This is where we keep you informed about all the latest developments in Training, Business and generally in the world at large with a slight not unsurprising bias towards Learning and Development.

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Back to the Future

As we come out of recession with a weaker, but more competitive pound, the UK will be able to play to its strengths in areas such as aircraft, high-tech IT equipment, electrical components and pharmaceuticals. Masked by the overall decline in manufacturing's share of GDP, high-tech manufacturing has been expanding: up by more than a third since 1995. This growth has also benefited business services as a result of outsourcing functions such as marketing and logistics. >>>more from Sean Rickfield of Cranfield Management Focus

Radical thinking is needed if businesses are to survive the downturn

Over the past twenty years the developed world has been guilty of massive over-consumption, with people living beyond their means and borrowing more money than they could afford. And come the end of this historic economic episode, society might look very different. In the light of such possible changes in consumer behaviours and societal attitudes, businesses need to be thinking about a long-term survival plan, one that will insulate them against potential profit squeezes. more>>> Henry Mintzberg explains

US President awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Despite certain obvious reservattions, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

The first African American to hold the country's highest office, Obama has called for disarmament and worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office in January. Sky News

Isn't it great when someone who has clearly had presentation skills coaching makes it for good reasons - even if you dont agree with all of his politics

Blood in the Boardroom

Handled with care, conflict at the top of a company brings rewards. But powerful leaders who sweep away challenge can cause division and damage performance

A remarkable feature of the banking crisis is the number of senior people who have admitted that they felt unable to challenge their leaders' strategies, even though they believed them to be flawed. No one brooks contradiction kindly, and powerful people often feel extremely threatened by it. It's the hard-wired human response reinforced by years of business-school thinking about the benefits of the decisive hero leader. So they snuff out flickers of challenge to the point where no one dare contradict them.

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from The November Director

Keeping ahead of the Game

With workforces scaled down, directors have to be more productive. In addition with many people taking new roles as a result of restructuring and generally being under more pressure the likelihood of role ambiguity and increased strain on relationships means people need help and are turning to executive coaching.

Extracts from IOD News November 2009 article by Gerard Hargreaves.

Cognitive Restructuring

Stress Busting

The Cognitive Restructuring tool is based on the approach to Cognitive Therapy described by Drs. Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky in their book Mind Over Mood, Not only are negative moods unpleasant, they can also reduce the quality of our performance, and undermine our relationships with other people. Cognitive Restructuring can help us turn these moods around and significantly reduce stress so that we can approach situations in a positive frame of mind. For more information http://www.mindtools.com/ or click  for the White Paper

First Direct staff answer thousands of queries a day in a vast call centre... yet the online bank tops polls for employee loyalty. Why are its workers so highly motivated?

First Direct's call centre staff receive an average of 10 calls every hour-or around 28,000 conversations each weekday. Not many people's idea of a blast, but management must be doing something right. At 14 per cent, staff turnover is way below the industry norm. Happy employees are good to have around if you want satisfied customers. Last year, a GfK NOP survey recognised First Direct as the best call centre in the UK for customer service.  more from the Director Magazine

Leading Ethically by Perceiving Correctly

“With hindsight, the FSA, like other authorities throughout the world, was focused too much on individual institutions, and the processes and procedures within them, and not adequately focused on the totality of the systemic risks across the whole system.”  FSA Chairman Lord Turner, February 2009

To take sound ethical action by ‘perceiving correctly’ is a more complicated process than just being able to see what is apparently going on in any given circumstance. It also requires the ability to recognise the most pressing ethical demand among conflicting priorities. Creative accounting practices might fulfil the ethical virtue of ‘exemplary customer service’ in terms of producing the greatest return on investments. However, when such practices border on illegalities, the more important ethical requirement has not been spotted. Management Focus from Cranfield University

Are you managing and acting ethically? if you aren't you run the risk of repeating  what happened to the Banks in your business.

CEOs call for inspirational, positive leadership

Chief executives of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) have singled out people management as the most important attribute for recession-hit line managers. In research sponsored by the Institute of Leadership & Management, 27 per cent of CEOs highlighted the ability to manage and communicate with staff as the most important skill for their managers to possess in a downturn.

Managing out of Recession

A survey* found more than half of the executive coaches questioned said they had helped clients through career transition or managing through a recession. We deduce that businesses are thinking their way out of the situation rather than batten down the hatches and hope for recovery

*Sample of more than 600 coaches from the Association for Coaching (AC), European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and International Coach Federation (ICF)

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