Tag Archives: Management Techniques

Getting the best out of our people (Top 10 Business Challenges)

In a survey conducted by the Insights Group, top companies considered that getting the best out of their people was one of their key issues. So how do you do this? Insights Discovery uses a four colour model, comprised of Cool Blue, Fiery Red, Earth Green and Sunshine Yellow energies, to describe people’s strengths, styles and team contributions. Everyone has all four energies, although no one is strong in all four, and the unique combination of these helps to determine why we think each and behave the way we do. It is important that you set clear directional goals for your business and that your employees all know and understand what these are and how you want them to be achieved. Employees that can see the bigger picture and have an understanding of where they fit within this are likely …

Posted in Insights Discovery, Top 10 Business Challenges | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Getting the best out of our people (Top 10 Business Challenges)

Changes in Personnel due to people joining (Top 10 Business Challenges)

When the Insights Group asked them, top businesses identified changes in personnel due to people joining as one of their top ten challenges. Insights Discovery® uses a four colour model, comprised of Cool Blue, Fiery Red, Earth Green and Sunshine Yellow energies, to describe people’s strengths, styles and team contributions. The unique combination of these helps to determine why we each think and behave the way we do. A 2012 Allied Workforce Mobility Survey found that just 77% of new hires were still employed one year after starting at a company, while other research indicates that as many as 40% of employees quit within their first six months.How can an understanding of the four colour energies help to address this issue?   A comprehensive induction process is essential to ensuring that the introduction of new staff is as disruption-free as possible …

Posted in Insights Discovery, Top 10 Business Challenges | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Changes in Personnel due to people joining (Top 10 Business Challenges)

Choosing my crew carefully

As much as we would all love to be good at everything in life, success often depends on realising that we are not! When boat sailing my small cruising catamaran, I often take to the water with those who possess additional skills or knowledge that I am sorely deficient in. It’s not the main reason I take them with me, but it helps!  My younger son, a marine engineer, has an ability to analyse a practical challenge, identify the problem and then fix it.  And we’re both happy to laugh at my ability to defer the difficult jobs until he arrives.  Mike, my crew for a weekend back in June, is retired and has a love of all things mechanical.  Tom, an equally-experienced sailor, is a semi-retired engineer and possible part-time contortionist who can turn his hand to most things; …

Posted in Leadership, Team Performance | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Choosing my crew carefully

Book Review: It’s Your Ship

My brother, who works for a global and well known computer components company lent me his copy of It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, by former US Navy Captain D Michael Abrashoff. The book contains practical lessons from his experience of transforming the USS Benfold, previously one of the worst performing ships in the US Navy.  His management techniques provide a unique collection of best practice, which can be used with as much success in the business world as they have had in the military. As a read, I found it easy, practical, entertaining, although at times with a little too much focussed on the one ship example.  It’s not a weighty management tome, rather a fast moving motivating book to challenge managers at all levels on how to invest in top down …

Posted in Book Reviews, News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Book Review: It’s Your Ship