So, it happened. Dream gig of CEO in ideal turnaround company pulling on all my decades of experience of people, customers and getting shit done. New investors investing. All signs, measures and “gut feel” heading in a positive direction after 3 years of real hard slog. What happened? You guessed it. Dumped out on my … More Mid-Fifties Beach Bum
Wowzer! One of my stated aims of this blog was to document – ideally in a humorous and irreverent way – the ups and downs of my lucky life close to the top of the Executive tree. It pains me to reflect that much of my recent musings seem to have documented the seemingly endless … More Fresh Mountain Air
Whilst I would love to believe otherwise, currently I am not aware of my blog having an avid fan base. Yet if there were such a thing it would surely have noticed a distinct lack of recent activity. Now I’m sure I’m not alone on that – the year has been mildly disruptive after all … More A Tale of Blowing Whistles
With the incessant cavalry charge towards “authentic leadership” in full swing, one of the most regular battle cries is to “be able to look at yourself in the mirror”. It’s something I’ve always believed in and tried to live by. Tough decisions do need to be made for the greater good, but as long as … More Self Reflection : Mirror mirror on the wall
I believe in keeping things simple. So, here is the simple “tell it as it is” 5 key points for nailing the perfect interview, and getting that elusive big job. 1. Pre work. Know your stuff. Fail to prepare and prepare to fail. 2. Nail the first 5 minutes. First impressions are everything. Go overboard … More Top 5 tips : How to Nail the Perfect Executive Interview
Since launching my first-born blog into an unsuspecting universe nearly two years ago, it’s fair to say I’ve had a chunky sized helping of turbulence. Not as a direct result I hasten to add. There have of course been peaks and perks alongside the bumps and bruises, and as time goes on I’ve recognised just … More One good day makes it all okay
A new low. Recently I failed to get an Executive role in a company that manufactures and distributes shit. Not only did I fail, but I appear to have failed by some way, and with some fairly brutal post final interview feedback. Feedback is supposed to be good to get – it is a gift … More Executive Scrapheap?
The never ending cartoon strip that is The Trump Presidency has thrown up yet another interesting intellectual dilemma, aka the question of being morally fit to lead. It has led me to reflect on my time close to the hot seat of a number of big businesses and ask the same question of my peers … More The Moral Olympics
Both regular readers will no doubt notice with some alarm that the “Vault” – my simple archive for hopefully humorous reminisces of my Executive past – has for this episode only been transformed to the “Crypt”. Two reasons for this. Firstly this tale is a little more contemporary than most tales that reside in the … More Tales from the Crypt : Stan and Ollie
Ok, so hands up who thought this was going to be a slightly riskee ditty on identifying and luring promising young talent? Well, sorry to disappoint you but it’s not. Not in this day and age. And quite right too. And if it was the grooming # that got you here then shame on you … More 5 top tips for successful Executive grooming
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