Yesterday evening I had the great pleasure of attending a "Dean's Dinner" event in London.
The event was organised by the Manchester Business School and was hosted by De Vere's at their rather impressive Holborn Bars location, formerly the home of Prudential Insurance.
The event brought together about a dozen people from a range of organisations with a shared interest in Leadership Development.
Over the course of a very tasty dinner we got to chat and then listen to our "Provocateur" for the evening - Prof Chris Bones who is Professor of Creativity and Leadership at Manchester Business School and former Dean of the Henley Business School.
In a talk that focused more on asking questions to get us thinking than providing prescriptive solutions he highlighted some of the challenges he sees with leadership, especially in large organisations. He has recently published a book "The Cult of the Leader : a Manifesto for more authentic business" on this area in which he describes the problems and identifies areas for change that will be needed. I think I can safely say that I have never previously heard L'Oreal, Mary Poppins, Dumbledore and Peter Drucker all get a mention in the same talk.
After some time for general discussion on the issues raised it was time to say goodbye and head for home - and in my case the mystery of why the 22:39 train from Waterloo was so full. Clearly it was reasonable for me to be traveling at that hour but what was everyone else doing there :-) One-off or always that full I wonder?
All in all a great evening, met some new people (and reconnected with someone who used to work for IBM but who I'd not seen in many years) and heard some new ideas/ broadened my thinking on leadership development.
My thanks to Manchester Business school for the invite, De Vere for hosting it and Prof Bones for the talk.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Saturday, 14 May 2011
The puzzling economics of Friends
My daughters have discovered Friends so I have recently had cause to buy some DVD sets from ebay to feed the new habit.
I'm puzzled by the economics of the transactions.
So far I've bought 3 series on DVDs paying total prices between £2.20 and £2.90
Thing is that posting a DVD set second class mail costs £2.16....
If you also allow for ebay and paypal fees then my back of envelope calculations suggest that the people selling the DVDs are effectively paying me to take them (and that's without allowing for costs of packaging materials, time, travel to a post office etc...). The figures aren't large - just a few tens of pence but surely if you were selling something you'd be looking for a positive number.
Given that ebay allows you to specify the start price for the auction and set P&P fees and the actual postage costs are predictable I'm left bemused as to why this is happening?
Wouldn't the rational economic approach be to price them at a level that at least ensured your direct costs were covered? If it doesn't sell then give them to a charity shop and save yourself the cost of paying someone else to have them.....
Most odd....
I'm puzzled by the economics of the transactions.
So far I've bought 3 series on DVDs paying total prices between £2.20 and £2.90
Thing is that posting a DVD set second class mail costs £2.16....
If you also allow for ebay and paypal fees then my back of envelope calculations suggest that the people selling the DVDs are effectively paying me to take them (and that's without allowing for costs of packaging materials, time, travel to a post office etc...). The figures aren't large - just a few tens of pence but surely if you were selling something you'd be looking for a positive number.
Given that ebay allows you to specify the start price for the auction and set P&P fees and the actual postage costs are predictable I'm left bemused as to why this is happening?
Wouldn't the rational economic approach be to price them at a level that at least ensured your direct costs were covered? If it doesn't sell then give them to a charity shop and save yourself the cost of paying someone else to have them.....
Most odd....
Friday, 13 May 2011
2011 Christian Resources Exhibition
Today I headed up to Sandown Park and the 2011 CRE event. It's a couple of years since I was last there and fancied the chance to wander round the stands and see what was on offer.
I had hoped I might find some companies talking about accounting software for church accounts but sadly nobody was.
The "prize" for most surprising item goes to Cross Designs for their men's clerical hoodie .... and the single most potentially useful find was an organisation called 2buy2 who look like they might be able to reduce some of the church's purchasing costs which would be welcomed.
I had my lunch sitting on the terrace outside the royal box courtesy of The Bible Society - to whom thanks also for the much welcomed cup of coffee and cake. The visibility was very good and could see a very long way (possibly as far as 20 miles as could see some towers in Canary Wharf) though the distinctive arch of Wembley Stadium did have a disconcerting habit of disappearing and then reappearing as the clouds / haze changed.
I had hoped I might find some companies talking about accounting software for church accounts but sadly nobody was.
The "prize" for most surprising item goes to Cross Designs for their men's clerical hoodie .... and the single most potentially useful find was an organisation called 2buy2 who look like they might be able to reduce some of the church's purchasing costs which would be welcomed.
I had my lunch sitting on the terrace outside the royal box courtesy of The Bible Society - to whom thanks also for the much welcomed cup of coffee and cake. The visibility was very good and could see a very long way (possibly as far as 20 miles as could see some towers in Canary Wharf) though the distinctive arch of Wembley Stadium did have a disconcerting habit of disappearing and then reappearing as the clouds / haze changed.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
"The Extraordinary Coach" by J Zenger & K Stinnett
Through work I recently had the chance to listen to Kathleen Stinnett talk about coaching so I thought I'd get hold of her book ( The Extraordinary Coach - How the best Leaders help Others Grow) and read it.
I'm glad I did.
In a foreward to the book Marshall Goldsmith writes "Read it, devour it, practice it, and you, too, will be an extraordinary coach!" Having read the book this certainly feels credible.
They introduce some research that suggests there could be many benefits to leaders being better coaches including reduced employee attrition rates and greater engagement. Given I'm a keen follower of BBC Radio 4's "More or Less" the authors get a bonus mark from me when they explicitly draw a distinction between correlation and causality at the start of Chapter 3 by saying "..the fact that things are correlated does not prove that one causes the other. It only proves that there is some strong connection between them."
The core of the book is the introduction of the FUEL coaching framework -
I'm glad I did.
In a foreward to the book Marshall Goldsmith writes "Read it, devour it, practice it, and you, too, will be an extraordinary coach!" Having read the book this certainly feels credible.
They introduce some research that suggests there could be many benefits to leaders being better coaches including reduced employee attrition rates and greater engagement. Given I'm a keen follower of BBC Radio 4's "More or Less" the authors get a bonus mark from me when they explicitly draw a distinction between correlation and causality at the start of Chapter 3 by saying "..the fact that things are correlated does not prove that one causes the other. It only proves that there is some strong connection between them."
The core of the book is the introduction of the FUEL coaching framework -
- Frame the conversation
- Understand the current state
- Explore the desired state
- Lay out the success plan
In detailed chapters on each element they provide concrete examples of the sorts of questions the coach can ask to guide the conversation through each of the phases.
In a nice additional touch they provide access to some further resources including videos, at www.zegerfolkman.com.
The book is easy to read and has a very practical focus being full of ideas and suggestions that can easily be implemented. It has already had a positive impact on some conversations I have had since reading it - I feel a long way short of the "Outstanding Coach" title but hopefully further down that route as a result of reading and reflecting on this book.
Sunday, 6 February 2011
First attempt at Geocaching
I first heard about geocaching some years ago - now that I have some suitable equipment in the shape of an iPhone I've been meaning to give it a go.
Looking on www.geocaching.com I found that there were numerous sites near us so we downloaded their iphone app and headed out, iphone in hand, this afternoon to find one not too far from us.
The app uses a compass image to give a rather nice direction and distance indication on the screen. This got us to the right area and here the search began. We knew we were looking for a "magnetic nano" but other than the expectation that this would mean it was attached to something metallic we had no idea what we were searching for.
Initial searching didn't yield anything but after a while we found it and discovered that nano does mean rather small. However, despite its small size, it contained a tickertape style pice of paper on which to log your visit. We left our mark (first people to do so in 2011) and then returned it to its hiding place.
Great fun, despite the rain, think we may well have a go at some of the other ones in the area now.
Looking on www.geocaching.com I found that there were numerous sites near us so we downloaded their iphone app and headed out, iphone in hand, this afternoon to find one not too far from us.
The app uses a compass image to give a rather nice direction and distance indication on the screen. This got us to the right area and here the search began. We knew we were looking for a "magnetic nano" but other than the expectation that this would mean it was attached to something metallic we had no idea what we were searching for.
Initial searching didn't yield anything but after a while we found it and discovered that nano does mean rather small. However, despite its small size, it contained a tickertape style pice of paper on which to log your visit. We left our mark (first people to do so in 2011) and then returned it to its hiding place.
Great fun, despite the rain, think we may well have a go at some of the other ones in the area now.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Bible in a year
Last August I decided to embark on a 52 week bible reading plan that should see me read all 66 books over the course of a year.
I looked around at a number of different plans and in the end opted for one by Michael Coley (www.Bible-Reading.com). I liked the way he had split the task down based on the different sorts of books that make up the bible. Sunday is spent on Epistles, Monday covers The Law, Tuesday looks at History, Wednesday is devoted to Psalms, Thursday brings poetry, Friday is for Prophecy and Saturday brings the week to a close with the Gospels. This does result in a slightly uneven split of reading volume through the week from a couple of psalms on Wednesday to typically 5 chapters of History or Prophecy on Tuesday/Friday. The upside though is that you get a variety of style and content during the week.
Yesterday marked the end of week 26 and hence the half way point on the journey. So how am I doing? Well, I am a few days behind schedule but pleased with the progress. I've completed 20 books (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, Ezra, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, Matthew and Mark. The biblical scholars amongst you will no doubt have immediately spotted that Ezra and Daniel are out of sequence and shouldn't have been covered yet - these were covered by some normal daily reading notes I was following in addition to the bible in a year plan.
I like the way that the discipline of working steadily through the books is ensuring that I read all of them rather than just the more familiar passages. I'm confident come August I'll have completed the remaining 46 books.
Today's passage from Philippians beckons so I'd best click on "publish" and go complete book number 21.
I looked around at a number of different plans and in the end opted for one by Michael Coley (www.Bible-Reading.com). I liked the way he had split the task down based on the different sorts of books that make up the bible. Sunday is spent on Epistles, Monday covers The Law, Tuesday looks at History, Wednesday is devoted to Psalms, Thursday brings poetry, Friday is for Prophecy and Saturday brings the week to a close with the Gospels. This does result in a slightly uneven split of reading volume through the week from a couple of psalms on Wednesday to typically 5 chapters of History or Prophecy on Tuesday/Friday. The upside though is that you get a variety of style and content during the week.
Yesterday marked the end of week 26 and hence the half way point on the journey. So how am I doing? Well, I am a few days behind schedule but pleased with the progress. I've completed 20 books (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, Ezra, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, Matthew and Mark. The biblical scholars amongst you will no doubt have immediately spotted that Ezra and Daniel are out of sequence and shouldn't have been covered yet - these were covered by some normal daily reading notes I was following in addition to the bible in a year plan.
I like the way that the discipline of working steadily through the books is ensuring that I read all of them rather than just the more familiar passages. I'm confident come August I'll have completed the remaining 46 books.
Today's passage from Philippians beckons so I'd best click on "publish" and go complete book number 21.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Death, love, courage and hope
This afternoon I attended the funeral of a lady that I have known through church for many years.
The love and respect in which Anne is held is well illustrated by the fact that this was the 2nd of 3 planned services. There had already been a cremation service last week. Today's funeral/interment service was held in St Catherine's church which she had attended for many years. In a few weeks the 3rd service, a celebration of her life, will be held in Winchester Cathedral - the fact that it is being held in the cathedral again speaks to the number of people whose lives she has touched.
I always knew that she did a lot but it is still a surprise when you hear everything talked about at once in the address. As someone put it - she was the epitome of the saying that if you want something done you should give it to a busy person. Be it in the church, choirs, school or community Anne could be found taking an active role and making a difference.
She certainly fitted a lot into her life and was a blessing to many people. One of the speakers at the service suggested that all of the congregation should find something we could do to help others - as he put it this would be more "pay forward" than "pay back" for all we had received from Anne over the years. He certainly felt this would be a legacy she'd be pleased with. We may already be busy doing things but in a way that would make it all the more apt for us to do something else.
Having just completed the annual appraisal process at work, with its focus on just 12 short months of impact, today's service has reminded me of the importance of stepping back and looking at the longer term and considering what our own legacy will be. I was also reminded of a film I saw some years ago ( might have been "Death becomes Her") where 2 of the characters are seeking to live forever by taking a magical elixir. The husband however refuses to take the potion - arguing that even though his mortal life will finish he will live forever though his family and through the impact that he has had on people's lives.
Over the years I've read a lot of articles/books/etc which talk about the importance and power of a positive attitude. This is another area where Anne provided us with a great example to follow. She has spent that last few years battling with cancer but though it all retained a positive outlook and a focus on what she could achieve.
There will be rejoicing in heaven but she will be sadly missed by those she leaves behind. On earth she will live on through her powerful and wide reaching legacy that was encapsulated today in a eulogy to be proud of. RIP Anne.
The love and respect in which Anne is held is well illustrated by the fact that this was the 2nd of 3 planned services. There had already been a cremation service last week. Today's funeral/interment service was held in St Catherine's church which she had attended for many years. In a few weeks the 3rd service, a celebration of her life, will be held in Winchester Cathedral - the fact that it is being held in the cathedral again speaks to the number of people whose lives she has touched.
I always knew that she did a lot but it is still a surprise when you hear everything talked about at once in the address. As someone put it - she was the epitome of the saying that if you want something done you should give it to a busy person. Be it in the church, choirs, school or community Anne could be found taking an active role and making a difference.
She certainly fitted a lot into her life and was a blessing to many people. One of the speakers at the service suggested that all of the congregation should find something we could do to help others - as he put it this would be more "pay forward" than "pay back" for all we had received from Anne over the years. He certainly felt this would be a legacy she'd be pleased with. We may already be busy doing things but in a way that would make it all the more apt for us to do something else.
Having just completed the annual appraisal process at work, with its focus on just 12 short months of impact, today's service has reminded me of the importance of stepping back and looking at the longer term and considering what our own legacy will be. I was also reminded of a film I saw some years ago ( might have been "Death becomes Her") where 2 of the characters are seeking to live forever by taking a magical elixir. The husband however refuses to take the potion - arguing that even though his mortal life will finish he will live forever though his family and through the impact that he has had on people's lives.
Over the years I've read a lot of articles/books/etc which talk about the importance and power of a positive attitude. This is another area where Anne provided us with a great example to follow. She has spent that last few years battling with cancer but though it all retained a positive outlook and a focus on what she could achieve.
There will be rejoicing in heaven but she will be sadly missed by those she leaves behind. On earth she will live on through her powerful and wide reaching legacy that was encapsulated today in a eulogy to be proud of. RIP Anne.
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