Just over a week ago I was sitting in the panel of the IMI Diploma in Leadership audit presentations, as I heard each manger and executive reporting back on their leadership audit journey I found very interesting how many of them recognised empathy as a critical area for development. In my job as facilitator, empathy is the Read more...
Hemingway defined courage as ‘grace under pressure’. The ability to remain calm under pressure is a core competency for leaders and front-line staff. I have worked extensively with hospital registrars for over a decade and, for medical professionals, emotional intelligence is absolutely critical. For example, if there is a medical emergency, the Registrar must remain Read more...
Working with managers across a wide section of industries and sizes, one of the most common question I hear is: “What is the best way to deal with poor performers?” I now recognise this somewhat negative question as a human impulse that surfaces every time we feel threatened, uncertain or frustrated; our brains are just Read more...
Staying analytical, impartial and open to new ideas can be challenging when you are invested in a role and a business. It’s a shame, but we often find that managers develop a certain valuable clarity on their organisation only when about to leave a role! Don’t leave it until you’re changing roles to get the Read more...
In recent years, working with our clients, we have noticed a common trend focusing on employees engagement. I believe It all started when a book by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman reported on the stunning discovery that the greatest managers have a habit of “first break all the rules” as the book was titled. In Read more...
Find out at our upcoming IMI Business Finance Briefing with Cormac Lucey on Wednesday, 13th February. Understanding your business’ critical numbers is not about doing your accountants job, rather it’s about knowing your businesses financial health at all times and knowing how the decisions you make affect the company accounts. Cormac Lucey, Programme Director of Read more...
Applications are now being invited from indigenous Irish companies from all industries for the 2013 Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme, which IMI has been involved with since the programme was launched in Ireland five years ago. Twenty companies which demonstrate superior business performance will be recognised at the end of the Best Managed Companies Read more...
Cavanaghs of Charleville was singled out from among the Deloitte Best Managed Companies 2012 announced on March 2nd to receive a special accolade for ‘rising to the challenge’ which was the theme of this year’s programme. The company received a place on the IMI’s Senior Executive Programme which will equip one of its senior team Read more...
Does streamlining of resources threaten quality in an environment where the customer is king? Critics of the application of lean management techniques to the delivery of services often say that focussing on efficient processes goes against the concept of delivering the most value to the customer. But the lean concept of reducing waste is as Read more...
It’s that time of year when ambitious lists of resolutions get made – and while these usually include the standard roll-over of not quite achieved health and lifestyle commitments from last year – January can be a good time to refresh your approach to management too. See below 3 resolutions that you can take in Read more...
Six word wisdom: Build the organisation of your dreams – Professor Gareth Jones
We’re launching a series where we call on thought leaders in business to summarise their message – in just six words. In honour of Bloomsday on Sunday we’ll kick off by quoting Molly Bloom and asking: “Oh Rocks – Tell us in plain words what you really mean!”. First up is Professor Gareth Jones expert in Read On
MOOCs won’t change learning – they will change teaching.
Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and their B-movie monster-like threat to traditional education are all over the blog world again this week. I’m personally very excited by the tsunami of free online content. I just finished the excellent Model Thinking from the University of Michigan on Coursera on models for better decision-making. The platform felt flexible but was deceptively fast-paced so Read On
Are You Interested? – Guest Post: Nancy Kline
To coincide with her visit to IMI this week Nancy Kline – the originator and pioneer of The Thinking Environment® process shares her thoughts on attention and interest in a coaching exchange: Are You Interested? By Nancy Kline ‘You are so patient.’ I hear this after almost every Thinking Session demonstration. Other people tell me Read On
Who Needs a PA? Free Online Tools for Managers
As a manager you need the right information delivered in a succinct and timely manner. It’s easy to feel bombarded by the different data sources competing for our attention in the modern working environment. And while the Internet is undoubtedly a rich source of information, comparatively little has been done to connect the vast number Read On
Empathy, the ‘hardest’ management skill at work…
Just over a week ago I was sitting in the panel of the IMI Diploma in Leadership audit presentations, as I heard each manger and executive reporting back on their leadership audit journey I found very interesting how many of them recognised empathy as a critical area for development. In my job as facilitator, empathy is the Read On