Extensor - Article Archive

Feb 12

Soundbite: Please yourself for once Gill looks at the case of 'people pleasers' - people who spend all of their time focused on the needs of others to the exclusion of their own needs.

Dec 11

Work-Life Balance: Evolution or Revolution? Nick suggests that Christmas provides an ideal opportunity to assess your work-life balance and plan the changes you would like to make.

Dec 11

The Furure Report 2011 Download a copy of the Future Report compiled by the futurist organisation Global Futures and Foresight.

Dec 11

Soundbite: To Better the Best Although in sport a coach is seen as essential to enabling a person to achieve the highest standards, in business it is all-too-often seen as an admission of weakness. Yet, as Rosie explains, the best business leaders are also aware of the value coaching can bring.

Dec 11

Helpful Ideas: What do you fear more: death or public speaking? Research suggests that although many people dread speaking in public, a large part of the problem stems from their lack of confidence in their approach and the way they use their materials and props.

Nov 11

Brand Values It will come as no surprise that Apple are once again taking legal action against another company to protect its iconic logo. What will come as a surprise is the fact that the company in question is a small family-run cafe in the German town of Bonn.

Nov 11

Soundbite: Making Time Isn't the extra hour in bed you get when the clocks go back brilliant? And wouldn't it be great if you could find an extra hour on other occasions too? But while we can't actually 'make time', we can free up time by being more efficient and disciplined with the time we have - Crispin White offers a few suggestions.

Nov 11

Helpful Ideas: It isn't fair Very little upsets people more than having their values compromised or challenged. But as Gill points out, regardless of the situation, there are certain steps a person can take to ensure that they deal with the situation as well as possible.

Nov 11

Work-Life Balance: Green Leadership Nick draws an interesting set of parallels between the initiatives companies undertake to improve their environmental credentials, and the initiatives they should also take to improve their employee satisfaction credentials.

Oct 11

Fool's Gold The question is not 'will Greece default?' but 'when will Greece default?' And with it Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy? In fact, when will this disastrous political experiment of monetary union collapse?

Oct 11

The Age of Innovation Robert Heller builds on the old Tom Peters idea of 'skunk works' to consider how innovative ideas can be turned into practical action and commercial success.

Oct 11

Work-Life Balance: Planning For the Unexpected Nick looks at why it is that virtually everything takes longer than we expect and at what we can do about it by applying some of the methodologies used by professional project managers.

Oct 11

Soundbite: Inspired by the commitment and dedication of elite athletes preparing for the Olympic Games in 2012, Rosie wonders what you might do differently if you too had such a specific goal?

Oct 11

Helpful Ideas: Kicking the Email Habit (Part 2) Last month Crispin explained how the staff in the BIE office once tried an experiment whereby they did not look at their emails before noon each day. This month he adds to his comments, providing further encouragement to those of you who are willing to give it a go.

Oct 11

The need for new ideas Edward de Bono examines the necessity of knowing when you need a new idea and judging if your new idea provides a better answer than the one you already have.

Sep 11

Work-Life Balance: Working for free In the same week in which it was announced that FTSE 350 bosses have seen their bonuses rise by an average of 187% while share prices have declined by an average of 71%, Nick meets some people who had given up their spare time to work for free.

Sep 11

Augean Stables Syndrome Robert Heller suggests that it is all too easy for managers to become fixated on some tasks while ignoring others.

Sep 11

We Still Need Ideas! Edward de Bono argues that in our information-obsessed organisations, ideas are at risk of being ignored

Sep 11

Trust - A personal view by Bob Mason I recently heard an interview with Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, the Managing Director of International Sports Management (ISM), the company that looks after many of the world’s top golfers including Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy. What caught my attention was the fact that the deals he does with the players are not written up in contracts, they are agreed on a handshake. In Chandler's view, it is the trust and personal commitment that a handshake signifies that helps ISM stand out in the corporate greyness of sports management. Sadly though IMS is a relatively unique organisation. The trust that used to exist between people and institutions has been decimated by greed, short-termism and the unethical behavior of leaders in institutions as diverse as governments, banks, newspapers and even the church. In this article, Bob Mason, himself an experienced business leader, describes three dimensions of trust and suggests how we might begin to reverse this devastating trend.

Sep 11

Helpful Ideas: Kicking the Email Habit Love it or loathe it, there is no doubting the fact that the invention of email changed our lives. But in addition to its many benefits, email can also be disruptive. In this short article Crispin describes an experiment his team undertook to improve their effectiveness.

Sep 11

Soundbite: Be proud of yourself There is a famous idiom that says 'pride comes before a fall'. But as Gill points out, pride is nothing to be ashamed of - it is the emotion that gives us confidence, self-esteem and satisfaction in a job well done.

Jul 11

Designed to Perfection While the perennial question as to whether open plan offices are good or bad for employee productivity still rages, a great deal of research is coming to the conclusion that office design is more important than was previously thought. In this article we look at some of the key design features being used to improve productivity and, as an example of best practice, at the exemplary offices of the McLaren Formula1 team.

Jul 11

Initiators and Followers Robert Heller points out that the major models and theories that flow from the ranks of so-called management gurus do not change the market but are rather a reaction to market changes.

Jul 11

Innovation and Risk Edward de Bono argues many managers do not seek to innovate as change brings with it the risk of failure.

Jul 11

Work-Life Balance: What is it that makes work satisfying? Some people work because they want to and some because they have to, but whatever the situation, Nick argues that we all find our greatest motivation in a sense of purpose.

Jul 11

Soundbite: Trust They say that trust is something that you either have or you don't; but as Rosie points out, trust can also be earned - but only if you do things right.

Jun 11

Soundbite: Breath and reboot Having found inspiration in an episode of "Sex and the City", Gill suggests that we should all have a "Plan B".

Jun 11

Work-Life Balance: Don't postpone your life When you are busy at work it is easy to promise yourself that you will get round to working on your personal goals and ambitions later; but Nick cautions against postponing your life.

Jun 11

The Key Question for Leaders Arguably the most important question any leaders should be constantly asking is 'why?' But important as this question is, it is often overlooked by people who are so busy getting on with the job that they forget to question why they are doing it.

Jun 11

Decision making and the benefits change can bring Edward de Bono suggests that too many people shy away from applying their creative energies to change because problem solving is easier and more immediate.

Jun 11

Management styles and the new economy Robert Heller argues that the new economy companies can learn from the old, just as the old can learn from the new.

May 11

Soundbite: Feeling Hopeful Following the joyous event of the Royal Wedding many commentators have suggested that the mood of joy, hope and pride will help lift the nation out of our economic woes, but as Gill points out, hope alone is not enough.

May 11

Work-Life Balance: Symptom or Cause Nick looks at the question whether a lack of motivation and drive is a symptom of a poor work-life balance or the cause of it?

May 11

Creative thinking: inside and outside the box Edward de Bono uses the metaphor of 'thinking outside the box' to illustrate why both internal and external perspectives are valuable.

May 11

Why Grow Robert Heller considers whether successful profitable companies should drive for growth, or whether staying the size they are and being contented with their lot should suffice?

May 11

Recruiting the personality as well as the person When recruiting to fill a vacancy most people place the emphasis on the experience of the candidates and the skills they possess that will enable them to succeed in the job. Yet research suggests that having fun and feeling engaged with both the job and the organisation are the most important factors in retaining key employees. In this article Alistair Schofield looks at an approach to recruitment he has used in the past to provide an insight into a candidates likely engagement.

Apr 11

Work-Life Balance: It's Down to You Nick provides a few tips for managers who want to improve both the performance of their team as well as their work-life balance.

Apr 11

From Toilet Paper to Typhoons: Why managers need to let go In physics the second law of thermal dynamics says that everything in the universe moves inexorably from organisation to chaos. If this is true for the universe, it must also be true for the organisations we work in, but what are the implications for the way in which we run those organisations?

Apr 11

Soundbite: Leadership in Crisis - Lessons from Japan Using the dignified and stoic response of the peopleof Japan in the face of unimaginable suffereing as an example, Rosie considers the approach we might take when showing leadership in a time of crisis.

Apr 11

Creativity and Teamwork Edward de Bono suggests an artificial construct to facilitate creative thinking. As with everything Edwards suggests, it's worth a try!

Apr 11

Future Planning and Management Robert Heller complains that managers spend too much time obsessing about the present and too little time considering the future.

Mar 11

Work-Life Balance: The Benefit Being Early Nick looks at the difference ‘running early’ can have on your life and happiness.

Mar 11

Listening is the Key to Excellent Customer Service Robert Heller wonders why so few organisations have become truly customer-centric.

Mar 11

Good is the Enemy of Best Edward de Bono argues that even when there is no complacency, managers still find difficulty in thinking about things that are perfectly satisfactory

Mar 11

Soundbite: Choosing Between Right and Right Rosie considers the dilemmas faced by the various bodies involved in regulating and organising UK financial services in the aftermath of the crash.

Mar 11

Cutting Costs vs. Improving Efficiency It is often said that any old fool can make cuts, but very few people can grow things successfully, but is this true? Is it not the case that inefficient cost cutting is just as damaging as inefficient investment?

Feb 11

Intelligence does not necessarily equate to better thinking Edward de Bono argues that intelligence is just one of the components necessary for good quality thinking

Feb 11

The burden of leadership and accountability Robert Heller questions what company chiefs should really be accountable for.

Feb 11

Soundbite: Overcoming distractions at work Technological advances mean that we now have more opportunities to be distracted than at any previous time in history. Gill gives some advice on how to stay focussed.

Feb 11

Work-Life Balance: Finding the "Zone" Nick suggests ways of improving your enjoyment of work without having to work less

Feb 11

Inverted Swans Why is it that some organisations achieve great results without apearing to expend much effort while others, despite having all their staff working like stink, appear to achieve very little?

Dec 10

Trophy vs Tournament Despite lobbying from the dream team of the Prime Minister, Prince William and David Beckham we lost. Principled Britons 0, FIFA 1! But at least we can hold our heads high as we still have our moral standards intact, or do we?

Dec 10

Expecting Creativity Edward de Bono asks whether creativity is expected in your organisation, or whether it is simply desirable?

Dec 10

Managers Must be Entrepreneurs Robert Heller suggests that although the skills of managers and entrepreneurs occasionally look at odds with one another, both skills are necessary.

Dec 10

Birds and Boffins During a recent speech the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England said that no one could have predicted the current recession. But if swans can predict the early onset of winter, surely it is not beyond the wit of man to predict something of our own making?

Dec 10

Work-Life Balance: The Ghost of Work-Life Balance Nick chooses a seasonal classic for the basis of this month's column

Dec 10

Soundbite: Check your Filters Filters regularly get clogged: the dishwasher, the washing machine and even the car, but do you remember to regularly clean out your personal filters?

Nov 10

Work-Life Balance: Executive Stretch Nick puts forward some suggestions as to how managers in particular can deliver on the old adage of 'delivering more with less'.

Nov 10

Soundbite: Optimism Gill considers the balance between optimism and realism and concludes that we all have something to learn from the optimists.

Nov 10

Creativity is more than problem solving Edward de Bono points out that creativity often occurs when identifying a solution to a problem, but that creativity can also occur without a problem to solve.

Nov 10

The Naked Manager Robert Heller looks back at his first book, published in the 1960s, and asks whether anything has really changed?

Nov 10

What's in a handshake? In Western business culture the handshake is the accepted way in which we greet people, especially people we are meeting for the first time. But what does our handshake say about us and what might people subconsciously read into this seemingly iniquitous custom?

Oct 10

But what I meant was …… George Bernard Shaw once described Britain and America as being two countries separated by a common language, but as Rosie points out, this same communication dilemma affects us all.

Oct 10

Leader or Manager After four months of campaigning, Ed Milliband has won the race to become Leader of the Labour Party, but what does the term leader mean in the context of a political party and, more to the point, what should it mean. Alistair Schofield argues that the term ‘leader’ is inappropriate, as the behaviours of MPs seems to more closely resemble the traits of managers rather than leaders.

Oct 10

Denial Must Not Be a Part of Your Business Strategy Robert Heller demonstrates how denying the facts can lead to dreadful consequences.

Oct 10

Leadership and Thinking Edward de Bono explains why most leaders do not like to talk about thinking.

Sep 10

Cost Management There are two types of costs in business; ones that are obvious and visible, and ones that are not. In this revealing article, Brian Plowman of DevelinBevington explains how it is possible to expose and eliminate the systemic flaws in operational processes that are the cause of a huge proportion of hidden costs

Sep 10

Soundbite: Inspired Words It is often said that 'the pen is mightier than the sword', but what words or quotations inspire you?

Sep 10

Work-Life Balance: Virtual Team Building It is well known that a good team spirit is a major factor in improving morale, motivation and even productivity; yet in today's virtual world it is not uncommon for people to be expected to work together with colleagues they rarely meet face-to-face. To overcome the difficulties, Nick offers some advice to people who manage or work in 'virtual teams'.

Sep 10

Business Models and the Internet Robert Heller Robert Heller considers the ways in which businesses need to innovate and adapt if they are to survive in a rapidly changing world.

Sep 10

New Track Thinking Edward de Bono points out that people often limit their options by limiting the approach they use to finding solutions to their challenges.

Jul 10

Creativity must be taken seriously Edward de Bono argues that companies should employ a CCO, a Chief Creativity Officer.

Jul 10

Lessons from the troubles of Toyota Robert Heller looks back at the troubles of Toyota to see if there are lessons to be learned.

Jul 10

A Call to Action – For Men and Women Rosie provides feedback from a conference where the the central question being asked was: "Is now the time when women will take a much greater leadership role?"

Jul 10

Blaming the Boss When things go as tragically wrong as in the case of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, where eleven people died and the resultant oil spill is the largest in history, there is doubting the fact that it is the Chief Executive who has to take responsibility. But despite the calls for Tony Hayward to be fired, is there any benefit in sacking him when the company's problems clearly go way beyond the actions of one man?

Jul 10

More balances to consider Life is a balance between many things - not just your work and your free time - and getting the balances right between all of these different things is the key to leading a relaxed and fulfilled life.

Jun 10

Testing Capitalism Robert Heller looks at the false assumptions and illusions that have tested the very principles of free market capitalism.

Jun 10

Deliberate Thinking Edward de Bono points out that most of the thinking we do is casual and chaotic, whereas 'deliberate thinking' is focused and for a specific purpose.

Jun 10

Protecting Front-Line Services By promising to cut public expenditure while maintaining “front-line” services, the political parties campaigning to win the General Election were acknowledging that there were extraneous expenses in many Government departments and Public Sector organisations. However, inefficiencies and waste are not confined to the public sector; many commercial organisations are also not as efficient as they might be. But how did these costs creep into the system and what can you do about it?

Jun 10

Happy Mondays I once knew a man who was so unhappy in his home life that he often joked that he was a "thank-God-it's-Monday man". But, as Gill points out, we should be positive about Monday mornings, celebrating the fact that it is the start of the week rather than bemoaning the end of the weekend.

Jun 10

Living With Uncertainty In a world of unprecedented change and uncertainty, in which the old time management directive to "take control" no longer seems relevant or achievable, Nick considers the steps you can take to "be prepared".

May 10

Brilliant Bank Holidays! Nick points out that Bank Holidays are like no other days - they create an opportunity to relax and take time off that is unlike either holidays or weekends.

May 10

Looking After Your Pearls While reading an article about looking after your jewellery, Rosie's mind wanders to consider how you might also look after the "pearls" in your life.

May 10

Can managers be both agreeable and successful? In a recent article, Professor of Psychology Adrian Furnham, argued that managers whose behaviour is considered to be "disagreeable" are more successful than managers who are "agreeable".

May 10

Challenging complacency with new ideas Edward de Bono points out that while complacency is a major obstacle to change, it can be challenged.

May 10

The Buffett way of business management Robert Heller looks at the secrets behind the success of Warren Buffett.

Apr 10

The Five Drivers of The New Management Robert Heller describes the way in which modern organisations need to rethink their approach to management if they are to avoid the pitfalls of the past.

Apr 10

New Track Thinking Edward de Bono points out that, since we are naturally creatures of routine, we need a conscious process for finding 'new track' ideas.

Apr 10

Planning for Success Although most companies will have plans in place for when things go wrong, very few plan for the consequences of unexpected success. But if it makes sense to anticipate and prepare for the unwelcome consequences of bad news, does it not make sense to have plans in place to ensure that you are able to capitalise on surprise opportunities as well?

Apr 10

Spring forward Gill describes some great ways to put a spring in your step. After all, it is spring!

Apr 10

Coping with emergencies Regardless of how well you plan and how organised you are, life has a habit of throwing up unexpected shocks. In this article Nick suggests some strategies for coping.

Apr 10

Two Cow Capitalism (A simple Lesson in Economics) An amusing insight into the workings of some of the largest economies in the World.

Mar 10

Soundbite: Happines - A Management Issue Rosie provides evidence that being happy at work makes people significantly more productive.

Mar 10

Work-Life Balance: Changing Work Patterns Being either self-employed or a "portfolio worker" presents fantastic work-life balance opportunities, but it also presents significant risks. Nick offers a few suggestions as to how you can capitalise on the opportunities while minimising the risks.

Mar 10

The Degree Dilemma With a university degree providing a guarantee of getting into debt but no longer offering a guarantee of getting a job, more and more students are questioning whether they would be better of going straight into work. This in turn is creating a new group of employees; the GCNDs (Graduate Calibre, No Degree) that employers should perhaps consider specifically targeting.

Mar 10

Creativity in Groups Edward de Bono considers at the creative benefits of working with other people.

Mar 10

The rise of the consultant and the real lessons learned Robert Heller looks at how the rise of the management consultant has contributed to our current problems but that, provided you understand its limitations, the notion of scientific management can still be of value.

Feb 10

The Bonus Culture - Good or Bad? In the aftermath of the Credit Crunch, the term 'bonus' has become synonymous with greed an immorality. But is a 'bonus culture' really so bad? Is is not simply that in the banking sector the bonus schemes were designed poorly and applied inappropriately?

Feb 10

Work-Life Balance: Creating Space Nick looks at the problem of completely packed diaries.

Feb 10

Soundbite: De-Clutter Your Life In clearing space for the decorators, Gill discovers that tidying up and throwing things out can be a cathartic experience.

Feb 10

The Five Drivers of The New Management Robert Heller describes the way in which modern organisations need to rethink their approach to management if they are to avoid the pitfalls of the past

Feb 10

New Track Thinking Edward de Bono points out that, since we are naturally creatures of routine, we need a conscious process for finding 'new track' ideas.

Dec 09

Soundbite: Food for Thought Rosie provides some ‘food for thought’ based on the thoughts of business guru Jim Collins.

Dec 09

Structured Creativity Edward de Bono of says that there is a mistaken belief that creativity should be totally free and unfettered - that restrictions or barriers will limit and stifle the creative process.

Dec 09

The Executive Gravy Train Robert Heller believes that the reason bankers' bonuses are once again rising is because the system of pay and remuneration is self-serving

Dec 09

Rant: An amazing tale - shame it's true! A short story of how the lethal combination of politicians and a good idea can result in disaster!

Dec 09

Work-Life Balance: Give your employees a stress-free Christmas As Christmas approaches, Nick looks at things you can do to reduce the stress for your employees and improve their work-life balance.

Dec 09

What to cut? During recessionary times many companies work hard to cut costs. The problem is that businesses spend money to make money – business is an investment. Therefore, if you spend less, it follows that there is a risk that you will earn less. The question therefore is how do you reduce costs without damaging the business?

Nov 09

Work-Life Balance: Living with Change Despite change being virtually constant in modern working life, many people find it difficult and stressful. Nick makes some suggestions that may help.

Nov 09

Judgment, recognition and operacy Edward de Bono argues that our education system places too much emphasis on academic subjects and too little emphasis on the practical skills needed in business.

Nov 09

The business strategy lessons learnt from the "big ideas" Robert Heller looks back at the history of various management philosophies.

Nov 09

Soundbite: Same picture – different frame! Sometimes the challenge, situation or circumstances cannot be changed; but you can change the way you perceive it.

Nov 09

The Challenge of Change When it comes to driving change programmes, most people focus on the goals, the objectives and the tasks to be completed. The problem is that what causes most change programmes to fail is none of these; it is the organisation’s history, heritage and cultural foundations. The fact remains that most change programmes don’t go wrong, they start wrong!

Oct 09

Better ideas can be found with lateral thinking Edward de Bono argues that the techniques of lateral thinking should be used even when no problem exists.

Oct 09

Jessop’s – A salutary lesson! Strategy may be an art more than a science, but there are nevertheless basic rules that should be followed. The most obvious way to point this out is to consider the case of companies that failed to follow them – in this case the photographic retailer Jessop’s of Leicester.

Oct 09

Driving Success Robert Heller looks at the challenges facing the automobile industry and their need to find visionary leaders.

Oct 09

Soundbite: Get passion into your business Rosie asks whether some of the ‘softer’ concepts in business are important, or just nice to have?

Oct 09

Work-Life Balance: Working Mums - A Family Issue Nick concludes that many women are work-life balance experts.

Sep 09

Work-Life Balance: Retire a little today Leaving retirement until you retire may be leaving it too late. Nick points out that if you want to enjoy your retirement to the maximum, it might be as well to start thinking about it now.

Sep 09

Soundbite: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Gill provides some tips on how to focus all your time and energy on the things that really matter

Sep 09

Excellent But Not Enough Edward de Bono points out that language is a history of the past and that it would be helpful if we invented some new words to describe concepts that are otherwise in danger of being overlooked

Sep 09

The way back from the downturn Robert Heller looks at the ways in which some companies are managing to beat the downturn by adopting innovative marketing strategies.

Sep 09

Why the recession is irrelevant Alistair Schofield argues that while a boom or recession might affect the performance of a business, it should not affect its strategy.

Aug 09

Work-Life Balance: And now for something completely different Nick describes the benefits of trying something different, experiencing new things and shaking ourselves out of the habits that increasingly condition our lives as we get older.

Aug 09

Soundbite: Decisions, Decisions! Rosie looks at the key factors involved in making good decisions.

Aug 09

Rant: Will Government please join us in the "real world" One reader believes that Government has found a new way of duping us into paying more taxes.

Aug 09

Innovation in Business Edward de Bono believes that organisations pay lip-service to innovation with most CEOs instead preferring to solve problems reactively.

Aug 09

Management truth, myths and consequences Robert Heller argues that management success is based on defining your own certainty in an uncertain world, not simply following accepted dogma.

Aug 09

Knowledge Can Be Dangerous Business places a high value on both knowledge and experience, but is it wise to do so? Alistair Schofield argues that sometimes we under-value the benefits of new thinking and a fresh pair of eyes.

Jul 09

Work-Life Balance: Redefining Work-Life Balance Nick looks more closely at what we actually mean by the term ‘Work-Life Balance’ and draws some helpful conclusions.

Jul 09

Soundbite: Dealing with setbacks Gill shows how it is possible to learn to be optimistic; to focus on your successes rather then allowing your less successful moments to form self-limiting beliefs.

Jul 09

Overcoming the Limitations of Language Edward de Bono points out that language can be a limiting factor in creativity.

Jul 09

Rewards and Incentives Robert Heller makes the point that businesses have grown to rely far too heavily on monetary incentives.

Jul 09

The Business Case for Love Marc Cox, Head of Advocacy at brand consultancy 1HQ, puts forward the business case for love, pointing out that if you can’t get your employees to love the business, what chance have you of getting your customers to?

Jun 09

Soundbite: The Power of Negative Thinking People often find it easier to be negative than positive, but be warned, negative thinking can have a powerful effect!

Jun 09

Work-Life Balance: Time management tips from project managers Nick, himself an experienced project manager, shares tricks of the trade on how to accurately estimate how long tasks will take.

Jun 09

Value Concepts Edward de Bono argues that concepts and strategy are different and that different people should be involved in producing each.

Jun 09

The auto industry bailout speaks volumes about US industry Robert Heller argues that it is not the credit crunch that has caused the problems for US car companies – they have been incompetently managed for years.

Jun 09

MPs – Leaders or Losers? The recent revelations concerning the expenses of many MPs has called into question their suitability. But are we over-reacting given that we wouldn’t expect to lose our jobs if we hadn’t broken any rules; or is it right that we should expect MPs to set higher standards? Alistair Schofield argues that MPs should abide by the standards expected of leaders.

May 09

Work-Life Balance: Virtual Meetings Nick describes how web conferencing tools can save you time and money as well as eliminating the stress of travelling to unnecessary face-to-face meetings.

May09

Soundbite: Do something new! Gill describes how the simple act of doing something different can improve you motivation and give you new-found energy.

May 09

Creative thinking could help during the downturn Edward de Bono points out that better thinking should be considered a necessity when times are hard, not a luxury.

May 09

Where is ‘The Office’? Robert Heller looks back at the first glimpses he had of the ‘networked age’ and the ‘virtual office’.

May 09

Pseudoscience and Gobbledygook There are numerous tests and tool available that purport to assist organisations in developing their people, recruiting the best talent, making teams more effective or even improving their leadership skills. But are they any good?

Apr09

Rant: Bloody Yellow Pages Are you annoyed by Yellow Pages? One of our readers certainly is!

Apr09

Work-Life Balance: Being 100% in what you’re in Nick shows how being focused can improve your work-life balance, as well as making you more efficient and effective.

Apr09

Soundbite: Decision Making in Tough Times Making good decisions is always tough, but it is especially tough when times are hard and the pressure is on.

Apr09

Creativity: similarity, difference and contrast Edward de Bono looks at how the concepts of similarity, difference and contrast can be used to aid creative thinking.

Apr09

The Avoidable Second Crash Robert Heller looks back at the origins of the credit crunch to see what lessons can be learned.

Apr09

Have we all gone mad? In the run up to the G20 summit in Britain, much has been written about the views and opinions of different groups regarding how to solve the current financial crisis; but very little has been heard from individuals and small business leaders. Alistair Schofield therefore thought it would be interesting to find out what they think.

Mar 09

Work-Life Balance: Doing things at the right time Good time management is important for a good work-life balance. Bur as Nick points out, it is also important to match the types of things you do to your energy peaks and troughs.

Mar 09

Soundbite: Singing Gill describes the benefits of filling your lungs, opening your mouth and letting rip!

Mar 09

Possibility and Probability Edward de Bono looks at the difference between possibility and probability. While one widens your horizons the other restricts it.

Mar 09

Renewal of Management Styles Needed Robert Heller argues that young managers should not be as boring as their predecessors.

Mar 09

10 Lessons on Innovation Teams from The Economist Andrew Carey describes his experiences in observing the establishment and workings of an “Innovations Team” at The Economist over a 6-month period.

Feb 09

Soundbite: Let’s go explore! Rosie shows how the recession can create opportunities as well as risks, provided you learn how to overcome your own resistance to change.

Feb 09

Work-Life Balance: The Source of Energy Where does your energy come from? Nick provides some pointers as to how to improve your energy levels.

Feb 09

Creativity as a Skill Edward de Bono says that complacency is the true enemy of creativity.

Feb 09

Why Things Go Wrong With Over-Complicated Management Styles Robert Heller questions whether complexity is something we should resist or simply learn to live with.

Feb 09

The Customer/Employee Trade-off: The new role for leaders Alistair Schofield uses the examples of Wall-Mart and Costco to question whether the role of managers should be to minimise costs to consumers, maximise benefits to employees or deliver profits to shareholders.

Dec 08

Rant: Joined up Government? Governments may set out with good intentions but, as a result of a lack of coordination, the results can sometimes leave us worse off.

Dec 08

WLB: The Natural Wonder Drug Nick describes the effects of a drug that could help us all – especially at the moment.

Dec 08

Soundbite: Changing Habits Rosie suggests that, in these troubled times, we take time to re-evaluate our approach to change.

Dec 08

New Ideas & Business Development Edward de Bono questions who is responsible for coming up with new ideas for business development.

Dec 08

Purpose & Business Management Appalled by the inefficiency of some organisations, Robert Heller describes how individuals should adopt Peter Drucker’s suggestions on 'feedback analysis' to improve their performance.

Dec 08

Time to Lead Des Gould argues that to solve the problems of today, leaders need to make time to think in different ways. To make the point, Des suggests that there are four types of ‘time’, but that in business we have traditionally only used one.

Nov 08

Work-Life Balanace: Recession – a pause for reflection Nick points out that a recession is not all bad – it presents opportunities that we will miss if all we do is obsess about the negatives.

Nov 08

Rant: The cost of acquisition versus the cost of retention Why do companies spend a fortune on courting new customers while treating their existing ones with contempt?

Nov 08

Soundbite: Walk Away From Negative Energy While walking across Ilkley Moore, Gill wonders why we ever allow ourselves to be depressed by the hurley-burley of everyday life.

Nov 08

Perceptual Shift Required For Creativity Edward de Bono argues that while logic and creativity may at times conflict, they are not mutually exclusive.

Nov 08

Opportunity & Business Strategy Robert Heller describes how recessions present both threats and opportunities. Which it is to you can often be down to a state of mind.

Nov 08

Don’t Dally With Dogma Gordon Brown has been hailed as the hero of the current financial crisis for policies that, in his own words, announce a return to Keynesian economics. At the same time others are criticising him for adopting policies that they claim were discredited in the 1970’s. Alistair Schofield argues that the danger may not lie in the policies, but in the temptation to follow dogma rather than finding new solutions to new situations.

Oct 08

Rant: Was Boris Johnston right to force out Sir Ian Blair? Rant is a new column where you can sound off, vent your spleen or just put across your point of view.

Oct 08

Soundbite: The Fog of Change Rosie compares the uncertainty many of us are living with as a result of the credit crunch to a ‘foggy project’ and suggests some strategies to help us cope.

Oct 08

Work-Life Balance: No worries mate Nick discovers that the Aussies do things differently.

Oct 08

Improving on Tired Ideas for Business Development Edward de Bono suggests that organisations would benefit from the appointment of a New Ideas Officer.

Oct 08

Total Quality Management – Lessons to be learnt Robert Heller bemoans the fact that the lessons of Total Quality Management seem to have been forgotten now that TQM has fallen out of fashion.

Oct 08

Stepping up to Leadership Since effective leadership requires a relationship between the leader and the led, an internal candidate for the position of CEO or MD, who knows the organisation, its employees and customers should have an advantage over external candidates. Why then is it that so many of these positions are filled by external candidates?

Sep 08

Soundbite: Learn to say No Saying ‘no’ is not as easy as it sounds. Gill provides some practical advice based on personal experience.

Sep 08

Work-Life Balance: Clear the Decks Nick explains how tidying up can reduce stress.

Sep 08

More Than Problem-solving Edward de Bono considers the pros and cons between working in a team or by yourself.

Sep 08

The Age of the Naked Plutocrat Robert Heller pulls no punches in describing the excessive rewards being lavished on a few corporate heads and the trail of destruction they have left behind in pursuit of personal wealth.

Sep 08

Bill’s Legacy Following the recent announcement that of Bill Gates has stepped down from full-time work at Microsoft, Alistair Schofield looks back at the legacy of the man who built one of the largest and most profitable companies ever.

Aug 08

Soundbite: Reviewing and Improving Rosie describes a technique for appraising yourself without undermining your self-confidence.

Aug 08

Work-Life Balance: The Multitasking Myth Many people claim that multitasking enable them to achieve more and me bore effective; but is it all that it is cracked up to be.

Aug 08

Lateral Thinking for Individuals and Groups Edward de Bono considers the pros and cons between working in a team or by yourself.

Aug 08

Following Figures Away From Innovation Robert Heller looks at why many successful companies fail to innovate successfully.

Aug 08

Equal Pay for Equal Play Against the background of the debate concerning the rights and wrongs of offering different amounts of prize money to the men and women players at Wimbledon, Alistair Schofield considers an alternative approach to determining how much a person is worth.

Jul 08

Work-Life Balance: Taking the stress out of international travel Nick provides some tips on how to minimise the stress of travelling on business.

Jul 08

Soundbite: Being Congruent Gill looks at how to be in rapport with yourself and the world around you.

Jul 08

Finding Time for Creativity Edward de Bono argues that creativity is like any skill, it must first be learned and then practiced.

Jul 08

Setting an Example Robert Heller suggests that we can learn great things from other people, especially the eight ‘Masters’ he identifies.

Jul 08

Individualism vs. Collectivism: When should the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many Alistair Schofield makes the case for dealing with people as individuals, rather than treating them collectively and applying standard policies on the pretence that it is fairer that way.

Jun 08

Soundbite: Walking in the Moccasins of Another Rosie uses an old American Indian technique to help people prepare for an interview.

Jun 08

Work-Life Balance: Improve your state of mind and energy through music Music may be the food of love – but it can it also help you at work?

Jun 08

Problem Solving & New Ideas Edward de Bono argues that an obsession with solving problems can cause us to ignore other potential areas of improvement.

Jun 08

The Man Who Made It Happen Robert Heller looks back at the life and the legacy of Sir John Harvey-Jones.

Jun 08

The curse of overreaction Alistair Schofield looks at the important skill of communication and considers why messages from leaders can sometimes cause people to overreact and behave in ways that were not anticipated.

May 08

Why you shouldn’t cut training Alistair Schofield argues that a company’s investment in training and development should not vary with the economic climate, but be part of a log-term strategic plan.

May 08

Soundbite: Get on with it! Gill provides some top tips on how to stop yourself from procrastinating.

May 08

Work-Life Balance: Is your leadership style causing stress? Nick considers whether there is an approach to leadership that can minimise the stress in others.

May 08

Action and Possibilities Edward de Bono argues that our obsession with certainty detracts from our ability to consider other possibilities.

May 08

The Curse of Conglomerates Robert Heller questions the rationale behind the growing trend towards mergers and acquisitions.

Apr 08

Soundbite: Lacking in confidence? Gill McKay suggests a way of improving your self-confidence.

Apr 08

The Harmonious Business Alistair Schofield considers how, after years of seeking niches and discontinuities in markets, businesses can now succeed based on strategies that seek to work in harmony with suppliers, customers and competitors.

Apr 08

Work-Life Balance: Be decisive We all know that it is good for managers to be decisive, but what exactly does this entail?

Apr 08

The Inadequacy of Argument Edward de Bono highlights the floors in using argument as a mechanism for deciding outcomes.

Apr 08

Incentives and Mistakes Robert Heller questions the role of incentives in driving beneficial business strategies and outcomes.

Mar 08

Soundbite: Driving Higher Performance. Rosie explains how you can improve your performance by being your own boss.

Mar 08

Management and Leadership Robert Heller considers ways of defining and measuring management and leadership.

Mar 08

Ideas and Creative Skills Edward de Bono argues that insufficient emphasis is placed on the importance of possibility and too much emphasis is placed on the search for certainty.

Mar 08

Work-Life Balance: Unplanned Delegation Nicks looks at the impact on a person's work-life balance of having additional work dumped on them at short notice.

Feb 08

Making Training Count Alistair Schofield considers whether it is possible to measure the return on investment in training.

Feb 08

Soundbite: Keeping your New Year’s resolutions Gill explains why the 21st January is officially the most depressing day of the year.

Feb 08

Work-Life Balance: Making Change Count Nicks sets out a plan for ensuring that you successfully follow through on your good intentions.

Feb 08

Ideas Don’t Always Have to Die Edward de Bono considers why ideas often die – even the good ones!

Feb 08

Crunch Time for Creditors Robert Heller translates the mysteries surrounding the current “credit crunch” into plain English.

Dec 07

Work-Life Balance: Stay in tune with your natural cycle Nick points out that every day we are different and therefore best suited to different things. Knowing this can aid your productivity as well as improving your work-life balance.

Dec 07

Soundbite: How to survive Christmas Gill provides some tips on how to avoid letting Christmas be a time for stress and hard work, and how to instead ensure that it is a time for fun, family and fellowship.

Dec 07

Time for the CGO Robert Heller questions whether the term ‘Chief Executive Officer’ is a help or a hindrance in defining what the most senior person in a company should be doing?

Dec 07

Making Creativity a Habit Edward de Bono provides readers with a crash course on how to be creative.

Dec 07

The Blaming of the Shrew Given that we are continuously encouraging leaders to empower their staff and delegate authority, Alistair Schofield asks whether it is fair that they should take the blame when things go wrong.

Nov07

The Nucor Way Robert Heller looks at the outstanding success one company has had by taking, what some might see as, an unconventional approach to management.

Nov07

Work-Life Balance: The Oldest of Lessons A crisis can often highlight the things that are important in life – but should it take a crisis to realise this?

Nov07

Soundbite: It’s Official – There are More Questions than Answers Rosie points out that to ask good questions, you first need to understand the outcomes you are looking for.

Nov07

Ideas and Creativity Edward de Bono draws a distinction between ideas creativity and artistic creativity and points out that the former can be learned in the same way as any other subject.

Nov07

Are They Blind or Just Stupid? Alistair Schofield asks why is it that so many of the World’s greatest product innovations have been missed by the companies that should have owned or invented them?

Oct 07

Soundbite: Listen to your intuitive mind Gill describes how gut-feel and instinct are just as valuable as logic and reasoning when making decisions.

Oct 07

Work Life Balance: Work Life & Brain Balance Nick points out that an understanding of the subject of brain dominance can sometimes help people identify the type of activities they should be engaging in to provide themselves with a good work-life balance.

Oct 07

Train Your Mind for Creativity Edward de Bono describes how the mind can be trained to think creatively.

Oct 07

Focusing on Customers & Achieving Alignment Alistair Schofield describes how an imbalance in brain dominance between the senior management team and the shop-floor can cause tensions to exist in an organisation and can adversely affect customer service.

Sep 07

Soundbite: How to Have More Good Days at Work Rosie asks what the difference is between a good day and work and a bad one and offers advice on how to make more days “good” ones.

Sep 07

Work-Life Balance: Saving Energy Being “green” is all the rage, but do you use your own energy wisely?

Sep 07

Creative Skills and Thinking Edward de Bono describes how creative thinking is a much broader concept than simply brainstorming.

Sep 07

Quality Management or Quality Company Despite the popularity of Six Sigma, Robert Heller questions whether it is all it is cracked up to be.

Sep 07

Unlocking the value of the overhead Brian Plowman, Managing Director of Develin & Partners, describes an approach to cost cutting that can improve customer service, productivity and effectiveness as well as reducing costs.

Aug 07

Soundbite: Whose standards are they anyway? Gill suggests that a lot of the stress people experience comes from the pressures we impose upon ourselves.

Aug 07

Work-Life Balance: Do a little of what you love to do Nick considers why some people, who ostensibly have a poor work-life balance, seem to have boundless energy and great enthusiasm for their work.

Aug 07

Creativity & How to Achieve It Edward de Bono describes how dissatisfaction lies at the heart of the motivation for creativity and innovation.

Aug 07

Leadership and Strategy Robert Heller describes how success and longevity can often breed complacency and offers a short check-list to test yourself against.

Aug 07

Learning to Lead Alistair Schofield believes that leadership skills are natural and that all of us possess them to a greater or lesser extent. The development of leadership skills is therefore not about learning anything new, but about bringing existing skills to the fore.

Jul 07

Soundbite: High Performance Moves – Lessons from sport Although not a big fan of rugby, Rosie still found something of interest when she attended a presentation by members of the Wasps ruby team.

Jul 07

Work-Life Balance: Bring some “Life” into you work Nick points out that the issues of work-life balance are not always about the quantity of work, time constraints and too much pressure, sometimes it can be caused by boredom.

Jul 07

Focusing on Small Ideas Edward de Bono describes how thinking of small ideas can often lead to bigger things.

Jul 07

Paradoxes & the Fusion Manager Robert Heller is vehemently against management doctrines as the world of management has very few absolutes. Instead managers must learn to deal with endless trade-offs.

Jul 07

Ask a silly question... Alistair Schofield believes that the skill of asking perceptive and searching questions is one of the most important skills of management, but that answers are not always what they appear to be.

Jun 07

Soundbite: Choose Your Attitude Gill points out that between stimulus and response we all have choices.

Jun 07

Work-Life Balance: Start at the Beginning Nick points out that “the beginning” is not always where we expect to find it.

Jun 07

A Need for New Thinking Edward de Bono describes a new organization he has established to challenge conventional thinking and promote new ideas.

Jun 07

Management and Leadership Robert Heller offers a simple set of questions that he believes leaders should ask themselves on a regular basis.

Jun 07

Who Should Decide? Alistair Schofield challenges the view that one of the most important jobs of a manager is to make decisions.

May 07

Soundbite: Delegation Rosie considers the cost of not delegating.

May 07

Work-Life Balance: There are few real “deadlines” Nick passes on some advice on how to avoid living your life by other people’s deadlines.

May 07

Ideas for All Edward de Bono argues that the search for new ideas should be constant – even when things are going well.

May 07

Apple Shines Robert Heller believes that the avoidance of mistakes can sometimes be more important than the pursuit of good decisions.

May 07

Achieving Excellence in Customer Management During its brief history, the science and technology surrounding Customer Management has acquired something of a mixed reputation, but recent research from Henley Management College may shed light on why some projects have failed while other succeeded.

Apr 07

Work-Life Balance: The Art of Saying No Nick looks at how we can improve our work-life balance and our reputation for being reliable and delivering on time, simply by learning to say “no”.

Apr 07

Interesting Creativity Edward de Bono on why value, and not difference, creates real interest.

Apr 07

Soundbite: Enjoy Being in the Present Gill considers how we live our lives thinking about the past and planning for the future, but that we often forget to enjoy life in the preset.

Apr 07

Opulence is the New Affluence Robert Heller looks at how the Age of Affluence has given way to an Era of Opulence.

Apr 07

Interview – Robert Heller Alistair Schofield speaks to Robert Heller, journalist, commentator and the author of more than 50 books on management and business strategy.

Mar 07

Soundbite: Working Smarter Everyone says “work smarter”, but how?

Mar 07

Work-Life Balance: Using your subconscious to good effect Nick looks at how to harness the power of your subconscious mind to make yourself more efficient.

Mar 07

Lateral Thinking & Creativity Edward de Bono considers what it takes for managers to take lateral thinking and creative ideas seriously?

Mar 07

Right and Left-Brain Managers Robert Heller looks at the different approach managers take to running their businesses and concludes that they need to be whole-brained.

Mar 07

Leaders in London 2006 Towards the end of 2006 I was lucky enough to attend the Leaders in London summit. This article therefore consists of a series of “soundbites” that attempt to summarise some of the key points made by each of the speakers, followed by a synopsis of the themes that emerged from the event overall.

Feb 07

Soundbite: Quick fix vs. the long-term solution Anna’s friend goes on a diet – but will it last?

Feb 07

Work-Life Balance: Becoming Dispensable Nick describes how successful delegation is not just about allocating tasks to others, it involves letting go in your mind.

Feb 07

Creative Thinking Edward de Bono asks whether we should make creativity part of our usual thinking behaviour, or should we keep it separate and only ‘switch’ when required?

Feb 07

Power and the Manager Within a company the CEO is generally regarded as being all powerful, yet the fact remains that the average tenure of a CEO is now less than 2 years. Against this background, Robert Heller considerers the nature of the power a CEO possesses.

Feb 07

Interview - Daniel Pink Alistair Schofield speaks to Daniel Pink, journalist, commentator and best-selling author of “A Whole New Mind”.

Dec 06

Soundbite: T’is the season to be jolly! Anna’s suggestions will help us make the most of the festive season.

Dec 06

Work-Life Balance: Understanding Pressure As the pressures mount in the run up to Christmas, Nick looks at three different sources of pressures and offers some helpful suggestions.

Dec 06

More than Lip Service Edward de Bono says too many companies talk about innovation, but do nothing about it.

Dec 06

Forty Years Later Robert Heller looks back over forty years to consider what has changed.

Dec 06

Interview – Ian Geden Alistair Schofield speaks to Ian Geden, Chief Executive of UK-based financial services company NFU Mutual, about customer service excellence.

Nov 06

Soundbite: Get out of your comfort zone! Anna kicks us out of complacency.

Nov 06

Work-Life Balance: What can you do for others? Nick considers the impact that your behaviours have on others.

Nov 06

Creativity and Risk Edward de Bono considers the question of how long you should give a new idea to succeed before giving up?

Nov 06

Sales & Marketing: Get it Together Robert Heller believes that the perennial battling between sales and marketing reflects a grave failure to manage effectively.

Nov 06

Leadership, Management and the Brain With business leaders increasingly looking for greater creativity and “right-brained” thinking, Alistair Schofield considers whether our organisations are complex logical “left-brained” structures because that’s the way they need to be, or is it simply that that’s the way we made them?

Oct 06

Soundbite: Focus on what really matters Anna draws a distinction between tasks and objectives.

Oct 06

Work-Life Balance: What matters is what you do – not what you say Nick considers the impact that your behaviours have on others.

Oct 06

Creative Focus Creative thinking may still be needed, even if the solutions to a problem are obvious, says Edward de Bono.

Oct 06

The Pirates of Pay Robert Heller believes that, despite growing criticism, schemes for enriching top managers are worsening.

Oct 06

The Fine Line Between Good and Bad Now that the dust has settled, Alistair Schofield looks back at the collapse of Enron to consider what lessons we have learned for employment policy.

Sep 06

Soundbite: What happens when you win? What should you do when you get what you want? Anna offers a suggestion.

Sep 06

Work-Life Balance: Back to work Nick provides a simple questionnaire to get you thinking after your well-earned break.

Sep 06

Designing a New Religion With reference to his new book, ‘H+ A New Religion’, Edward de Bono describes how he would go about creating a new religion – one based on practical design, rather than mysticism.

Sep 06

Stepping Down With news of changes at the top at Microsoft, Robert Heller asks, when is the right time to drop the pilot?

Sep 06

Do Women Make Better Managers? Daniel Pink’s thought-provoking book ‘A Whole New Mind’ encourages businesses to be more right-brained in their thinking. As women are generally regarded to be more right-brained than men, it should follow that as we move from, what Pink described, as the ‘Information Age’ into the ‘Conceptual Age’, women’s performance in business should improve relative to men. Johanna Krotz considers the question of whether women make better managers?

Aug 06

Soundbite: Giving Feedback Anna looks at the key leadership skill of giving feedback.

Aug 06

Work-Life Balance: Balancing Our Motivations Nick Woodeson considers the challenge of enjoying the ‘journey’ as well as the ‘destination’.

Aug 06

Boxing Clever Edward de Bono explains why sometimes thinking inside the box can be a good thing.

Aug 06

Management and Psyche Robert Heller explains why experts aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.

Aug 06

Breakthrough Thinking At the limits of performance, the difference between winning and losing is not just about physical or mental strength, but about changing the rules and adopting a different strategy. Alistair Schofield considers the challenge of breakthrough thinking.

Jul 06

Soundbite: What's Your Profile? Anna discovers the value of personality profiling tools.

Jul 06

Work-Life Balance: Leaving Work Behind Nick Woodeson offers some suggestions to help us “switch off”.

Jul 06

Constant Creativity Edward de Bono believes that, with the use of lateral thinking, creativity can and should be learned and developed as a formal skill in the human race.

Jul 06

The Culture Of Business Robert Heller suggests that business culture, properly defined and developed, is the basis for achieving outstanding success.

Jul 06

Three Leadership Fundamentals When Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones asked people in organisations which skills they would most like to develop, all provided the same answer: Help us to become more effective leaders.

Jun 06

Soundbite: So what’s your purpose? Anna suggests that to be satisfied, we all need a purpose that is greater than ourselves.

Jun 06

Learning to Think Edward de Bono argues that the human race has done little to advance the skill of thinking in the last 2,400 years.

Jun 06

Double Cult Folly Robert Heller, at his most acerbic, debunks the Cult of the Chief Executive and the Cult of Shareholder Value.

Jun 06

Achieving Work Life Balance Work Life balance is an issue that has gained increasing attention in recent years with numerous employee care surveys for major corporations revealing that increasing numbers of people are dissatisfied with their work-life balance.

Jun 06

Britain For Sale – Is nothing sacred? With so many businesses having been sold to overseas buyers, Alistair Schofield considers the question as to whether this is a good thing or not.

May 06

Soundbite: Stagefright? When giving presentations, Anna’s advice is to not to try to be a perfect speaker, but to be yourself.

May 06

Value Appreciation Edward de Bono says that the key to entrepreneurship is value sensitivity.

May 06

Complicated Management Robert Heller suggests that new, high-tech management tools must be used for old and non-technical situations.

May 06

Do the employee’s feelings matter? Following Patricia Hewitt’s assertion that the NHS has had its “best year ever”, Alistair Schofield considers why people in positions of authority make such faux pas.

May 06

Do we have anyone capable of doing the job? Should the next England Manager be English? Following the debacle surrounding the announcement that the FA’s preferred candidate for the England job was ‘Big Phil’ Scolari, Alistair Schofield considers the parallel decisions in business.

Apr 06

Soundbite: Do you feel poorer every day? Anna suggests placing a value on your business relationships to help you prioritise your time.

Apr 06

The Insufficiency Of Intention Edward de Bono explains why he believes that it is not enough just to have the intention to be creative when new ideas and new concepts are needed.

Apr 06

Measuring Management Robert Heller suggests that scandalous rewards are working against the performance of top managers.

Apr 06

China’s Future, Your Strategy The Asian Development Bank has forecast that China could be the world’s largest economy as soon as 2025. Given that this is less than 20 years away, what are the implications for British businesses and how should we be responding?

Mar 06

Soundbite: So Where Is The Money Coming From? Anna suggests placing a value on your business relationships to help you prioritise your time.

Mar 06

Actions Speak Louder Than Words Ben Simonton, the author of “Leading People to be Highly Motivated and Committed”, describes how leaders must be alive to the irrefutable law that actions speak louder than words.

Mar 06

Founders Keepers Robert Heller examines how far founders can take a business.

Mar 06

Time For Thinking Edward de Bono argues that we should spend time watching thinking in action and puts forward the concept of Thinking Clubs.

Feb 06

Soundbite: February Blues What happened to your New Year resolutions? Anna offers sound advice and encourages persistence.

Feb 06

Interview – Ian Plover Alistair Schofield speaks to a former HR and Business Change Director who specialises in assisting companies with large-scale change projects.

Feb 06

Brandspirit While many companies spend millions on brand advertising, only some succeed in establishing strong and lasting images. Marc Cox, a Director and co-founder of a company called "Brandspirit", considers what gives strong brands an on-going competitive edge?

Feb 06

Drucker’s Legacy Robert Heller says the late Peter Drucker’s ideas have influenced all managers, whether they know it or not.

Feb 06

The Design of Entrepreneurship Edward de Bono believes that entrepreneurship needs an effective design as well as new ideas.

Dec 05

Soundbite: Prioritise Anna Barez-Brown suggest how to free up more of your time to focus on your priorities and develop your staff at the same time.

Dec 05

Leadership & time: Lessons from the Maasai John Scherer describes a leadership lesson he learnt while helping build a school in a Maasai village in Kenya.

Dec 05

Peter F Drucker (1909 - 2005) On the 11th November 2005, the man who was revered as the father of modern corporate management died. Alistair Schofield looks back at his life and influence with the help of Robert Heller, who knew Peter Drucker personally.

Dec 05

The Entrepreneur Robert Heller looks at the types of people who succeed as entrepreneurs.

Dec 05

When Things Are Good Enough Edward de Bono tackles the problem of improving on the excellent.

Nov 05

Soundbite: Why does everything always take so loooooonnnnnnnnng? Anna Barez-Brown points out that persistence is a key ingredient in most people’s success.

Nov 05

Interview – Graham Ryan Alistair Schofield speaks to Graham Ryan, Chief Commercial Officer of NXT, one of Britain’s most innovative companies.

Nov 05

Thinking INSIDE The Box To Balance Creativity And Accomplishment We're frequently encouraged to "Think outside the box!" Experts assure us that unrestrained thinking will force our creative juices to flow, unleashing a flood of new ideas and inspirations. But take this advice too much to heart, and you may find yourself generating more ideas but less success.

Nov 05

The dot.com Boom Rides Again Robert Heller believes that new challenges await managers in the latest round of the dot.com frenzy.

Nov 05

New Ideas Need Time Edward de Bono suggests that, when assessing new business ideas, you should consider the length of time it takes for the benefits to show.

Oct 05

Soundbite: Got that Monday morning feeling? Anna Baréz-Brown considers the Monday morning blues and concludes that others feel just the same.

Oct 05

How To Get A Head. Martin Wood, Managing Director and founder of one of Britain’s most successful Interim Executive agencies, addresses the questions; what is Interim executive management? What do Interims do? When should organisations use them? And how do they differ from management consultants?

Oct 05

Is HR Irrelevant? David Jackson, the author and businessman, asks why, at a time when businesses claim that people are their most important asset, do so few HR Directors sit on the Board?

Oct 05

The Challenge of Change Robert Heller explains why new challenges in a high-tech world demand a lowtech revolution in management.

Oct 05

Motivation for Creativity Edward de Bono explains why everyone should make an effort to be creative, even though creativity is full of risks and uncertainties.

Sep 05

Corporate Culture: Project Managers’ blind spot After 17 years experience as a project manager, working in a wide range of organisations and industries, Dr Andrew Wright realised that corporate culture is rarely, if ever, discussed in a project context yet addressing it effectively is pivotal to success.

Sep 05

Innovate to Survive The relatively low costs of labour in the emerging economies, combined with the ever-increasing pace of change, makes continued innovation an imperative for western companies, writes Alistair Schofield.

Sep 05

Marvelling at the Mavericks Robert Heller suggests that all managers need to grasp the value of the 'maverick'.

Sep 05

Frameworks and Thinking Edward de Bono explains why intelligent people are not always better thinkers.

Aug 05

What comes first, action or strategy? The textbooks would have us believe that strategies are conceived at the top and cascaded downwards. But organisations don’t stop, activity is carrying on all the time that can affect and influence the strategy. Alistair Schofield therefore asks the question; what comes first, action or strategy?

Aug 05

Interview – Ben Simonton Alistair Schofield speaks to Ben Simonton, author of "Leading People to be Highly Motivated and Committed"

Aug 05

Ideas – New & Improved Edward de Bono says that you can never have too many new ideas, as long as they are good.

Aug 05

The Joys of Teamwork Robert Heller considers the meaning of the word "teamwork" and finds the dictionary definition somewhat lacking in clarity.

Jul 05

Exploring the Future Joel Barker, the first person to popularise the concept of paradigm shifts for the corporate world, argues that future thinking is a vital skill for organisations and organisation leaders.

Jul 05

Listening, the Doorway to Employee Commitment The skill of listening is every executive, manager and supervisor’s doorway to employee commitment. But to understand the true power of listening we must first understand “putting in our two cents”, a stimulant known to cause brainstorming.

Jul 05

Four Teams Edward de Bono explains how a rigid four-team creative structure can clarify thinking.

Jul 05

Soft Management and Hard Management Robert Heller looks at the rise of 'Soft Management'.

Jun 05

Interview with Peter Jones Alistair Schofield speaks to Extensor Associate Peter Jones, previously Argos Retail Group’s Operations Director, about his new venture in the recruitment industry.

Jun 05

Offshore for a Better Future With major organisations such as Prudential, Aviva, BT and the NHS “offshoring” thousands of jobs to India, Alistair Schofield considers whether this is a positive or negative trend.

Jun 05

The Watchdog Bites In a world in which the CEO is no longer the sole person responsible for the decisions of a business, Robert Heller as the question “Who is in charge?”

Jun 05

New Words, New Thinking Edward de Bono explains why the English language needs to be developed and makes a suggestion of his own.

May 05

Good Advice Robert Heller discovers that advice is one commodity that managers have in plenty but that being right is not simply about having others agree with you.

May 05

Evaluation of Values Edward de Bono, the creator of the Six Thinking Hats concept, describes a new framework for focusing on values - Six Value Medals.

May 05

Is Democracy Such A Good Idea? In the run up to the general election, Alistair Schofield asks whether our country would be better run along the lines of a company.

May 05

Visit to Romania Phil Rolfe, a Director of the children’s charity Spurgeon’s, describes his trip to Romania and the impact that the country’s accession to the EU in 2007 is already having on their work.

Apr 05

The Interactive Workforce The interactivity that modern technology provides means that the process of decision making, that was once the preserve of management, is now something that can take place at all levels in the organisation. By Alistair Schofield.

Apr 05

Working for Nothing – Corporate lessons from non-profits. It is estimated that roughly £40bn of GDP is attributable to voluntary work, with nearly half the population devoting some time to a variety of good causes each year. Dr Patrick Dixon considers what lessons businesses can learn from this growing phenomenon.

Apr 05

Innovation Edward de Bono of implores business to create a climate in which there is a willingness to try new things and explore new possibilities.

Apr 05

Decline Robert Heller considers whether it is inevitable that organisations that have grown, succeeded and reaped the rewards of corporate success should then enter periods of stagnation, decline or even disappear completely?

Mar 05

Management and Leadership – What’s the difference? Having frequently been asked what the difference is between management and Leadership, Gill McKay decided to put pen to paper.

Mar 05

Intervew – Trevor Dann Trevor Dann, the BAFTA award winning producer of Live Aid speaks to Alistair Schofield about his distinguished career in radio and television.

Mar 05

Corporate Social Responsibility - The Next Frontier Environmental legislation, changes in taxation and customer/client demands have required most organisations to consider the environment in the way they do business. Now, just as businesses are getting to grips with how to respond to these challenges, a new doctrine is beginning to take hold – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Mar 05

Good and Bad Management Robert Heller considers how to judge success in management.

Mar 05

A Different Focus Edward de Bono looks at the rewards of finding new ideas where there are no known problems.

Feb05

The importance of being effective Robert Heller explains why effectiveness is foremost among the attributes that all managers should strive to develop.

Feb05

Death by email – Survival strategies With more than 31 billion e-mails being sent each and every day, it is hardly surprising that many people are beginning to feel completely overloaded by the sheer quantity of emails they receive. Alistair Schofield suggests a number of strategies to leave you in control.

Feb05

The purpose driven organisation The desire to give back something to help those less fortunate than us has always been a driving force for humanity. This drive remains true in our business lives where there are many examples of organisations defining a higher purpose for their activities above the traditional accumulation of profit. David Smith, Chief Executive of The Global Future Forum, argues that this may be of competitive significance in the very near future.

Dec 04

Interview – Father Christmas In a surprisingly candid interview, Father Christmas speaks exclusively to Alistair Schofield about his background, the pressures of the job and reindeer.

Dec 04

Beyond the pyramid The combination of process automation and outsourcing is having a profound effect on both the way in which we work and the way we manage work. Alistair Schofield considers the implications for the traditional hierarchy and the purpose of management in a world where the supervision of labour and production is no longer a primary objective.

Dec 04

Fat man versus thin man Edward de Bono considers the difference between analysis and design.

Dec 04

Sad lessons from Shell Robert Heller of lifts the kimono on Royal Dutch-Shell’s “radical modernisation”.

Nov 04

Interview – Robert Levering Alistair Schofield speaks to Robert Levering, the author of seven books on workplace issues and co-founder of the Great Place to Work® Institute.

Mar 08

Short-termism is killing us! As the pace of change increases, so too does the need to plan ahead. Yet the reality is that many of us assign far too much importance to short-term tasks rather than long-term priorities.

Nov 04

Economic Review – November 2004 David Kern, formerly NatWest's Chief Economist, argues that global economic growth has slowed markedly in recent months, that the business environment has become distinctly more difficult and a further slowdown in the pace of growth is highly likely.

Nov 04

Absenteeism - problem or symptom? Alistair Schofield argues that while tackling absenteeism by direct action may alleviate the problem in the short-term, addressing the causes of the problem will provide long-term benefits.

Oct 04

Interview - Bob Mason Alistair Schofield speaks to Bob Mason who, through roles in BT, London Underground and the NHS, has become one of the UK's most senior and experienced HR Directors.

Oct 04

Recruitment errors cost Britain £12b Alistair Schofield looks at the costs of recruitment errors and at making the process of filling vacancies more effective.

Oct 04

Danger! - New ideas approaching At the time of year when many of us are producing our plans for 2005, David Smith, Chief Executive of The Global Future Forum, challenges us to consider whether we have really considered the future, or whether our plans are simply and extension of the past.

Sep 04

Interview - David Smith Gill McKay speaks to David Smith, Chief Executive of The Global Futures Forum.

Sep 04

Pulse - The report of The Global Future Forum The report is based on the assessment by an international body of experts, business commentators and professional of a variety of future scenarios famed in the near future (2008). It is designed to build a consensus of opinion as to how various trends might impact future conditions and practices within economic and industry sectors.

Sep 04

Has project become a dirty word? With the press full of stories of project failure, you could be forgiven for thinking that “project” is a dirty word in many organisations. However, Tony Teague argues that success is not difficult to achieve if we learn the lessons of the past and apply a few basic rules to all new projects.

Sep 04

Does training work? Much training investment is wasted on activities unrelated to business need. Gauging effectiveness may be difficult – but that is no excuse for ducking the challenge, says Susanna Mitterer

Aug 04

Rightsizing bizspeak proactively A light-hearted look at the damage business jargon can do to the clarity of communication along with an invitation to play "Business Buzzword Bingo!".

Aug 04

Interview - Nick Hewson Alistair Schofield interviews Nick Hewson, CEO and founder of the Hewson Group.

Aug 04

Improving the Return on Training Investment Alistair Schofield argues that a large proportion of the money spent on training programmes is wasted, but that the return on investment in training can be dramatically improved by adopting a different approach.

Aug 04

Economic Review - August 2004 David Kern, formerly NatWest Chief Economist argues that Britain's short-term economic prospects are unusually positive, but careful strategic planning is needed to exploit opportunities and cope with risks & pitfalls.

Jul 04

The director's new profession Professor Bob Garratt argues that in the post-Enron era the debate has now moved on from 'Board Conformance' to 'Board Performance'.

Jul 04

Networking for success Alistair Schofield argues that networking ought to be built into all leadership development programmes and Rowan Gormley describes the importance of external points of reference to Virgin Wines.

Jul 04

Is Regulatory Enforcement of operational issues the way forward? In May 2004 the DTI announced a short consultation period on the shape and substance of an Operational and Financial Review (OFR), which will enter company law early in 2005 and which will require UK listed companies to provide information that is way beyond the scope of anything they have provided before. By David Harvey and Nick Hewson.

Jul 04

Interview - Rowen Gormley Philip Whiteley speaks to Rowan Gormley, Chief Executive of Virgin Wines about the Virgin approach to entrepreneurship and risk management.