D A Henderson Head of the WHO programme that eradicated smallpox “I was reading about this guy who showed incredible leadership,” began Hugh, and I knew exactly who he meant. Although Hugh lives near Montreal and I live in London, both of us had locked on to a leadership story about Donald Ainslie Henderson, an … Continued
Keeping good company At this time of the year e-mail updates are about as welcome as mince pies. Puffed up and full of additives. Mince pies, just to explain, are an essential part of Christmas in the UK, just as ‘end of the year’ e-mails tend to make their first appearance about now. Nevertheless I … Continued
Since my teenage daughter set off for the first day of the Autumn term at school a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about the shape and design of our education system and the many ways in which it’s changed since my own schooldays, whilst somehow staying fundamentally unaltered. The next four to eight … Continued
Remind me about the 5 Ps? I’m reading a book by a former British Army Officer, Frank Ledwige, about the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ledwige is highly critical of the army’s culture and approach. He blames the generals and the politicians for failing to plan for what would happen after the invasion of Iraq. … Continued
January Taking myself to market This is a blog about how I made the transition from employed to self-employed. According to Dan Pink, to sell is human. So I took myself to market and I sold! I try to sell myself quietly, and I also notice how other people sell themselves to me. One day, after a … Continued
Now is the season of goodwill and networking opportunities If your December diary is stuffed like a Christmas turkey, you have a choice to make. Either you can wrap tinsel round your ear, and get drunk with the crowd, or you can choose to network with purpose. I believe in the value of building, and … Continued
Once upon a time, when I thought I wanted to work in HR, I read a much reprinted article by John P Kotter, called “What leaders really do” (Havard Business Review, May-June 1990). In plain English Kotter described a step by step approach to helping people deliver the organisation’s vision e.g. involving people in decision-making, being a good role model, providing coaching and feedback, and praising people when they were successful. At the time Kotter made complete sense to me, and I was grateful to him for making leadership seem so simple.