Management Blog

Famous Leaders - 25 Biographies You Must Read

This is an interesting blog post from online classes. It suggests 25 biographers that must be read. They include Churchill, Shackleton, Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela and more. Certainly a varied list but the interesting question is who would be on yours!

Action Learning with Call of the Wild.

Babcock action learning circles with Call of the Wild. 14th April 20011.

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Babcock ILM Level 5 Cohort 1 day 3

Feedback on transfer of learning. Some really great stories.

For more on the transfer of learning for improved leadership development visit our website

Effective Leadership Development Using ILM

Leadership development programmes are delivered by various accredited centres throughout the UK.  The quality and philosophy of each will differ greatly so choose one which fits with your objectives. The programmes leading up to the relevant awards and certification comes from the Institute of Leadership & Management Qualifications, who produce the largest range of vocational leadership and management qualifications to be found anywhere in the UK.

Key employees of a company  can attend the courses at any one of the centres where training programmes are held. The methods and processes used to train potential leaders and managers will be in keeping with normal work practices. This means that any theory learned can easily be applied in the workplace. Additionally, the training is work-based and provided in as realistic a setting as possible. This makes leadership and management development learning easy to transfer back to the workplace, and is the key to developing effective leadership and excellent management skills.

Leadership and management development should be viewed as a vital investment in developing yourself and your employees. It is also the key to developing good business relationships with clients and customers, and can ultimately become a sources of competitive advantage. Training and development programmes undertaken at any of the Institute of Leadership & Management Qualifications centres are likely to reap great rewards in the years to come as those involved gain a fuller understanding of the roles they play.

For more information on ILM Institute of Leadership and Management qualifications visit the call of the Wild website

Transactional Analysis - Ego States

Dr Barrie Kennard discussing Transactional Analysis with Hasbro for Call of the Wild.

For more on leadership development visit the Call of the Wild website

Leadership Development Course Photo 5th April 2011 with Call of the Wild

Call of the Wild working on a two day leadership development workshop for Hasbro Toys. At our training centre within the Brecon Beacons Nationsl Park.

Leadership Development Workshop Photo 5th April 2011

Dr Barrie Kennard, Director, Centre of Excellence, Cardiff Business School working with Call of the Wild on a communications workshop for Hasbro.

For more on leadership development visit the Call of the Wild website

Fukushima Nuclear Crisis - Leadership Lessons

I've been watching TV the last few days and seen a number of  Japanese citizens  stating that they have lost trust in the Japanese Government. This is due to either a lack of information or because of incorrect information being given out by the Government. This will have serious repercussions for the Government as once trust is lost it is very difficult to get back. Whatever information they now put out it is likely to be mistrusted  or at best treated with scepticism on the part of the Japanese people.

There are many parallels with business in that the importance of trust in the workplace cannot be underestimated.

Definition of Trust

" Confidence in, reliance on; obligation of person given confidence or vested with authority; treat as reliable" Oxford Dictionary

Trust is the glue that holds  every successful organisation together as it underpins factors such as effective communication, employee retention, and employee motivation and contributes to the amount of  discretionary  extra effort that people are willing to voluntarily invest in work.

How to Build Trust

Establishing trust is about listening and understanding - not necessarily agreeing (which is different) - to the other person. Listening without judging. A useful focus to aim for when listening to another person is to try to understand how the other person feels, and to discover what they want to achieve.

Dr Stephen Covey (of 'The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People'® fame) is one of many modern advocates who urge us to strive deeply to understand the other person's point of view. He coined the expression: 'Seek first to understand, and then to be understood', which serves as a constant reminder for the need to listen to the other person before you can expect them to listen to you

It is difficult and rarely appropriate to try to persuade another person to do what we want; instead we must understand what the other person wants, and then try to help them to achieve it, which often includes helping them to see the way to do it. We must work with people collaboratively, to enable them to see what they want, and then help them to see the ways to achieve it.

Factors Which Erode Trust

1. Micro-management

2. Not empowering staff

3. Challenging the validity of decisions made by staff

4. Acting in self-interest not mutual interest due to a lack of shared values and objectives

5. Bad communication

6. Mis-information

7. Inability to delegate due to feeling I can do a job better than anyone else

8. Criticising the negatives but not praising the positives

9. Lack of clarity and consistency in decision making

10. Lack of empathy

For more information on the building of trust for leaders visit our website.