Bob Selden
Bob Selden, is an author, management consultant and coach based in New Zealand and working internationally. Much of his time currently is spent working with family businesses. He's the author of the best-selling What To Do When You Become The Boss. His new book, What To Do When Leadership Is Needed, was released in July 2022.
Is there a place for gossip in the new normal?
16 Aug 2022
Social chit-chat is a vital part of being human. But how does that fit in with the the new normal of hybrid or home working where our physical contact with others is limited?
Corporate culture: have we lost our touch?
01 Aug 2022
Remote working is all very well, but how can we get a real feel for other people and build meaningful relationships without ever being in physical proximity to them?
The demise of the Blackberry and its link to Covid
02 Mar 2022
What's the link between the iconic Blackberry phone and the Covid pandemic?
When will they ever learn?
13 Jan 2022
Boris Johnson's attempt to apologise for attending a Downing Street party during last year's lockdown is a timely reminder about the gulf between making a formal apology and being genuinely sorry.
How good are your listening skills?
28 May 2013
How good are your listening skills? Really good? Enough to bet your life on? Because that's what British woman, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, did last week when she calmly confronted two men who had just slashed another man to death in a busy London street.
All that glitters is not gold
01 Mar 2013
After years of near-domination in the pool, Australia's swimmers have seen their success evaporate over recent years, a sporting decline which Bob Selden argues is a direct result of a failure of management.
Can you really work from anywhere?
19 Feb 2013
Google's Chief Financial Officer ruffled a few feather recently when he said that he believed working from home is not the best way to generate ideas and innovation. But is he right?
On Lance and lies
17 Jan 2013
With all the publicity this week about the Oprah – Lance Armstrong interview, the subject of 'lying' has been centre stage. But what can we learn from this episode for management?
Zero tolerance?
30 Nov 2012
Is zero tolerance an effective management strategy? It certainly seems to be an effective crime reduction strategy, judging by the example of New York City since the mid 1990s. But when applied elsewhere, it can be deeply counter-productive.
Microsoft and dumb decisions
24 Aug 2012
With Apple's iPhone now generating more revenue than all of Microsoft's wares combined, the astonishingly foolish management decisions taken in Microsoft over the last decade - and particularly its insane performance management system - seem to be coming back to haunt it.
Another withdrawal from the Trust Bank
06 Jul 2012
Once upon a time, bankers were respected pillars of the community. Not any more. And a major reason for their vilification is that they have forgotten that trust is a learnable and measurable skill that makes organisations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing.
Short-term, short-sighted
18 Jun 2012
Despite all the evidence that short-termism and an obsession with quarterly results is a flawed strategy, many firms seem unable to look further than the next six months. Bob Selden explores why this continues to be the case.
Are you a viral manager?
14 Mar 2012
Why does something 'go viral' – and what has this got to do with management? The answer has to do with content, intent and emotional impact, all things that have a profound effect on the way we communicate and the way we engender change in the workplace.
A new variety of carrot?
02 Mar 2012
The metaphor of carrots as motivators is still alive and well. But carrots don't work for all of the people all of the time. So how do we package reward and remuneration to meet the needs of people at all levels of an organisation?
Lies, lies, lies
22 Dec 2011
On average we all tell between two and five lies per day. But we are more likely to lie in writing than we are when communicating face-to-face, via video conferencing or audio chat. So, what has lying got to do with business, and particularly management?
Leadership, management and the Eurozone crisis
24 Nov 2011
One side-effect of the Eurozone crisis seems to be that the age old question – what is the difference between leadership and management – has been thrown into sharp relief. Yes, there is a difference. Just ask the Greeks or Italians.
How powerful are your customers?
17 Aug 2011
For too long, customers have taken a back seat to investors. But are they now making their voices heard? Three recent news stories suggest to me that they are.
Are you ready for your Murdoch moment?
22 Jul 2011
As corporate crises go, the one engulfing News International is a pretty major one. An organization is never more vulnerable than when a crisis strikes, but some leaders can handle crises in a way that sets them apart. So what do these leaders do that others do not? And how does News International stack up?
Does your organization pass the longevity test?
29 Jun 2011
Of the top 25 companies in the Fortune 500 in 1961, only six remain there today. So what leads to organizational longevity? And what about the iconic companies of today? Will they survive? Do they pass the longevity test?
To outsource or not to outsource?
26 May 2011
Whatever the numbers might suggest, it is almost impossible to successfully outsource the sharp-end of your business, particularly when that means your interface with customers. Yet many organisations still don't seem to understand this.
Texts, transactions and relationships
07 Mar 2011
Today, many people text more often than they talk on the phone. Among teenagers, around nine out of 10 of all phone communications are now text messages. So what's this got to do with management? As Bob Selden explains, the answer is 'rather a lot'.
Respect, trust, confidence and Facebook
24 Feb 2011
If you don't want to see your firm being slammed by an unhappy employee on Facebook, ask yourself whether you have a culture of recognition within your company. Because such comments invariably stem from someone's lack of trust in their employer. And that comes down to poor management and leadership.
Money, happiness and motivation
01 Dec 2010
The first thing Clive Palmer did when he bought a loss-making Australian nickel refinery in July 2009 was to raise the of pay of its employees and then ask them how to run the business. The results have been impressive – and so too Clive Palmer's generosity in return.
Google and the new management challenge
02 Nov 2010
The biggest challenge for modern organisations is not just how to ensure the best ideas are nurtured. It's also ensuring that the knowledge generated by individuals can be shared and maintained as a real corporate asset and not vanish when somebody walks out the door.