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Category Archives: Leadership and Management
How to Be More Creative at Work
The results of client surveys are clear. Clients are increasingly looking for more creative solutions to their problems. So let’s get more creative! In a previous life I led the project team that invented CLOVER – the first spreadable ‘butter’. … Continue reading
Falling Off The Ladder of Inference
Here’s a typical scenario which explains the ladder of inference… You briefed your assistant Jo yesterday to draft a document and give it to you first thing this morning. It’s on your desk at 10.00am (not exactly first thing!) and … Continue reading
How to Change Our Work Habits
Gretchen Rubin has recognised that there are four types of people at work, based on our tendencies to respond to expectations. It turns out there are two types of expectation: outer expectations, such as work deadlines or accepting requests from … Continue reading
Posted in Coaching and Training, Leadership and Management
Tagged expectations, gretchen rubin, habits, obligers, questioners, rebels, upholders
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Better Ways to Run Meetings (and Firms)
What’s stopping us from working at our best? It’s the way we work. Bureaucracy. Hierarchy. Compliance. Everything that slows us down and makes us feel less human. Our organisations are broken, says Aaron Dignan in his book Brave New Work. … Continue reading
What Effective Leaders Need to Know About Hormones
Leaders who understand some key aspects of neuroscience will be more effective leaders. This is the message in Simon Sinek’s book Leaders Eat Last. Sinek explains that there are four key chemicals that relate to leadership: Endorphin Dopamine Serotonin Oxytocin … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership and Management
Tagged cortisol, dopamine, endorphin, leaders eat last, loyalty, oxytocin, serotonin, simon sinek, stress, trust
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Leadership Development in Just Two Hours (and less than 500 words!)
I spent several years on the faculty of the Nottingham Law School teaching a two-year MBA in Legal Practice. Then I was asked to design an MBA in a day! My consulting colleagues teased me that I hadn’t got it … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership and Management
Tagged dan pink, delegation, feedback, Ken Blanchard, matter management, motivation, supervising
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Motivation Theories and Professional Service Firms
Professional firms are finding it difficult to retain their talent. Is there anything they can do to motivate staff? Here’s a look at what we can learn about motivating talented people. Personality, abilities and experience are all relevant indicators to … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership and Management
Tagged autonomy, charles handy, dan pink, hertzberg, hygiene factors, maslow, mastery, mclelland, purpose
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Are Some of Your Partners Losing Their Mojo?
As a coach I meet lots of partners who are admitting to me that they are, frankly, a bit bored! They probably don’t use those words. They might not even recognise the fact themselves. But after some probing questions from … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership and Management
Tagged career plans, demotivated, Mojo, new challenges, Partners, Partnership, stimulating
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Research Findings on What Motivates (and Demotivates) Lawyers
I’ve asked more than a thousand lawyers over the last ten years what motivates them at work. I’ve asked lawyers across Europe, Asia and the Americas. I’ve asked lawyers in big firms and small firms. The results are somewhat consistent … Continue reading
Giving Feedback Using Radical Candor (or Candour for the Brits!)
Kim Scott tells a great story about getting feedback from Sheryl Sandberg whilst working at Facebook. It goes roughly like this… After a presentation, Sheryl said: ‘You know you say ‘um’ a lot.’ Kim, who thought she was a pretty … Continue reading
