The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle & Leaders Everywhere
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle throws a large spanner in our quest to know, understand and decipher the future. It states, "If we know the present, we can calculate the future - it is not the conclusion that is wrong but the premise". Seeing beyond the filters...
Top tips for mentoring the next generation of talent
In tough times, people matter. Ensuring your staff are passionate and focused is a critical leadership task right now. One of the most effective techniques for motivating your younger staff in particular is to provide ongoing development for them, especially providing...
Empty Hands & Dirty Plates
The dirty plate gets pushed to the edge of the table, begging to be cleared. Staff person after staff person walk past, the plate remains. The 'invisible' plate becomes a case study in restaurant efficiency...the tension mounts. Eventually, unable to take it any...
Perspective: A Helpful Framework for Leaders
Erik Erikson, the renown Danish Developmental Psychologist believed that balance in life was dependent upon paying attention to three critical areas of one's life: Work, Play & Love. Erikson argued that maintaining a balance in these three areas was essential for...
iTunes lists our PodCast Service
Last week TomorrowToday re-launched our PodCast service. Historically it was something we did out of our South African office, and we took a few months off to re-look at our strategy along with our UK office. From now on the PodCast will have a distinctly 'global'...
Forbes says recession will be over next month
The research team at Forbes.com reckon that the signs are good that we will have a sharp V shaped downturn, and that we're now at the bottom. Read their justification for this bold view at their website, or below. The Recession Is Over Brian S. Wesbury and Robert...
ZAPPOS – delivering the WOW factor through service
Tony Hsieh, the 35 year old boss of Zappos.com, an online shoe retailer, has an ambitious goal. He aims to offer world beating customer service, no matter what industry Zappos expands into, be it shoes, hotels or airlines. So far Tony Hsieh is doing incredibly well....
Green shoots of hope
Times are tough, and it's easy to feel down when thinking about business at the moment. I know that in hard times there are opportunities. I know that it's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it (this lesson from my friend, W Mitchell). But there is a...
Can advertising be too effective?
Here is a great marketing case study. Swedish Airport Coaches conducted a study and determined that a bus trip save the equivalent of 50 car trips. They built an outdoor advertising display comprising of a bus built out of 50 disused cars. The advert has been hugely...
PWC “Millennials at work” survey
The “Millennials at Work” research to be published by PricewaterhouseCoopers later this year is based on survey responses from over 4200 graduates in 44 countries (click here to see last year's survey). The headline results include some interesting insights into how...
10 rules for effective strategic planning PLUS one more
Strategic planning is becoming the corporate buzzword again. Over the past ten years companies have been obssessed with short-termism and strategic planning was largely ignored for tactical activities based around improving sales and cutting costs for the next quarter...
The Budget 09 – what we really want is not what we really need
Alistair Darling will announce the UK budget today. What most people are looking for is stability, discipline, precision and control. Together with reliability and efficiency, these are precisely the traits that Max Weber, the renowned German sociologist, listed as...
Are we deluding ourselves? Are we supposed to be happy at work?
I highly recommend Alain De Botton’s thought provoking (and a touch heavy) article in Management Today. Many people traipse to work, feeling despondent and wondering how they can feel more fulfilled and happy in their day jobs. We are constantly being told that work...
Learn how to make an impact by writing well
Do you ever write reports, marketing pitches or sales proposals? Have you ever experienced writer’s block, where you stare at a blank screen and wonder where to start? I have. I wish I had read 'Bird by Bird' by Anne Lamott earlier in my career. It would have made...
Susan’s Got Talent – Find your song too
I have watched the Susan Boyle on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ video clip about 10 times today. It is very inspiring but it also makes me feel a little sad. She is 47 years old and does not appear to have tapped into her hidden talent until now. Better late than never, I...
Everybody’s singing this song
Candle - earth hour Great TV ad for Earth Hour. Gets everything right from a Gen X and Gen Y perspective... connects with their values, entertains and keeps them intrigued...(which is important because as adverts go it is long...a 90 seconds ad!) leaves them hanging...
Reducing carbon by charging companies in the UK
Are you prepared for the Carbon Reduction Commitment? This is the title of an article about Britain's plan to force companies, organisations, institutions and authorities to reduce their energy usage over the next few years. Many organisations don't know that they...
Talent – Manage it by measuring it
My husband is gets really annoyed that I don’t put clothes back in my cupboard after I have worn them. I tend to pile them up on the table in our bedroom until I create a high pyramid of creased outfits. I have struggled to change this habit so, as a last resort, my...
A billboard made of money – it cost a billion dollars!
Zimbabwe has been so messed up by Bob Mugabe that their currency is worth nothing. Literally. For the last year or more, bank notes have had expiry dates on them. When these expire the money is useless. Actually, because of hyperinflation, the money is mainly useless...
The green industry and the recession
The "green" industry - a catchall phrase that refers to alternative energy creation, environmentally friendly products and low carbon upgrades to infrastructure - is growing. With some setbacks due to a low oil price, the sector nevertheless offers great business...