Regular visitors to the Turn will know that I have been talking about Kevin Eikenberry’s new book, “Remarkable Leadership” for some time; in fact anybody that knows anything about leadership has been talking about it – and finally the big day is here at last: I requested special permission from my great editor Doug Hanna to return for one post, so that I could be part of this “Remarkable” day. Once in a while a leadership guru comes along; not often; there are plenty of people who proclaim to know a lot about the subject; some even write blogs about it :-) But believe me, this guy is the real deal. “Remarkable Leadership” is quite possibly the most innovative, refreshing and insightful piece of work I have ever read on the subject... [Read more]

The Guest Author Spot    “Using Cultural Models to Change Organisational Culture” by Kevin Dwyer   Corporate culture is a label often used to describe the “what” about “why” something cannot be done. Peter Drucker is often quoted as follows; “Company cultures are like country cultures. Never try to change one. Try, instead, to work with what you’ve got.” One could be forgiven for believing that corporate culture cannot be changed. My experience is that it can. Changing corporate culture undoubtedly requires leadership. It is useful, however, for leaders to be able to build a picture of the change required using a model of the culture. Models of a corporate culture tend to be of two types. The... [Read more]

Today, it is time for me to say goodbye to Leadership Turn: It has been immense fun, I have made lots of new friends, and hopefully provided some useful insights. Truth is that I am being stretched to capacity right now and something has to give: Sales Leadership Zone launches on the 28th; the new Sales Practitioners site follows that and of course all the work with the Top Sales Experts team has to be managed. I will still be posting daily to my personal blog: www.thejfblogit.co.uk if you would like to keep yourself updated with my news and I fully expect to be making contributions here on a regular basis. The good news is that you have a fantastic new blogger taking over – Miki Saxon – who I know is going to do a superb job... [Read more]

  As the biggest investment a business is likely to make is staff, any time lost to sickness can be costly. This cost must be measured not only in terms of lost production and sick pay, but also in terms of employee morale. Whenever an employee is off sick, there is a knock-on effect on those colleagues who have to cover. Recent reports have highlighted that sickness is costing British businesses up to £1.75 billion a year, or roughly £500 per employee. Although the problem is far worse in the public sector, the private sector is still averaging 6.5 days of sickness absence a year per employee. Improved management of a company’s sickness absence could mean serious savings. Sickness reporting: The first area to consider is the reporting... [Read more]

  “The New Psychology of Leadership” Recent research in psychology points to secrets of effective leadership that radically challenge conventional wisdom By Michael J. Platow , S. Alexander Haslam and Stephen D. Reicher   “Today we’ve had a national tragedy,” announced President George W. Bush, addressing the nation for the first time on September 11, 2001. “Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country.” Bush then promised “to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act.” These remarks, made from Emma T. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., may not seem extraordinary, but in subtle ways they exemplify Bush’s skill as a leader. When... [Read more]