This is me holding the very first copy of my first book. What the picture can’t communicate is the overwhelming sense of relief I was feeling, the rush of euphoria that had just hit me, and the complete and utter joy in my heart. On September the 20th Superfast: Lead at Speed was published in the UK by John Murray …
Good Job All Round
Purpose is key to getting the most from your employees.
5 Tips for Impact & Influence
My first gainful employment was at the Rose & Crown pub. I spent the summer liberally garnishing sandwiches with cress. Every experience is a learning opportunity. I learned that no one likes cress. As the opportunities for sandwich garnishing dried up like Mother’s Pride left out in the sun, I turned my attention to the corporate world. Fast forward to …
Intelligence Lesson: How do leaders influence for an inclusive work culture?
Our guest blog this month is by Emma Dutton MBE, an associate and friend of Caffeine. A former Specialist Military Intelligence Officer in the RAF, if anyone knows how to influence, it’s Emma who served five tours of Afghanistan using her influence skill set and methodology in interactions with the Taliban. Most of the world has known for some time …
Funny Business: How humour fuels business growth
We know that laughter is good for us. But is it also good for business? Babies laugh on average 400 times a day. Once you get to over 35 this has dropped to 15 a day – and, a recent US Gallup poll showed, we laugh less on a weekday than a weekend. Is this because we are at work …
Bold brands can build better homes
In the 100 years since Lloyd George declared Britain should build homes ‘fit for heroes’, housing in this country has been transformed. It is now a massive market, an economy of its own sustained by housing stock worth almost £7tn. At Housing 2018, the 3 day event that brings everyone associated with the sector together, the list of speakers, sponsors …
Law firms must practice purpose to survive
I recently spoke with an international group of leading law firms about the existential crisis facing the legal profession. It seems to have three main factors and one big cause. BigLaw is being challenged by the Big 4. Where legal advice affects business operations and decision-making, the Big 4 consultancies are muscling in on the action. PwC Legal for example, …
What leaders can learn from a pastor and a princess
Whatever your monarchist or republican leanings, it’s unlikely you missed the coverage of the Windsor Wedding on Saturday. I watched it all the way through with friends and family. The young kids and my elderly father were particularly gripped. I loved the flowers, the music, the fashion and the fact that it was a truly great show. There are lessons …
Speed Thrills: Leadership Velocity
I’ve written a book about leading in an accelerated world. I’ve done this because I’ve spent years working with leaders who are frustrated by speed bumps and corporate torpor. The other day I watched ‘Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House’, a classic Cary Grant American film where an ad man in the city gets fed up of his small space in …
Every duck has its day
Pitching is fast, frenetic and unforgiving. It’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s also exciting, adrenaline-pumping, physically and intellectually demanding. It is not open to reason. You’re either up for it or out of it. Win a new client as a result of a pitch and the crowd goes wild. Out comes the Champagne, bells are rung (literally in some agencies, …