Author Archives: Blair Stevenson

Your Guide to Goal Setting

When it comes to goal setting there is something irresistibly appealing to leaders about setting stretch goals. Just selecting one feels like an achievement. And who can resist the idea that with enough energy and focus, meeting those stretch goals will transform the organisation, or turn the manager into an acknowledged leader. Yet it is [...]

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What’s Your Definition of Leadership?

The real measure of your leadership ability is your ability to build and maintain a high-performing team. Do you have a better definition of leadership?

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Shock Discovery – Middle Managers Drive Organizational Performance

Contrary to media stories that suggest CEO’s are the key to organizational success, the impact of CEOs, CFOs and other top-level executives on large firms is extremely limited. In fact, these top positions explain less than 5% of the variation in firm performance amongst Fortune 800 companies. Of course, senior leaders set the strategic direction [...]

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Effective Leadership Reduces Sick Leave

Effective Leadership reduces sick leave. At least that’s what I’ve long believed based on client results.

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People Managers Don’t Need All the Answers

When he was on the campaign trail before becoming President of the United States, Barack Obama was quoted as saying, “Leaders don’t need the answers. They just need to know what questions to ask.”

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Let’s Salute the Earthquake Heroes

As you will know only too well, at 12.51 pm on Tuesday 22nd February 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It devastated the town of Lyttelton and the city of Christchurch, and caused a State of National Emergency to be declared.

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Managing Your Manager

A recent request for tips on managing your manager got me thinking about an approach that I’ve found very successful.

I’ve used this approach to manage my own manager in a corporate business, and to help others in both corporate businesses and the public sector to manage their boss.

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3 Tips for Effective Leadership

What is Effective Leadership? Here are some numbers to consider that answer this question.

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Effective Leadership Has Impact

All first and mid-level managers have the potential to transform the performance of their teams and the work life of their team members. They have the potential to make a real difference for their organisation and a real difference to the lives of their people.

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What Is The Optimum Span Of Control?

Span of control, or span of management, refers to the number of direct reports a people leader manages. With a larger span of control, the cost of management can be reduced. However, if the span of control is too large, managers may not have the capacity to effectively lead their people for high performance.

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