, uncertain and ambiguous environments where events seem to be constantly upsetting apple carts. And it’s true. Too much cer...
Read MoreDon’t you love September? I’ve always found its arrival a time for contemplation. With over half the year gone, it’s now downhill all the way to Christmas and the next set of New Year’s resolutions. The days are getting shorter, the cricket whites are put away, and the rugby season kicks off. In other words, it always feels like the start of another school year. And that’s why the...
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