Author Archive
The cynics of corporate social responsibility (CSR) will say that it’s a waste of time and money; “we don’t have the resources”, “it’s impossible to measure return on investment”, “how can we justify giving our employees time off to volunteer or mentor other people”. But I ask you, what’s the cost to you personally, your business and workforce of not embracing CSR?
Nick Hart, head of CSR for Turner Broadcasting, recounts a story of how he led a group of volunteer employees to Rwanda for a week to help build a school in 2010, but came across a boy with a cleft palate. A boy whose life had been ravaged by this facial disfigurement, lacked self-confidence, and didn’t fit in among his peers. Moved by this scene, Nick, on behalf of Turner, arranged for an operation to take place. A few months later after his visit, Nick received a heartfelt letter and a photo of a joyful, happy boy flashing the warmest smile. At this moment, Nick’s eyes begin to mist and he chokes up. No need for words, his emotional response says it all – a young life, transformed, forever. Read the rest of this entry »
Ever thought about mentoring? According to Andy Coxall, who carried out a year-long mentoring placement with Chance UK, a charity that works with 5-11 year old children who have behavioural problems, it gives you ‘soul food’.
So why did Andy offer to spend a year mentoring an eight year old boy who had been emotionally abused, suffered mental as well as health issues and had mood swings that descended into red mists? Read the rest of this entry »
In this Q&A, author Kate Keenan of ‘It’s All About You‘ outlines her top tips for taking control of your career, how to give yourself an MOT health check to manage your wellbeing effectively and how to pursue your career dream.
Q. Why should I get out of my comfort zone and take a career risk?
A. It’s not so much as getting out of your comfort zone as finding the right one to jump into which will provide you the courage and confidence to take that risk and follow your career dreams.
In this Q&A, Sharon Eden, inner leadership coach and psychotherapist talks about how receiving a whack around the head is a deliberate call to make you wake up so you can (re)discover your purpose, passion and power. She also talks about the personal cost of avoiding or ignoring our warning signs or staying within your own unhealthy comfort zone.
Do you need a whack around the head?
People who need a whack around the head are happily unhappily sleep-walking instead of living; robotically going through the motions of their work, domestic and social lives. They’re people like anyone who has fallen into their career rather than having chosen it. Like anyone who stays in their current unsatisfying job because of the mortgage or they’re too scared to put themselves on the job market line.
You might just be plain old fed-up or suffer from stress, depression or the ‘Monday Morning Blues’. You might even get the fleeting idea ‘there has to be more to life than this!’ But that’s all quickly shoved to the back of your mind for the uncomfortable comfort of staying with the status quo; clutching to the familiar which seems not to demand anything much of you. Read the rest of this entry »
The year 1994 was a real turning point for Chris Rawlins. A high flying city trader who had led the hedonistic lifestyle; partying, wearing pin stripe suits and red braces, found himself throwing it all in. He no longer enjoyed the thrill of chasing the money. So, he took himself out of his comfort zone and ended up volunteering for Bridge Partnership for six months, which took him down a totally different, unexpected career path that changed his life forever.
He argues that if you’re finding work a burden, you’re fizzling out, and becoming mentally exhausted – you need to get out now before it’s too late. “Don’t get caught up in a career trap. Fear is all about the imagined of a perceived future that’s not real,” states Chris. “Take control before your career change is thrust upon you.”
If you dare to take a risk in your career, get yourself out of your current predicament, no matter how scary that seems, and lose the fear of walking into the unknown, you’re suddenly presented with new opportunities you could never imagine possible. This is Chris’s story. Read the rest of this entry »
I was having a conversation with a CEO who runs a coaching business that uses Olympians to deliver motivational speeches to executive board members. We were debating the function of HR and its associated titles. He said that we need to get rid of the term ‘human resources’. He questioned what does HR manage? Resources?
To quote: “Shouldn’t the role of HR professionals be to empower every individual within the organisation to perform at their best instead?” He went so far as to say HR directors should start adopting the title of ‘chief performance director’. Read the rest of this entry »
The financial crisis and economic state has forced employees to question the ethics and values of their own leaders. Many employees have lost faith and trust in the organisations they work for.
This special HR Carnival is about looking at what it takes to be a great leader and why vision & values, as well as culture & community should form part of a company’s core DNA. Read the rest of this entry »
I recently interviewed director of human resources at Marks & Spencer, Tanith Dodge, about how leaders can build emotional connection with their employees. I asked her questions such as:
* How do you sustain employee loyalty, commitment and pride in the brand?
* How do you emotionally engage with your people so they act in a socially responsible way?
* What are your values?
* How do you embed your values from the top all the way down through the organisation?
* How do you empower your people?
* How do you create community spirit within the business – what’s the ROI?
Tanith’s answers were enlightening. Here’s a powerful statement she made during interview that really struck a chord with me:
“The CSR function is not an add-on. Plan A is about how we do business. It’s a strong lever in demonstrating sustainable leadership, where we’re doing the right thing for our people, the community and the environment. We care about the lives of people and the world we live in. This makes employees feel really proud to work for M&S.” Read the rest of this entry »
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