If your latest staff satisfaction survey has highlighted an increase in staff who feel undervalued and disengaged, and you’re observing lower productivity and higher staff turnover, it might be time to take a closer look at compassionate leadership. What Is Compassionate Leadership? Compassionate leadership has developed out of the science and application of mindfulness, originally…
A definition of Organization Development Organization Development (OD) is the work of facilitating organisational success, by aligning structural, cultural and strategic realities of work to respond to the needs of an ever-evolving business climate. This involves facilitating a deep connection between the best business processes and structures on the one hand, and the people working…
This paper was the winning entry in the 2017 research competition. Written by Gervase Bushe, Professor of Leadership and Organization Development at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the paper explores the proposition that OD only thrives under specific change conditions and is particularly well suited to certain kinds of issues. It…
Ask anyone at work whether they’ve experienced change in the last five years and it’s likely that the answer will be a resounding sigh, followed by a yes. Change is prevalent, our own research finds that roughly 1 in 2 managers report having undergone change initiatives with only 40% of them agreeing they were successful.…
Last week I had an opportunity to debate “Who is the People Director of the Future” (www.peopledirector.org) with a group of HR leaders from a variety of private and public sector companies, many of which are household names. Although I am an advocate for the often-maligned HR function, I found it was quite easy to…
A friend of mine was recently negotiating flexible working hours in a new senior leadership position. While we were sharing our mutual assumptions about what “working from home” really meant, we seemed to agree that what you wanted from your team, and yourself, if you were working from home, was instant responses to work emails…
People skilled in specialist technical or professional areas are often wary of taking on leadership roles. Those technical experts that do take the plunge often find a lack of development opportunities limits their success. Looking beyond the stereotypes, this practical research report builds a fuller, evidence based understanding of an expert as leader. Whether you…
Arguably, this is the most controversial coaching blog that I have yet written… The potential controversy lies in the fundamental question of: what is coaching for? Beyond skills development, or behaviour change, or adapting more skilfully to the systems our coaching clients operate in. Is the role of the coach to drive development towards any…
How do we, as coaches, approach diversity? I’m sure that many of us hold a firm belief that this is the one profession which really makes us acknowledge difference of race, gender, ability, age, skill, motivation… and work with our clients, wherever they are. Yet, how true is this really? Do we only accept diversity…
Virtually all coach training emphasises – with good reason – the importance of listening skills. Paying attention to what’s being said, asking about what’s not expressed, interrupting a well-rehearsed story… these are all competencies that most practising coaches have. What about the other senses though? How do you “listen” with your eyes, with your sense…
Recently, I’ve read a 20-year-old book with the catchy title: We’ve had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy, and the World’s Getting Worse! It was written in 1993 by the American humanistic therapist James Hillman and the writer Michael Ventura. In a series of conversations, both in person and by letter, they explore – and sometimes strongly…
Much is written about these days (and not a moment too soon!) about empathy and compassion, and their place in the skills and abilities of a modern leader. What is not talked about as often is the need – and ability – to step in and out of an empathic stance, and know when to…
