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monday musings on leadership and motivation
The ability to motivate is one of those traits that we expect in a leader; keeping the team positive, productive and, for at least short bursts, galvanised should be bread and butter to a good leader as should the ability to keep the team’s collective heads up when things are not going too well. Read more…
providing creative space, petty politics; more from the leadership front line
The benefits of providing free space for workers to network and enjoy some refreshments was the subject of a news item on one of the TV breakfast shows last week and they had wheeled in a pundit to vouch for said benefits, the person concerned citing the restaurant as a great place for such networking to take place. This caused some hilarity for the Berkshire Belle for she, like me, recalls only too well the occasion when I was almost sacked over that very issue. Read more…
the process is a tool, nothing more
It’s been one of those weekends really. I have had a couple of things come up that have meant some internet research to find a solution to a particular set of problems and so the lap top has taken a pounding, but then so has my patience. Read more…
would you rather be a leader or a manager?
I was reading the other day an on line forum where the difference between a manager and a leader was under debate. That there is a difference between managing and leading I don’t think is at issue, but there is no reason for me why the same person can’t be both, and I would go further and suggest that many of the best leaders are also good managers. Read more…
musings on the fire drill and other emergency procedures
For much of my working life before getting involved in Facilities Management the fire drill was the province of HR, or Personnel as we used to call them and at more than one location there was a delight in picking a wet day for the practice. Because they always had the drills in the same weeks every year, and always in the gap between morning tea break and lunch, the old sweats could usually work out when the drill would be from the weather forecast. Someone based near HR would be watching for the tell-tale signs of activity. As soon as HR were seen to be assembling with clip boards, macs and brollies the word would go around and people would be ready for the bell; after all, the quicker they were out the quicker they could be back in again, but whilst some very good evacuation times (as I would later come to know) were being recorded HR would always moan drainishly about everyone having apparently stopped to put their coats on before leaving the building; somehow it never occurred to them that we were ready and waiting for the bell. Read more…
Dad’s Army: FM Pioneers?
Scene: Walmington-on-Sea church hall, Vicar’s office. Captain Mainwaring sits at his desk reading an order from HQ.
As he reads the letter a smile begins to play around his lips. There is a knock at the door; he looks up. Read more…
Great teams come from characters, not clones
He set out that morning in good spirits; for late December it was a bright day and heading slightly north he didn’t have to worry too much about the low sun in his eyes. The English countryside was at its Winter finest and he felt good about the day to come; a few hours working with a small group who not only sought his advice, but had readily paid in advance. The mile flew by with some help from Classic FM and he was soon turning into the drive of the venue, an old country manor, now a hotel. Read more…
Never mind apportioning blame; just sort it out
Over recent years there seems to have developed a huge blame culture; it’s always someone else’s fault when things go wrong and the desire to point fingers is very strong. When you look at cases such as the Olympic security or West Coast Main Line contracts we can all see that there have been apparent failures, but try to cut through all of the media and political rhetoric and what do you actually have? Read more…
the office of the future needs to be flexible and productive; but what does that mean?
I saw a headline that said the office of the future would need to be flexible and productive, but that’s a bit like saying that a house has to have walls and a roof. Let’s examine those words in more detail though. Read more…
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