Take a look at job descriptions in almost any organisation. You’ll find they’re broad statements of areas of responsibility or lists of activities. Job descriptions like this are concerned with activity rather than output, and fuel the culture of ‘hard work’ and long...
In a thought-provoking post from Neil Crofts, he looks at the effect of short-term planning on the way we live and work, and whether we should be challenging our notion of this. Most of us when we are young find it difficult to think more than a short time ahead. As...
We suggested recently that it might be a good time for you to take a long hard look at your organisation’s bonus scheme. Instead of motivating, engaging and rewarding staff for great performance and accountability, the bonus culture can get in the way, encouraging a...
In my last article I wrote about the trap of over-engineering your organisation as it grows, in the mistaken assumption that people and systems designed for third generation (3G) organisations will automatically be right for your larger 2G organisation. Equally...
Don't assume that if it works for a 3G organisation - whether it be an employee, a computer system, a benefits scheme or a specific external supplier - it’ll work for your 2G company. It usually won’t. Here's why you should avoid the over-engineering trap... When your...
Do you assume you have to provide big-company benefits and opportunities when you are still an SME and need everyone to take accountability? It's a common mistake made by second generation organisations. Here's why. As a company moves from first to second generation,...
Do you feel that the organisation is ‘yours’ and running it is all down to you? Are you increasingly resenting the fact? Here's how to turn it around so you can relinquish control, successfully. This is a very common assumption among entrepreneurs who have started...
Most of the businesses we work with give their staff an annual bonus which on the face of it, sounds like an obvious and positive way to reward people. But what does the bonus system do to the culture of your organisation? Does it motivate, engage and duly reward your...
Creating clear, measurable objectives and holding others to account for them is one of the most important practical skills of a leader. There is a real skill to capturing clearly and precisely the essence of what needs to be achieved, while making sure it is easily...
Some of the most important work you ever do is done in meetings, so set some clear groundrules to be able to work more effectively together. “Any committee that is the slightest use is composed of people who are too busy to want to sit on it for a second longer than...
Find out how to create and manage a brilliant culture that underpins a truly successful growing business.
Find out how to create and manage a brilliant culture that underpins a truly successful growing business.