Category Archives: Personal development

How to manage an extrovert

Posted on February 13, 2012 by

I sat in on an interview conducted by an extrovert. In all the time he was talking, there wasn’t a single question directed at the candidate! She had a winning smile to be fair, and doubtless an impeccable CV, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Broken relationships in business, Extravert v Introvert, Family life, Handling Prima Donnas, Managing people, Personal development, Recruitment | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s all about exams

Posted on August 20, 2011 by

If you’ve just had results you could be forgiven for thinking it was. And of course exams are important. But is there more to life than your A level grades? What happens if you don’t have any? Will you make … Continue reading →

Posted in Exams, Failure, Personal development, Success | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How violent should leadership be?

Posted on August 1, 2011 by

Make no mistake it is tough out there. Whether you are fighting for customers or some even greater cause, conditions are violent. But as leaders do we have to be violent? Some say we do. Taking the example of sport, … Continue reading →

Posted in Broken relationships in business, Bullying in leaders, Bullying in the work place, Personal development, Teamwork, Violent leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Zoe tears up Edna’s MBA

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

How can someone as qualified as Edna lose out in the end-of-episode Boardroom duel on BBC’s Apprentice? Edna has an MBA she tells us. It’s her closing gambit to impress Lord Sugar, as she and Zoe are the final two … Continue reading →

Posted in Broken relationships in business, child, Conflict, How old are you?, Personal development, The Apprentice 2011, TV reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Does the boss need to be good with people?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by

The commonest reason for promotion to manager is: technical excellence and hard work. But if you want to lead people, those excellent technical skills won’t be anything like enough. Even worse, if you work in a business where it’s every-man-for-himself, … Continue reading →

Posted in Broken relationships in business, Confidential advice, Getting to the top, Leadership, Leadership problems, Leadership qualities, Managing people, Personal development, Reluctant leader | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s great at the top isn’t it?

Posted on January 19, 2011 by

Of course we all want to be promoted, don’t we? The aspiration of every young trainee is to better herself, to climb up the greasy pole, to get to the top. Of course it is. But what happens when we … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Getting to the top, Lonely at the top, Personal development, Reluctant leader | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Is fraud only in politics?

Posted on January 8, 2011 by

An MP goes to prison for cheating on his expense claims. Judging by today’s Times’s comments the response has been highly charged. “All politicians are corrupt”…”prison’s too good”… on the one hand and “not that bad really” (I paraphrase) on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Are we logical?, Big business failure, Confidential advice, Denial, Dishonesty, Personal development | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What happens when you “lose it”?

Posted on December 15, 2010 by

“Throwing your toys out of the pram” happens to most of us a some point. But if you are a high-profile figure, or have significant influence over the lives of others, for example a teacher or politician, then the consequences … Continue reading →

Posted in Broken relationships in business, Bullying in leaders, Bullying in the work place, Conflict, Denial, Family life, How old are you?, Leadership problems, Losing it, Personal development, Prickly Zone, The power of emotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How important is status?

Posted on December 14, 2010 by

Matt Cardle dramatically increased his status in many eyes last Sunday. He went from ignominy to X Factor champion in just a few weeks. You could say his status went up rather! With 19.4 millon people watching him, he was voted … Continue reading →

Posted in Finding success in business, Identity, Personal development, Status, Success, X Factor confidence | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Laura learns her lesson

Posted on December 2, 2010 by

For the Apprentice 2011 click here: Vincent van Cloche; There’s no accounting for Edward Gracious in defeat, Laura Moore explains just how valuable she found being on The Apprentice on the pithy follow-up show. At 22 she made less of … Continue reading →

Posted in Finding success in business, Personal development, The Apprentice, TV reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment