Category: Leadership
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The Big Question – by Bill Treasurer
This is a guest post by my good friend Bill Treasurer, who’s latest book Leaders Open Doors makes its big time release this week! Over to Bill… If you’re a leader, there’s an important question on the minds of the people you lead. They may not say it directly, but it is the core question that…
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Leaders Open Doors, Bill Treasurer
Simplifying Leadership I am sharing a new book and a short video by a friend of mine, Bill Treasurer. The book is called “Leaders Open Doors” and is a short, simple answer to the question: what do great leaders do for those around them? I first met Bill over 20 years ago on an…
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The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership
I have just been scanning the book The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership. In the words of the authors: “Leadership is not the same as management. Not everyone can be a leader. what distinguishes the real leader from a mere administrator is a unique series of perspectives and values.” The authors of this book (Michael…
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The Causes of The Great War
The First World War began in 1914. Today marks the day that Britain and Northern Ireland entered the war. Over 9 million soldiers died in the 4 years until 11 November 1918. Total direct casualties were over 37 million (source). My great grandfather Sidney was in the trenches in the Great War. He never spoke…
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Be for things
It is easy to point out why things are wrong. It is easy to point out why someone or some policy is flawed. It is easy to make a list of reasons why you should not do something. You only get to do this cynicism* if you can tell me one thing that you are…
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6 Key Characteristics of “A” Players
Everyone wants to be Bruce Lee, but few want to put in the 10,000 (or more) hours of practice and preparation. It is only when the bar is held high that we can consistently put in the practice and push our skills to the highest levels. What makes for an ‘A’ Player? The simplest possible…
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The Abilene Paradox
When we all end up doing what nobody wanted to do I was out at a dinner with a large group of friends recently. At the end of the night I overheard two people talking about a local beach party. One said “these beach parties are a big thing here in Spain.” The other said…
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Some Reflections On Good Strategy
What is Good Strategy? These points come from my notes from listening to a lecture by Prof. Pat Gibbon of UCD Smurfit Business School in Dublin during the Executive Edge day in May 2014. Good strategy begins with a clear diagnosis (widely accepted) of the real current condition of the business. If there is nothing…
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The 4 Arts of Self Sabotage
The equation for human performance is the following: Performance = Potential – Self-Sabotage That is it. You achieve not what your boss lets you, not what the others let you… you achieve what you don’t screw up for yourself. In the years since I first wrote this equation up in a class and people said…
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10 Personal Habits of Resilient People
Take a moment and think about the people you know well. Who is the most psychologically resilient of your friends or family? Who would cope the best with major setbacks? Who would be able to keep their heads while all about them are losing theirs? Dealing with Failure: Resilience I was at…