A Procurement story: from confrontation to co-operation.

  Procurement has become an increasingly important function in a wide range of industries and business sectors. It is seen as a strategic function, a function that touches and influences all aspects of a business’s operation. Procurement should facilitate, enable and empower but procurement is also often misunderstood and can lead to confrontation. The language … Continue reading A Procurement story: from confrontation to co-operation.

The big ‘Oh’. How to manage your mid-life opportunity.

30. 40. 50 or even 60. Birthdays with a zero in them seem to mark a watershed in our lives. A day can pass in the blink of an eye, the years fly by, but the anniversary of another decade of life often makes us sit back and take stock of what we have done … Continue reading The big ‘Oh’. How to manage your mid-life opportunity.

What can a "Modern Family" teach us about negotiation?

A  letter from a woman to her Ex-husband’s new girlfriend was doing the social media rounds recently, I’ve copied it below and then will talk about what this can teach us about negotiation:   You must be cringing as you read this. You must be thinking I’m going to school you on how to treat … Continue reading What can a "Modern Family" teach us about negotiation?

When should you take charge of your own personal development?

At the beginning of our lives, the responsibility for our development belongs with other people. Our parents and our family decide what we should learn and how we should learn it. Then the Education System joins in and we are led towards knowledge and skills that the wisdom of the time decides that we will … Continue reading When should you take charge of your own personal development?

Have your resolutions bitten the dust yet?

At this time of year it’s almost impossible to get in through the door of a Gym for the number of sweating, Lycra clad bodies within. Leave it until March though and there is no waiting to use the equipment, no difficulty in finding a locker for your your things and no one else there.  … Continue reading Have your resolutions bitten the dust yet?

Be Careful What You wish For. . .

Be Careful what you Wish for – The Class of 53 story: The story, as told by lots of consultants and coaches (and it appears in a huge number of books) , goes like this: In 1953, researchers surveyed Yale’s graduating seniors to determine how many of them had specific, written goals for their future. … Continue reading Be Careful What You wish For. . .

What Colour is Your Black Belt?

By Carl Fitzsimons. Carl is HR Director: UK, Ireland & Netherlands at John West Foods.   Carl sent me this piece he wrote recently and I wanted to share it with you – he kindly gave me permission to do so. What colour is your black belt? A strange question? Perhaps. For some five years … Continue reading What Colour is Your Black Belt?

Autumnal blues

This week has been characterised by grey skies, chilly evenings and rain here in Cornwall and these autumnal blues mean my social media networks have been populated by misery laden updates mourning the end of summer and the rapid onset of winter. In reality we are barely at the beginning of autumn and there is … Continue reading Autumnal blues

"If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It"

I watched  a Horizon programme on self monitoring recently and it reminded me of something I say on most courses I run, “if you aren’t aware of it – you can’t influence it”, or “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” If you don’t know a customer has a problem, you can’t put … Continue reading "If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It"

What a Coincidence!

  I listened to ‘The Life Scientific’ on Radio 4 recently which was a fascinating interview with David Spiegelhalter, a Statistician. He was talking about chance and probability.  He uses a measure (developed by Ronald A Howard) of the chance of an accidental death which is called a ‘micro mort’  this lists the number of … Continue reading What a Coincidence!