Paul Bridle Articles

Managing Upwards - Click To Read Article
One of the statements that is often made to trainers, speakers and coaches is, “My boss would not allow me to implement what you are saying” or “that is not the way we do things in our organization”. It is very frustrating. Many managers send their people on learning and development activities and have no idea what the content really is and how they can best support the individual when the individual returns to work. So people attend and then do not apply their learning back in their work place. Many people sit in frustration because their boss will not allow them to make a decision or take responsibility and act on it. Many middle managers are faced with these issues and the whole business is held back as a result. In these situations there is a need to understand how to manage upwards. It is about how to manage your boss.

Work is Love made Visible - Click To Read Article
Can work be enjoyed? It seems that there are organizations that can create an environment where people enjoy their work and get a great deal of satisfaction from it. What is more, the impact on customer service is amazing.

Your Brand of Leadership - Click To Read Article
What does a ‘brand’ mean? In simple and historic terms it is asserting one’s right to ownership. Think about cattle being branded on the plains of the ‘Old West’. What the owner is saying is, this mark is my mark and anything or any animal that wears it is owned by me or originated from my ranch. Do you know what your leadership brand is? To develop your leadership brand requires you to know what you stand for.

Wishing I was Lucky - Click To Read Article
It has been said that luck occurs when opportunity meets persistence. There is also the famous quote: “Luck is a wonderful thing. The harder a person works, the more of it they seem to have” Are we really lucky?

Who is Killing the Energy - Click To Read Article
Energy is a key force in fast paced and modern business. Who is in charge of the 'Energy'?

When leadership is not enough - Click To Read Article
Some people see leadership as being the person in charge or the person in control. The mental image of a leader is the person with the most authority. But there are many examples of organizations and countries that have had leaders and not been successful. Look at the difference between George Bush as a leader and Tony Blair. Both were leaders of their respective countries. However, people largely believe that Tony Blair was more of a leader than George Bush. The truth is, failing organizations had people who were leaders just as much as successful ones have leaders. Hitler was a great leader and so was Saddam Hussein. They were not the type of leader that I would want to have in charge of a country I lived in or company I worked for, but they were leaders.

When to Fold 'em - Click To Read Article
One of the important aspects of leadership is to know when to stand firm and when to fold.

What culture do you develop? - Click To Read Article
As a leader have you considered the culture you want in your organization? A culture of an organization is determined by the behaviors and perceptions of your people. Consider, how your people treat your customers, how they treat each other, what their perception of your suppliers is, or more importantly, what do they think of the leaders and managers? You have heard the phrase 'walk-the-talk', people are watching you and based on your behavior they develop perceptions and will act accordingly. As an observer of an organization, it is very easy to identify the culture, one visit to a store, one interaction with the sales team, or customer service department will provide you with an indication of what is happening in that organization.

The Leaders Role in Innovation - Click To Read Article
Ninety-eight percent of business leaders believe that innovation is important but less than thirty percent take an active involvement in making it happen! What do business leaders need to do?

The Ethical Tipping Point - Click To Read Article
We hear a great deal these days about ethics. But when does an acceptable practice tip over into an unethical practice?

The Empire Strikes Back? - Click To Read Article
This week I came across the expression ‘Vigilante Consumer’ for the first time. It seems that consumers are starting to strike back at companies that make it difficult to deal with them when they have a problem. You know what I mean? They have the attitude that they are perfect or at least doing the best that is physically possible to be done and you have a problem that shows a mistake has been made or that the system has failed. You want to explain the problem and nobody listens!

The Day our Icons let us down - Click To Read Article
In the seventies Marks and Spencer plc, in UK was the icon of the retail industry. Everyone used M&S as a benchmark by which they measured their performance and aspired to achieve. National Westminster Bank was the biggest bank in UK and the bank that handled the Bank of England. British Airways was the major airline in the world and a company that other airlines looked up to. There were similar organizations in North America as well and other parts of the world. Then the world changed. In the 80’s the world shifted gear. The icons were found to be set in their traditional ways. In fact all three of these companies were challenged to the level that they nearly disappeared.

So What About Change? - Click To Read Article
It is said that people don’t like change. It is said that people are scared of change. However, if we think about it, without some sort of change we would get bored! In fact, we have had to deal with change all our lives.

Service Interaction - Click To Read Article
In your business, the difference is……? What makes a modern business? Today business needs to re-invent itself and find a niche. Business is about networks. Business is about helping your customer achieve their goals. Business is about thinking differently about the way things have been done. The trouble is, businesses don’t fully understand the areas of a business that make it happen. In most cases there are three things that are needed to make a business a success, assuming that the company has a solid cash-flow.

Remaining Focused - Click To Read Article
Christopher Columbus set sail heading West to look for new lands. It was a daring move at a time of growing national imperialism and economic competition between states. It was risky and many thought that he would disappear off the edge of the world. However, Columbus remained focused even though he did not know exactly what he would find. In fact, he totally underestimated the circumference of the world and when he landed in the Bahamas he thought he had landed on the East Asian mainland. As with all these voyages in history, Columbus prepared as best he could for the months ahead. In part he was preparing for the unknown, but there was a lot he knew he could plan for and he recognized that his team would need to be able to adapt and change as challenges arose.

Recognizing Uncertainty - Click To Read Article
Is uncertainly a bad thing? Maybe we just need to view it differently.

Pushing Boundaries - Click To Read Article
Have you ever noticed how children are constantly pushing boundaries and checking how far they can push things? It is a natural thing to do as the child endeavors to discover what works and why.

Obama on Leadership - Click To Read Article
After eight years of the Bush Administration and the last year of electioneering, the whole world watched in January, as the first African-American took the oath of office and became the 44th President of United States of America.

More than being right.... - Click To Read Article
We can have the right to do something, but is it the right thing to do? It is very easy to point to our ‘rights’ and justify why we want to do something.

Leaders use the Scales of Balance - Click To Read Article
How do we balance determination with prudence? How do we have a vision but don't become locked into something and loose sight of opportunities? Can we maintain focus while at the same time stand back and take an objective viewpoint?

Holding your self to a higher standar - Click To Read Article
I met Cesco from ‘Primi World’, a wonderful restaurant chain in South Africa. Cesco and his partner, Peter, have set up one of the greatest eating establishments I have had the pleasure to visit. In my interview with Cesco, he made a comment that I would like to share with you. I asked him what drives him and keeps him going?

Having a Purpose - Click To Read Article
As children we are always asking the question ‘why?’ This often results in the majority of adults becoming frustrated with our incessant questioning. Through this we learn to tone down our questions as we get older. This, however, does not mean that we are not curious and do not want to know. In our workplace, or anywhere we are asked to make a commitment and strive to achieve something, the question looming in our mind is why? Why are we doing this? What is the point? What will we achieve as a result of doing this?

Global View - Click To Read Article
Survive - but also get prepared to Thrive

Environmental Awareness - Click To Read Article
Last year I researched a number of organizations that had an exceptional business. Among the many things that I learned was that each one is focused on environmental issues. The level of environmental focus varied from one organization to another, but the consistent finding was that the commitment started at the top, it came from the leader.

Does Age Matter? - Click To Read Article
There is a lot of talk about age these days. People talk about the X and Y Generation, the Baby Boomers and recently I have heard the expression, igeneration!!! Then there is the ageism debate and Governments bringing in legislation to make employers employ people of all ages.

Being Connected - Click To Read Article
There is an interesting situation in the work place these days caused by the social networking sites.

Another Conference - Click To Read Article
Who would put a team together that did not share the common goals and seek to work in harmony to complete the outcome?

An Accountant or a Leader - but rarely both - Click To Read Article
Sometimes I think that the world is divided between the people who make things happen and those that account for it. I know it is an over simplification but all the personality assessments, type indicators and their like break us into four types: The Pragmatic, the Analytical, the Amiable and the Extrovert.


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