Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

EQ trumps ego every time. Ego-driven leaders ultimately fail - for the simple reason that they put themselves first and everybody else a distant second. They also leave carnage in their wake, often quite literally as Vladimir Putin is demonstrating so graphically. The world of politics is over-crowded with such empty, authoritarian and/or populist [...]

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership2024-02-14T16:09:08+00:00

Where are you on the chequerboard of leadership?

Leadership today is not about hierarchy. It is about influence. I would like to introduce you to a new model that I have been using in my 'leading change', 'leadership development' and 'leading with influence' programs and webinars - the 'Chequerboard of Leadership'. After 25+ years of enabling leaders to lead change, I have observed that extraordinary leaders possess two [...]

Where are you on the chequerboard of leadership?2022-03-19T14:06:26+00:00

Leadership insights from the last year as we emerge into a new dawn

It may be a cliche but it is true nevertheless. A new phase seems to have begun. The anxious, volatile and uncertain twelve months we have all endured may at last be coming to an end as we start to emerge into a new world that has changed in so many ways – armed with a treasure [...]

Leadership insights from the last year as we emerge into a new dawn2021-04-22T04:59:13+00:00

Leading in a crisis feat. City AM and the Police!

Leadership in a time of crisis Welcome to the July newsletter. What a quarter we have just endured! How the next quarter will pan out is anyone's guess. But as we tip-toe out of lockdown, one thing is certain - the next quarter and in fact the years ahead will be filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity and [...]

Leading in a crisis feat. City AM and the Police!2020-07-03T11:46:46+00:00

Embracing Change: The Online Series

Equip your people with the tools they need to embrace change. Right now. Online. Your people are living in times of unprecedented uncertainty and heightened anxiety. We all are. They are being asked to cope with an extraordinary amount of change due to this coronavirus pandemic. They need help. Let’s give it to them. Online. [...]

Embracing Change: The Online Series2020-03-30T14:39:50+00:00

Leading in a post-Brexit VUCA world

After three years of political sclerosis and six straight months of continuous and unedifying electioneering, one significant piece of clarity finally emerged from last week’s UK General Election – Britain is definitely leaving the European Union. Technically, in less than seven weeks’ time. The markets have greeted this news with rare, dual-pronged optimism – with [...]

Leading in a post-Brexit VUCA world2019-12-16T11:05:13+00:00

A must for every HRD and CEO – OrgVue people planning software bowled me over!

You know when you see something so utterly brilliant, your immediate thought is, “How come this hasn’t been done before?!” A couple of weeks ago, I was engaged by a switched-on PR firm with the wonderful name of ‘Don’t Cry Wolf’ to deliver a keynote at a customer breakfast round-table session. The host company was [...]

A must for every HRD and CEO – OrgVue people planning software bowled me over!2019-12-10T15:00:48+00:00

21st Century Leadership: a team game not a solo pursuit

Three key themes emerge from the delegates on my Leading Change workshops (both at Henley Business School and with clients directly) when we discuss leadership: Leadership is leading change. Anything else is simply managing the status quo. What great leaders do and how they make you feel. Leadership is a team game not a solo [...]

21st Century Leadership: a team game not a solo pursuit2019-06-10T09:16:22+00:00

Lessons in Leadership from Brexit

15 March 2019. The UK’s Brexit debacle may be excruciating to watch but it is providing us with some invaluable lessons in leadership. So many lessons, in fact, that it is difficult to know where to begin. So I suggest we start with reminding ourselves of what a good leader actually looks like … [...]

Lessons in Leadership from Brexit2024-02-29T11:50:23+00:00

Beat the odds: How to be one of the few M&As that succeed

7 Feb 2019. Most mergers and acquisitions fail. Consultancies and financiers will disagree over the percentages, but they are unified in their agreement that the vast majority of M&A deals fail to deliver the outcomes they set out to achieve – let alone the expected Return on Investment. Download the pdf version here. Many corporate [...]

Beat the odds: How to be one of the few M&As that succeed2019-06-10T17:42:46+00:00

Leading your business through the Brexit uncertainty

15 Jan 2019. Tonight marked the end of the beginning of the UK’s Brexit adventure. Five doors now stand between us and our future. Only one will open at 11pm GMT on the 29th March. Which door will it be? More importantly, what will it mean for your customers, your business and your people? No [...]

Leading your business through the Brexit uncertainty2019-04-17T12:15:34+00:00

Insights on Leading Change from 2018

4 Jan 2019. After reflecting upon all of the fascinating conversations and interactions I have been fortunate enough to experience during speeches, workshops, mentoring and consulting engagements during 2018, I would like to share a few insights with you to round the year off … 1. If you can’t change the people, you need to change [...]

Insights on Leading Change from 20182019-04-17T16:22:23+00:00

Successful leadership of change is possible

11 Oct 2018. 88% of change initiatives and business strategies fail to deliver what they set out to achieve. A similar proportion of mergers and acquisitions suffer the same fate.  How can you ensure that your next change or strategy is the one in eight that succeeds? Change is inevitable. Unfortunately, successful change isn’t. And the [...]

Successful leadership of change is possible2019-04-17T16:25:11+00:00

Mission Impossible? Leading change in successful organisations.

21 June 2018. “Our biggest barrier to change is our success,” declared a senior executive during one of my ‘Leading Change’ workshops. Successful organisations automatically erect formidable barriers to change – with very few exceptions. When you are the market leader; when revenues are growing year on year; when shareholders are ecstatic and when your [...]

Mission Impossible? Leading change in successful organisations.2019-04-17T16:25:49+00:00

Lessons from Oz: Where listed companies can get it wrong

23 April 2018. I have just returned from a fabulous few weeks in Australia and would like to share some observations with you – as there are some great lessons for CEOs and Boards of every nation, namely: The law of unintended consequences The dangers of short-termism Don’t forget to innovate Put the needs of [...]

Lessons from Oz: Where listed companies can get it wrong2019-04-17T16:27:12+00:00

Responsible Capitalism: an oxymoron or a new dawn?

Why are Facebook and Starbucks becoming ‘Responsible Capitalists’? Because it is good for business. This is a summary of a 5000-word essay “Responsible Capitalism: Why change is necessary and what we can do about it.” Download the full essay here. Capitalism is at a cross-roads.  If we don’t change the way we operate, we may [...]

Responsible Capitalism: an oxymoron or a new dawn?2020-07-02T12:30:00+00:00

Engage your people emotionally if you wish to succeed

  One of the most insightful papers on the power of employee engagement was published back in 2004 by the Corporate Leadership Council, part of the Corporate Executive Board (www.cebglobal.com). They called it ‘Driving Performance and Retention through Employee Engagement’. It was the result of a global study of the engagement level of 50,000 employees [...]

Engage your people emotionally if you wish to succeed2018-04-23T07:43:13+00:00

How to…lead change in your business

As published in the IOD's Director magazine - June 2017 Edition. The vast majority of change initiatives fail, as do a similar proportion of strategies, mergers and acquisitions suffer the same fate. How can you ensure that your next change initiative is the one in eight that succeeds? Strategic change expert Campbell Macpherson shares some [...]

How to…lead change in your business2018-04-23T07:45:46+00:00
Go to Top