Trevor Sherman – The Leadership Coach
An ideas exchange about what makes leadership at all levels in an organisation really work.
The Role of a Leader: Performance & Engagement
Communicating with Impact
Cultural Interpersonal Effectiveness
As I think about my work and what matters to people, I’m beginning to realise in a deep way, how important empowerment is.
Today I was had.
It’s not a great feeling and it’s left me furious. As I reflect on the particular circumstances of the scam (no crime, just a disingenuous shop owner) I find myself trying to understand the nature of my rage. Because that’s what I feel. Rage.
It’s shouldn’t be a big deal. I have a new charger for my mac that works, but it’s not worth the money I paid and not as good as the proper Apple product. So why am I so upset by the incident?
Complain to the top of the organisation. After all, a complaint is a gift to a service oriented company!
Brian Cranston won this year’s Best Actor Olivier Award for his role of Howard Beale in Network. In recognition, I thought his infamous mantra, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” should fire us up not to accept poor customer service. Otherwise, you have to bite your tongue and meekly walk away.
Not long after his appointment as CEO of Barclays Bank, the “Montreal Marauder” to give Matthew Barrett his sobriquet, remarked in an interview with the Independent newspaper in August 2001, “The consumer, whatever they are buying, is long suffering. A service revolution is a little overdue. I find the legendary politeness of the English to be not in their self-interest. I think they should be ranting and raving at the service they get, wherever they are getting it, banks included. The consumer cuts business too much slack in this country.”
Why did Matt mention only the English? Why didn’t he include the other home nations? From Scotland, if speaking today, he could have chosen the Simpsons characterisation of a Scot in the form of Orkney-born “Groundskeeper Willie”.
Alternatively, that of Robert Carlyle’s foul-mouthed, violent Begbie in Trainspotting. I’ll leave you to search Google for comparable examples from Wales and Northern Ireland.
Include yourself in every win and loss and take time to have fun and laugh about your mistakes. They are a gift that life gives you.
Over the last 2 years, I have been blessed with the wonderful opportunity to lead an operational execution team and we have managed to put together a group of fine professionals. They combine knowledge and experience but also curiosity for improvement and a hunger for growth. It has reached a point where we need to stop and look around and reflect. The conclusion I have reached is that we dedicate ourselves to execute plans that are being handed to us… right? More reflection is needed to find the real purpose: We hold in our hands the service delivery promise to our clients. Suddenly a job with no apparent complexity has become one with the highest possible stakes.
Continue reading “Execution and Extreme Ownership The DIG/SET/SPIKE Principle”
We expect people to know how to communicate brilliantly. In fact, we take this skill so for granted that we don’t bother to teach so called “soft skills” at school, at university or even in most work-placed training environments.
If you have been on a training course that I have run, you will likely have heard me lament this fact.
Do you classify jobs by gender? What is your first reaction when you learn that the General Manager of a Regional Marine department is a female? Continue reading “Leadership is wearing high heels shoes and stepping strong.”
The H factor stands for HUMANS and we cannot forget this factor when going digital.
The Journey of Digitalization
In the last six months, I have been involved in the journey of digitalization. I am very passionate about it as there is no limit to what can be achieved when a large group of professionals get together and commit themselves to do things that have not been done before in the shipping business. However, this journey also brings an opportunity to start thinking about the role of humans in this process.
Were you working for someone somewhere and frustrated at how you saw the business being run? Did you think you could do better and so struck out on your own? You recognise you could be a better leader but are concerned about making a poor buying decision for your development.
Your business is doing OK. It employs a dozen or more people incurring a monthly salary bill of the order of some tens of thousands of pounds. Yet, you have a lingering sense of frustration that your people are not doing what you need them to do.
Is the boot now on the other foot with some of your people feeling like you did that you could do better. The likelihood is that like you were they are probably your better performers and could more easily find a job elsewhere. Lose them and your business will suffer a marked dent in its performance. It is not that they are irreplaceable (no one is; you can lose someone to an accident or a lottery win), but they are effective and efficient workers. What can you do differently as their leader to improve the odds that they will stay?
Continue reading “The SME leaders’ dilemma: buying personal development”
The dread of delivering a presentation dogs many of us. There are few who actually relish the prospect of public speaking. Nevertheless, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be brilliant. We mustn’t mess up, must be the expert, must be impervious to doubt, and meet any challenge with a flawless response. Intellectually we recognise that these are unrealistic aims but we still pressure ourselves to be perfect. This striving for perfection is not helpful for myriad reasons, not least because it puts you at the centre of every situation; and guess what? You’re not.
Whenever you’re delivering a presentation you are the least important person in the room.
Merry Christmas 2017 to The Leadership Blog Subscribers and Visitors
To Our Subscribers and Visitors
From The Leadership Coach Blog Team & Authors
Does ‘love’ belong in the workplace? Does it make a positive contribution?
I have had the privilege of knowing Professor Roger Steare for a number of years; he describes himself as The Corporate Philosopher. His professorship is at CASS Business School. I admire his work about corporate ethics and values. It is more important today than when it was started.
He is producing a “live-book” called “How to be Good at Work”. Roger wrote the original set of chapters. Subsequently, through a “commons approach”, other people have contributed additional articles and commentary. As a result of some general remarks I shared with Roger, he asked me to produce a more specific article , which I did. While he liked the content, my style was too different to his and other contributors for him to accept it. I didn’t have the time or, admittedly, the inclination to change it. However, in view of Roger’s positive feedback about the content of my commentary, I thought I would use this Blog to push it out into the public domain. The topic of love seems fitting for the week before Christmas.
Hopefully, having read my piece, it will prompt you to look at “How to be Good at Work”, contact Roger and expand the conversation he has started.
Continue reading “Danger, someone’s said, “I love my work!””
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