Archive | Organisational behaviour

RSS feed for this section

Disciplinary is communication

The disciplinary process is a very difficult task to deliver and even more so to receive, but it’s often misconstrued. Typically, you’d discipline those in your team by following a process something like this: verbal warning, written warning, second written warning and then final written warning before a concluding misdemeanour sends them down the road […]

Is the grass always greener

I often see something like this in organisations: A new staff member is brought in to do good work. She shows promise at first, but her star fades. As it fades, the employee feels a bit more of the boss’s breath on their neck. Instead of upping their game and reengaging fully, they start into […]

Own the work

The first email I read in the day is Chris Brogan’s and it’s usually before breakfast. He’s very revealing in a business sense and within that honesty you’ll often find gems of practical advice. His advice can be a little left field as he expounds about far more than just marketing per se by getting […]

Talent doesn’t need words to talk

Few folks undervalue themselves in the workplace. They can mistake confidence for capability and often reinforce that by saying how great they are. Interviewees will tell you how perfect they are for the role; how their skills and experience dovetails your job description, even though they’re barely out of university or college with little real […]

Life’s too short

That’s what people say when they can’t be bothered to do something, “Life’s too short.” It’s a lazy cop out from losing weight, from saving money, from knuckling down – and we all know it’s bull s**t as we say it. Sure, life is too short to pull your hair out over every lost Twitter […]

How to get a pay rise

If your firm doesn’t have a robust, progressive appraisal system that will automatically promote you for good performance (unlikely outside a very large organisation), then you need to demonstrate your ability before asking. This lets you knock on the door and say, “I feel I’m deserving because of X, Y and Z,” rather than, “I’d […]

Mental boxes

Chris Brogan is a business hero of mine. He’s built his own escape velocity in every sense. His blog is great a platform showing a balance of marketing, business, new media and raw advice. This has got him to AdAge’s marketing list at #3 (behind King Seth and the much-overrated Copyblogger). He shares ideas and […]

Cancel is still a dirty word

January challenge: take a look around T-mobile’s website and try finding the page that lets you cancel your mobile contract. Go on, take a minute. Good luck. If you think call centre telephone systems are a way of companies sending you round in circles, this site was designed with the same penmanship. Not only is […]

For Prime Minister read Project Manager

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 […]

Holiday is with a small ‘h’

The world of Formula 1 is taking an enforced break for two weeks as part of a cost cutting exercise. Speaking of the break, Ferrari team manager, Stefano Domenicali said, “We will be on holiday, but that does not mean our brains will stop working. Maybe one can even find fresh inspiration when outside the […]

Confidence is catchy

I love meeting confident people. I don’t mean business networking arrogance; I’m talking about those who’ve really done something special. They stand that bit straighter, their heads that bit higher, with brighter eyes, and more alive faces. Athletes have that confident look. So do military folks. I recently met an ex-Marine commando who’d successfully led […]

Cooking a great culture

Read a great article over on Inc. about Nick Sarillo and his pizza restaurants. It tells about his unorthodox hiring process, about his talent development and his $200k consultant’s bill. But essentially, it’s about his business’s culture. Culture is surely one of the most intangible aspects of business and as such can be the most […]

Half the battle of business is…

In the movie, The Untouchables, Kevin Costner’s character, Elliot Ness, sits on horseback overlooking the US-Canadian border. He’s there with his fellow Untouchables and the Canadian Mounties to arrest Al Capone’s men running contraband whisky across the border. The Mounty Captain says to his troops, “Let’s take the fight to them, men.” Turning to Ness […]

Are you a Manager or Multiplexer?

I was asked this week, ‘What does a manager really do?’ It was a fairly innocuous, rhetorical, jovial question from a well-paid, senior person. The graduate switch flicked and I immediately thought, ‘seeing that the company’s goals are met’. After all, it’s the leader’s job to define and create those goals and aims, and it’s […]

Sexist experience anyone?

It’s the time of year when schools christen students with some work experience by sending them out to organisations to be blooded with genuine toil. I vividly remember donning a snazzy tie and Hush Puppies and turning up for my fortnight’s work experience at a high street bank. They were great. No floor polishing or […]