Kirkpatrick & Hopes » leadership

K&H recognised for best practice showcase

Bernadette Brownlie — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:02:57 +0000

On Wednesday 16th February, Kirkpatrick & Hopes will be holding the first presentation to other businesses as part of our newly granted status as Hosts for Onsite Insights.

We have been selected for demonstrating best practice in:

Leadership
People management
Marketing

Our Chairman and Business Development Director, Andrew Gray, will be on hand to explain some of the innovations in these areas that we have brought into K&H over the last few years, and giving our visitors the benefit of years of hard-earned experience in how (and how not) to implement change in their small businesses. We will also be making available all of the tools and resources that we have spent years developing, such as our team happiness/360 degree feedback system.

Full details of the visit can be found here

The cost of attending the day if you book through Onsite Insights is £195 plus VAT. However, if you book directly through K&H, we are offering two places free of charge. If you would like to take up this offer, please leave a comment below or email me directly at: bernadetteb@kandh.co.uk

The 10 greatest CEOs of all time

Andrew.Neale — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:45:31 +0000

One of the biggest debates in management schools and books is around the subject of leadership.Yet, despite our increasing celebrity-obsessed popular culture, business leaders seem to have a surprisingly low profile, with one or two exceptions such as Richard Branson. The recent targeting (scapegoating?) of bank leaders has also brought a few more unfamiliar names into the spotlight.

What makes a great leader? The author Jim Collins described the concept of ‘level 5 leadership’ in his book Good to Great (probably my favourite business book). This is a person who shows a high level of personal humility and quiet determination to drive their companies forward. This is in contrast to the stereotypical image of a charismatic individual who everyone imagined to be the natural leader.

I came across this list of the top 10 CEOs on Jim Collins’ website. This is from a few years ago now (2003) but I am sure the basic principles and criteria used by Collins are still valid, although I do wonder how the recent recession would influence his choice.

With a general election coming up, perhaps we can use this list to help us reflect on the leadership qualities that are really important, rather than just going along with the media bias towards the colourful and telegenic candidates. Dare I suggest that Gordon Brown may fare better using Collins’ criteria than some other candidates?

Here are Collins’ top 10:

No. 10: David Packard, Hewlett-Packard co-founder
No. 9: Katharine Graham, Washington Post Co.
No. 8: William McKnight, 3M
No. 7: David Maxwell, Fannie Mae
No. 6: James Burke, Johnson & Johnson
No. 5: Darwin Smith, Kimberly-Clark
No. 4: George Merck, Merck & Co.
No. 3: Sam Walton, Wal-Mart founder
No. 2: Bill Allen, Boeing
No. 1: Charles Coffin, General Electric’s first president

To read in full what Jim Collins has to say about this subject and why he chose those people, have a look here.

Who would your number one business leader be?

Who would your number one non-business leader be?

What determines great leadership?

pauline.williamson — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:23:40 +0000

I love this succinct definition, which I found from reading an E-Myth newsletter the other day. Can you identify yourself in it?

‘Great leadership requires the ability:

to control what is in your power to control;

to give people clarity, direction, and a sense of security;

to chart a course and set goals your employees believe are attainable.

And, as we begin a new year, it is your job as the business leader to set and communicate expectations for the year ahead. From strategic initiatives to marketing campaigns, from new positions to new product lines, your company is waiting for you to clearly set the goals for the new year.

It also falls on your shoulders right now to make sure that your financial house is in order, that you understand thoroughly where you are today, how you got there, and have a plan moving forward.’

So as we start the new year, what should any great leader be concentrating on?

The E-Myth newsletter continues by explaining the key areas to concentrate on financially at the beginning of the year in order to start the first quarter right. In summary, they are:

Set your budget
Determine your financial goals
Communicate to your team

To read about each of these areas in more detail see the full article.