Gautrey Unleashed

Are You Too Evasive?

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“If you are asked a direct question a second time, give a direct answer no matter how much it may hurt.” This is a rule I'd like to encourage you to strive towards because it will, in the long run, help you to achieve greater success and fulfilment. Although this may appear naïve, especially if a frank and honest answer may work against you, the long term benefits can be great. Surprisingly, the short term outlook Read More

Using Social Capital to Build Political Muscle

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Traditional approaches to developing influencing skills focus on the individual. However, there is an opportunity to adopt a different mindset — instead of working out how you can be more influential, think of how you can make your team more influential. As leader, the more influential the team becomes, the more influential you can become too! Referring to countries, The World Bank has noted that, “Increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable”. If social cohesion can be good for countries, it can also be good for teams and organisations. Read More

Seven Things Your Opposition Hopes You’ll Never Learn

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It is entirely natural to have opposition. In fact, I would encourage it. Unless you have opposition the game is too easy ― isn't it? Well I hope you think that because otherwise you might be wasting your talent, ambition and energy. Opponents stretch thinking, pressure test proposals and balance the corporate agenda. Without opposition you may end up with an organisation being dominated by a powerful few; and this can wreak havoc on the strategy, results and morale ― at least in the medium term. Yet, desirable though it is, the fact remains that the opposition will still want to win. They may be mature and tell you that it is all about making the right decision for the business, but don’t be fooled. Underneath the rhetoric is a real person. They, like you, much prefer Read More

Chapter One: A Project Manager’s Perspective

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project managersThis book is all about taking action, and I want to hit the ground running. Most problems and challenges in life are a matter of perspective. Adopting alternative perspectives enables you to see the problem differently. It doesn't mean that one viewpoint is right or wrong. It is simply a technique that can give you new insights and potentially, a solution that will work. So, in this first chapter I want to challenge you to think about project management from a few different perspectives. Read More

The Vision and Engagement Gap at the Top

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In some recent research* it has been found that the number one skills gap among executives is the ability to build vision and engage stakeholders to make it happen. Without vision and engagement not a great deal is going to change, and implementing change is another oft quoted deficiency in the senior ranks. The Vision Gap To my mind, there are three main Read More

Disrespecting Your Leader

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Nine out of ten leaders are not respected by nine out of ten of their followers. Well, that’s the way it often appears when you get a group of people together in a room talking about leadership. This also came across loud and clear earlier this year when I was researching line management relationships. Part of the problem is that respect is a concept that varies wildly in interpretation, especially in diverse populations. But, does respect even matter these days? Read More

Corporate Politics: Necessary Evil or Waste of Time

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A little while ago one of my private coaching clients was expressing his frustration about the political activity surrounding his work. This stimulated me to ask my connections about their views on this common feature of organisational life...
What's your take on this, necessary evil or total waste of your time?
I'd love to hear your thoughts, here are just a few of the hundreds of responses I received: Read More

Help! Stakeholder on the Warpath

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Outside the saloon bar, footsteps could be heard. Approaching slowly, spurs clattering on the boards as each step brought the intimidating presence of the stakeholder closer. The shadowy silhouette, complete with Stetson, paused briefly, the steaming sunlight concealing the set of his face, and the weapons he carried. Violently swinging the doors open, taking a step inside the room, he boomed… “So, we’re here to talk about the figures are we?” Or at least, this is how it appeared to Aisha, a client of mine who had been dreading this particular showdown. The problem was that this stakeholder was on the warpath, and had been gunning for Aisha for a few weeks. That all Aisha wanted to do was to help him seemed to matter little. Luckily, we had a little time to talk it though a few hours before the meeting that helped her to prepare. The key points of her approach included: Read More

Courageous Ways to Influence People

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There are many ways to influence people. Positive ways build long-term relationships, although there is a risk that in the short term you may not get what you want. Negative ways of influence are perhaps more likely to get you what you want today; but in the long run, your influence will wane even faster than your relationships. This is because the positive ways are focused on doing the right thing by others and helping them to act and take decisions which are good for them — while the negative ones pay little heed to their benefit.

Let's Focus on the Positive Ways.

Some of them may challenge your notion of what is prudent. That is fine. My purpose here is Read More

Seven Ways to Become More Visible

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Are you getting recognised by the people who count in your organisation? It is one thing being really good at your job, expert in your field and able to bang in big results, and quite another getting noticed. Getting noticed means that you have to be out there building relationships with key people. Those with power and influence, those who can help bring your forward and make you shine. Yet this is easier said than done. Firstly, you are busy doing your job. Secondly, they are busy doing their job. And finally, why would they be interested in you in any case? That it is not easy doesn’t make Read More

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