All my work is focused on one role and three challenges which I address in five ways

CHALLENGES
Facing the challenges of
Leadership, Strategy and Growth

I will be relevant to you and relate to you if you are a practical and pragmatic operational business leader now responsible for everything ... for growing revenues, making profits, managing cash and developing people and products.

I WILL be relevant to you if you

• • Got promoted to the top job because you were good at (or built the business by being good at) something else. 

  • Are at heart an engineer, a salesperson, an accountant, a marketeer. And that’s what you know really well. But now you are now accountable for all manner of things that you’ve never managed before.

  • Are smart and have been around a while so can make a reasonable go of it but there are times when you have to busk it. You find doing so a bit stressful sometimes especially when things don’t go the way you want, or more likely people don’t do what you want how you want it to be done.

  • Are not always as confident as you appear.  You know you need as a leader to appear confident, competent and motivated, but the reality underneath is sometimes quite different.

I will NOT be relevant to you if you

• Are already an expert and a great leader - who knows everything already.

  • I can’t help you!

• If you are a HR practitioner - who is looking for theory.

  • Operational business leaders like me are not interested in theory.  We are solely interested in what works for us in our business.

• If you are an academic - who is looking for referenced research

  • Whilst I value practically orientated academic research, especially research that checks out theories, tools and techniques that might be useful in practice, my typical client is not interested in referencing. If something resonates with them and they use it and it works great.  If it doesn’t resonate with them, no amount of academic research will convince them to use it.

• If you are a corporate manager - wanting to protect your career.

  • My advice to you is never to decide, do or even get associated with anything that is outside the norm, especially if there is a risk is might not work. If it works it might get you promoted but if it doesn’t and it matters, you might find yourself held accountable, even if it wasn’t your mistake. With apologies to the many great leaders out there that try not to let their organisation become like this.  Sadly it seems to be a really difficult culture to avoid.

• If you are a corporate leader - measured by your strategic decisions.

  • All of my tips are aimed at the operational business leader.  Some may be applicable so please do use them. But please be careful.  They are intended to be used quickly in a ready, fire, aim way with fast feedback so if they don‘t work in the situation, the leader is immediately aware and can adjust. Sadly if you run  a big business your implementation and feedback process is likely to be much slower and the impact much greater, so you probably need to be more cautious and have your staff fully research and assess your alternatives before you make a decision.