Category: Leadership

Principle 1: Define your ‘why’

Think of the last important item that you bought and why. For me it was a spiral cutter (I quite like cooking…). When I bought it I searched for a product that would match my needs (to cut vegetables into various forms of spiral, to be easy to clean, to be small enough to hide …

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The keys to hearts and minds

This article follows on from my last one,  focusing especially on addressing the third challenge I mentioned: how to engage hearts and minds in change. I spent a long time last year writing a book on how to handle change in church better. Clearly a specialist topic you may say! But, during the summer, I …

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Energy to change? Six hurdles to jump

The UK energy market has been coming in for a lot of criticism in the last few weeks because although wholesale gas prices have fallen a third since their peak at the end of 2013, the best big six price reduction has been 5% (British Gas and npower). The press and MP’s have criticised the …

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5 keys to shock and awe

The initial strategy in the Iraq 2003 invasion was described as ‘shock and awe’ (apparently technically it is called ‘rapid dominance’). The aim is to “overload an adversary’s perceptions and understanding of events such that the enemy would be incapable of resistance”. It is a strategy to prompt a sharp change in behaviour. It is …

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Leaders – different from followers?

Mae West had a great repertoire of one-liners. One of my favourites is one that I am frequently reminded of when I hear some political and business leaders speak: “That’s enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think of me?” There is real danger inherent in the leadership position that sadly we …

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