Blogs & Articles

What is innovation? Innovation is much talked about subject at the moment but there are a lot of business leaders out there that can’t seem to agree on what it actually is, what it means and how embed into their organisations. The google definition is not that helpful either; “the action or process of innovating”

Nomophobia – anxiety over being separated from your smartphone – it actually has been given a name and more and more people are admitting having the condition. Research has shown that on average, we touch our phones 2617 times a day, with the top 10% ‘power users’ racking up 5,427 touches (source: dscout.com).

How important is creativity in writing? Well I suppose that mostly depends on what you are writing and who it is intended for. With a love letter or an essay on the life and times of Shakespeare or even writing in a business context such as a sales proposal or management restructure document, it could be argued that a dollop of creativity in the writing of it would improve the reader experience somewhat. Conversely with a shopping list, witness statement or audit report, all we really need are the facts.

Surely managing people effectively is a necessity for all businesses? After all, it is employees who are responsible the day-to-day operation of the business and interaction with your customers. Managing people effectively is essential if a business is to work to optimum productivity levels and it is hard to disagree with the following statement ‘happy staff members tend to be more hard working and loyal to their organisation’.

Giving feedback is one of the most important parts of a manager's job. It is also one of the most difficult. Managers often avoid attempting it but this can lead to poor performance becoming endemic. But doing it badly can result in conflict, bad feeling, a demotivated team and worse performance than before.

Whether you are communicating with a stranger, a friend, a team member or a customer knowing how to build rapport is a great life skills to have and can make a real difference in the quality of relationship that we have with others. Rapport building is the foundation of effective communication. Without it there is little chance of you being able persuade or influence others.

I think most of us would like to think that we have what it takes to succeed; determination, grit, Mental Strength. But how do we know for sure? After all you can’t improve what you can’t measure. Until recently Mental Strength (toughness) was subjective. We would look at a business person, an athlete, or an artist achieve great success in the face of adversity and say, “WOW…they’re mentally strong!” We would determine a person’s Mental Strength by their success. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a way to measure this.

Something happens in our house on a nightly basis that I’m sure happens in most houses with kids of a school age. I ask my (soon to be) 5 year old son what he’s done in class that day and wait for the response. It’s usually like trying to get blood from a stone and the inevitable answer is usually what he’s had for lunch from the award-winning school cook or how he’s been chased around the playground with his friends at lunchtime by a boy they’ve christened ‘Broccoli’ due to his green coat.

No. Let’s be clear on that. Emphatically not – but it is being given disproportionate importance and academic coverage. So why even pose the question? Well, it’s just this bloggers way of highlighting that the analysis of individual and organisational learning requirements, the highest quality of design and piloting and the robust delivery of learning solutions are all just as important in getting the job done.

Let’s assume we’ve got the basics covered – you’ve set the appointment up correctly – the right amount of time has been allocated, a room has been booked, you’re there in plenty of time, you look professional in terms of your appearance and you’ve bought the right literature and materials with you.

Sometimes you get lucky – you convince others that an idea has merit and they back you to deliver it.

How many times have you heard a colleague refer to the accounts team as the bean counters? Or, maybe you have done it? Maybe that just reflects the fact that many of us (including me) don’t fully understand the work that they do or just how vital it is if a business is to function effectively…and profitably.