by nick on September 15, 2010
When the pressure really builds I think of how difficult leadership must be for the Prime Minister. Surely our everyday business ‘issues’ are nothing compared to the table of responsibility inside number 10.
That’s why I’m doubly struck by Tony Blair writing in his autobiography and mentioning in his PR interviews that he changed dramatically as a leader. It’s obvious he grew in confidence and his skin thickened with conviction, but he soon realised that his leadership wasn’t about ideological fixations of left versus right – by his own admission it was more about structural change, project management and delivery.
Next time you’re ruing your team or thinking your day should be more about business and less about people, take solace in the fact our country’s leaders have the same headaches as you.
Not sure if it makes it any easier to bear though.
BP's embattled leader, Mr Hayward
I was reminded this week that management is about doing things right and that leadership is doing the right thing. I’m sure you’ve come across that before.
But I’ve been thinking about small business leadership and exactly what that all encompassing term means on the ground.
Surely everything a leader of an SME does needs its output to ultimately fall into one of these two categories:
Scale – grow turnover, profits, clients, reach, output, customer perception etc; or,
Simplicity – repeating a good day every day; setting in place the systems to cope with stormy waters.
What do you think?
by nick on December 14, 2008
In The Bear and the Dragon, Tom Clancy paints the courageous character of Gennady Iosifovich, a Russian General. Our brave General finds himself the senior man called to defend his country against a warring China, who massively outnumber him. Prior to battle he talks to his aid about soldiers’ universal trio of needs: training, resources and leadership.
Tom Clancy is more than intelligent enough to have created that himself, but I doubt there’s an organisation in the world that could’ve helped him write it any more succinctly. Can you name a workforce – from the factory floor to the football pitch – that doesn’t require training, resources and leadership?
