Debate | Professional Manager

Insights on the finer details of management and thought-provoking columns on wider workplace issues to sink your intellect into. If it gets you talking, it’s here

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Do leaders need absolute trust or is everything relative?

As UKIP continues to exploit diminished trust in the mainstream political parties, how can they reverse the decline?

Successful leaders are trusted by those who follow them. So various studies that show declining trust in Government and MPs – in other words, the sort of dissatisfaction that is helping to drive the UKIP charge – remain a major concern for the political establishment.

Why Labour must back SME “producers” amid attack on “predators” Labour leader Ed Miliband has identified “inequality and the cost of living crisis” as the key election issue. It’s a positive theme that ties together Labour’s big ideas of late: an energy price freeze…
Why political leaders should not take ethnic votes for granted A controversial poster campaign unveiled by UKIP this week has put immigration front and centre in the campaign for the local and European elections next month. But while political parties grapple with the impact…
How politicians are known by the company they keep The association fallacy is an automatic short cut we all take from time to time. It’s why companies spend fortunes to be linked with popular celebrities and drop like a stone those whose actions…
Why employers can’t afford not to embrace the living wage Last week, the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) issued a report warning that the decline in pay rises would not be reversed until there is a substantial improvement in the UK’s poor…
Should political parties emulate supermarket loyalty schemes? Are we better off or worse off? Do we have more jobs or fewer jobs? It depends who you listen to. Westminster politicians are keen to tell us how we’re doing and how we…
Government’s Owen Paterson takes on environment giants In the Independent this week, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson launched a scathing attack on “wicked” opponents of GM crops – blaming their meddling for the deaths of children in the developing world. Paterson argued…
Party differences return in battle over human nature One of the accusations regularly thrown at politicians is that “they are all the same” and that “nothing will change” regardless of which party is in government.
Miliband’s energy policy suggests tactical guile On Sunday morning, Ed Miliband kicked off the Labour conference by telling Andrew Marr how unlikely it was that he could have been part of Damian McBride’s macho gang of toughs. But by the…
Will voters give Clegg benefit of the doubt? Apparently it was the Lib Dem annual conference this week. It hardly set the world on fire as a piece of political theatre, despite a statesmanlike closing address by Nick Clegg. As a consequence…
The management trouble with Generation X “Clique maintenance: the need of one generation to see the generation following it as deficient so as to bolster its own collective ego: ‘Kids today do nothing. They’re so apathetic. We used to go…
How real-time feedback will change our work habits My flat sits atop a hill. That makes for pleasant views of the local area, but for a pretty grim walk home after 10 hours in the office. Normally I stagger off the Tube…
Why psychometric testing and politics don’t mix Following that unfortunate business with Nazi salutes in the May local elections and MEP Godfrey Bloom’s recent excursion to the mythical “Bongo-Bongo Land”, UKIP has put its candidates for next year’s European poll through…
What an awards win did for us Awards ceremonies are always great places to catch up with specialist professionals for their thoughts on best-practice approaches to the field in question. The National Management and Leadership (NML) Awards are a perfect example…
Why Chuka Umunna can’t afford to count on destiny The Royal Prince who arrived this week is set for a lifetime of expectation, but assuming there are no constitutional changes in the next 50 years, he can be sure of attaining the ultimate…
Secret Staffer: management cheats rarely prosper Let’s go off-piste for a spell, dear readers. Instead of revealing the secrets of my own experiences, I’ll be recounting a story from one of the few people to know my true identity: my…
Labour leaders on back foot in their back yard over NHS Dividing lines between the Tories and Labour have historically been sketched out in simple terms. The Conservatives are trusted on the economy. Sometimes the economic medicine may be difficult to take, but it’s prescribed…
Ed Miliband’s reluctant Clause Four Moment One of Tony Blair’s abiding gifts to political discourse is the concept of the “Clause Four Moment” – now shorthand for those crunch times when political leaders put decisive stamps on their parties. In…
Swivelgate: how green shoots hope was quashed by grassroots wrath Amid the pomp and ceremony of the Queen’s Speech, TV cameras caught a glimpse of Ed Miliband and David Cameron sharing a joke in the corridors of Westminster. The mood was convivial, and people…
Would an EU referendum be a sign of weak leadership? Good politicians balance technical advice with particular moral or ethical perspectives. They ponder the political implications of their own position to see how it fits with the prevailing mood. But in the end, having…
Winners tough to pick in government Spending Review There’s no process better designed to ride roughshod across notions of collegiate Government than the Spending Review. Erstwhile political allies smile sweetly across the Cabinet table while briefing the press on the outrageous waste…
Would the Thatcher approach to leadership work today? Today, and for the last time, Margaret Thatcher dominated the national media. For a Prime Minister who supposedly never read the newspapers, her grasp of communication and ability to connect with voters set the…
How to make your office environmentally friendly This article could just as easily have been entitled “How to save the world and money using just your office”, because in the modern world, one almost certainly leads to the other. Being environmentally…
How business bosses turned work into a game You can blame it on Napoleon. In 1795, he was scratching his head, trying to come up with a way to carry provisions over long distances for his soldiers, when inspiration struck. Why not…
Playing the blame game in the Westminster machine When Steve Hilton headed to California after just two years at Downing Street, he said he was demoralised by the “red tape and bureaucracy” of the Civil Service machine. This week, his comments on…
Sarah Taylor talent swoop should urge recruiters to be open minded News that England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor is in talks to play in the Second XI for a county-level men’s team shows how important it is for managers to cast a wide net when they…
Do your senior managers need to be active on social? Earlier this year a study revealed just how few senior executives have any kind of active profile on social media. Whether this matters or not depends on the purpose of your social media work.…
Why has Liverpool backed the “new hand of God”? With his handball goal against lowly Mansfield, Game Theory bête noire Luis Suarez has again incurred the wrath of the football community – but has once more won the backing of his club in…
Coalition leaders make it through divorce day, but their families are still squabbling Lawyers have dubbed the first working day of the New Year “divorce day”, as couples rush for advice on separations in the wake of Christmas rows. By startling contrast, the Prime Minister and Deputy…
It’s time to make capitalism work for people Not long ago it was deeply unfashionable to make moral judgements about the way in which people and companies made their money. Lord Mandelson summed this attitude up in 1998 when he said that…
Five tips for reducing your email on No Email Day It’s estimated that around 300 billion emails are sent each day. Even assuming that a large chunk of those are likely to be spam messages, that’s still a whole lot of emails zipping about.…
Ricky Ponting: Respect for the man we loved to hate Few sportsmen or women get to retire with as much goodwill from the people they represent as erstwhile Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting. As an Englishman, mine is a grudging respect for the man…
The role of the partner in employee engagement Employee engagement is a topic that’s in the mind of most managers today, with flexible working trumpeted as one of the main weapons in the managers armoury when looking to improve it.
The value of staff benefits In 1983, John Woodward and his wife began looking for quality, affordable day care for their child. They couldn’t find any. Asking around, they found that friends and neighbours were having the same trouble.…
Big Idea drought in government can be catching I’m hardly breaking any Magic Circle confidences if I say that political comment pieces tend to follow one of two formats.
Miliband’s speech only works as Part One of a trilogy On the morning of his conference speech, a Com Res poll for the Independent made tough reading for Ed Miliband. Only one in five people think he has what it takes to be Prime…
Live Q&A with Jo Swinson Earlier this month during the cabinet reshuffle Jo Swinson was promoted to the post of Minister for the department of Business, Innovation & Skills with a brief of employment relations, consumer and postal affairs.…
Initiative is prized in small firms, but despised in large ones Since quitting my job to escape poor management, I’ve moved into a curious mix of being half self-employed – where, oddly enough, I have both a manager (but more on that next time!) …
Should managers be friends with their employees? Karen Shaw, director of Employee Excellence and founder of Inner Communications therapy practice
The Russian roulette of reshuffling A Cabinet reshuffle can often seem like a grand game of musical chairs – a political ballet with plenty of noise but little significance. But while the resulting changes often seem more cosmetic than…
British Olympic managers ponder their futures in positive light Lord Moynihan has made a shrewd decision to announce his November departure from the post of chairman at the British Olympic Association (BOA). Moynihan is leaving on a high, following Team GB’s most…
Why staff numbers are up in the slump There’s a puzzling aspect to this recession. Contraction in the economy is usually accompanied by a much more visceral indicator – a contraction in the employment rate and a rise in unemployment. But not…
Bringing the Middle East to the East Midlands By ostensibly dropping their stated plans to appoint an “iconic” manager, Nottingham Forest’s new Kuwaiti owners have made the right first move towards stewarding the fallen giant in the right fashion.
Izzard in blizzard of publicity over Crystal Palace director role Whatever the reason behind Crystal Palace appointing Eddie Izzard as associate director, no one can accuse the comedian of setting expectations for his tenure unreasonably high.
Nick Buckles under the strain of “perfectly normal” Olympics security farce One major management story dominated the weekend’s news agenda: the failure of world Number One security firm G4S to fulfil its manpower quota for the London Olympics, necessitating the enlistment of 3,500 British Army…
Cameron’s personality crisis, Berlusconi mulls comeback and Branson set for blast-off David Cameron is a man currently under fire from all angles. Ed Miliband is finally stepping up to play the role of plausible alternative Premier, with assured performances in the Commons, popular ideas to…
Tony Blair in surprise appointment to Labour advisory team Tony Blair has been dropping hints for months now that he would return to front-line politics, but it was never entirely clear what he had in mind.
Diamond’s deflections, a visionary hiring and Lord Sugar’s TV gizmo Axed Barclays boss Bob Diamond came out fighting during a grilling by the MPs of the Treasury Select Committee, soaking up three hours of questioning in which he repeatedly expressed anger and sorrow over…
Generals quit Army, Cameron’s referendum hint and court action against Bank of England boss At least six of the British Army’s most highly skilled generals have walked away from the organisation in the wake of government defence cuts. With the size of the Army about to be cut…
A banking glitch, Royal protocol and bosses’ pay packets under fire RBS Group customer services director Susan Allen has confirmed that the hangover from a software glitch that left account holders unable to access their funds is likely to rumble on into the middle of…
Employment surge, O-level’s return and some taxing issues for Carr Figures released this week finally give the government some positive news on the economy, as employment has risen by 166,000 over the past quarter. The Coalition’s stance that the private sector would take up…
William Hague at PMQs was a breath of fresh air for the Tories When Harriet Harman and William Hague once before faced off over the dispatch box, the Labour minister floored him. Then, in 2008, when Hague teased her about wearing a flak jacket for a…
Keep calm and carry on, Wayne The question posed is “Should England play Wayne Rooney on Tuesday?”. The answer – from nearly all quarters – is an emphatic “Yes”.
A “Lehman’s moment”, Coalition wrestling and Olympic controversy World Bank boss Robert Zoellick will tell the G20 summit – taking place in Mexico today and tomorrow – that the eurozone crisis is facing its “Lehman’s moment” – implying that it could be…
Why BBC One boss Danny Cohen should silence The Voice The rumour mill has gone into meltdown over The Voice, with its future as the BBC’s flagship Saturday-night show unclear. Bosses have portrayed it as a success, with viewing figures that suggest it…
Let’s stop judging mums so harshly We are all a little guilty of judging people in the media, but when it comes to mothers are we more judgemental than normal? Many celebrity mums live their lives in the media through…
Eurovision managers grapple with culture clash in Azerbaijan Saturday will bring the return of everyone’s favourite kitsch night in – the Eurovision Song Contest Final. While Britain has always viewed the event with an element of disdain, thanks to our obsession with…
Steve Jobs i-opics battle for soul of leadership genius Hollywood is replete with rivalry, and that often extends to the subjects of films released by competing studios. In 1997, sudden death by lava and ash became a big deal with the summer release…
Huey Morgan rant highlights DJ management challenges Once again, the unfiltered world of Twitter has been the stage for a high-profile spat, with 6Music presenter Huey Morgan taking to the network on Tuesday morning to unleash a barrage of abuse relating…
Miliband is prospering in battle of the weak A long time ago in a magazine far, far, away, I was involved in assembling a league of an industry’s top leaders, for whom my readers were asked to vote. One of my more…
Clever Mancini management wraps up Premiership in style Hats off to both Roberto Mancini and Alex Ferguson for seizing the top two slots in this year’s Premiership title race. In the end Mancini’s unstoppable force beat Ferguson’s immoveable object – but, my…
Running the economy like a household budget is bricking up recovery Sounds sensible doesn’t it? Treat the national economy like you would a household budget. When your debts get too big, cut back on spending. Eventually you’ll get back on track.
Rupert Murdoch dulls Leveson Inquiry into submission Do you know that you are all over the internet right now on every website that has embedded the live feed from the Leveson Inquiry… you know, the Leveson Inquiry? The one that’s…
Perception of failure catches up with Disney boss With cosmetics and aesthetics at the top of the US film industry’s totem pole, woe betide the naïve aspirant who underestimates how much appearances matter more than substance. Especially when it comes to the…
The excitement of sink-or-swim challenges Challenge yourself, experience something new! It sounds like a sales pitch for an exotic holiday or a sure way to end up with a limb in plaster. But when was the last time you…
Guns ‘n’ Roses Hall of Fame show proves a company is more than its boss Saturday night saw the sight of a hugely well-known and well-loved group of musicians receiving acclaim for their contribution to a body of work spanning five albums, countless grandiose tours and the birth and…
Live blog offers process excellence on tap If adjectives such as ‘lean’, ‘agile’, ‘transformed’ and ‘effective’ are words that you want to apply to your business processes, you were well advised to follow the week of 23 April – for that…
Cameron needs to get back on the ball Play the ball, not the man. It is the lament of many a frustrated PE teacher and has become a metaphor for debating. Maybe the Prime Minister didn’t play football at school – or…
TUC boss Brendan Barber to retire – but fairness fight goes on TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has announced his decision to retire after nearly a decade in charge of the heavyweight workers’-rights group. “I have decided that this is the right time to make a…
Fresh demands for rise of the electric referee Referees and linesmen in football leagues the world are frequently 10 to 15 years older than the players they are charged with regulating, which puts them at a serious physical disadvantage. As such, it’s…
Managing marvels an everyday business for production boss Characters adored by children of all ages for decades on end. Multiple storylines that have wound a fiendish web through the entire history of a famous publishing firm. Obscure references that most people would…
Managing the masses: Lady Gaga and her fans In the week following the release of Madonna’s MDNA comeback album, the contender for her throne as queen of pop, Lady Gaga, announced details of her own comeback tour, with the revelation of…
Ken’s candidacy ignores rule of modern politics: leaders must be liked Many managers are familiar with the oak-aged poser of whether they’d prefer to be well liked or successful. It is a curious question in that it forces a choice: it is implicit that one…
FA attempt to manage tweets could cultivate leadership Former US President Lyndon B Johnson once declared that it is better to have one’s would-be antagonists “inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in”. The FA seems to be adopting…
Books at bedtime are key to tomorrow’s workforce For working parents, it is a constant struggle to find time for the family. Often this is compressed into a few rushed minutes before work and maybe an hour afterwards. That hour is organised…
My nights with the living dead What did you do this lunchtime? Eat some sushi? Go to the bank? Go to the post office perchance? What if your “lunchtime” fell at 3am or eight in the morning? You could forget…
Why the government should fear being labelled poor managers “Deeper in the midterm mire.” That was the headline. And it wasn’t an entirely negative one, given that it gently implied that the government might recover.
Investor demands Rupert Murdoch departure as James steps down from BSkyB role A “lax ethical culture” and “lack of effective board oversight” at News Corporation have made Rupert Murdoch’s chairmanship untenable, according to Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS). The major News Corp investor has petitioned other…
JP Morgan markets boss resigns over inside information fine Ian Hannam has resigned as chairman of capital markets at JP Morgan following a Financial Services Authority (FSA) probe into his client dealings. Published today, an FSA decision notice says that Hannam disclosed inside…
Throwing the HR book at rugby misconduct On Monday, rugby player Gavin Henson was fired by Cardiff Blues following his drunken misbehaviour on a flight back from a game in Glasgow. While the sacking was met with surprise from the rugby…
Government’s ability to listen and learn shrivels in the limelight Unless you read the Daily Telegraph, you’d be forgiven for missing it. The big news this week was that the government managed to achieve a good headline. The praise from the Telegraph …
Put thought rather than cash into Mother’s Day If you couldn’t tell from the saccharine TV adverts and floral window displays on the high street, last Sunday was Mothering Sunday – the day in every mum’s calendar that should guarantee a lie-in…
Osborne’s management blunder over top rate fudge If the Chancellor thinks that the reduction in the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p will bring in more money, then why is he waiting until 2013 to impose it?
Personal process improvement As a fond cyclist in my spare time the concept of measuring personal progress is far from alien. Every ride provides a wealth of statistics for you to mull over, from ride distance to…
Let’s stop pricing mums out of the job market The high cost of childcare has long kept mothers from returning to work. But recent increases in childcare costs could be about to dissuade them even further.
James Murdoch quits News International in bid to salvage management credentials James Murdoch has stepped down from his post as executive chairman of News International, following further revelations this week about the conduct of the group’s tabloids. The details emerged at the Leveson Inquiry, which…
Is Oscar just red tape in a gold mask? At around 10:30 last night, Sky News caught itself in a broadcasting hiccup that was at once depressing, amusing and highly instructive.
What a day for a debrief They regulate our very existence. And while we cherish some and hold significance for others, we accept the days of the week without question. Historians are unsure who exactly came up with the idea…
My way or the highway Returning mothers often feel they are facing an uphill battle. How many days a week should she stay home with her child? Can she trust and afford her childcare provider? Should she be going…
Why child benefit is the chancellor’s Sinclair C5 Anyone around in the 1980s will remember the sad tale of Sir Clive Sinclair’s C5. This outlandish device, for those fresh enough not to remember, was an 6ft-long electric powered tricycle designed for road…
The value of values: a tale of two publishers Well, it’s pretty fair to say that no one saw that coming.
Exploiting Whitney – why music industry cynicism deserves no sympathy Morrissey once sang, “ at the record company meeting/On their hands, a dead star/And oh, the plans they weave/And oh, the sickening greed ”. In the aftermath of another death of a huge global…
The numbers game you always lose “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” may be the most commonly quoted adage in management. Yet, extraordinarily for such an influential phrase, it has neither definitive attribution nor justification. It’s a…
Breaking up is hard to do – but not impossible The strange thing about the Act of Union between England and Scotland is not that it is under threat after 305 years, but that it ever lasted so long.
The English football sack race: who next for vilification? The FA has a somewhat chequered recent history when appointing the Chosen One to manage the England team, taking a scenic route through the tactically blank days of crowd favourite, (but football clown)…
Rupert Murdoch tugged back into press corruption scandal By any assessment, Saturday mornings have got to be a source of double dread for News International journalists right now. As well as promising the queasy after effects of Friday-night forays through the mean…
Has pop CEO Madonna been undone by her blond ambition? This week saw the big reveal of the cover image for Madonna’s eagerly awaited, twelfth studio album MDNA. The image is reminiscent of her iconic 1980s look, along with the cover of her…
Was Mark Thompson driven out by the downturn Daleks? Where to go in an organisation that has scant hope of achieving any conceivable growth for the immediate – and, quite possibly, long-term – future? The answer, so it would appear, is “Out”. That’s…
The great networking hoax Most networking gurus will tell you that the activity is essential to widen your horizons, expose yourself to fresh ideas and generally be a better and more productive professional. It’s a myth that is…
Drip-dry Dave, not optimistic Osborne, keeps the Tories afloat It has not been a good day for George Osborne. The chancellor had to sit quietly while the Prime Minister had to defend his handling of an economy that went backwards in the last…
Where are the label bosses that will bring indie back? 2012 is not a good year to be in an indie rock band. Sales data released by the Official Charts Company has shown that in the UK in 2011, only 2 of the top…
Is the hapless Ed Miliband still holding an ace? Last Friday night I sat around a poker table with seven friends. As the cards rolled, the topic of Ed Miliband’s leadership came up. Of the other guys there, I reckon that three vote…
Ali, the Greatest of sporting media managers, hits his 70th birthday Born in Kentucky and named Cassius Marcellus Clay after a 19th Century abolitionist politician, Muhammed Ali was a sporting genius who went on to embody a social conscience that honoured the origins of his…
Managerial miscasting shines through the Leveson testimony of Richard Desmond Nicknamed Richard ‘Dirty’ Desmond by fortnightly hypocrisy detector Private Eye, the Northern & Shell chief – and owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star – kindles strong feelings in those who believe…
Child benefit fiasco is more evidence that politicians ignore law of unintended consequences Before the chancellor George Osborne pulled a rabbit from a hat at the 2010 Tory conference he ought to have a read up on an ancient law. The law of unintended consequences is immutable…
Friday Fame or Shame: Richard Branson and Virgin Money Richard Branson was busy with the launch of a suite of new bank branches this week. Virgin Money opened its first branch in Newcastle, having taken over the troubled Northern Rock. Over the next…
Poor management set the stage for RBS collapse, says FSA A long-awaited report from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) on the catastrophic failure of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has concluded that poor management decisions were a major cause.
Why cynicism is bad for you Do you trust someone until they prove that you shouldn’t, or do you have a natural cynicism until someone proves they are trust worthy?
Is it ever right to fight in the workplace? You know how it is: a seemingly innocuous conversation suddenly detours into contentious territory. Sensitivities on both sides are inflamed. Feathers are ruffled, hackles are raised… and lo and behold, the red mist descends.…
Who is YOUR management muse? When Billy Joel plays live, a marble bust of Beethoven propped up on his grand piano stares straight at him. Steven Spielberg once bought at auction the sleigh used by the young version of…
Open Services White Paper presents huge test for Big Society The Open Public Services White Paper is the government’s much-vaunted, yet widely mocked, Big Society agenda made manifest. This delayed and hugely anticipated document – which was finally published in the dog days of…
Memo to HR managers: play fair on Olympics fortnight Remember the perfect moment when the “L” of the word “London” rolled off the tongue of International Olympics Committee chief Jacques Rogge as the host for the 2012 Games was revealed? Six years have…
Happiness in the workplace is the key In times of austerity, it may seem odd to devote an article to the importance of employee wellbeing. However, evidence suggests that boosting wellbeing in the workplace can also boost the bottom line.
Why you need to give employees something to belong to I’m currently reading The Language of Leaders by Kevin Murray. In the book he talks about the need to have both a strong purpose to your organisation, and good enough leadership skills to communicate…
Same difference: meeting reward expectations in the workplace “We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich,” a fresh-faced and only recently de-moustachioed Peter Mandelson told a group of California computer executives in 1998, shortly after New Labour had swept into Downing…
Exit interviews: curing a ‘revolving door’ policy by asking People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers – so the old saying goes. People leave jobs for lots of reasons, of course: more money, greater responsibility, or a change of industry sector or profession…
The art of refereeing office love games At work, as in life, there are few constants. But come rain or shine, boom or bust, put a group of go-getters in a dynamic work environment and romantic sparks will fly. A survey…
This assault on workers’ rights will kill innovation Sometimes I wonder whether the law of unintended consequences is intentionally overlooked. In its well-intended and much needed drive to deregulate the labour market, heralded in a leaked report earlier today, the Government…
Employee-centred management Last Friday I attended the launch of a white paper written by acclaimed academic Julian Birkinshaw. The paper was sponsored by Indian IT company HCL, who are famous for their Employees First…
Should staff get overtime back in a slump? Research background to the debate As the pressures of working life have increased, and so too the hours we spend at work, employers have increasingly given staff the chance of taking time off, instead…
Unsocial media: have meetings become less focused? They used to say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But in 2011, this is unlikely to be true.
Are the smartest managers risk-takers? British managers seem less willing to take risks. It’s a sweeping statement – my only experience is of the oil and gas industry – but research from organisations such as CMI and AIM has…
Wanted: one million talented young managers for UK Plc by 2017 Are school-leavers ready to become great managers? Ask the leader of any UK business, and the answer is likely to be “no”. The question of whether new entrants to the job market are ready…