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How to deliver effective diversity training

David Livermore

There is plenty of valid criticism about diversity training. But an approach that addresses “what’s in it for you” and confronts real-world challenges goes a long way towards delivering effective learning opportunities.

Enhancing engagement when flexible working isn't an option

Karen Jackson

There are many jobs where flexible working simply isn’t an option. So what alternative benefits can employers offer that will enhance employee well-being and engagement?

Who is working from home (and who isn't)?

Wayne Turmel

Why do some people work from home and others prefer (or have no choice but) to work in the office? The reasons are more varied than you might think.

Effective performance management can help reduce quiet quitting

Laura Moncrieffe

If organisations want to overcome 'quiet quitting', they need proactive, engaged leaders who are tapped in to the emotional, psychological, and financial needs of their employees.

Getting to grips with crisis management

Richard Harris-Deans

Managers are likely to navigate at least two or three major crises during their professional lives, and the way they respond could make or break their careers. So how should managers prepare for the worst?

Are we neglecting managers in the new world of work?

Marco Favaloro

With many managers struggling at a personal level in the new world of hybrid work, organisations need to offer additional support to build healthy workplace relationships.

Diverse teams and psychological safety

David Livermore

There’s been a surge of interest recently about the importance of psychological safety, and rightfully so. But like many good things, it's better not to have too much of it.

Inclusion is the key to engagement

Wayne Turmel

How do you keep employees engaged when they aren’t interacting with colleagues every day? The answer is to try to include them whenever the opportunity arises.

Making cross-organizational teams work

Simon Thule Viggers

Cross-organizational teams are a growing trend. But they can have some costly side-effects for the people who are assigned to these temporary projects.

Great expectations?

Wayne Turmel

An issue many managers come up against on remote or hybrid teams is that there are fewer opportunities to inspect peoples' work in person, or on-demand. Dealing with this is all about expectations.

Turning around a dysfunctional team

Matt Jenkins

Bringing together a group of smart, creative and driven people doesn't mean they'll instantly work in sync. In fact, most cross-functional teams are dysfunctional in one way or another. Here are some ways to address that.

What Is the language of conscious leadership?

Vlatka Ariaana Hlupic

Words have their own energy and meaning and need to be chosen with care. That's why language is such an important barometer of organisational culture.

Does working remotely make work less toxic?

Wayne Turmel

Some unwelcome workplace behaviors disappear when we work remotely. But when the way we work changes, so do the ways we manage to annoy and undermine each other.

Money talks: the power of salary transparency

Noura Dadzie

In the U.S., six states have passed laws requiring employers to publish salary information in an effort to reduce wage gaps. So should more organisations be prioritising salary transparency?

How culturally intelligent leaders make decisions

David Livermore

What does culturally intelligent decision-making look like for today's global leader? It's certainly not as simple as "just make a decision."

Financial stress and employee wellbeing

Harry Bliss

With the cost-of-living crisis set to continue for the foreseeable future, supporting employees with their financial wellbeing must be a top priority for every employer.

Enough of all this 'quiet quitting'

Wayne Turmel

Every once in a while, the business press gets hold of an idea and works it like a dog with a sock until it's unrecognizable. Such is the case with 'quiet quitting'.

Does it matter if you like the people you work with?

Amanda Nimon-Peters

Most of us need a sense of belonging with the people we spend time with. So working with people we like is good for us as well as the organisations that employ us.

How to build trust on a diverse team

David Livermore

Diverse teams have a harder time trusting each other than homogeneous teams do. Here are three evidence-based ways to go about building that trust.

Is there a place for gossip in the new normal?

Bob Selden

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?

The key ingredients for digital project success

Greig Johnston

More than eight out of 10 digital projects get delayed, run over budget, and/or fail to deliver what they promised. So how can organisations avoid falling into the same trap?

Culturally intelligent teams: different values, same norms

David Livermore

Understanding cultural differences on a diverse team does not automatically translate into better performance. Instead, leaders need to develop team norms that are both inclusive and unifying.

Communication differences on diverse teams

David Livermore

Differences in communication styles can be a constant source of conflict on diverse teams. Understanding these differences is key to building trust, avoiding misunderstandings and leading more effectively.

Hybrid teams: keeping up the connections

Marco Favaloro

It's all too easy for those all-important 'water cooler' moments to evaporate in the new hybrid world of work. So how do you build deeper relationships in teams that rarely share the same physical space?

Leadership advice you should ignore

David Livermore

So much advice to leaders and entrepreneurs is ill suited to leading in today's digital, diverse world. It often includes kernels of truth, but much of it needs a major rethink, starting with these.

The great mismatch?

Wayne Turmel

First was "the Great Resignation." Then there was "Quiet Quitting." But the latest buzzword flying around to help us understand the changing workplace is "the Great Mismatch."

Five questions culturally intelligent leaders ask themselves everyday

David Livermore

While cultural intelligence (CQ) needs to inform big picture strategic and operational issues, where it really comes to life is in the everyday practices of a leader.

Leaders, teammates, and teams

Wayne Turmel

The trend for remote work was rising for years before the COVID tsunami hit. But now we've passed that first big wave of change, what will teamwork look like going forward?

We're at a post-Covid inflection point. Now what?

Wayne Turmel

Three years of Covid-inspired disruption to the way work is done has left uncertainty in its wake. But waving a magic wand and saying, "we're going back to the way things were," isn't going to work for a number of reasons.

The power of figured worlds

David Livermore

Figured worlds - the social contexts where we feel most comfortable - are everywhere. They might be countries, racial groups, fashions, friend groups or religions - and we underestimate their power at our peril.

Talking about mental health

Therese Procter

How can people in managerial roles listen, understand and support team members who open up about mental health issues?

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Corporate culture: have we lost our touch?

Bob Selden

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?

Proper vacations are all about teamwork

Wayne Turmel

Far too many of us (especially Americans), don't use all our vacation time. But taking time off to recharge our batteries helps the whole team, so making sure that happens is a team effort, too.

The leadership trust crisis

David Livermore

Across the world, trust in leadership is at an all-time low. But global leaders also need to be mindful that many approaches to rebuilding trust are biased toward Western values.

Leveraging tech to succeed at hybrid working

Jesper Theill Eriksen

A variety of issues still plague today's hybrid work environments, particularly around the tech used to enable effective remote working.

How to talk about the elephant in the room

David Livermore

Knowing how to identify and constructively address unresolved conflict in different cultural situations is a key skill for global leaders.

Eight steps to achieving a high-performance culture

Vlatka Ariaana Hlupic

Creating a high-performance culture is often touted as the holy grail of today's organisations. But achieving it in practice remains an elusive concept.

Onboarding on hybrid teams

Wayne Turmel

Bringing people onto a hybrid team presents all the challenges associated with an office-based team, as well as many of the challenges that come with a fully remote team.

Presenting to diverse audiences

David Livermore

Presentation skills are a critical part of being an effective leader. But the more diverse your audience, the more you have to plan ahead and adjust the way you present.

Can you work from home and still have a career?

Wayne Turmel

Everyone knows that if you work from home once everyone else returns to the office, you've obviously decided your career doesn't matter. Right?

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Creating serendipity in the workplace

Christian Busch

Everyone experiences good or bad luck at some point in their lives. But what if luck isn't as blind as we thought? What if it is something we can cultivate in the workplace and beyond?

The demise of the Blackberry and its link to Covid

Bob Selden

What's the link between the iconic Blackberry phone and the Covid pandemic?

Taking time for leadership

Duane Dike

Pondering issues before acting brings new alternatives, fresh perspectives and creative solutions. That why leaders who don't pause to reflect often run into trouble.

Do you trust your new team member?

Wayne Turmel

Think about the way you interact with new members of your team. You might not actively distrust them, but do you act like you trust them?

What is a 'global' leader?

David Livermore

'Global leadership' is one of those fancy terms that gets used in glossy consulting reports and EMBA marketing briefs. But what does it actually mean?

When will they ever learn?

Bob Selden

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.

Five remote team new year's resolutions

Wayne Turmel

The new year is a great time to ask some fundamental questions about how your remote team works together and what needs to change.

The biggest source of conflict on diverse teams

David Livermore

Clashing expectations are the main source of conflict in almost any relationship. And nowhere is that more true than with the intercultural challenges of diverse teams.

The invisible killer of remote teams

Wayne Turmel

There is one factor that can be lethal for remote teams that usually isn't a problem when everyone is in the same place. That invisible killer is exclusion.

There's nothing soft about the heart

Wayne Turmel

Every animal depends on its heart for its existence. Organizations do too, except that rather than a multi-chambered muscle, they rely on leadership, managers and flows of information.

Turning around a dysfunctional team

Matt Jenkins

Accountability is more important than accounting

Wayne Turmel

What's more important: that people are working on exactly what you want them working on at that exact moment, or that important tasks and outputs are done on time and team goals are met?