How's This for the Latest Craze?
So, what is the latest craze sweeping the UK amongst children at the moment? Is it a Star Wars toy or something from War of the Worlds? Is it the new Monopoly, updated to include new London sites and streets? No, none of that... The latest craze is the Scoubidou...
The problem with HR doing leadership development
The more I deal with HR departments in various companies the more I have come to understand that if it is HR that is entrusted with leadership development (and it usually is) the more it is likely to fail. Let me explain what I mean by this. Most leadership formation...
File swapping now illegal (at least in the USA)
The Economist are reporting today that America’s Supreme Court has ruled that makers of peer-to-peer file-swapping technology can be held responsible for the copyright infringement that their products allow. They say that "This may stop much of the free...
A Virtual Coach
A change of schools is usually a bit disruptive for most ten year olds. When it's from a football playing English medium to and rugby playing Afrikaans one - the change can be traumatic. Playstation can change all that ... Such was the case recently with a Father and...
The difference between knowledge and skills workers
It goes without saying that we currently live in an era dominated by the "knowledge worker", as opposed to manual labour or those who use skills as their primary contribution. There is a fundamental difference between these two distinct types of workers. It is not...
Our need to contain, control and understand
There's a fantastic, watch me say this really loud, CONVERSATION, happening at a blog entry a little further back (click here). It got me thinking as I read through the conversation (there I did it again) that blogging is bringing that very human urge we all have, the...
Talking to customers the AVIS way
In a world where relationships are king, where connection is critical, how is it that AVIS gets to send letters of demand to their clients like the one below. I'm just a little irritated because I think the tone is one in which I'm written to as a stranger who is...
The Sequel to my Story
Well, avid blog-reader, you may remember some time ago (4 June to be exact), that I blogged my dismay at the airline which didn't know anything about geography or the finer aspects of British constitutional history, to whit: I queued up at the "All UK flights" section...
Conversations vs Information
Today I enjoyed a thought provoking conversation concerning the overwhelming amount of information that one is required to engage with in our world today. I don't think I need to make a case for what certainly is a reality experienced by most. Not being connected...
Another reason to question advertising awards
My good friends who work at Ad agencies will disagree, I am sure, but there are always question marks about the nature of Advertising Award Ceremonies. Right now, the ad world's attention is focussed on Cannes 2005, where global entries are competing for attention. I...
The Dalai Lama never had an iPod
I was part of an interesting conversation with a couple of people the other day. The topic was meditation. The conversation moved to silence and it's role in meditation. As I listened to the effects of silence in meditation, I recognised many of them to be the same as...
Machines take our jobs
In our presentation, Balancing Today and Tomorrow, we argue that white collar/service jobs are rapdily being replaced by machines. We point especially to the professions: starting with accountants, engineers and lawyers, but including architects, pilots and even...
Empty Nest Syndrome or Empty Country Syndrome
I had a conversation last night with my Irish brother in law who lives in the USA. We were chatting about the fact that my daughter will be moving to Thailand after her marriage here in SA next month. My son will be moving to London in January. His question was: Do I...
The great HRDA vlog
What’s a vlog? Simple – a Video webLOG. Cameras are rather cheap and so many people have one.
Resourcefulness: the new intelligence?
Confessions of a Bright Young Thing (BYT) ... 1) "Aiden, please put together a Recruitment & Selection Policy for our Co", Big Boss requests. Aiden replies, "Sure!" So Aiden promptly Googles "Recruitment & Selection Policy", reads a few of the examples that the search...
Flexible Work in the UK
The UK government statistics department lists information on the flexibility of the UK workforce. Here are some interesting highlights: Over 25% of the UK workforce "sometimes" work at home The number of people working in "mainly" at home accounts for 2.5% of the...
Sony Playstation / TBWA takes it to a new level
Have you seen the new Playstation adverts? You can see them on AdCritic or AdForum. Or you can watch them right off of the TBWA web site (click here) They were aparently developed in South Africa for a North American market. (click here to see article on Marketing...
Professional or not?
Sport is a profession, is it not? By this we mean that there are people who make a living out of it - people who have studied and worked hard, who have made the sport their life's focus, and who "sell" their time and expertise to the profession of their choice. In...
Social action, the Comrades, Operation Hunger, MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and the Connection Economy
Dear Prime MinisterIn 2005 you can help make poverty history, if you’re able and willing to use your international leadership to deliver policy changes on trade justice, debt and aid.If, like me, you find it totally unacceptable that 30,000 children die unnecessarily each day as a result of poverty, please use the power you have in this very special year to make poverty history.This is my ‘white band’ message to you.I will be part of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and will also wear a white band like millions of people in the UK and around the world. We all want our voice to be heard. We all want you to take action now.No excuses. Enough is enough. The lives of 800 million of the world’s poorest people must be changed forever.
What is real education?
This week I have enjoyed several great conversations around leadership as I have accompanied Nick Barker to various meetings. Nick heads up the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) at the East West Center in Hawaii. Here is one memorable quote from Nick who was in...