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In a slight shift to the usual leadership blogs, here’s my step-by-step guide to making the best sourdough you’ve ever tasted. Why focus on bread? Well, in the spirit of finding the difference that makes a difference, this one change has made a significant improvement to my energy levels, alertness and decision-making. It’s affected my […]

The reason feedback fails to land is often attributed to the way the feedback was given. Here we consider how the way in which we receive feedback could be a significant part of the solution.

-Reason for sub-optimal decision making?-Reducing your empathy?-Impeding the deep thought required to grapple appropriately with complex issues? There is much encouragement to be had from those who think and value what we do. But there’s also potential for building in unnecessary blind spots from having homogenous groups. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you

My friend sent me this picture earlier today and it made me chuckle. It got me thinking about how important humour can be in our organisations. Used in the right way, it can:-diffuse awkwardness-improve engagement-elevate culture-provide respite from the heaviness of the mission/task at hand I worked with a leader a few years ago who

One of the big barriers to coping with change is an error in perception that change is moving prom static point A, to static point B. The reality is more akin to moving from fluid rhythm A to fluid rhythm B. Why is this so important? Because people then convince themselves that they need to

My wife took me to watch Ludovico Einaudi in Leeds on Saturday for my birthday. There was no doubt about what the audience thought of his performance. The 3-minute standing ovation showed just how much the crowd appreciated his genius. Imagine this response in the workplace… In the office, we’d feel slightly awkward if every

Many in leadership want to make the parameters for success really clear for their teams so that they feel secure in what is expected. This can often slip into being prescriptive about what steps to take instead of the results we are aiming for. Instead of empowering people, this creates a culture of learned helplessness.

One of our primary jobs in leadership is to develop better thinkers. We want to grow a team of leaders who are capable of dealing with all of the challenges that the future will throw at them. We want to know that when we move on, the next generation of leaders is ready and willing

We’ve all heard of Energy Performance Ratings – with the cost of electricity at the moment we certainly should have. But what about your Leadership Performance Rating? A stimulating discussion with a good friend over coffee last week gave me the idea of tweaking one of the tools I use to assess the overall performance

Here’s a video I recorded a few months ago of some training I delivered to Headteachers who were considering setting up their own in-house provision for students that were struggling to engage in their mainstream classrooms. With ever increasing numbers of students struggling in mainstream schools, there are more young people needing quality Alternative Provision