the myth of centralised procurement
The arguments for centralising activity, procurement or otherwise, can be very persuasive, but so many of them are built on selective use of numbers, as may well have been the case in the recent media frenzy for they, too, are only trying to sell you a story. I am not procurement bashing here for I am one of their number, and nor am I media bashing either for I am also one of them in a small way. No, I would like to try and present a balanced view based on what I have seen and experienced over the years. Read more…
musings on leaders
News that a certain sporting manager has been fired amid allegations that he had lost the confidence of his team comes as no surprise; leaders who have no followers are no longer leaders. Read more…
the road to hell
With another working trip coming to an end I find that, yet again, my list of things to do during dead time is pretty much untouched. There were so many things that I was going to write while I had time to myself, but almost nothing got done; so much for good intentions. Read more…
another lesson learned
I am in my sixty fourth year on the planet and so, whilst I’m not planning on departing any time yet, I don’t have as many hours left as I used to. Anything that will save me time is important to me and that is why I have been an ardent user of the internet where I can access information and services pretty much at any hour of the day or night to suit me. Read more…
living up to expectations
They say that you should never meet your heroes, but that makes life a little hard for any aspiring leader, especially in any form of organisation. Of course in a large organisation not that many people get a close look at the person at the top, but their immediate team will and the same applies to every team leader throughout the organisation. Read more…
If you can’t stand the heat
When I talk to groups about leadership and team building we inevitably get around to discussing examples of good and bad leaders. The worlds of politics, sport and business usually provide candidates to pick apart, but there is another area that is, perhaps, almost a perfect example. Read more…
when the audience doesn’t love you
Most of the time when you have to stand up and speak you have a receptive audience for you have usually been invited and people want to hear what you have to say. Read more…
Sitting in judgement
That one of the things that leaders have to do is to make decisions is beyond question, but it is the quality of those decisions that separate good leaders from the herd. Read more…
there is nothing wrong in recycling old ideas
I suppose it is one of those signs of having been around for a long time; that feeling that you get when the next new thing that folks are raving about just gives you a sense of déjà vu and the old saying that there is nothing new under the sun begins to look pretty solid. In an age where recycling is a big ticket item the recycling of old ideas probably makes a lot of sense anyway. Read more…
what is truth?
One of the things that I try to pass on to others is the art of decision making. It is something that began to fascinate me as I moved through the ranks of management and began to recognise the differences between managing and leading and is something that I am still wrestling with. Read more…
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the Monday Musings column from that consultant bloke 