A lot of people are probably on the belief that they should treat other people as they wish to be treated themselves, and that's wrong. There's a big mistake in this. Why? Well, frankly because Read More

Forgive me, at times I have a tendency to be a tad blunt. If you’ve been loitering here with me for a while, you will recognise this as my passion for straight-talking – with the very best of intentions for your success. So, here goes… Read More

One of the dimensions on the influence profile that you may be familiar with is Emotional Control. What we're saying in the influence profile is that basically if there is a big difference between your preferred default behaviours, and the individual you want to influence, there's likely to be a distraction creep into the interaction, into the communication. Instead of thinking about what you are saying, they're thinking about what you're doing, and the way that you're doing it. Which means that your influence is likely to be degraded. Read More

There is an aspect of leadership that is rarely talked about that offers huge potential in terms of performance. It is highly valued by team members, essential to the organisation, and fun to do. But most leaders are making mistakes in this area that could cost them dear. Read More

For years, the division between personal and professional life has been questioned. For years, the dominant view is that it is useful/necessary to maintain that split. Now, things could be changing – fast! Several discussions recently have highlighted the problem of trust. There is growing cynicism of national political leaders' facade of probity. Private lives Read More

Based on research that I've done, if you want to succeed to the more senior levels in your organisation, you have to display a high level of determination. This becomes really interesting when we start talking about the influence profile. Because on many workshops, the average score for determination, based on the people that are in the workshop, is the lowest of the four dimensions on my influence profile diagnostic (see Influence Profile). What this is indicating, is people are avoiding the determination type behaviours. And let's face it, they're on a workshop seeking to learn about how to become more influential. So by the very nature of that, it means that they're not necessarily where they want to be. Read More

Long ago I met a woman to proclaimed:

"Judge me by the work I do, on my merits."

Read More

A key aspect of influence is encouraging people into a state in which they are more likely to listen to what you have to say. As an ethical influencer, you need people to pay attention, listen well and understand what you are asking them to do. Then they can think through the consequences and make clear decisions that will hopefully work in your favour as well. What works against this is anything that distracts them, and those of you who have attended one of my workshops will know, this can quite easily happen if your style of influence is different from theirs. Instead of listening to what you have to say, they are distracted by the way you are saying it – your style. Read More

You may be a leader, but are you leading? Many in leadership positions, even when they have been trained in leadership, continue to manage. Why? Because that is what their bosses are demanding of them. While leadership may be espoused from the top, in many organisations it is not valued. A little like all those company values hung on the wall, written but not behaved – do what I say not what I do. Read More

Harry is just leaving his job, without another one to go to. This is the second senior position in a row that he has left because he was unable to influence his seniors. Despite being exceptionally good at his job, perfectionist, avid learner, he still has not been able to get the success he believes he should. Hearing Harry's story led to some interesting thoughts about what can/does go wrong in relationships that I thought would be worth sharing with you today. Read More