Category: General

Principle 6: Work where you care

The first five principles I have outlined are actions that leaders can undertake but the final one is a foundation that is much more difficult to create. It is a condition of success: If you want people to commit wholeheartedly to change, it is essential that you really care about them and the outcome for …

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Principle 5: Build good bridges

I was in California this Easter and drove the second most popular tourist attraction in the USA, The Big Sur: a fantastic stretch of coastline south of San Francisco with spectacular coves, cliffs and the occasionally very large gorge that Route 1 needs to cross. It would be impossible to drive down this coast without the presence of …

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Dialogue as a medium for change

In keeping with change that engages both the inner person and outward actions, I was interested to see the Centre for Creative Leadership article on ‘Mediated Dialogue’. The article highlights the value of using structured dialogue around objects as a means, especially early in the process of change, to build understanding and insight. These might be …

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Principle 4: Resilience and relationships

WD-40 – what a great product! I use it to keep my hedge-cutter blades clean, loosen nuts and lubricate hinges. This is just a few of its many uses. The website of the San Diego based company features over 2000 uses. These have been suggested by customers who have clearly been so enamoured with the product that …

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Principle 3: Questions before answers

I like the Radio 4 series, The Public Philosopher. Each episode takes a controversial issue (e.g. welfare, rape crime, morality and the state) and features Michael Sandel, a Harvard academic, in an auditorium. What makes the programme so enjoyable is the story-like unfolding of the plot as he asks members of the large audience questions …

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