Who is comfortable calling themselves a leader? This was my opening question of my keynote speech at a recent leadership development conference. To my surprise less than 20% of the delegates responded positively, prompting the debate that we can all have different interpretations and opinions on what ‘leadership’ means. (…)

A  Gallup survey found that organisations focusing on maximising the natural talents of their employees increase engagement levels by an average of 33% per year.  This result prompts two key questions – Are you aware of the individual strengths of your team members? Are you utilising their strengths on a regular basis to maximise performance? […]

Learn to Learn. Leaders of some of the greatest business failures have been those who seemed to have all the answers. In truth, no leader can assume to know it all. Market conditions, business cultures and industry innovations are constantly changing and to assume there is nothing ‘new’ to learn, is to fail. Learning starts […]

Facing a setback? Teach yourself how to bounce back. Simple steps to start building your resilience. Not everything in business will go to plan and turn out how you envisage it – not every decision you make will be the right one – despite your best intentions. The recent UK election is a testament to […]

Do just enough to get by. How to manage & minimise your weaknesses.  Our weaknesses invariably drain and de-motivate us and it’s not uncommon to spend a great deal of time, resource and energy to try and overcome them. Why spend quality and precious time on things that we don’t enjoy and that may only […]

Shhh! Listen. The quieter you become the more you can hear. 7 steps to be a great listener. Listening is one of the most powerful leadership skills we have at our disposal, yet possibly the most overlooked. The power of listening is rarely acknowledged or effectively practised. Stephen Covey writes ‘Most people do not listen […]

Giving praise is a simple yet powerful leadership tool. It costs nothing and can give an immeasurable return on investment. I was, therefore, surprised to learn of a recent Harvard survey that concluded that giving negative and corrective feedback is an integral part of the remit of being a leader, however, giving positive feedback and […]

Successful leaders let others succeed. Success breeds success.  Click here to receive more valuable insights from Executive Leadership Coach, David Guile. The most effective leaders realise that success is not about them personally but more about the success of others and their team. Leadership is about helping others to become more successful and removing any […]

Fast track development programmes for high potentials within a business are commonplace in progressive organisations. These initiatives create a strong platform for succession planning and prove an essential initiative for identifying, developing and retaining talented employees who have the potential to be leaders of the future. However, the success of these programmes relies on being […]

I’m really pleased to share that my first book Potential – Find it. Own it. Work it. has just been released. And it’s already achieved #1 Amazon Hot New Release & Bestseller status. My journey to create and write Potential has been motivational, challenging and rewarding in equal measure. As I begin to reflect on […]